BOONE (July 24) -- The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced changes to the 2020 prep football season on Friday, shortening regular season play to a maximum of seven games per team and expanding the postseason so that all teams qualify for the playoffs. The revised plan was approved by the IHSAA Board of Control, which will release further fall season and sport-specific guidance next week.

 DALLAS CENTER (July 22) -- The better team ultimately may have won Wednesday’s Class 3A, Substate 8 baseball final in Dallas Center, but the score serves no justice to the competitive nature of the game. Trailing 4-2 since the end of the first inning, Harlan Community loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth but was unable to score against Dallas Center-Grimes ace pitcher Logan Smith. The momentum from that escape carried right i

 CARLISLE (July 21) -- The little things added up in a hurry against Harlan Community Tuesday night, turning a potentially closer game - or at least a longer one - into a quick three-inning affair. An error here, a bad call there, a base hit that barely eluded a Cyclone glove - something always seemed to keep Carlisle’s inning alive. Throw in the fact that the top-ranked Wildcats are a very talented and complete softball team and it all added

 HARLAN (July 20) -- The Harlan Community baseball team picked a great time to earn its first mercy-rule win of 2020. Breaking open a 4-2 game by scoring six runs in the bottom of the fourth, HCHS added three more in the fifth to finish off Denison-Schleswig 13-3 in a Class 3A district final at Jim Goeser Field Monday night. The third time was not a charm for the Monarchs, who lost two close decisions - 2-0 and 1-0 - to the Cyclones during the

 PORTSMOUTH -- Council Bluffs and Massena will play in the Iowa Western Baseball League Tournament title game on Sunday, July 27 (1:00 p.m.) in Portsmouth. The two teams punched their ticket to the final by winning semifinal games last week. Council Bluffs 9, Persia 1 - Alex Johnson had three hits, including a home run, and four other players had two hits as Council Bluffs beat Persia 9-1 on July 14.

 FONDA (July 20) -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton’s magical 2020 softball season fell one win shy of its ultimate goal on Monday night as the 9th-ranked Spartans lost to 2nd-ranked Newell-Fonda 10-0 in five innings in a Class 1A, Region 2 final. Exira-EHK found itself in a 6-0 hole after one inning and couldn’t recover as N-F eighth-grader Kierra Jungers pitched an abbreviated one-hit shutout with one walk and eight strikeouts.

 HARLAN (July 18) -- So often in high school softball, the final outcome is determined by one big (or bad) inning for one side or the other. On Saturday night that key inning was the bottom of the third for Harlan Community. Plating five runs on just one hit, the Cyclones gave Lewis Central fits with the bunt game, took a 5-0 lead and cruised past the Titans 6-1 in a Class 4A, Region 4 semifinal at H.

 HARLAN (July 17) -- In baseball - or any sport for that matter - it’s important to answer an opponent’s rally as quickly as possible to keep momentum on your side. Harlan Community was able to do that and then some Friday night, countering Creston’s two-run top of the fourth with four runs in the bottom of the inning, then adding two in the sixth to put away the Panthers 9-2 in a Class 3A, District 16 semifinal. Brenden Bartley finished a tri

 KIMBALLTON (July 17) -- The Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton softball team earned another crack at Newell-Fonda here Friday, moving within one game of the state tournament with a 6-2, Class 1A regional semifinal win over West Harrison. The 9th-ranked Spartans took control with a five-run third inning and got a four-hitter and 13 strikeouts from ace pitcher Macy Emgarten, improving their unbeaten record to 15-0. They advanced to Monday night’s Region

 ONAWA (July 15) -- For the second straight year, AHSTW’s softball season came to an end at the hands of West Monona. The fifth-ranked Spartans (19-1) got a three-hitter from senior pitcher Lexi Lander and used a four-run fourth inning to down the Lady Vikes 6-1 Wednesday night in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (July 14) -- St. Albert followed up a five-run third inning with nine runs in the fourth and finished off Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton 16-2 in a five-inning Class 1A district baseball semifinal last Tuesday night. The third-ranked Falcons (19-1) advanced to Saturday’s District 14 final and won big again, beating up Sidney 16-1 in four to earn a spot in Tuesday’s Substate 7 final against CAM (15-2).

 KIMBALLTON (July 15) -- You can throw out the records at tournament time. It’s no doubt an old sports cliché, but the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton softball team nearly experienced the harsh reality of that phrase Wednesday night before making a dramatic rally to save their unbeaten season. Trailing Griswold 4-2 and down to their final out with a runner on third, the ninth-ranked Spartans got an RBI single from senior Kami Waymire, a double by se

 IRWIN (July 13) -- Down 3-0 after three innings Monday night, the AHSTW softball team refused to bow to the pressures of tournament time in its Class 2A regional opener at IKM-Manning. Both teams put the ball in play consistently all night with 18 total hits and just two strikeouts, but it was the Lady Vikes who stayed steady on defense and used two big innings to rally past the Wolves 8-4. AHSTW, which defeated IKM-Manning 12-1 just 11 days

 HARLAN (July 15) -- The Harlan Community baseball team will ride a six-game winning streak into postseason play following a pair of non-conference home wins earlier this week. HCHS defeated Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 11-3 on Tuesday night and held off Thomas Jefferson 9-7 on Wednesday, finishing the regular season with a 13-3 record.

 HARLAN (July 13) -- The Harlan Community softball team completed its regular season on a good note here Monday night, bashing 13 hits and using two big innings to win 9-2 over Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson. Listed 14th in the final Class 4A rankings of the year, the Cyclones (14-4) will now have four days off to prepare for Saturday’s regional semifinal in Harlan against either Glenwood (8-5) or Lewis Central (11-7).