AVOCA -- IKM-Manning took control of the game with a 23-8 first-quarter start and stayed undefeated Tuesday night with a 66-53 win over AHSTW. One night after taking down fellow unbeaten Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto on the road, the Wolves showed up ready to play in Avoca, getting 27 points and six rebounds from senior Kyle Wagner in improving to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the Western Iowa Conference. The Vikings (3-4, 3-4) actually outscored IKM-M af

 ELK HORN -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton heated up from the three-point line in the third quarter and outscored Adair-Casey 32-16 after halftime to win Tuesday’s Rolling Valley Conference game, 56-34. The Spartans improved to 6-3 overall and 6-2 in league play with the victory, getting 15 points from Brady Hansen, 12 from Drew Buckholdt and nine from Noah Pettepier, who hit 3-of-6 three-point shots. Exira-EHK led the winless Bombers 24-18 at the

 HARLAN -- There was a strange feeling in the air last February when the Harlan Community wrestling season came to a close at the district meet in Atlantic. The 2014-15 Cyclones had improved their dual win total by three - going 18-8 - placed sixth in the rugged Hawkeye Ten dual standings and conference tournament for the second straight season and advanced five wrestlers from sectionals to districts for the sixth year in a row.

 AREA -- Following a two-week break for the holidays, area high school sports teams resume their seasons this week with several intriguing basketball games highlighting the schedule. On Tuesday night, the 7th-ranked Harlan Community boys (5-1) will play at No. 6 Atlantic (8-0) in a key matchup for Hawkeye Ten Conference supremacy. The varsity game will tip off at approximately 7:30 p.m., following the JV game at 6:00.

Eleven students from Harlan Community Middle School participated in the Southwest District Iowa Special Olympics Bowling Qualifier held October 13 at Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs. There were approximately 180 total bowlers at the event, which saw blue-ribbon winners in each division advance to the West Region’s state competition November 21 in Sioux City.

 SIOUX CITY -- Former Harlan Community Cyclone Joe Brummer capped an outstanding collegiate football career at Morningside College this past fall, earning second-team All-America NAIA honors from the American Football Coaches Association following the Mustangs’ 12-2 campaign. Brummer, a 2012 HCHS graduate and the son of Tony and Laurie Brummer, Harlan, played offensive left guard for Morningside, starting all 54 of the team’s games during the

 TREYNOR -- The AHSTW wrestling team placed fifth out of nine schools at the Western Iowa Conference Dual Tournament held Friday-Saturday, December 18-19, at Treynor.

 MANNING -- One night after losing a tough three-point decision at Underwood, the IKM-Manning girls crushed Riverside, 79-18, on Friday, December 18, in their final game before Christmas break. The Wolves blew the game open using a 25-2 second-quarter run and also outscored the Lady Dawgs 23-3 in the fourth, making 32-of-53 field goals while swiping 24 steals. Eleven players scored at least one basket for IKM-M, led by Shauna Reitan with 12 po

 MONDAMIN -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton recovered from an awful second quarter by finishing the game on an 11-1 run and winning at West Harrison, 48-39, in boys basketball action last Tuesday. The Spartans entered the holiday break with a 5-3 overall record and 5-2 Rolling Valley Conference mark. They will return to action Tuesday, January 5, for a home game vs.

DENISON -- The Harlan Community boys bowling team accomplished two feats in one night last Thursday, posting a school-record team score of 2,988 pins to beat Denison-Schleswig (2,651) for the first time in seven head-to-head matchups since the Cyclone program began in 2012. Three Cyclones averaged better than 200 pins per game as junior Mitchell Leinen set individual school records with a high game of 263 and a two-game series of 473. Senior M

 ELK HORN -- Even as his team glides into Christmas break unbeaten, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton girls basketball coach Tom Petersen sees vast room for improvement in many key areas. The 2nd-ranked (Class 1-A) Spartans improved to 7-0 last Friday night with a 58-35 win over Ar-We-Va - their second victory against a team over .500 - but everything from poor outside shooting to a lack of communication left Petersen frustrated with the girls’ progre

 HARLAN -- On a history-making night for senior Taylor Frederick, the Harlan Community girls basketball team finished December on a high note Tuesday with a 65-35 win over Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln. Next on the agenda is a well-deserved breather before focusing squarely on January, February and beyond. Frederick, who broke Jess Schaben’s school record for career points last Saturday, became the first Cyclone five-player girl in program hi

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community Cyclones didn’t quite find a way to defeat Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln here Tuesday night, but they became a better basketball team for trying. Battling from behind the entire game - even turning a 16-point third-quarter deficit into their only lead with 2:31 to go - the third-ranked (Class 3-A) Cyclones ultimately came up short, 64-57, against the sixth-ranked (4-A) Lynx. A poor start to both halves proved c

 WAUKEE -- The Harlan Community wrestling team salvaged a 45-29 win over Chariton in its final dual to finish with a 1-4 record at Saturday’s Al Garrison Memorial Duals in Waukee. The Cyclones went 0-3 in Pool C before splitting a pair of duals in the consolation round, dropping their overall season record to 5-5 going into the holiday break. Led by All-Tournament selections Nick Foss and Aaron Johannsen - both 5-0 on the day - HCHS actually f

 CLARINDA -- Harlan Community improved its Hawkeye Ten dual record to 4-0 Thursday night with a double dual sweep, beating Clarinda, 42-30, and St. Albert, 66-18. The host Cardinals beat St. Albert, 78-6. Eight out of 12 Cyclone wrestlers finished 2-0 for the meet, led by two pins each from Elias Shaeffer, Nick Foss and Jacob Wingert. HCHS (4-1 overall) finished 7-4 with five pins in contested matches vs.