Top sports stories of 2012

The year of 2012 was certainly a memorable year for area sports. It included five state championships, heartbreaking finishes, a superhero emergence, the passing of area sports legends, the resurrection of programs, a rising star and a promising future for 2013.

Marlin scored two wins by fall at the state tournament, one by technical fall and a 10-2 major decision in the championship match at 138 pounds.

Senior Collin Bevins joined Marlin as a state champion, pinning his way through the heavyweight bracket.

Keaton Hulett finished off his junior campaign with a 3-2 loss in the 195-pound finals. Senior Juwan Parrish capped off his career with a fifth-place finish.

Corning senior Kory Schmelzer also finished his career with a fifth-place finish at 170 pounds in Class 1A.

The Panthers finished fourth in the Class 2A traditional tournament, after finishing fourth place in the state duals earlier in the weekend.

Creston/O-M also claimed its first Hawkeye 10 Conference tournament title since 1986 during the season.

• 3 — Wolverines narrowly miss finals trip, finish fourth

After ripping North Iowa 62-40 in the opening round of the Class 1A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, the Nodaway Valley Wolverines had top-ranked Danville on the ropes in the semifinals, before Danville outscored the Wolverines 19-6 in the final quarter to pull away for the win and a repeat trip to the finals.

Nodaway Valley tried to rebound from the loss in time for the consolation game, but fell to St. Mary’s, Storm Lake 81-46 in the third-place game after falling behind early during a 19-0 St. Mary’s first-quarter run.

The Wolverines finished the season 23-4 and graduated just three seniors from that team, while bringing back all five starters from the third-place game.

• 4 — The Thing

He signed a National Letter of Intent to play football on scholarship for Iowa State. He pinned his way to a state championship in wrestling. He won his Dream Team Classic match 12-9 over a state champion from Minnesota. He won the CHS Outstanding Male Athlete Award. He qualified for the state track meet in the shot put and the 200 meter dash. He helped the South to a 40-7 win in the Iowa Shrine Bowl. And he was named the Omaha World Herald’s Western Iowa Male Athlete of the Year.

Creston’s Collin Bevins certainly lived up to his Superhero Alliance nickname in 2012.

He did just about everything during the calendar year.

• 5 — Three state championships at girls state track

Corning senior Caitlyn Stroud defended her state championship in the Class 1A 100 meter dash and also won a state title in the 200 meter dash, despite battling back and foot injuries.

Meanwhile, Creston senior Audrey Bolinger pulled away from the field in the final 150 meters of the Class 3A 400 meter hurdles, bringing a state championship back to Creston.

Bolinger won in dominating fashion, finishing a full two seconds ahead of second place in the race.

It capped a successful season for Creston girls track, which saw the Bolinger break the 400 meter hurdles school record, and run on the school record breaking 4x800 relay team along with Taylor Hudson, Katlin Briley and Emily Wignall. The Panthers also sent 10 events to state track.

Both Bolinger and Stroud elected to continue their track and field careers in college. Bolinger chose Northwest Missouri State, while Stroud selected Simpson College.

• 6 — Whittington fifth at state, selected for North & South Junior Championship

As a sophomore, Creston/O-M’s Carson Whittington finished fifth at the state golf tournament after leading the Panthers to one of its most successful seasons as a team.

With Whittington leading the charge, the Panthers went undefeated until an untimely off-day at the sectional meet.

But, Whittington placed well enough to advance to the state meet, where he finished in a respectable fifth place.

Then, Whittington was selected to compete in the North & South Junior Championship at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where he competed against golfers from 15 different states, as well as Canada and Brazil.

Whittington earned his invitation after winning an AJGA tournament in Indiana during 2011.

Whittington finished the first round of the North & South Junior Championship tied for ninth after shooting a 1-under 71.

He finished the tournament in a tie for 44th, shooting 9-over for the tournament.

• 7 — Four football teams make playoffs

Along with Murray, Creston/Orient-Macksburg, Mount Ayr and Lenox all made the state football playoffs.

Mount Ayr finished the season 11-1 in one of the most successful seasons in school history, eventually losing out to Council Bluffs St. Albert in the quarterfinals.

The Panthers entered the final week of the regular season with just one loss and hopes of winning Class 3A District 1. But, a loss to Lewis Central in the first round dropped the Panthers all the way to the four-seed, sending them to a first-round matchup with Sioux City Bishop Heelan.

The Panthers gave Heelan a run for its money before a late scoring flurry propelled Heelan to a 47-20 win over Creston/O-M.

Lenox drew a tough matchup in the first round, losing to Exira/EHK to finish the season 6-4.

After the conclusion of the season, the Raiders and the Panthers were rewarded for their successful seasons as each put three players on their respective class’s first-team all-state.

Luke Neitzel, Keaton Hulett and Trevor Frain each made it onto the INA Class 3A first-team all-state defense for the Panthers.

Jacob Sobotka and Braydee Poore made Class 1A first-team offense for the Raiders, while sophomore Joe Ricker was named to the first-team defense. Mount Ayr offensive linemen Mason Mercer (second team) and Levi Martin (third team) also made all-state.

Corning’s Nick Spring made the Eight-Man third team as a punter.

• 8 — Two eras come to close

Creston softball and East Union volleyball suffered similar finishes, as two of the most successful dynasties barely missed out on trips to the state tournament.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Panther softball team walked off an opponent’s home field in a regional final or semifinal loss — this time in a 2-1 loss to Indianola.

Creston seniors Madison Frain, Katlin Briley and Maddie Haines competed in three regional finals during their five years with the program. During those years, the Panthers finished with an overall record of 150-32 and four conference championships, comprising one of the most successful senior classes in school history.

Frain and Briley both made the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Class 4A first-team all-state, marking the fifth year the pair had been named to the all-state team at some level. The duo also shared the 2012 CHS Outstanding Female Athlete Award, and later played in the IGCA all-star softball series.

Briley is continuing her playing career at DMACC, while Frain is continuing her career at South Dakota.

After making back-to-back trips to the state volleyball tournament, East Union had hopes of making a third straight trip.

But, the Eagles gave up a 2-1 lead in sets as Grandview Park Baptist came from behind to knock off the Eagles and send a successful senior class home without another opportunity at the state tournament.

The senior class of Amber Friend, Rochelle Means, Shelby Smith and Dusti Carlisle went 121-24 over their four years with the program, for a winning percentage of .834.

Friend and Carlisle will continue their careers at Graceland, while Means has committed to Southwestern.

• 9 — Legends pass away

Early September marked the passing of two icons of southwest Iowa athletics — former Creston athletic director Curt Olson and retired Nodaway Valley football coach Bob Daut.

Daut, a Hall of Fame coach with 200 wins, was honored twice shortly before his passing, first with the inaugural “Battle for the Rock” between Mount Ayr and Nodaway Valley, and then with the Wolverines playing the inaugural Bob Daut Kickoff Classic.

Olson, meanwhile, suffered a stroke and passed away shortly before being inducted into the Creston High School Hall of Fame. At the time, Olson was coaching on the eighth-grade football staff.

He was honored during Creston/O-M’s homecoming football game, as Panther paws with his nickname “Oly” painted onto the field.

• 10 — Southwestern softball makes regional final

Southwestern Community College softball, under the direction of head coach Lindsay Stumpff, finished with one of its best seasons in school history.

The Spartans became just the third SWCC team to reach a regional final, finishing the season 43-21.

Southwestern fell 5-1 to DMACC in the regional final to finish its season. The Spartans entered the Region XI Tournament as the four-seed, but went undefeated until losing two games in a row to the Bears.

The 43 wins by the Spartan team set a new school record for victories. Leah Kipfer, London Miller and Danyielle Barger all surpassed the previous single-season school record for hits.