January 22, 2026
Local NewsState & National

Remember when...

By Mandy McDowell
Creston's Sam Dunphy goes up for a bucket Saturday in the Panther's win over Red Oak. Dunphy had 15 points. Creston won the game on a last second shot by Brielle Baker before forcing a turnover.

Creston's Sam Dunphy goes up for a bucket Saturday in the Panther's win over Red Oak. Dunphy had 15 points. Creston won the game on a last second shot by Brielle Baker before forcing a turnover. (CNA 2019 Archived photo)

Maybe you were there when it happened or read about it the first time around, but some things are just worth repeating.

Today is Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. There are 343 days remaining in the year. Here’s what the CNA reported on this week in history. Do you remember?

5 years ago (2021)

Thursday was a night filled with team and individual titles as Creston/Orient-Macksburg wrestling clinched the Hawkeye 10 Regular Season Championship and head coach Cody Downing was named the Class 1A Southwest Iowa IWCOA Coaches and Official Coach of the Year. As a team, the Panthers sealed the title with an 81-0 win over Lewis Central and a 55-19 win over Harlan.

Carson Claypool recently joined the ISSB team as an agricultural and commercial loan officer in Creston. He brings five years of lending experience and graduated from Central College in 2015 with a business management and accounting degree. Before joining ISSB, Claypool worked at First National Bank in South Dakota as a commercial loan officer where he managed both ag and commercial loans. Claypool resides in Creston.

Southwestern cross country’s indoor success continued at the Jack Jennet Invitational Thursday, Jan. 21. The continued rise of the men’s group and one-woman team have placed themselves in the first set of U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national rankings Wednesday. The men enter the rankings at No. 18, behind fellow ICCAC members No. 1 Iowa Central, No. 2 Indian Hills, No. 3 Iowa Western and No. 15 North Iowa Area. The Spartan women’s team is ranked No. 15, behind No. 2 Iowa Central, No. 3 Iowa Western, No. 5 Indian Hills and No. 14 North Iowa Area.

Creston Water Works customers will see a 4.5% increase to the water portion of their bill as of July 1 as it upgrades its drinking water infrastructure. Steve Guthrie, Creston Water Works general manager, said the department will be upgrading the 12-mile intake at the Creston Water Plant in July.

10 years ago (2016)

Isaac Sedlmayr, a conservation management major from Afton, was among those named to the Upper Iowa University dean’s list for the 2015 fall semester.

It only took 36 minutes, 37 seconds for Creston/O-M to pick up a pair of 78-3 dual wins Thursday on senior night. The second-ranked Panthers had only 13 contested matches combined in the two duals against Southwest Iowa (Sidney) and Council Bluffs St. Albert. All 11 victories by the Panthers in contested matches came by fall, with only two losses by decision. Junior Trevor Marlin and seniors Wyatt Thompson and Joey Huntington each picked up a pair of pins on the night, with Marlin only spending a total of 1:23 on the mat in his two matches.

The Southwestern Community College track and field teams competed Saturday at the Cornell Invitational. The men finished fifth out of six scoring teams and the women placed sixth. Sophomore Seth Starks of Springfield, Nebraska, qualified for the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in March with his clearance of 6-7 (2.01 meters). That jump was good enough for second place.

15 years (2011)

The Creston/O-M wrestling team crowned a pair of champions and finished third Saturday at the Hawkeye 10 Conference Tournament. Lewis Central claimed the league title with 233.5 points. Atlantic was a distant second with 211, followed close behind by Creston/O-M (207.5). Clarinda, Glenwood, Kuemper Catholic, Harlan, Denison, Red Oak and Shenandoah rounded out the field.

Creston made 16 of 22 free throws in the fourth quarter to finish out a 74-69 victory over Denison-Schleswig boys Friday night. Creston led 47-44 after three quarters before scoring 27 points in the final eight minutes. Luke Neitzel led five Panthers in double figures with 19 points. Chase Blazek made five 3-pointers in scoring 17 points. Colby Taylor added a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-point performance. Luke Eblen scored 11 points and Briar Evans added 10 for the Panthers, who improved to 6-10 overall and 4-5 in Hawkeye 10 play.

The Jerry Brown Gymnasium at Murray High School has hosted countless basketball games in the winter months, many coached by the man whose name graces the building. But on Tuesday night, wrestling took center stage for the first time in the gym, as the East Union/Murray squad hosted Albany, Missouri, and Winterset junior varsity for a triangular. “It’s historic. This was the first time we’ve wrestled here,” Eagle coach Steve Kinyon said.

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