2025 in review: Sports

This is the fourth of a five-part series for the CNA’s year in review.

Winter sports

In January, Creston native Casey Bryant, named Creston’s Outstanding Male Athlete in 1986, was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Bryant, now 56, was one of Creston’s best all-around athletes in history as a pitcher and shortstop in baseball and point guard in basketball for coach Vic Belger. He was also the quarterback of Creston’s first football playoff team for coach Dick Bergstrom. Bryant earned all-state baseball honors as a senior and played in the 1986 All-Star Series for the Small School West Team.

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In February, the Creston wrestling team placed second at the girls 1A regionals, advancing four to the state tournament — Karlie Kruse, Evy Marlin, Alainah Galanakis and Grace Keeler.

East Union advanced two girls, Quynn Foster and Cheyenne Dike, after they both won wrestlebacks to take the runner up spot at their respective weights.

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In February, the Creston boys wrestlers took third at the Hawkeye 10 tournament in Denison. Eleven wrestlers had top-four finishes in their weight class. Atlantic won with Lewis Central as the runner up.

Colt Key, Lane Travis and Weston Trapp all made the finals, ultimately finishing second.

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Senior Evy Marlin and freshman Karlie Kruse brought home medals from the state girls wrestling tournament, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Kruse was one of four freshman to qualify for state in 1A.

East Union’s Cheyenne Dike placed eighth after coming in seeded 14th. She is the Eagles’ first female wrestler to place at state.

SWAT sent Jazz Christensen (eighth) and Destiny Fry.

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Creston sent Lane Travis, Brodrick Phelps and Gunner Martwick to the boys state wrestling tournament.

At state, Mount Ayr’s Brock Shaha and Lenox’s Dylan Stein and Chase England all earned medals.

Nodaway Valley duo Trenton Warner and Ashton Honnold brought home wins at heavyweight and 215, respectively.

East Union was represented by Justice Norman, Ty Tallmon and Joseph Hayes. Lenox also sent Wylie Brokaw. Southwest Valley sent Ian Forsythe.

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The Lenox girl’s basketball team fell just short of state in a 46-37 Region 6 finals loss to Montezuma. The team graduated four seniors — Sadie Cox, Zoey Reed, Izzy Curtis and Bentley Petersen.

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Hawkeye 10 basketball all conference:

Boys — Jake Hoyt, Parker Varner and Rhett Driskell of Creston

Girls — Kadley Bailey of Creston

Pride of Iowa basketball all conference:

Boys — Gabe Funk, Lenox; Jackson Ruggles, Mount Ayr; Cael Hogan, Southwest Valley; Tyler Martin, Mount Ayr; Tate Dugan, Mount Ayr; Alex Morgan, Southwest Valley; Jace Petit, East Union; Laramie Stoaks, Lenox; Jaize Frost, Mount Ayr; Paul Berg, Nodaway Valley; Wyatt Mendenhall, Southwest Valley.

Girls — Izzy Eisbach, Nodaway Valley; Izzy Gilbertson, Mount Ayr; Sadie Cox, Lenox; Breya Nickle, Mount Ayr; Zoey Reed, Lenox; Hailey Randall, Southwest Valley; Jaxy Knight, Mount Ayr; Kayli Shade, East Union; Izzy Curtis, Lenox; Danny Stewart, Mount Ayr; Maddie Weston, Nodaway Valley; Maddie Bevington, Southwest Valley.

Girls all-state basketball:

Izzy Gilbertson, Mount Ayr; Izzy Eisbach, Nodaway Valley; Sadie Cox, Lenox

Spring sports

The Southwestern 4x800m relay team qualified for nationals with Creston alumni Brandon Briley and Dillon Starlin on the team. The duo, along with Cam Swapsy and Zach Roome, set a composite time of 7:50.54.

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Brayden Schoon and Tom Mikkelsen qualified for the Drake relays in discus and shot put, respectively. They were the first Creston boys to qualify in the last decade.

At Drake, Mikkelsen took third with 56-2.75. Schoon placed 17th after coming in the 20 seed.

Lenox senior Gabe Funk won the 400m hurdles at Drake, running 52.4, a new school record. Mount Ayr’s Aubree Shields competed in high jump where she finished in a tie for 11th.

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The Creston girls placed fourth at the Hawkeye 10 tennis tournament in May. Ava Adamson was 4-1 on the day, placing fifth overall. The doubles team of Sasha Wurster and Hollynn Rieck placed fourth.

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At the Hawkeye 10 track meet, Kadley Bailey, Tom Mikkelsen and Brayden School each came away with individual titles. Schoon posted a PR in discus by nearly 10 feet. The Panther girls finished sixth.

Creston would go on to send nine events to state - Cora Smith (400m); Tom Mikkelsen (shot put); Brayden Schoon (discus); Maylee Riley, Hope Henderson, Payton Davis and Cora Smith (4x800m); Kadley Bailey (100m hurdles); Seth Gordon (100m and 200m); Karter Clayton, Braylee Pokorny, Kadley Bailey and Cora Smith (sprint medley) and Kadley Bailey, Josie Tallmon, Karter Clayton and Hope Henderson (shuttle hurdle).

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State track medalists:

Maylee Riley, Hope Henderson, Payton Davis and Cora Smith of Creston: eight place in the 4x800m relay.

Tom Mikkelsen, Creston: seventh in shot put.

Gabe Funk, Lenox: first place in 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles. Second place in the 400.

Aubree Shields, Mount Ayr: third place in high jump.

Emma Reynolds, Mount Ayr: fifth place in the 200.

Willie Baker, Mount Ayr: second place in para ambulatory shot put, fourth in the ambulatory 100, 200 and fifth in the 400.

Morgan Cooley, East Union: third place in shot put.

Trenton Warner, Nodaway Valley: first place in shot put and fifth in discus.

Many other area athletes competed, falling short of the top eight.

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The Mount Ayr and East Union girls golf teams advanced to the state golf meet where the Raiderette’s Jaylee Schaffer won the individual title and the team took seventh. Shaffer is the first Mount Ayr girls golfer to win a state championship.

The Eagles’ Gwen Nixon also competed individually. Nixon was in the top-10 medal hunt after shooting 83 on Thursday, ended up 33rd with a 184 after shooting 101 on Friday.

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Panthers soccer placed four on Hawkeye 10 team — Joaquin Flores, Hector Suazo, Olivia Burwell and Lea Stonebraker (NV).

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Brayden Schoon and Ava Adamson were named Creston Class of 2025 outstanding athletes.

Summer sports

The Creston girls softball team was undefeated in the Hawkeye 10, going 20-0 to take the title. It’s the first perfect H10 team since 2010.

The Panthers went on to defeat Lewis Central 3-2 in the Class 4A Region 2 semifinals, but fell 8-2 to Dallas Center-Grimes in the finals.

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Creston athletes on Hawkeye 10 all-conference softball:

First team: Ava Adamson, Avery Staver and Taryn Fredrickson

Second team: Jersey Foote and Evy Marlin

Honorable mention: Jaycee Hanson

Creston athletes on Hawkeye 10 all-conference baseball:

First team: Parker Varner and Tom Mikkelsen

Honorable Mention: Tanner Ray

All-District Girls:

Ava Adamson of Creston, Sadie Cox of Lenox and Keirsten Klein and Karina Romero of Murray.

All-State Boys:

Gabe Funk, Laramie Stoaks and Dawson Evans of Lenox

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Creston’s Brayden Schoon and Nodaway Valley’s Trent Warner helped lead the South to a Shrine Bowl win in July. Gabe Funk of Lenox was also selected to play but was unable to participate due to a lower leg injury.

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Madison (Frain) Peterson became Creston’s first inductee into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Softball Hall of Fame in July. The 2012 Creston High School graduate pitched five years for the Panthers before continuing at the University of South Dakota.

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Lenox seniors Gabe Funk and Sadie Cox were named South Central Iowa athletes of the year.

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Fall sports

In a switch to fall, the Creston girls tennis team opened 4-0. The doubles team of Kennedy Strider and Hollynn Rieck went on to place fifth in No. 1 doubles at the Hawkeye 10 Championships.

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The Creston volleyball team pulled off a major upset in October, defeating St. Albert in set five.

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For the second year in a row, two Creston girls earned all-conference honors in cross country; sophomore Cora Smith and junior Reese Strunk finished eighth and 14th at the meet in Shenandoah.

The boys placed fourth as a team, led by freshman Ryder Baird who placed ninth in 17:12.17. Junior Wyatt Goodenberger finished 17th, also earning all-conference.

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The East Union football team wrapped up its most successful campaign since 2016 with a 6-3 record, falling in round one of the postseason to 7-2 Montezuma.

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Creston All-District football athletes:

First team: Jace Purdum, Tanner Ray, Gunner Martwick, Seth Gordon and Tom Mikkelsen.

Second team: Jackson Pettegrew, Rhett Driskell, Garrick Clausen, Cason Scarberry and Coltyr Frey.

Honorable mention: Davin Wallace, Blake Hayes, Gabe Kaufman, Chasse Downing and Lane Travis.

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Creston All-Conference volleyball athletes:

Honorable mention: Kadley Bailey and Jaycee Hanson