Let’s take one last look back at the winter sports season in Iowa and Nebraska. Here are the MaxPreps individuals and teams of the year from Iowa. Next week, we will cover Nebraska. 
Harrison Barnes, Ames
File photo by Nicholas Koza
Iowa Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Harrison Barnes, Ames
No surprise here. Barnes has been named the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year in conjunction with the McDonald’s All-American game. The 6-foot-7 North Carolina recruit averaged 27 points and nine rebounds while leading the Little Cyclones to their second consecutive 4A championship and a consensus national ranking.
Next in line: Zach McCabe, Bishop Heelan. McCabe, a 6-7 Iowa signee, averaged 19 points and led the Crusaders to their second consecutive 3A title.
Iowa Boys Basketball Team of the Year: Ames
Again, not a surprise. You'd be hard-pressed to find a team throughout the lengthy history of boys basketball in Iowa on par with the Little Cyclones. Led by Barnes and Northern Iowa signee Doug McDermott, they went undefeated for the second straight season and left an indelible mark with sports fans across the state.
Next in line: Bishop Heelan. The Crusaders not only repeated as 3A state champions, they also defeated 2A champion Western Christian, 1A champion Rock Valley, and Nebraska Class B king South Sioux City.
Iowa Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Kiah Stokes, Linn-Mar
Stokes is to Iowa girls basketball as Barnes is to Iowa boys hoops. The 6-3 junior emerged as a national recruit and led the Lions to the 4A state championship this season. The daughter of Iowa basketball legend Greg Stokes, Kiah averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Next in line: Hallie Christofferson, Exira. (A slight nod here over Bishop Heelan’s Carli Tritz.) Christofferson, a 6-3 Iowa State signee, carried her team to 26 consecutive wins and the 1A state title. She provided 42 percent of the Vikings’ scoring and 48 percent of their rebounds this season.
Iowa Girls Basketball Team of the Year: Linn-Mar
You have to go with the 4A champion, if for no other reason than it beat 3A titlist Bishop Heelan by 16 during the regular season. Only three opponents stayed within 10 points of the Lions (26-0), and all three were top-10 teams.
Next in line: Bishop Heelan. Naturally, it’s the Crusaders, who went 26-0 outside of their loss to Linn-Mar in early December and won their second 3A title in three seasons.
Iowa Wrestler of the Year: Nick Moore, Iowa City West
Moore (160) did what only 18 others have done in Iowa’s illustrious prep wrestling history by winning four consecutive individual state titles. The University of Iowa signee finished his career with a 183-1 record and won by pin or technical fall in 31 of his last 32 matches.
Next in line: Kyven Gadson, Waterloo East. The Iowa State recruit closed his prep career with a 30-0 record and repeated as the 3A 189-pound titlist.
Iowa Wrestling Team of the Year: Waverly-Shell Rock
The nationally ranked Go-Hawks (22-2) captured the 3A team and state dual team titles for the third consecutive season. Both dual losses were to nationally ranked opponents.
Next in line: Denver-Tripoli. The Titans (26-0) rolled to the 2A team and state dual team titles and finished ranked No. 36 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News.
By the numbers
53 – The number of consecutive wins for Ames in boys basketball, dating back to last season. It’s tied for the eighth-longest streak in state history.
4 – Including Barnes, the number of Iowans ever selected to play in the boys McDonald’s All-American game. The others were Al Lorenzen (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) in 1984, Raef LaFrentz (MFL-MarMac) in 1994, and Nick Collison (Iowa Falls) in 1999.
746 – The number of coaching wins for WACO’s Bob Hilmer, who finished his 45th season on the bench with a 13-11 record this season. He became the state’s leader in victories in 2006.
92 – The number of points Christofferson scored in three games at the 1A girls state tournament. It’s the third highest total in the 26-year history of the Iowa five-player basketball.
5 – Including Christofferson, the number of Iowa girls who have more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their career.
956 – The number of coaching wins amassed by Waukon girls coach Gene Klinge, who led his team to the 3A championship game. He became the state’s leader in the category in January.
31 – The total number of points give up by Iowa City West wrestler Nick Moore in 52 matches this season.
5 – Moore’s smallest margin of victory, which came in the 3A title bout – an 11-6 decision over Indianola’s Spencer BeLieu.
21 – The number of consecutive shutouts for the Saturday night session of the state wrestling tournament. More than 16,000 attended this season.
30 – The number of times a school located east of Interstate 35 has won the Class 1A team wrestling title since 1976.
18 – The number of times a team located west of Interstate 35 has won the Class 1A (or A) boys basketball title since 1976.
11 – The number of consecutive years a team located north of Interstate 80 has won the Class 1A girls basketball title.
Des Moines-based Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.
