By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Looking for the most successful school in Iowa at this point in the winter sports season? You would have to look pretty hard at what’s happening at Ames High School.
The boys basketball and swimming teams are ranked No. 1 in the state, the girls basketball team is ranked fourth and the wrestling team is enjoying its best year in the last decade.
The Little Cyclones are happy about their success, but the state championship is still the prize being sought. Ames has not won a state title in a winter sport since 1991. That’s when a future NBA player Fred Hoiberg became the “Mayor” of Ames in leading the Little Cyclones to a Class 4A championship.
Fall sports have also enjoyed success, with the boys and girls cross country teams qualifying for state, the girls swimming team taking fourth place at the state meet, the golf team finishing sixth and the football team making the state quarterfinals.
High expectations abound at the Central Iowa Metropolitan League school, hence the motto: “Ames High Aims High.”
Girls Basketball: Moody notches win No. 300
When Bishop Heelan Catholic defeated Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 73-32 recently, it marked the 300th career basketball coaching victory for Heelan coach Doug Moody.
In his fourth year as a girls basketball coach, Moody led Heelan to the Class 3A state championship last season. Prior to that, he led the Sioux City East girls for one year before taking over the Heelan boys basketball team in 1982 and led the Crusaders for 16 seasons.
Heelan is ranked 13th in Class 3A.
Volleyball: Revenue increase for postseason matches
In the shadow of falling financial numbers from past girls’ state basketball and softball tournaments, members of the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union board of director were encouraged by the report they recently received on November’s postseason volleyball events in the state.
Revenue from postseason volleyball matches increased by $80,000 over the 2007 tournaments. Executive director Mike Dick cited favorable weather, large fan followings, and a $1 increase in ticket prices for district events.
Last summer’s softball tournament revenue fell by $56,000 over the 2007 events. Basketball also saw fewer dollars come in with smaller attendance figures, plus an additional $10,000 paid for weather-related expenses.
Boys Basketball: Heisman winner heads To Briar Cliff
It may seem like a contradiction, but Briar Cliff University’s basketball team in Sioux City has landed a Heisman winner…as in Wendy’s High School Heisman winner.
Fort Dodge St. Edmond’s John Engler has announced his decision to play at Briar Cliff next season. The 6-foot-5 forward has scored nearly 23 points and has claimed 13 rebounds a game for the undefeated Gaels.
Engler was the Iowa winner in the Wendy’s High School Heisman competition and made the regional round in the national competition.
Last year, Engler was a first team all-state selection and was named the captain of the all-tournament team as St. Edmond finished second in the Class 2A state tournament. This year, he had his 12th straight double-double with career highs of 35 points and 18 rebounds in a 92-66 victory over Pocahontas Area/Pomeroy-Palmer.
Engler has also earned all-district honors as a football quarterback. He’ll major in business at Briar Cliff.
Football: Visscher commits to Dordt program
Orange City Unity Christian senior Patrick Visscher says he will attend NAIA Dordt College in Sioux Center and play football for the Defenders of the Great Plains Athletic Conference
Visscher plays tackle on both sides of the scrimmage line. The 6-3, 250-pounder was a first team all-district selection for the Unity Christian Knights on their run to a postseason playoff spot. The Knights were a district runner-up in their third year of existence as a football school.
Visscher was also an all-district academic team selection last fall.
