ANAMOSA — Coming into the 2005-2006 Raider boys basketball season, there were a lot of unanswered questions regarding what exactly was going to play out this winter as a young and mostly varsity inexperienced team entered the unknown in late November.

“Actually, it went back even further than that,” said Anamosa boys basketball coach Kevin Barnes. “Last summer playing at the Simpson camp, we as coaches were very concerned with what might happen this season. We didn’t play very well and showed the varsity inexperience we really had. This group of kids just needed more time to play together and get to learn the varsity game. But we were worried exactly how much time that was going to take. Would we learn in time to have a successful season?”

After a tough season-opening 51-24 setback hosting Benton Community November 29, Barnes’ worries escalated.

“That was a tough start against a team with about as much inexperience as we had,” he said. “But we had almost two weeks together to practice after that loss and suddenly things changed.”

The Raiders rolled to a 61-33 triumph at Starmont December 9, and the confidence was starting to grow in the ranks.

If any doubters were remaining about the Raiders’ ability to play the game, Anamosa’s performance against a talented Cedar Rapids Xavier team February 27, in the Saints’ gym proved to be a power point.

“We gave them their toughest tournament game up to the state finals,” said Barnes of the Raiders’ hard-fought 61-52 class 3A district semi-final season-ending defeat. “We showed the heart and mettle of a seasoned veteran club in that game against Xavier. I couldn’t have been more proud of the way they all played.”

The Raiders graduate five seniors in Derek Hart, Miles Weber, Ben Yanda, Drew Corpstein and Tom Engelbart, all who were vital in Anamosa’s 8-12 campaign this past winter and 8-8 mark in the Tri-Rivers Conference.

“This is a very special group of seniors,” said Barnes. “They waited a long time to get their shot at the varsity level and they didn’t miss. They gave us all they had and more. I know I couldn’t have asked for more out of them.”

Anamosa’s offense was built around Hart in the middle and the senior didn’t disappoint scoring 8.3 points per game while also leading the team with 5.9 rebounds a game.

“Derek had the most varsity experience back of any of the kids,” said Barnes. “And we leaned on him heavily at times this year and he came through like a senior should.”

Weber added solid defense, energy and timely offense as did Yanda. Corpstein was deadly at times from the perimeter while Engelbart added a big body down around the basket for Barnes off the bench defensively.

Anamosa had six wrestlers reach the state level as Jason Bowers, Zach Hansen, Logan Hewitt, Jeremy Oswald, Ryan Dolan and Mitch Hewitt all competed at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Midland’s Kyle Pegorick and Ryan Leonard also reached the pinnacle of youth wrestling in Iowa.

After all was said and done at the two-day event, Logan Hewitt and Oswald made their way through challenging brackets to reach the medal stand as each placed fourth.

Hewitt took fourth in the B-115 class while Oswald was fourth in the B-150 class.

After a bit of a slow start to the 2005-2006 campaign which included losses to Lone Tree (65-50), Lisbon (52-45), Clinton Prince of Peace (68-61), Bellevue-Marquette (66-40) and Andrew (59-48), the Lions came out after the Christmas break playing sensational basketball.

Olin also picked up wins over Springville (78-56) and Midland (59-57) in that stretch, but Miell could see things were starting to come together for his group of talented kids.

“That’s what was the most frustrating thing about that start to the season,” said Miell. “We had the talent to win a good portion of those games but just weren’t getting over the hump and getting it done when we had to down the stretch.”

After the loss to a very good Andrew team on January 3, Olin reeled off six wins in eight games, including three straight over Lisbon (60-57), Calamus-Wheatland (71-45) and Alburnett (71-65) in mid-January.

“That was exactly what we needed at that point of the season,” said Miell. “Those were all teams we should have beaten and we did it. That win at Lisbon was a big one for our confidence too. I was really starting to believe, and I think the guys were too, that we were coming together and could do some pretty special things.”

After a wild 94-84 loss at Andrew, the Lion boys returned home and picked up a second close triumph over rival Midland.

Olin closed the season strong with wins over Camanche, Rivermont Collegiate, Bellevue and Calamus-Wheatland.

“We played well in some of our losses too down the stretch,” said Miell as the Lions battled hard but came up just short against talented teams from Preston (74-68) and North Linn (60-56). “We gave great effort and had big comebacks in each of those games and could have easily pulled out both of them.”

Miell was confident in his team as they entered the class 1A tournament run opening against a Central City team they had defeated earlier in the season. But even Miell couldn’t have predicted what played out on the court in Wheatland February 22.

“We started the game off well, then didn’t play so well for a long stretch, then had to look for a miracle comeback,” he said.
“Somehow we got it.”

Olin’s talented senior class of Brock Rouse, Kasey Bean, Colton Hansen and Joel Ahrendsen refused to have their season ended by the Wildcats that night and rallied the club, with the help of juniors Justin Smith and Justin Rix as well as sophomore Dan Inglis.

“That was one of the more amazing comebacks I’ve ever been associated with,” said Miell after the mind-boggling 43-42 triumph. “I credited the seniors for it. They have that refuse to lose attitude and it came through that night.”

Rouse, Bean, Hansen and Ahrendsen close a sensational four-year run.

Hansen ends his brilliant Lion boys basketball run as the school’s all-time leader in assists for a season, game and career.

This season the talented point-guard dished out 144 assists (a school record) and at a phenomenal 6.00 assists per game clip while also scoring 8.1 points per contest.

WYOMING — When it comes to looking at the wins and losses the Midland boys basketball team endured during the 2005-2006 season, it would be easy to characterize the winter as one not filled with the usual successes fans had gotten accustomed to witnessing in Wyoming over the last several seasons.

But that’s where you would be wrong!

“It was a long season with not as many wins as we would have liked, but the players never quit or gave in to it,” said Eagle boys basketball coach Ben Eastburn after his club went through a 4-18 campaign on the courts. “They continued to get better which shows good leadership. We had to have everyone step up and they did the very best they could.”

Eastburn lost six seniors off a 2004-2005 squad that went 14-10 and his players this winter had to accept different roles within the team concept.

“When you lose six seniors, everyone’s role changes,” said Eastburn. “Scott Willimack had to do many things for us this year and Ryan Trentz and Luke Fowler had to be the primary scorers.
Joel Lasack had to handle the basketball and defend the entire game. Things were much different.”

And if some of the bounces had gone the Eagles’ way in so many of their close contests this past season, their record would more reflect the effort each of the Midland boys basketball players gave.

“Actually, at the start of the season we needed to make a better commitment to practice,” said Eastburn. “Early in the season we had high absenteeism at practice and I think some of the players questioned some of their teammate’s commitment. But once they recommitted to practice, things took off again in the right direction.”

Midland picked up an early season win against Calamus-Wheatland, but then dropped 15 of their next 16 games before finishing the season with a flourish, including a memorable contest hosting Lisbon February 10.

“Lisbon was a team that handled us easily at their place earlier in the season,” said Eastburn as the Eagles suffered a 54-44 loss against the Lions back on December 22. “So it was extremely satisfying to see them play a hard fought game on their home floor and win, especially after we’d lost so many close games.”

Trailing by a point, Willimack’s jumper in the lane in the waning seconds closed a sensational Midland fourth quarter comeback and exacted a bit of revenge against Lisbon with a thrilling 43-40 victory.

The win also helped ease some of the pain from close losses at the hands of Olin (59-57 and 54-53), Central City (34-33) and Clinton Prince of Peace (38-37).

A 58-32 win at Rivermont Collegiate a week later had Midland entering the class 2A district tourney run with their first winning streak of the season.

Monticello ended the Eagles’ season with a 77-42 defeat February 20, closing the careers of three more talented seniors in Trentz, Fowler and Lasack.

“Ryan was voted our team MVP and had to lead us in scoring and rebounding,” said Eastburn. “He worked very hard on developing some post moves and got to be quite good at them, but he also had the ability to shoot from midrange as well.