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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday, October 25, 2007
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One last Raider volleyball stand
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
MARION— The injury list got a little longer as the Anamosa volleyball team prepared for their biggest match of the season traveling to No. 5 ranked Marion for a class 3A regional quarter-final match Monday, October 22.
The Raiders had a full week off and were hoping to get more healthy in order to make a healthy run at the Indians and stun the volleyball world with a huge upset, but instead star senior hitter Christy Coons joined Dakota Ahrendsen on the injury list after breaking her ankle last week.
“We had to re-adjust our line-up one more time after Christy’s injury,” said Anamosa volleyball coach Angie Lawrence. “We moved Kandis Bieber back to outside hitter and Adrianna Vargas to off-setter. Overall we played better than I thought we would. Our warm-up in our gym in Anamosa was not very good at all but the girls came out and battled the best they could once again.”
Anamosa had their 2007 campaign ended after a 12-25, 9-25, 8-25 defeat at the hands of the Indians. |
Circling the court
Raider junior Chelsea Arensdorf (white shirt) goes after a Marion serve while teammates Maisie Timp (6) and Adrianna Vargas keep a close eye on the action during Anamosa’s 12-25, 9-25, 8-25 class 3A regional quarter-final volleyball setback Monday, October 22, against the fifth-ranked ranked host Indians. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“Marion is just a good team,” said Lawrence. “We played very well at times, but other times we didn’t communicate well and let balls hit the floor.”
The match got off to a bumpy start as players struggled to get comfortable in their new positions but the Raiders hung tough until Marion went on a 12-4 spurt to end the first game with the 12-point triumph.
“We missed three serves and we struggled with serve receive, like we have all season,” said Lawrence. “We didn’t have any kills but did keep the ball in play and forced marion to make the shots.”
Katelyn Jamison and Maisie Timp did have a block assist in the first game, which is good against such a strong hitting team.”
The second game saw Anamosa fire 100-percent at the service line while Jamison tallied a pair of kills in the game.
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On target
Raider sophomore Steph Thompson keeps the ball in play while junior Adrianna Vargas (18) gets ready to attack the net as Anamosa battled in class 3A regional quarter-final action at No. 5 ranked Marion Monday, October 22. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“That’s always our goal to have perfect serving,” said Lawrence. “Adrianna had two good hustle plays that kept the ball in play.”
The Indians took control of the third game from the opening serve as the Raiders struggled with their receive allowing easy points for the hosts.
“They have some strong servers and that made things pretty tough on us once again,” said Lawrence. “Katelyn had one kill in the third game but we just couldn’t really get anything going.”
Anamosa closes the 2007 volleyball season with an 0-25 overall.
“I really enjoyed coaching in the WaMaC Conference,” said Lawrence who is stepping down as head coach of the Raider team. “The schools really embraced us and showed us a lot of hospitality. The WaMaC is a very competitive volleyball conference, but we knew that coming in.”
Jamison led the Raider offense tallying three of the team’s four overall kills in the match. Bieber tallied the other kill offensively.
Steph Thompson set three assists while Vargas added one more.
Bieber led Anamosa with three digs picking up powerful Indian shots while Vargas made her way to two more. Chelsea Arensdorf, Jackie Engelbart and Timp all added one dig each.
Anamosa was a solid 27-of-30 serving overall as Thompson and Engelbart were a perfect 4-for-4 each while Bieber was 8-of-9 with an ace. Timp fired the only other ace in the match for the visitors going 4-of-5 at the line.
“This season was a challenge for us with the injuries, low numbers and a new conference,” said Lawrence. “But I think the girls learned a lot about themselves. You really find out who the leaders are.” |
Running for the finish at regionals
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
FAIRFIELD — Coming so close a year ago to a trip state that they could taste it, the Anamosa cross country team returned to the scene of their heart-wrenching effort Thursday, October 18, looking for another shot at a state berth competing at the class 3A regional meet again in Fairfield.
“This was one I really wanted and the girls really wanted after coming so close last year right on this very same course,” said Raider cross country coach Phil Kauder. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to get Cedar Rapids Xavier and Marion in the team standings, but we wanted to beat everyone else and get to a place where we feel we belong, at state. It just didn’t wind up working out for us, again.”
The Saints claimed the class 3A girls’ regional cross country team championship and automatic berth at state scoring 65 points while Marion (79 points) and Mount Pleasant (94) secured the final two spots taking second and third, respectively at the meet.
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Making the move
Members of the Anamosa boys’ cross country team (l-r) Jordan Wilson, Jacob Schwaegler, Garett Long, Ryan Dolan and Brice Antons blast out at the start of the class 3A district race in Fairfield Thursday, October 18. The Raider boys placed 11th as a team at the 12-team meet scoring 284 points. (Photo courtesy Steve Thiltgen of The Observer) |
The Anamosa girls ran fifth overall and were a mere 34 points away from qualifying for a trip to Fort Dodge and the 2007 state cross country meet scoring 128 points. Mount Vernon-Lisbon was fourth overall scoring 103 points.
“The top three teams and top-10 individuals make it to state and we thought we could get there,” said Kauder. “We just missed as a team again and for the second straight year we just missed sending an individual too.”
Kayla Sanborn, raced out to an early lead in Fairfield and was the front-runner for a good portion of the early stages of the race before Xavier’s Meagan Nelson made her move.
“I think if Kayla had to do it all over again, she probably wouldn’t go out quite so fast there at the start,” said Kauder. “She was pumped up and ready to race and just exploded off the start and pushed hard in the early going.”
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Race for state
Raider girls’ cross country runners race off the starting line in Fairfield Thursday, October 18, as class 3A girls vied for trips to the state meet in Fort Dodge competing at the pressure-filled regional race. (Photo courtesy Steve Thiltgen of The Observer) |
The top-10 individuals earn trips to the state meet with Sanborn finishing 11th overall after a solid 16:34 clocking.
“She was pretty disappointed at the end,” said Kauder. “She was just six seconds short of making it to state and to come so close and to work as hard as she has this year and to see her goal right there in front of her and come up just short is a tough way to end the year.”
Nelson topped the 3A field winning the regional championship after her 15:08 clocking while Mount Pleasant's Melissa Erickson was runner-up with a time of 15:29.
Anamosa placed three runners in the regional top-20 as Kellie Vaughn and Cammy Dole also turned in outstanding efforts finishing 18th and 19th overall with times of 17:04 and 17:07, respectively.
“We had another great season, and we showed once again we’re right there at the cusp of being a state-level program,” said Kauder. “But after two years in a row of being right there at the end and coming up just short, we’re frustrated. We want to take that next step.”
Katie Grassi was 32nd overall in 17:48 while Breanne Kula (18:27), Rebecca Moyer (18:31) and Chelsea May (18:39) finished 48th, 51st and 55th, respectively.
The Raider girls defeated Fairfield (140), Central DeWitt (173), Maquoketa (216),
Clear Creek-Amana (222), Keokuk (237) and Fort Madison (272) at the pressure-filled regional boasting some of the top running talent in the state.
“In four years our girls team has gone from not having enough runners to even count for a team score at most meets to the point now where they expect to contend for a spot at state,” said Kauder. “The better you get, the tougher it is to get better. We’re at that point right now and with everyone back on the girls’ squad next season, maybe we can get even better.”
The Raider boys ran 11th at their 12-team district in Fairfield posting a score of 284 points defeating Davis County (329).
““The boys started the season off with a scoring average of 21:54 and at districts had a 19:18,” said Kauder. “That is a 2:36 per runner improvement. Next year if we improve about half of that number, look out!”
Ryan Dolan paced the Raider boys once again finishing 50th in 18:53 while Garett Long was 53rd after his 19:07 clocking. Jacob Schwaegler was 55th posting a time of 19:14 with Brice Antons running 61st in 19:27.
Peter Obando (19:48), Jordan Wilson (20:18) and Kenneth Beadle (20:31) rounded out the Anamosa boys’ district effort placing 65th, 74th and 76th, respectively.
Cedar Rapids Xavier (28) claimed the boys’ team title while Central DeWitt (88) and Mount Vernon-Lisbon (93) all qualified for the state cross country meet in Fort Dodge. |
Raider football fires final shots
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
ANAMOSA — Knowing the odds of giving their home fans one final win in 2007 were long, the Anamosa football team may have even surprised themselves with the way they played hosting No. 6 ranked Marion Friday October 19, in the early going.
“I really thought we came in with a nothing to lose attitude and played well in the early going,” said Anamosa football coach Matt Malausky. “Through the first quarter I felt we were giving Marion everything they could ask for and even into the second, we still were holding our own and making a game of it the very best we could.”
The third quarter is where the Raiders saw their fortunes take a turn for the worst as the Indians took complete control scoring 22 points in cruising home for a huge 50-2 triumph over a game Anamosa team.
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Making the play
Members of the Raider defense bring down a Marion ball carrier as the Indians handed Anamosa a 50-2 defeat Friday, October 19. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“One of the first things we as a coaching staff talked to the kids about after the game was the score was not indicative of the way this game was played out on the field,” said Malausky. “We got off to a pretty good start and were making some plays and were feeling pretty good about the way things were going. I just wish we could have gotten a little more going on the offensive side of the football.
We struggled getting anything going.”
Anamosa (1-7, 1-5) trailed 8-0 as Marion scored their first touchdown thanks in large part to a questionable pass interference call early in the drive on a third-and-long play.
“There were a couple of big pass interference calls against us that led to a couple of their touchdowns,” said Malausky. “We may have fallen apart in the second half, but our defense battled and I thought we put together another solid effort.”
The Indians led just 8-0 after the first 12 minutes but it was the Raiders who opened the scoring in the second quarter.
Nathan Kaufman tackled Marion’s Broc Dobling in his own end zone putting the hosts on the board with a two-point safety and sending a jolt of electricity through the Downing Field crowd, who showed up one final time to watch the 2007 Anamosa football team play on their home field.
“It was 8-2 and we had a little momentum,” said Malausky. “We just could sustain it offensively though.” |
Jump ball
Anamosa senior Colten Kelly goes high above a Marion defender to make a spectacular catch during the Raiders final home game of the 2007 season Friday, October 19. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
The Raiders struggled passing for 187 yards and managed just 202 yards overall in the 48-point defeat.
Marion logged 562 yards of total offense gaining most in a huge third quarter that saw the visitors take complete control of the contest leading 44-2 entering the final frame.
“They scored as many points in the third quarter as they did in the entire first half,” said Malausky. “It was their balance on offense that was so tough for us to slow down. They had success running and throwing the football.”
The Indians rushed for 317 yards while passing for another 245 against the Raiders.
Brady Vaughn led the Anamosa defense making 14 tackles while also picking off a pair of Indian passes.
“We have one game left at West Liberty and it’s one final chance for us to get our offense and defense playing well on the same night,” said Malausky. “If we can get that done, we can end the year on a high note and get a big win.” |
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