At Second Glance
By Michelle Phillips, AJ-E News Editor

No column this week.

Between the lines
By Daryl Schepanski, Sports Editor

The Cowbell battle was exactly that. A battle!
Two tough-nosed teams going toe-to-toe for four intense quarters in front of a near standing-room only crowd that cheered loudly all game long.
In the end, the Cowbell stayed in Monticello once again, frustrating Raider faithful who had hoped this would be the year the coveted Jones County prize would make it’s way south down Highway 151 for the first time in six years.
Not since Austin Hinz, Luke LaMere and the 2004 gang destroyed the Panthers 49-6 in the most lopsided Raider win over Monticello ever, has the Cowbell resided in Anamosa.
But this game was different than the last five Cowbell battles, all Panther blowouts.
Actually, this was one of the closer Anamosa-Monticello battles in the last seven years as the Raider defense set a tough tone and did not back down from the challenge put forth by a talented Monticello team.
Could Anamosa be turning the corner as far as the program goes? The benefits of the youth 5th-6th grade football schedule is beginning to make its way to the high school halls, and through the last few years, some success has been seen at the middle school levels.
Last year’s 5-4 sophomore team was one of the first to post a winning campaign at that level in nearly a decade, and quite a few juniors will be playing key roles on this 2010 club, with senior holdovers like Vaughn Takes, Cade Payton, Cory Moats, Gavin Eilers, Doune Alderdyce, Justin Walker and A.J. Engelbart, as 2009 letter winners.
Anamosa plays at Tipton this Friday night, and against a Tiger team that was hammered in their opener by North Cedar dropping a 35-0 count. Like the Raiders, Tipton will come into this final non-district contest hungry and ready to put points on the board.
While the Anamosa offense struggled mightily against Monticello, first-year head coach Derek Roberts and his staff have been hard at work looking for correct mistakes made against the Panthers and are devising a strategy that could, and hopefully will, work against the Tiger defense tomorrow.
The Raiders have skilled stars on the offensive side of the ball, and hopefully week two will be the place where they can and will shine.
The tests get a lot tougher for the Raiders as class 3A district play opens September 10, at Central DeWitt, one of the most physical teams in the area.
The crowd was awesome at home against Monticello, an electric atmosphere. Make it that way again in Tipton!