Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Spring is supposed to be a prime time for sports.

The NCAA basketball tournament in full swing, baseball is getting rolling, the Masters is on the horizon, the NBA is heating up.

March (and early April) are mostly known in the sports world for brackets. As in NCAA tournament brackets.

This spring the coronavirus pandemic has put a stop to all sports busting every NCAA bracket before they were even set.

It’s easy to focus on what isn’t happening in the sports world right now.

Instead Your Prep Sports wants to celebrate all of great performances area teams and athletes have turned in over the years.

We created the Your Prep Sports Best Moment Bracket to shine a spotlight on the best stories since YPS started covering area sports nearly four years ago.

Moments are divided into four ‘regions’ of 16 that are made up of the different prep sports seasons in Iowa.

The objective of a bracket is to determine a champion. We welcome your feedback on the best moments in YPS history but ultimately the objective is to relive some fond memories and amazing stories made possible by area athletes.   

Today we unveil the first “region” of our field of 64 with the Winter Sports Bracket with the other three regions to be released throughout the rest of the week.

Let us know what moment is your favorite, even if its not on the bracket, we love a good Cinderella story.

West High Defeats City High in Class 5A State Title Game (March 2, 2018)

The first ever state championship game between Iowa City cross-town rivals belonged to West High as the ninth-ranked Women of Troy upset top-ranked and unbeaten City High 56-45 in the Class 5A title game.

City High won both regular season meetings but West High had three players score in double figures led by senior point guard Lauren Zacharias with 15 and held the Little Hawks to a season-low scoring output while winning its second state title and first since 2012.

City High senior standout Ashley Joens had 20 of her game-high 26 points in the second half despite constantly being double and triple teamed but it wasn’t enough for City High.

“I don’t know if we had to win it that way but I think it makes it special because that is kind of what we’ve done, we guard,” West High coach BJ Mayer said. “When we can guard we make it tough on people.”

Clear Creek Amana Upsets Marion For First State Tournament Trip (February 25, 2020)

Securing a spot at the state tournament in always memorable and locking up the first trip in program history is historic.

To do those things the way Clear Creek Amana did this season is legendary.

Clear Creek Amana stunned second-ranked ranked and defending state runner-up Marion 66-49 on its home floor in a Class 4A regional final to earn the first state tournament appearance in program history.

The win avenged a 29-point regular season loss to Marion and handed the Indians just their second home loss in the last 61 games.

Senior Karsyn Stratton scored 24 points to lead four Clippers in double figures and Clear Creek Amana never trailed in the final 24 minutes while pulling the biggest upset of the season.

“I knew it was going to be a dog fight, I thought we had the ability to win, we’ve been playing great basketball as of lately but this is a dream come true for me,” Stratton said. “I’ve been wanting this for four years now, it doesn’t even feel real.”

Solon Wins First State Wrestling Title (February 18, 2017)

All eight state qualifiers scored a point and Solon needed all of them to hold off New Hampton by half a point to claim the Class 2A state title.

Solon had five medalists led by senior Bryce West who claimed his third straight state title with a win in the 120-pound championship match as the Spartans finished with 96.5 points

“Every one of the eight guys that were down here scored points, even (Graeson Dall) with a broken leg scored four points, it was a total team effort,” Solon coach Blake Williams said. “It’s not just those eight guys it’s everybody.”

Ashley Joens Named Miss Basketball (March 6, 2018)

City High senior Ashley Joens completed one of the best careers ever for a large school player with one of the best single seasons by any player in recent state history with a runner-up finish at the state tournament.

Just days later Joens earned the top individual award in Iowa when she was named Miss Iowa Basketball.

Joens led the state in scoring at 30.7 points per game and averaged 11.4 rebounds per game as a senior on her way to joining Michelle Nason who won Miss Basketball in 1990 as the only winners in City High history.

The 6-foot Joens closed her prep career with 2,178 points, which ranked 13th on the all-time scoring chart in the five-player era and trailed only Anne O’Neil of Cedar Rapids Kennedy for points by a large school player.

“I didn’t really ever think much about the individual awards but it’s a huge honor,” Joens said. “I’m glad I can achieve something like that for City High.”

West High Wins Class 4A Boys Basketball Title (March 11, 2017)

Senior guards Connor McCaffery and Devontae Lane combined for 32 points as West High returned to the top of the Class 4A basketball world with a 64-50 win over West Des Moines Valley in the state title game.

It was the second title in four seasons for West High and avenged a 46-39 loss to West Des Moines Valley in the 2016 4A title game.

McCaffery had a game-high 19 points and Lane had 13 as West High head coach Steve Bergman won his sixth state title and first since the last of three straight 4A championships in 2014.

“I can tell you the exact feeling I had last year,” Lane said. “Walking to the locker room and I saw the seniors’ heads down and everyone was crying and I my senior year I didn’t want to have that feeling of that sadness, going home and crying and not being able to say I went out on top.”

Clear Creek Amana Downs Mount Vernon in State Tournament Return (March 10, 2020)

In its first state tournament game in nearly 30 years Clear Creek Amana played with the poise of a postseason regular.

Playing in the state tournament for the first time since 1993 Clear Creek Amana held second-ranked Mount Vernon to a season-low scoring output in a 59-45 upset of the Mustangs in a Class 3A state quarterfinal.

Mount Vernon shot 52 percent in a 17-point regular season win over the Clippers but Clear Creek Amana held the Mustangs to 27 percent shooting in the state tournament win and didn’t allow more than 13 points in a single quarter.

Senior point guard Tyler Schrepfer led three players in double figures with a game-high 16 points while Nick O’Connor added 11 and Christian Withrow had 10.

“We figured ever since the start of the season people have been counting us out,” Schrepfer said. “We have been under dogs since the start of the season because of the last three years and we’ve been using that as fuel for the fire.”

West High Wins State Swim Title (February 15, 2020)

In 2014 and 2015 West High dominated the state swimming scene racking up 14 event titles while winning back-to-back state championships.

The Trojans returned to the top of the Iowa prep swimming world in 2020 and it took a total team effort to do it.

West High got an individual title from senior James Pinter in the 100 backstroke had runner-up finishes in five other events using its depth to rack up 262.5 points, outdistancing defending state champion Ankeny by 26.5 to win its first title since 2015.

“We all swim for each other and that’s one of the biggest things that we harped on was swimming with a lot of heart and using the opportunities that we had,” Pinter said. “We had 26 opportunities today and we raced all 26 of them for our teammates, for our brothers around us rather than the person in the water.”

Bergman Gets Career Win Number 600 (February 18, 2020)

West High coach Steve Bergman has built a hall of fame resume in 33 seasons as a head coach.

Bergman added yet another accomplishment to his career list becoming the 15th coach in state history to reach 600 wins with a 59-47 victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie.

When he hit 600 wins in February Bergman owned an impressive 600-193 career record with the final 555 of his wins coming in 29 seasons at West High.

“You already know what I’m going to say about it,” Bergman said. “I don’t coach for those numbers, it’s nice.”

West High Goes 3-for-3 in State Wrestling Finals (February 22, 2020)

Any program with a rich wrestling tradition like West High has had some memorable moments on Saturday night at the state meet.

The performance that West High produced on the final night of the 2020 state meet ranks among the best in its storied history.

West High went 3-for-3 in Class 3A championship matches with sophomore Hunter Garvin (132), junior Graham Gambrall (145) and senior Will Hoeft (182) all collecting their first state titles.

It was the first time West High had more than two winners in a season since crowning four champs in 2008 and helped the Trojans to a fourth-place team finish, their best since 2012.

“It means a lot to all of us,” Hoeft said. “We wanted to do it for each other. We’re a family and we wanted to end it the right way.”

Regina Runs State Tournament Streak to Four Straight (February 19, 2018)  

Regina had reached the state tournament three times before the start of the 2015 season.

That number more than double over the next four seasons.

Regina capped an impressive four-year run as one of the top small school teams in the state with a fourth consecutive state tournament appearance in 2018 with a 55-43 regional final win over Danville.

Senior guard Mary Crompton led three Regina players in double figures with 20 points to secure a fourth consecutive state tournament trip. 

“That’s four times in a row for me and the other seniors,” Crompton said. “We really have enjoyed our time together. We’ve made a lot of memories.”

The Regals went 93-11 from the 2015-2016 season to the 2017-2018 season reaching the Class 2A semifinals in both 2016 and 2017.

Frazier Dominates at State Swim Meet (February 15, 2020)

Forrest Frazier had already enjoyed a stellar prep career before the 2020 state swimming meet but the City High senior saved his finest performance for last.

Frazier double his career title haul, winning three titles and setting state meet records in all three while being named the meet’s outstanding swimmer for the second time in three seasons.

The University of California recruit won the 200 IM in 1:45.96 and the 100 breaststroke in 53.15 and helped the City High 200 medley relay team to a title.

“High school swimming is about the team,” Frazier said. “Yes, I want to do well for myself but when you are competing for your high school you are competing for your whole school and your team and just leaving with a team win in a relay and a state record that’s beyond all my goals.”

Brands Wins Third Straight State Wrestling Title (February 17, 2018)

Nelson Brands capped an impressive three-year run by winning a third consecutive state title with a 22-7 second-period tech fall of City High senior Wilfred Kadohou in the 160-pound championship match.

Brands went 55-1 as a senior and was 163-5 over his final three prep seasons while joining four-time state champion Nick Moore as the only wrestlers in West High history with three titles.

“Obviously winning three state titles is pretty tough to do,” West High coach Mark Reiland said. “Not qualifying as a freshman and coming back as a sophomore and making the strides that he did was pretty remarkable and he just gotten better ever since.”

Brinkman Becomes Regina’s First Two-time Wrestling Champ (February 18, 2017)

Jared Brinkman matched his coach Adam Martensen by becoming the first four-time state qualifier in Regina history.

In the final meet of his prep career Brinkman staked his claim as the best to ever wear a Regina singlet capping a 38-1 senior season with a second straight 285-pound state title.

Brinkman defeated North Linn senior Kyler Schott 5-2 in the 285-pound title match to a cap a two-year stretch in which he went 80-1 with two titles.

“I think he’s the best ever at Regina, he’s in a league of his own,” Martensen said. “He’s one of the strongest and most athletic kids to come through Regina and he continues to go out and impress.”

Liberty High Rallies For First Basketball Win (November 27, 2017)

Liberty High made history with its win in program history and the Lightning did it in dramatic fashion.

Isabel Smith banked in a short jumper in the final seconds as Liberty High rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit for a 44-43 win over Mount Vernon.

Liberty High lost the first two games in program history but outscored the Mustangs 14-6 in the fourth quarter to secure its first win.

“Oh man, it feels good,” Liberty High coach Jaime Brandt. “I’m just so proud of these girls. I’ve been with them since this summer and just to see their progress, I mean we were down nine or ten (points) in that fourth quarter and to see them keep believing and playing the way I preach them to play, I’m just so proud of them.”

West Branch Returns to State Basketball Tournament (February 26, 2020)

West Branch went more than 40 years between its first and second trips to the state tournament.

The Bears made sure the wait for number three wasn’t nearly as long.

West Branch went 8-of-17 from 3-point range and rolled to a 58-38 win over ninth-ranked Van Buren in a Class 2A Regional final that sent the Bears to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.

Junior Sasha Koenig hit 4-of-5 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 19 points while Taya Young and Taylor Thein each hit two 3-pointers and had 15 and 10 points respectively.

“I don’t want to say this was the complete expectation but we had high expectations for ourselves this season,” West Branch coach Jarod Tylee said. “We expected to be at this point and to play a good team tonight and see what happened. I just couldn’t be any more proud of them.”

Dykes Snaps City High’s State Title Drought (February 17, 2018)

It had been more than a decade since City High had a wrestler stand atop the medal stand at the state tournament.

Jacob Dykes stopped that streak when he became the first Little Hawk state champion since 2005 with a 7-2 win over Reece Bowlin of Indianola in the Class 3A 195-pound title match.

The title capped a 45-1 senior season for Dykes and helped City High to an eighth-place team finish with 71 points, both the top marks under head coach Cory Connell.

“It’s amazing,” Dykes said. “I talked to (Coach Cory) Connell when I was an eighth-grader and he was telling me about everything I could do in high school and I didn’t even see it myself. Connell has been the biggest supporter and I’m just glad to come out here and show where he has brought everyone to.”

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