A Look Back at the Best Stories From The Your Prep Sports Area in 2022
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Once again it was a year to remember in the Your Prep Sports area.
In the Your Prep Sports 2022 was filled with impressive individual efforts, memorable victories, incredible wins and team titles.
On the eve of the new year we take a look back at 22 of the biggest and best stories from the Your Prep Sports area in 2022.
Liberty High Wins State Volleyball Title
The first team title in Liberty High history came from a fitting group of seniors.
Cassidy Hartman, Lilah VanScoyoc and Shelby Kimm helped Liberty High claim the Class 5A state volleyball title with a four-set win over defending champion Pleasant Valley in the championship match at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
The senior trio was part of four consecutive state tournament appearances for the Lightning that included a runner-up finish in 2020.
Hartman, Kimm and VanScoyoc combined for 55 kills in the title match win over Pleasant Valley.
Regina Wins State Cross Country Title
One year after returning to the state cross country meet for the first time since 2015 Regina made its return to the top of Class 1A.
Regina claimed the Class 1A state title at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge for the ninth state title in program history and first since winning the 2A state title in 2010.
Junior Aidan O’Neil finished sixth as Regina had three runners in the top 10 of team scorers while finishing 24 points in front of runner-up ACGC.
O’Neil was sixth in a time of 16:26.85 while Dan Maley finished 16th among team scorers and Joe Maley was 17th among runners scoring team points.
Kueter Wins World Title
Ben Kueter was already one of the most decorated wrestlers in City High history.
Over the summer Kueter added a huge accomplishment to his already impressive prep resume.
Kueter won the gold medal at the u20 World Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria with a first-period pin of Rifat Gidak of Turkey in the 97-kilogram title match.
Kueter outscored his first two opponents by a combined score 18-1 and rallied from an 8-0 first-period deficit for a 17-14 win in the semifinals.
Kueter racked up a 10-2 lead and needed just 1:40 to record a fall in the gold medal match.
The title completed a 7-0 record in international competition for Kueter this summer who posted a first-place finish at the u20 Pan-American.
Kueter became the fifth junior World Champion from the state of Iowa and fourth from City High joining Tim Riley, Jeff McGinness and Dominique Smalley.
Solon Wins Class 3A State Track and Field Title
A year after closing a runner-up team finish at the state track and field meet with a second-place finish in the 4×400 relay Solon made amends on both accounts.
Solon capped an impressive performance at the 3A state meet in which it led at the end of all three days with its first outright state title in program history.
The title was the first championship for Solon since sharing the 2A crown with Gilbert in 2010.
Solon scored points in all seven relays and 11 total events and double scored in both the 400 and 800 while racking up 84 points to finish 18 points in front of runner-up ADM.
The 4×400 team of Meghan O’Neill, Kaia Holtkamp, Emma Bock and Gracie Federspiel put the finishing touches on the title winning in a time of 3:55.14.
West Branch Returns to State Semifinals
West Branch returned to the UNI-Dome for the first time in more than a decade and the Bears did it in memorable fashion.
Top-ranked West Branch scored 14 unanswered points in the final six minutes to overcome an 11-point deficit in a thrilling 27-24 win over MFL-Mar Mac in a Class 1A quarterfinal at the Little Rose Bowl in West Branch.
In a game played almost entirely in a driving rain, senior quarterback Tye Hughes scored on touchdown runs of 11 and 33 yards in a span of a little more than two minutes in the fourth quarter as West Branch improved to 11-0 and returned to the state semifinals in the UNI-Dome for the first time since 2011.
Regina Wins State Softball Title
Regina won the fourth state title in program history with a 6-4 win over Wilton at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.
The win came in the post Regina way possible.
A program that has become known for improbable late-game heroics in recent seasons Regina came from behind in all three of its wins at the 2022 state tournament.
Regina trailed 4-0 after three innings in a quarterfinal win over Van Meter and was down 2-0 after two innings in a 7-4 semifinal win over top-ranked Central Springs.
The Regals overcame an early 1-0 deficit in the 2A title game win over Wilton to claim its first championship since 2017.
West High Runner-up at State Swimming
Another season year, another strong showing by the West High boys swimming team at the state meet.
The West High foursome of Boyd Skelley, Jordan Christiansen, Holden Carter and Kirk Brotherton won the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:30.87 and Brotherton added runner-up finishes in both the 50 and 100 freestyle as the Trojans finished runner-up.
West High was runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay and finishes with 232 points behind only champion Waukee which won its second consecutive state title and fourth in the last seven years.
Magical Season for City High Girls Bowling
City High capped the best bowling season in program history with a second consecutive state tournament appearance.
The Little Hawks posted an unbeaten regular season and claimed its first every Mississippi Valley Conference title before qualifying for the state tournament for the second consecutive season with a title at the state qualifying meet in Iowa City.
City High had three individuals in the top eight while winning the state qualifying meet title as Britney Russell finished third overall with a 578, Shaylin Brown was fourth with 577 and Elyse Rios was eighth with a 551.
Garvin, Kueter Win Third Straight State Titles
Two of the best wrestlers in the history of their respective schools each secured their third consecutive state titles at the 2022 Class 3A state wrestling meet.
West High senior Hunter Garvin and City High junior Ben Kueter each claimed 3A state titles for the third straight season.
Garvin won the 152-pound title with a pin of second-ranked Carter Martinson of Southeast Polk in 3:36 to cap a 48-0 senior season.
The third four-time state finalist in West High program history and third-three time championG Garvin closed his career with a 136-7 record and won his final 78 matches.
Kueter capped a third consecutive unbeaten season with a pin of West Des Moines Dowling junior Ralston Rumley in 3A 220-pound title match.
Kueter didn’t have a match at state last into the third period capping a 37-0 season that improved his career record to 72-0.
With the title Kueter became the first three-time champion at City High since Kyle Anson in 2005.
Regina Returns to Girls State Basketball Tournament
Regina raced past No. 13 Mediapolis 61-53 in the regional title game to return to the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2018.
Alli Clark had 20 pints and Grace Gaarde had 15 points in the regional final win for Regina which finished the season 20-5 after a loss to Panorama in the state quarterfinals.
Solon Girls Return to State Golf For First Time since 1998
There wasn’t a player on the Solon girls golf team that was alive the last time the Spartans played at the state meet.
That changed this spring as Solon qualified for the state golf meet for the first time since 1998 with a runner-up finish at the Class 3A state qualifier at Brown Deer Golf Course in Coralville.
Five Spartans had personal best scores at the state qualifying meet as Solon finished with a 382 to edge third-place Central DeWitt by a single stroke.
Taylor Dee led Solon with an 87 while Camryn Keith shot an 82 and Lilly Houtakker a 101.
Clear Creek Amana Shuttle Hurdle Relay Repeats
For the second consecutive season Clear Creek Amana was the class of 3A shuttle hurdle relay.
Clear Creek Amana claimed its second consecutive title in the shuttle hurdle relay as the foursome of Mari Cetta, Emma Mathis, Meghan Cullen and Silvana Kabolo won in a time of 1:05.9.
Mathis and Kabolo were members of the Clippers’ state title winning team in 2021.
Seniors Cetta and Cullen joined the relay in 2022 and the Clippers didn’t skip a beat finishing in front of runner-up Newton who was second in 1:06.03.
West High Wins State Tennis Title
The first season for West High head coach Marshal Moellers proved to be a massive success.
Moeller led West High to an unbeaten season and the Class 2A state title in his first season leading the program as West High defeated top-seeded Pleasant Valley 5-1 in the 2A championship match.
The title was the seventh in the past 10 seasons for West High and came after a runner-up finish by the Trojans in 2021.
City High Boys Track Posts Runner-up Finish
For the first time in more than a decade City High left the state track and field meet with a team trophy.
City High finished runner-up in Class 4A at the state meet for its first top-three finish since winning its 11th state title in 2004.
Ford Washburn won an individual title in the 3,200 to help City High roll up 63.5 points, the most state meet points for City High since 2001.
Solon Boys Golf Runner-up For Second Straight Season
In 2021 Solon snapped a more than decade long string without a state golf trophy.
The Spartans started a trip of top-three finishes in 2022.
Solon posted a second consecutive runner-up finish at the Class 3A state meet at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames.
The Spartans posted a two-day score of 654 to finish 21 strokes behind Gilbert who won its second consecutive 3A title.
Solon was led by Frank Haege Jr. who finished third overall with a 36-hole total of 153 while Isiah Zoske shot a two-day 161 to finish 10th overall.
Pettersen Adds Another Third-place Finish at State Golf
For the second year in a row Liberty High’s Bella Pettersen proved to be among the best golfers in the state.
Pettersen posted her second consecutive third-place finish at the Class 4A state golf meet shooting a seven-over-par 149 at the 36-hole, two-day event at Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankeny.
After an opening-round 77 Petttersen closed the tournament with a one-over-par 72 to finish six strokes behind Shannyn Vogler of Bettendorf and Amber Henson of Marshalltown.
Liberty High Baseball Reaches State Tournament for First Time
Liberty High used a magical postseason run filled with late rallies to reach the state baseball tournament for the first time in program history.
The Lightning defeated defending 4A champion Pleasant Valley 5-4 in the substate title game to secure its spot at the state tournament.
Liberty High scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning when Luke Ramsey singled and scored on a Pleasant Valley error.
Liberty High (21-20) concluded the season with a loss to eventual champion Johnston in the 4A quarterfinals.
City High Reaches Baseball Semifinals
In its second state tournament appearance in the past three seasons City High took things a little further.
The Little Hawks advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament with a 10-0, five-inning win over Indianola at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City.
Cade Obermueller tossed 3 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball striking out five as the Little Hawks rolled to the semifinals.
Obermueller also had two hits including a double and drove in three runs as City High finished with 10 hits.
City High finished 32-9 with a loss to West Des Moines Dowling in the semifinals.
City High and Liberty High Bring High School Football Back to Kinnick
City High and Liberty High brought prep football back to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City for the first time in more than 40 years.
Liberty High scored on its first two drives of each half on its way to a 36-19 win over the Little Hawks in the season opener for both teams.
A crowd of approximately 10,000 watched as Liberty High junior Graham Beckman passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 43 yards and another score as the Lightning avenged a 41-0 loss to City High in 2021.
Young Runner-up at State Cross Country
Solon senior Kayla Young helped the Spartans continue an impressive run of success at the state cross country meet.
Young finished runner-up to Ballard senior Paityn Noe at the Class 3A state meet at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge as Solon secured a second consecutive top-three team finish.
A state medalist on the Spartans’ 2021 title team, Young finished runner-up in a time of 18:24.13 behind only Noe who set an all-time state record winning the 3A crown in 16:48.58.
Clear Creek Amana Reaches State Title Match for First Time
Clear Creek Amana made its first ever appearance in the state volleyball championship match with a pair of impressive five-set wins.
The Clippers upset third-ranked Marion in the Class 4A quarterfinals and downed second-ranked North Scott in the semifinals to make the first title game appearance in program history.
Clear Creek Amana won the final two sets, including a 15-6 win in the fifth set in the come-from-behind semifinal win over North Scott.
Junior Bliss Beck had 19 kills and 12 blocks and junior libero Meg Berkland had 38 digs in the semifinal win.
Clear Creek Amana finished runner-up falling to top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier in four sets in the 4A title game.
Hoeper Wins State Title
Grace Hoeper impressed in her debut performance at the state swimming meet in 2021 posting a pair of top-six finishes.
The return trip for Hoeper was even more impressive.
The Solon sophomore who competes for City High won the first state title of her career at the state swimming meet at the Marshalltown YMCA claiming the 50 freestyle crown in a time of 23.34.
Hoeper also added a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly in 55.94.
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