Game On - Winter 2024-25: The official media guide of the Gilbert Community School District athletics department.
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM include (front row, left to right) manager Bi zek, Kaylin Richards, manager Anna Thomas, (back) Olivia Timmermans, Abby Patel, Mia Kautman, assistant coach Xary N Mollie Schnormeier, and Ella Henningsen.
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ianca Goetz, Caylee Kincade, Callie Hales, Kayla Rash, Katie Sniezek, Abigail Thompson, Kennady Hansen, Lauren Snie- Nunez-Hiraldo, assistant coach Mike Kruse, head coach Mike Frisk, assistant coach Scott Uthe, assistant coach Aaron Hill,
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T wo of them are cold- that didn’t look appealing, and they won’t hesitate to let it fly regardless of the circumstance. But they aren’t one-trick ponies. They can drive and score through contact, and they’re not afraid to mix it up in the paint. The third of them is equally versatile, just in different ways. She wants to score around the basket first, but she isn’t shy if she finds herself open on the perimeter. Putting the ball on the floor, that’s in her arsenal, too. This is the Gilbert girls basket- blooded from outside the 3-point arc. They’ve never seen a long distance shot ball Big Three — seniors and four-year varsity contributors Mia Kautman, Mollie Schnor- meier, and Ella Henningsen. They led the Tigers to the Class 4A state tournament a season ago and they feel it’s their duty to do it again this winter. Head coach Mike Frisk is more than happy with that atti- tude.
THE RECORDS Gilbert Girls Basketball
All-Time 5-on-5 Leaders Points
Name (Grad Year)
Pts
Ava Hawthorne (2022) Tina Zitterich (1997) Madelyn Houser (2007) Emma Bulman (2021) Ashley Martin (2004) Alyssa Ketelsen (1998)
1,409 1,379 1,281 1,044
934 841
Rebounds
Name
Reb 758 596 540 525 485
Tina Zitterich Sarah Hinners
Thea Rotto
Alyssa Ketelsen Ava Hawthorne
Steals
Name
Steals
Ava Hawthorne Ashley Martin Emma Bulman
278 208 174 170 148
“The enthusiasm is huge right now because of how we were able to finish last season,” Frisk said. “But now it’s a matter of can we take it to another level this year and be more consis- tent? We want to be elite this year.” There are many factors that go into being elite, but for the Tigers it starts with the veteran senior trio. Kautman, Schnor-
meier, and Henningsen enter their final season together with a combined 2,015 points, 917 rebounds, 274 steals, 230 as- sists, 270 3-point field goals, and 423 makes at the free throw line. Pause for just a moment and marinate on those numbers. They are not excuse-me numbers. They are impressive, and they are proof of consistent
Cari Olson
Nessa Johnson
Assists
Name
Assists
Ava Hawthorne
333 246 239 230 188
Cari Olson
Alyssa Ketelsen Emma Bulman Sydney Lynch
careers that will be remem- bered in the upper-echelon of historical players in the pro- gram.
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Add in fellow senior Abby Patel, who will be a three-year varsity contributor herself, and it’s pretty easy to see why Gil- bert enters the season as a top- 10 team in the class and arguably the biggest threat to North Polk’s continued dom- inance in the Raccoon River Conference. “With those four leading us, we feel like we can play with anybody in the state of Iowa and give them a game,” Frisk said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to beat them all, but we’re going to try. “If you look at Abby Patel, she’s a leader because of how hard she works and she’s one of our top defenders. Mia is very capable of being a defen- sive stopper and offensively we can rely on her. Mollie can be a
double-double kid, and Ella is someone that doesn’t get enough credit for everything she does for us.” Henningsen (13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds per game in 2023-24) was an all-state player a sea- son ago, and she enters her final campaign with a chance to reach 1,000 career points. She had 735 points through three seasons. Kautman (11.4 points, 3.4 re- bounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals per game in 2023-24) could get to 1,000 career points as well; she entered the season with 689. And don’t forget about Schnormeier (11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds per game in 2023- 24); it would take a heater of a season to reach 1,000, but she entered with 591 career points.
The four seniors were the driving forces behind a 6-1 spurt to end last season, which included an upset win over Mason City in a regional semi- final and an overtime victory over Cedar Rapids Xavier to clinch a spot in the state tourna- ment field. The Tigers ran into top-ranked and eventual state champion Clear Creek-Amana in a state quarterfinal, but the 68-30 outcome only served as motivation for this winter. And at the top of Frisk’s wish list — a more focused club at the defensive end of the floor. “Our focus all summer was on guarding better and guarding harder,” he said. “For us to be elite this year, we’ve got to be able to stop somebody. I want 32 minutes of great defense every night.”
That needs to come from ev- erybody, Frisk says. From his four senior leaders, from sopho- more guards Callie Hales and Kayla Rash, and from everyone who will see minutes off the bench. Hales will look to build off her rookie season in which she averaged 5.2 points, 3.6 as- sists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game. Rash is fully healthy and ready to expand upon the 4.2 points and 2.1 as- sists an outing she put up last winter. Abigail Thompson, Katie Snie- zek, Caylee Kincade, and Ken- nady Hansen will all see time as well to give Frisk the ability to play the up-tempo style he fa- vors. Frisk continually brings up the
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word consistency. In recent seasons, that’s been lacking at times and it’s led the Tigers to losing some games they shouldn’t have. To challenge North Polk, both on the court and in the conference stand- ings, Gilbert can’t have those off nights this winter. “If we play well and get beat by a better team, I can accept that,” Frisk said. “You’re not going to play perfect all the time, but we have to play with consistency at both ends of the court.” North Polk, a 4A state semi- finalist a season ago and the defending league champion, re- turns superstar and UNI commit Abby Tuttle. The Comets, who are 46-6 over the last seasons, return their top six scorers in all from a year ago. And don’t forget about Ballard or Carlisle. Ballard’s Raegan Loewe is one of the top players in the conference, and Carlisle’s Macy Comito is one of the pre- mier players in the entire state. Comito, who averaged 22.1 points per game a season ago, will play collegiately at Iowa State. It’s just another year in the RRC. Every game will be a challenge. “Every night you’ve got to be ready to go,” Frisk said. “But we want to be able to play with the top teams and I think we can.”
No Name
Gr
0 1 2 3 4 5
Abby Patel Mia Kautman Callie Hales
Sr Sr So
Mollie Schnormeier Sr
Katie Sniezek
Jr
Kennady Hansen
So So So Sr
10 11 22 23 25 31 32
Kayla Rash
Abigail Thompson Sr
Caylee Kincade Kaylin Richards Lauren Sniezek Ella Henningsen
Jr
Sr
Olivia Timmermans Sr
But as we said at the start of this, the Tigers have loftier am- bitions than conference success this winter. Getting back to Des Moines is a big goal, but it’s not the end goal. Winning in Des Moines, now that’s what we’re talking about. “Realistically, we want to go to state and then play another day at state,” Frisk said. “But we have to make that happen be- cause no one is going to give it to us. There’s no doubt in my mind we can do it, but we have to go out and get it done.” Buckle up. This could be a fun ride.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22: AT MASON CITY Information: 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17: AT WINTERSET Information: 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: ROLAND-STORY Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21: AT NORTH POLK Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6: WINTERSET Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24: BOONE Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10: NORTH POLK Information: 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25: AT WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK Information: 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13: AT BOONE Information: 6 p.m.
MONDAY, JANUARY 27: AT NEVADA Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17: AT PELLA Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: CARLISLE Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20: AT CARLISLE Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4: AT BALLARD Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3: BALLARD Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7: AT ADM Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7: ADM Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11: BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10: AT BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14: CARROLL Information: 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14: AT CARROLL Information: 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19: CLASS 4A REGIONALS START Information: Opponent, Location, and Time TBA
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT BOYS WRESTLING TEAM include (front row, left to right) Josh Fink, Estan Butter Jeppesen, Matt Melody, Easton Crawford, John Artz, Nery Hernández, Braeden Nees, Holden Boshart, Jace Tickle, manager K Auderer, assistant coach Pat Schoenfelder, Philip Chitty, Mason Wibholm, Kody Koerner, Rowan Sents, and manager Quinn P
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ry, Merek Ritland, Layden Verville, Noah Hinderaker, Carter Olson, Gabe Angus, Michael Torresi, (middle) manager Bailey Klaire Grove, (back) manager Calleigh Pudenz, Ayden Shaw, Cody Puck, Mason Griffin, Elijah Sanford, head coach Scott Parkes.
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O ne thing is always true about wrestling season — it’s a grind. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Everything. It will challenge stu- dent-athletes like few things can, and those individuals who can push through the tough times will ultimately find the most success. Gilbert head boys wrestling coach Scott Auderer has been around the sport for a long time. He’s seen every type of adver- sity imaginable. He’s seen stu- dent-athletes persevere. He knows what it takes. But the first step is admitting the truth — it will be a grind. “We talk about the grind a lot and we talk about mental tough- ness a lot,” Auderer, who has a group of 28 wrestlers for the 2024-25 season, said. “When you step through the doors to this (practice) room, your mind- set has to change to be focused on your goals. But we’re also trying to do some things differ- ent this year ... we’re trying to have a little more fun with team
returning letter winners — Mason Wibholm, John Artz, Braeden Nees, Cody Puck, Philip Chitty, Holden Boshart, Easton Crawford, and Mason Griffin — to serve as leaders for the squad. All found measures of success a season ago and have even loftier goals this winter. “As far as the team goes this year, we have a good mix of guys with experience and good, young, enthusiastic talent,” Au- derer said. “The upperclassmen are doing a good job right now of leading. They’re working hard and they have good attitudes.” Artz and Nees are two of the team’s three seniors. Both are multiple-year varsity starters and they combined to pile up 48 victories a season ago. Artz (21-23 in 2023-24), who was a conference bronze med- alist as a junior, could get down to 126 pounds at some point in the season. Nees (27-16 in 2023-24), fifth at the RRC tour- nament a season ago, will be at either 144 or 150.
activities, team bonding, and things like that.” Finding that perfect blend of work and play would aid the Tigers throughout the three- month season. With a number of returning pieces in the lineup and a strong blend of young wrestlers, there is potential for improvement across the board.
Gilbert’s difficult schedule led to a 5-24 dual-meet record a sea- son ago and that should im- prove this winter. But what will still be difficult is the slate of Raccoon River Conference teams it will face, both in duals and at the league tournament. More on that later. Auderer will look to his seven
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“I think both of those guys are going to do the best they can to be in a position to reach their goals of being a state qualifier,” Auderer said. “Can they take that next step this year? They have to keep that focus all year long, and they’ll have to put in the time in the room.” Wibholm, a sophomore, posted a strong rookie season a winter ago with 25 victories, in- cluding 15 pins. He’ll take a big leap up this year, as he ven- tures from a lightweight to a middleweight. Auderer projects Wibholm at either 144 or 150. “We knew coming in last year that (Wibholm) had a lot of ex- perience,” Auderer said. “He’s been wrestling his whole life without much of a break, so this past offseason he really didn’t wrestle a lot. He’s come back and he has that right mindset and mentality.” Griffin, a junior, also has a solid pedigree and he’s coming off a football season in which he accumulated multiple first-team all-state accolades as an offen- sive lineman. Competing at both 215 and 285 a season ago, he posted a 22-20 record with 16 pins, and he made a solid postseason run that fell just short of a state berth. He doesn’t want to fall short again. Griffin will likely open the sea- son competing at heavyweight,
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but he has his sights set on 215 by January. “He can 100 percent get to state,” Auderer said of Griffin. “He has the athleticism and skill level to get to that next level.” Puck and Chitty could poten- tially fill the slots at 157 and 165. Boshart will open the sea- son at 175, but he may move down as well as the season progresses. Auderer says freshmen could occupy some of the spots in the lower part of the lineup. Merek
Ritland and Noah Hinderaker could be at 106 and 113, while Layden Verville will have an op- portunity to vie for the 132- pound spot. “The freshmen bring good en- thusiasm, good work ethic, and they’re coachable,” Auderer said. “Overall, they’re just a good crop of athletes, so we have a good base to build off right there.” Auderer admits he hasn’t spent much time thinking about where his squad sits in the con- ference pecking order. The truth
is, the RRC is stacked. Return- ing tournament champion Bon- durant-Farrar will be stellar once again, and 2024 runner-up Carlisle might be even better. Ballard, North Polk, Winterset ... yeah, it will be incredibly tough again. “It’s a buzzsaw, so what do you do?” Auderer asked rhetori- cally. “You worry about yourself in the room and you do the best you can in there. “Success for me anytime is to reach your potential, no matter what it is. The keys to that are mentality, work ethic, and health. You can’t have anything else if you don’t start with those.” Ten individual conference champions will return to the fold this winter. Carlisle brings back five RRC gold medalists. Nine returning RRC grapplers also captured state medals a season ago. Carlisle’s Jaxon Miller and Asa Hemsted were both state silver medalists; Hemsted pulled off arguably the biggest upset last winter when he stunned three-time state champion Maximus Magayna of Waterloo East in the 3A state semifinals at 175 pounds. “Our conference was arguably the toughest in the state from top to bottom last year,” Auderer said. “I think at one time six teams were ranked, and it could
Wt Name
Gr
106 Merek Ritland Fr 113 Noah Hinderaker Fr 120 Matt Melody Fr 132 John Artz Sr 132 Carter Olson Fr 138 Jace Tickle So 138 Layden Verville Fr 144 Nic Staudt Sr 144 Kody Koerner Fr 144 Estan Buttery So 150 Charlie Wadsley Fr 150 Braeden Nees Sr 150 Nery Hernández Sr 157 Cody Puck So 165 Ayden Shaw Fr 165 Philip Chitty Jr 165 Mason Wibholm So 175 Josh Fink Fr 190 Gabriel Angus So 190 Holden Boshart jr 190 Rowan Sents Fr 215 John Beardsley So 215 Easton Crawford Jr 215 Elijah Sanford Jr 285 Michael Torresi Fr 285 Mason Griffin Jr
*Weights are subject to change
be just as tough this year.” Gilbert knows it will head to Humboldt for a 2A district tour- nament in February.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: AT ROLAND-STORY Information: Triangular w/ Roland-Story and Ballard, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23: ADM Information: RRC dual, JV/Varsity, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7: GILBERT DUALS Information: Johnston JV , SE Polk JV, IF-A, SEV, Eagle Grove, 9 a.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25: AT EAST MARSHALL DUALS Information: 8-team tournament at LeGrand, 9:30 a.m.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12: AT WINTERSET Information: RRC dual, JV/Varsity, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30: HUMBOLDT Information: Quad dual w/ Humboldt, Perry, W. Marshall, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14: AT OGDEN DUALS Information: 10 total teams taking part, 9 a.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1: RRC TOURNAMENT Information: Conference tournament at ADM High School, Adel, 10 a.m.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19: AT CARROLL Information: RRC triangular w/ Carroll and N. Polk, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15: DISTRICTS Information: District tournament at Humboldt High School, 12 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21: AT JIM KINYON INVITE Information: At Roland-Story High School, 10 a.m.
FEBRUARY 19-22: STATE TOURNAMENT Information: At Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines (Time TBA)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7: AT NEVADA Information: Boys and Girls double dual vs. Cubs, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9: AT BOONE Information: RRC dual, JV/Varsity, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11: AT PRAIRIE CITY-MONROE INVITE Information: 14-team bracket tournament at Monroe, 9 a.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16: BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: RRC triangular w/ B-F and Carlisle, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17: AT BGM DUALS Information: 5-team dual tournament, 5 p.m.
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM include (front row, left to right) John Hales, Grayson Fergen, Ean Eldred, Bo Kruse, Eli Hague, manager Cooper Arkovich, (back) Preston Stensland, Will Hawthorne, Bro
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, Gabe Fierce, Tayton Warg, Charlie Reich, Billy Terrones, Isaac Brown, Ashton Fergen, (middle) manager Korbin Cesler, ody Hague, Trent Wesselmann, Lual Kenyang, Matt Zoz, and Connor Rash.
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G ilbert head boys basket- ball coach BJ Terrones does not misspeak. Ever. He’s measured, delib- erate, and thoughtful when asked a question. You know he’s weighed every pro and con in his mind before a single word ever leaves his mouth. And so his answer to the fol- lowing question may make you sit up in your chair just a little bit straighter. How good can your 2024-25 team be? “The sky’s the limit,” Terrones said decisively without blinking. Hey, that’s a great place to start. And why wouldn’t Terrones think that? Gilbert returns some great pieces off a team that
THE RECORDS Gilbert Boys Basketball
final eight minutes for an 80-73 win over Gilbert. Waverly-Shell Rock went on to reach the 3A state champion- ship game, while the Tigers were left with the belief they could contend with anyone in All-Time Leaders: Individual Points (Career) Richard Solomon (71-75) - 1,216 Points (Season) Richard Solomon (74-75) - 556 Points (Game) Rick Squiers (82-82) - 50 Rebounds (Career) Cori Bangs (83-87) - 880 Rebounds (Season) Dick Hartwig (62-63) - 362 Rebounds (Game) Dick Hartwig (62-63) - 31 Assists (Career) Karl Terrones (93-97) - 363 Assists (Season) Karl Terrones (96-97) - 159 Assists (Game) Tony Terrones (19-20) - 14 Steals (Season) Chris Clark (75-76) - 116 Blocks (Season) Lloyd Flanders (97-98) - 95 Charges Taken (Season) Truman Kruckenberg (23-24) - 16
went 13-10 and was playing its best basketball at the end of the 2023-24 season. You only need to think back to that Class 3A substate semifinal game against highly-ranked Waverly- Shell Rock as proof to that. The Tigers dominated the opening three quarters and had the Go-
Hawks on the ropes before the veteran squad rallied over the
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the class moving forward. “That was a game where we went into an adverse environ- ment and played with great poise,” Terrones said. “It was a great confidence builder for our athletes to know we were at that level, and it set the table for what our team expects when we begin this season.” Yes, the Tigers will have to re- place several key players lost to graduation, most notably all- conference standout Truman Kruckenberg, who averaged a team-high 16.2 points per game a season ago. But when you look at what Gilbert returns ... woo boy. Brody Hague. Preston Stens- land. Billy Terrones. Connor Rash. Will Hawthorne. Ean El- dred. And a long and talented bench that will give the team myriad options game after game. But it’s not only the talent re- turning that has the Tigers ex- cited. The fact that all of these players are experienced will be a boon as well. “The nice thing about having an experienced team that has played together for such a long time is that our opportunity to be successful is directly cor- related with that experience,” Terrones said. “This team has been in tough situations before, and I think they can take from
last year that there were games where they finished against very good opponents. When they’re in that situation this year, they’ll be ready for the moment.” What will potentially make the Tigers so dangerous is there isn’t a singular player opposing teams can focus on. Rather than one superstar and then a roster of role players, the Tigers are keenly balanced across all five positions on the floor. Hague, a senior, is the leading returning scorer at 12.9 points per game. Primarily a wing
player throughout his career, Terrones says he’s expanded his arsenal and that could pres- ent headaches for opponents. “Brody has the ability to get downhill and elevate, and he’s somebody who can now finish at the rim,” Terrones said. “He’s going to be a mismatch offen- sively in many of our games, and his defense and rebound- ing have also improved.” Stensland and Billy Terrones, both juniors who will be three- year starters, provide versatility at both ends of the floor. They
can score in bunches when it’s needed, but they are also solid distributors. Stensland averaged 9.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 re- bounds per game a season ago. Terrones posted 5.8 points and 4.3 assists a night. “We’ll be looking to Billy and Preston to fill in some of those leadership roles,” BJ Terrones said. “Preston will be moving over to Truman’s position on the wing and it’s a position he’s comfortable with. I think he’s poised to have a real good year.”
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Rash will be the wildcard. He was a key reason why Gilbert was ahead of Waverly-Shell Rock after three quarters a sea- son ago, but late in that third quarter he went down with a knee injury that sidelined him for the next eight-plus months. He couldn’t play soccer last spring, nor could he step onto the football field this fall. So you better believe Rash is ready for basketball.
“We know we can’t take Con- nor out of Connor ... we always enjoy the intensity he brings,” BJ Terrones said of his senior who averaged 7.9 points per game a winter ago. “His aura is contagious.” Hawthorne, an Iowa State football recruit, brings power and confidence to the paint for the Tigers. He can score when called upon, as his 6.5 points per game as a junior proves,
but his biggest assets come on the glass (8.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24) and at the defensive end of the court. “We are very excited to have him with us,” BJ Terrones said of Hawthorne. “He is such an important piece of what we do.” Terrones also credited fellow seniors Ashton Fergen, Bowen Kruse, Grayson Fergen, Isaac Brown, and John Hales with playing key roles over the summer to help prepare the Tigers for the season. Injuries kept some of the more experi- enced players off the court over the summer, and yet the Tigers were still able to compete and improve because of those role players. “They had great participation over the summer,” BJ Terrones said. “They really helped out and gave us the opportunity to improve as a team.” Will that improvement, cou- pled with the experience, lead the Tigers into contention for the Raccoon River Conference crown this winter? How about the program’s first trip to the state tournament since 1995? Those are the goals. League rivals Ballard and Bondurant-Farrar both reached state a season ago. Led by Jude Gibson (17.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 steals per game) and Jackson Brown (14.5
No Name
Gr
0 1 2 3 4 5
Billy Terrones
Jr
Preston Stensland Jr
Tayton Warg Ashton Fergen Gabe Fierce Charlie Reich Connor Rash Ean Eldred Bowen Kruse Grayson Fergen
So Sr So Sr Jr Sr Sr Sr Jr
10 11 13 15 20 21 22 23 24 30 40 43 50
Isaac Brown Eli Hague
Jr
Easton Van Cleave Jr
Brody Hague Lual Kenyang John Hales
Sr
Jr
Sr
Matt Zoz
Jr
Will Hawthorne
Sr
Trent Wesselmann So
points), the Bombers will be stellar once again. Terrones also sees ADM as one of the teams to beat, and he puts his own group in that upper tier as well. “I look forward to our players having the opportunity to com- pete with (Ballard and ADM),” Terrones said. “I think we have an opportunity to have a fun season.” And who doesn’t like fun?
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: ROLAND-STORY Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21: AT NORTH POLK Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6: WINTERSET Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24: BOONE Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10: NORTH POLK Information: 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25: DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES Information: 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13: AT BOONE Information: 7:30 p.m.
MONDAY, JANUARY 27: AT NEVADA Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17: AT PELLA Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: CARLISLE Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20: AT CARLISLE Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4: AT BALLARD Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7: AT ADM Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3: BALLARD Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7: ADM Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11: BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10: AT BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14: CARROLL Information: 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14: AT CARROLL Information: 7:30 p.m.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17: AT MASON CITY Information: 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17: AT WINTERSET Information: 7:30 p.m.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24: CLASS SUBSTATE STARTS Information: Opponent, Location, and Time TBA
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT GIRLS WRESTLING TEAM include (front row, left to right) Cece Wagner, Memphi Britcher, Makenna Springer, Tatum Heaberlin, Danielle Vogel, Kate Melody, (back) manager Quinn Parkes, Cece Bowers, as
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is Iddings, Sydney Jones, Bree Iddings, Catherine Moore, Lizzie Mitchell, (middle) Sadie Breyfogle, Aubrey Shannon, Emma ssistant coach Jake Seibert, head coach Nate Graves, Dzhesika Okumahba, and manager Calleigh Pudenz.
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E very time Nate Graves stepped into the practice room a season ago, he acted like a head coach. Every time he sat in the chair mat side and barked out in- structions to his pupils, he acted like a head coach. And every time he stood up and cele- brated a victory with one of his wrestlers, he acted like a head coach. Because, honestly, that’s what he was. The only difference be- tween last season and this sea- son is now that title is official. Graves, a Gilbert High School graduate and longtime assistant coach with the program, offi- cially took the reins as the girls wrestling head coach in the off- season and he’s now in the pro- cess of putting his official stamp on things. And you better believe he’s excited about the possibilities, both this season and in the fu- ture. “I ran 95 percent of the prac- tices last year and I was with
roster, Graves sees a team that is stacked with veteran leader- ship and talent, which has ev- eryone optimistic about the season. “We have a much older set of girls this year with more experi- ence,” he said. “Because of that, I’m able to approach prac- tices much differently than last year. But the one thing about wrestling is that the basics are always the best. You go watch college wrestling and, yeah, they have scrambling and there are levels, but when you look at the core of it, the basics are still the basics.” Even with a few open weights, Gilbert will be able to put to- gether a formidable dual-meet lineup, and a number of girls will have realistic opportunities of advancing to the state tour- nament early in 2025. Emma Britcher, Makenna Springer, and Tatum Heaberlin all went over 20 victories a sea- son ago and placed in the top six at the regional tournament. Cecelia Bowers won 15
the girls every single day, so not a lot has changed that way,” Graves said. “I haven’t done as much of the behind the scenes stuff like the paperwork and set- ting up Track Wrestling, those kinds of things, but I’m learn- ing.” Administrative duties aside,
Graves knows his primary re- sponsibilities are teaching the sport to his inexperienced grap- plers, advancing the skills of his more experienced girls, and showcasing the enjoyment of the sport to all of his student- athletes. With 16 girls on the 2024-25
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matches a season ago after ad- vancing to state as a freshman in 2023, and four others — Mor- gan Beardsley, Kate Melody, Cece Wagner, and Dzhesika Okumahba — posted winning records last winter. Add in a few more girls with varsity experience and you
quickly understand why Graves has high hopes for the Tigers. “We’re always going to have 12 to 18 points to make up (in duals due to open weights), but we have some really tough girls,” he said. “Multiple girls on the team have put in a lot of off- season work. For wrestling, mat
time is the most important thing to get better and the high school season is not enough if you want to get to the top of the sport. You have to put in the time in the offseason.” Springer, a sophomore who along with Wagner are Roland- Story students who wrestle for
Gilbert through a sharing agree- ment, will be a hammer at either 125 or 130 pounds. She posted 27 victories a season ago and reached the regional semifinals before a knee injury forced her to withdraw. Britcher, a junior, was the Tigers highest regional place
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winner a season ago. She was fifth at 120 and posted a 24-15 overall record. Heaberlin was right behind Springer with 26
victories on the season and she was sixth at 140 at regionals. “This group of returning girls
we have, I think they can all be really good,” Graves said. “If Makenna hadn’t hurt her knee, I think she had a really good shot to get to state last year. Tatum has put in the most work over the summer and she has ex- pectations for herself to be at state this year.” Graves doesn’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to see four or more Tigers advance to the big stage in Coralville come February. But advancing through regionals and on to state won’t be easy. In fact, it may be tougher this season. For the first time, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has adopted two classes for girls wrestling. Gilbert will have to tangle with the heavyweights, so to speak, as a member of Class 2A. The Tigers sit 47th in enrollment; at the top of the class are seven programs with enrollment figures that top 2,000 students when you factor in sharing agreements. Whether you agree with it or not, Graves says complaining won’t do any good. All he and his wrestlers can do is prepare to the best of their abilities and take it one match at a time. “When you go back and look at last year’s (individual) state champs when everyone was in one class, how many came from small schools? Probably about half,” Graves said. “So it will probably have a bigger im-
Wt Name
Gr So So
100 Sydney Jones 115 Aubrey Shannon 120 Emma Britcher 125 Breonna Iddings 125 Cecilia Bowers 125 Memphis Iddings
Jr Fr Jr
pact at regionals than it does at state and until we know who’s at our regional, we won’t know the impact. But the state will need to do a good job of bal- ancing the regionals.” Eight of the 14 individual state champions from a season ago will return, and Graves is cor- rect — they are split evenly, 4- 4, among the two classes. Gilbert has already competed twice this season and gave Graves his first career win as a head coach when it beat Car- lisle in a dual. So 130 Makenna Springer So 135 Morgan Beardsley Sr 135 Kate Melody Jr 140 Tatum Heaberlin Jr 140 Danielle Vogel Sr 145 Sadie Breyfogle Sr 145 Catherine Olson Fr 155 Cece Wagner So 170 Lizzie Mitchell Sr 235 Dzhesika Okumahba Jr *Weights are subject to change
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19: AT CARLISLE Information: Triangular w/ Carlisle and Colfax-Mingo, 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17: BGM DUALS Information: 7-team dual tournament, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23: AT CENTRAL IOWA KICKOFF Information: Tournament hosted by Nevada High School, 9 a.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23: AT BOONE INVITE Information: 6-team tournament, 5 p.m.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2: MASON CITY Information: Triangular w/ Mason City and W. Marshall, 5:30 p.m.
MONDAY, JANUARY 27: AT PLEASANTVILLE Information: Triangular w/ Pleasantville and Cardinal, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, 7: AT BGM DUALS Information: 8 total teams taking part, 9 a.m.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31: STATE QUALIFYING MEET Information: Location to be determined at later date, 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10: AT AMES Information: Triangular w/ Ames and Panorama, 5:30 p.m.
FEBRUARY 6-7: STATE TOURNAMENT Information: At Coralville, TBA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12: AT WINTERSET Information: RRC dual, JV/Varsity, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19: CARROLL Information: Triangular w/ Carroll and Den-Schleswig, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21: AT BOONE INVITE Information: 12-team bracket tournament, 9 a.m.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7: AT NEVADA Information: Boys and Girls double dual vs. Cubs, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9: AT NEVADA DUALS Information: 8-team tournament, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11: AT CEDAR FALLS INVITE Information: 17-team bracket tournament, 10 a.m.
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT BOYS BOWLING TEAM include (front row, left to right) Isaac Becker, Benji Lenz, Emery, (back) head coach Austin Emery, Chase Deike, Lucas Savage, Zach Noe, Cooper Weigel, and Tyler Beach.
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Aydin Roberts, Brayden Hauge, (middle) coach Carolyn Miller, Jaden Smith, Andrew Dahm, Isaac Holtan, coach Todd
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT GIRLS BOWLING TEAM include (front row, left to right) Keira Andersen, Alex We field, and head coach Carolyn Miller.
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eary, Ava Klatt, (back) coach Austin Emery, Alyse Beyer, Allisan Pepper, coach Todd Emery, Eko Eldred, Kendall Wake-
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A ustin Emery and Carolyn Miller sit together and, al- most in unison, they lean back in their chairs and smile. And all it took to elicit the positive energy in the room was mentioning the 2023-24 bowling season. It was a good one for the Gil- bert program. OK, that’s an un- derstatement. It was actually a legendary season, one the coaches will remember for the rest of their lives. In only the third year of the program’s existence, the boys not only made it to the state tournament, but came oh-so close to capturing the Class 1A championship. Still, a runner-up finish was nothing to sneeze at, and it gave the still infant pro- gram statewide legitimacy from schools that have played the sport a lot longer. “I’ve been in tight basketball games before as a coach, but (the state final against Ma- quoketa) was the most intense thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Emery, who is the boys head
“We improved so much last year,” Miller said. And now you know why last season means so much to the coaches. There is a but coming though ... Those teams as they looked a season ago no longer exist. When it comes to the varsity rosters, Gilbert graduated ev- erybody. Quite literally ... every- body. The six guys that competed at state — Coal Myers, Jackson Johnson, Nash Hanson, Cole Pflughaupt, Toby Ruba, and Chase Klatt — and the team’s seventh man — Ashton Dodds — all graduated. Similarly, the six girls who spent the entire 2023-24 season in the Gilbert lineup — Kilee Miller, Kiera Miller, Sarah Thatcher, Katie O’Brien, Elle O’Brien, and Ella Gebhart — all picked up their diplomas as well last spring. All seven of the boys aver- aged between a 180 and a 208 a season ago, and Kilee Miller
coach, said. “Beating (Council Bluffs) St. Albert (in the state semifinal round), that was defi- nitely our highlight because they became our rival the year before. It was an amazing at- mosphere and I was super proud of the kids.” The Gilbert girls team didn’t
make it to state during the 2023-24 season, but the Tigers certainly took a gigantic step forward in terms of competitive- ness. That was what Miller, the girls head coach, had wanted for her team prior to the start of the campaign and the group did plenty to make the coach proud.
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pushed her average above 170 for the girls. Putting completely new teams together is daunting for the coaches, there’s no doubt about that. But they knew this was coming. They built the program once, and they’re excited to do it once again. “The atmosphere has been wonderful so far,” Miller, who lost eight total girls to gradu- ation, said. “The girls support each other, they’re helping each other out, and they’re just ex- cited. There was a knowledge of the game and just some ba- sics that we took for granted in the past, but now we’re having to start from scratch a little bit.” Emery agreed with Miller. It is back to the basics, and yet there’s a new vibe around the team. There’s much less pres- sure, too. “It’s definitely a different at- mosphere and we know there are going to be some ups and downs,” Emery said. “I think we can still compete and win some meets, but the expectations are different. Last year our expecta- tions were not only to go to state, but to try to win state.” Emery sees talent on his team, and now it’s just a matter of getting some of those players experience. Chase Deike, Jaden Smith, Lucas Savage, Brayden Hauge, and Benji Lenz all return to the team this sea-
son. Smith led the Tigers in their season-opener against Newton, and Deike is someone who Emery could see emerging as the team’s ace as the sea- son goes along. Emery is also excited about newcomer Isaac Holtan. “Chase Deike has become the Chase Klatt from the past,” Emery said. “He’s at the bowl- ing alley working every day and he’s taken on a huge leadership role with the team. Brayden Hauge is really impressing me too, and Isaac Holtan has been
killing it in practice. He’s never bowled before, but you can see he has a lot of potential.” The story with the girls team is somewhat similar. While there isn’t any varsity experi- ence on the roster, that doesn’t mean the team is completely new. Ava Klatt, Keira Andersen, and Alyse Beyer were all with the team last winter and got a first-hand look at what it takes to succeed. They’ll serve as leaders and will help to guide the newcomers Alex Weary, Alli- san Pepper, Eko Eldred, and
Kendall Wakefield. “I’m excited to see continued improvement from our returning players,” Miller said. “Ava has been practicing outside of the season and she’s coming into the season strong. I see a lot of commitment out of her and I’m excited to see what she’s going to do this season. “We want to compete, but we definitely want to have fun and see the enjoyment of the sport. Hopefully that will create a good base for the future.”
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25: AT NEWTON Information: 2 p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3: AT BONDURANT-FARRAR Information: 4 p.m.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9: AT OSKALOOSA Information: 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14: at PELLA CHRISTIAN Information: 12:30 p.m.
GIRLS TEAM
BOYS TEAM
Name
Gr
Name
Gr
Keira Andersen
Jr Jr
Zach Noe
Sr Sr So So So So So So So So
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21: BALLARD Information: 11 a.m.
Alyse Beyer Ava Klatt
Jaden Smith Tyler Beach Chase Deike Brayden Hauge Isaac Holtan Benji Lenz Aydin Roberts Lucas Savage Cooper Weigel Isaac Becker Andrew Dahm
So So So So
Allisan Pepper
Kendall Wakefield
MONDAY, JANUARY 6: NORWALK Information: 3 p.m.
Alex Weary Eko Eldred
Fr
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9: AT ADM Information: 4 p.m.
Fr Fr
MONDAY, JANUARY 20: PELLA Information: 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25: AT SIGOURNEY-KEOTA Information: 12 p.m.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10: KNOXVILLE Information: 3 p.m.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14: 2 RIVERS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT Information: At West Des Moines, 9 a.m.
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT DANCE TEAM include (left to right) Marlee Van Cleave, Bentlee Young, Sarah Fed
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ddersen, Reese Anderson, Delaney Anderson, Danielle Vogel, Taryn Hicks, and Shaylee DeLancey.
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A number of ingredients are necessary to form a successful team. You need talent, of course, but it takes so much more than that. You also need a dedicated, hard-working group of athletes. Sprinkle in focus, cohesiveness, and fun ... now we’re getting somewhere. And here comes that secret ingredient, the one that can take a good team and elevate it to that next level of great. Experience. There’s nothing quite like vet- eran leadership to rise the tra- jectory of a team, and that’s exactly what the Gilbert dance team has as it puts complete focus on its state competition in early December. It’s not a large group; the team consists of eight members this year. But it is dedicated, hard-working, talented, and, yes, experienced. “Most of the girls have a long
background in dance, and we do have five seniors,” Gilbert assistant dance coach Jewel Heubner said when asked to describe this year’s team. “Our expectation is to continue to get better. Dance is really subjec- tive, and so we have worked really hard to play into our strengths and we hope it shows on the floor. The goal is always the placement, but we’re just happy to continually get better.” Reese Anderson, Sarah Fed- dersen, Delaney Anderson, Taryn Hicks, and Danielle Vogel are all in their final year of dance for Gilbert, and all of them are either three- or four- year team members. Shaylee DeLancey and Marlee Van Cleave return to the team as well, and Bentlee Young is the squad’s lone freshman. Gilbert performed three dances at the 2023 Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Associa- tion state competition and placed fifth (Prop, Class II), sev- enth (Kick, Class II), and 10th (Jazz, Class V) overall.
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The team is taking a com- pletely different approach and adding one more dance for the 2024 state competition, which will take place this Friday, De- cember 6, at Wells Fargo Arena and Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. The Tigers will compete in the Mix category at 9:29 a.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena. At 11:02 a.m, they’ll be in Hy-Vee Hall to perform their Hip Hop routine, and then they’ll head back to the Well for their Novelty dance at 12:02 p.m. They’ll close the day with their Pom routine at 3:48 p.m. at Hy-Vee Hall. What are the differences in the four dances? We’re glad you asked. In the Mix category, every team will perform to the same exact music. Teams have 1 mi- nute, 30 seconds to showcase two ore more types of dance and their interpretations. With its Novelty dance, Gilbert will tell a story to the audience. The group chose to perform “It’s The Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie. Pom and Hip Hop are pretty self-explanatory. So why choose to shake things up this year? Heubner says she and head coach Amanda DeLancey looked at the strengths of their squad and chose the categories they felt their athletes would enjoy.
Hip Hop, we just found that our girls are strong this season and they love it. “Learning new routines is part of the fun. For this specific group of girls, it’s figuring out how to perform it.” Let’s add one more ingredient to this year’s dance squad that could give it a little extra boost when it steps onto the floor in Des Moines. The girls treat each other as family. They spend time together outside of practice, they cheer each other on in different activities, and they want to have success on the dance floor not only for themselves, but for the girl standing next to them. “Everyone just feels really comfortable around each other and no one is afraid to ask for help, which is a real strong suit of the team,” Heubner said. “We have a good mix of super strong vocal leaders, and then we also have our quiet leaders who are good at including ev- erybody. “What makes this year’s team a little different this year is their eagerness. We get to have fun and we get to be silly, but they all want to work really, really hard.” All of those ingredients are present, and the end results could speak for themselves at the state competition.
“We always let the girls give ideas because we want them to be excited about the routines,” Heubner said. “For example, we
chose Novelty this year be- cause we have girls who are super expressive and they have a lot of fun playing into that. For
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52 GAME ON | WINTER 2024-25 MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT JV BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM include (front row, left to right) Zo Balderas, Taylor Dukes, Korbin Cesler, Joey Pyfferoen, Matthew Zhang, (middle) Holden Hibbs, Gabe HIcks, Gray Woodin, Charlie Reich, Logan Nelson, Tayton Warg, (back) Lucas Anderson, Jordan Martinek, Ayden Folkerts, Isaac Renze, Trent Wesselmann, Marcus Jacob, Josh Baldwin, and Zach Schrader.
WINTER 2024-25 | GAME ON 53 MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT JV GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM include (front row, left to right) Emma Deal, Charlotte Lepper, Leonie Sluiter, Shelly Ockey, Sammy Johnson, Izzy Terrones, Greta Platts, Elisabeth Thompson, Kennady Hansen, (back) Morgan Loonan, Rylie Jordison, Lauren Sniezek, coach Scott Uthe, coach Xary Nunez-Hiraldo, coach Aaron Hill, Izzy Campbell, Kiersten Kvach, and Regan Richards.
MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT FRESHMAN BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM include (front row, left to right) Reggie Chittenden, Charlie Maguire, Gabe Charlson, Mason Chen, Griffin Brown, Will Youngberg, (back) Camden Eggert, Asher Youngberg, Bennett Holz, and Brody Soma.
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MEMBERS OF THE 2024-25 GILBERT WINTER CHEERLEADING SQUAD include (front row, left to right) Caitlin Strudthoff, Riham Ajdakar, Lydia Strudthoff, Liv Cox, (back) Kaylei Jacob, Maria Sanchez-Davila, Sarah Frank, Alyssa Bryngelson, Jahleeyah Garnica, Kaylee Higgins, and Natalia Casanova.
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