Newton Senior High School has released its Burger King Athletes of the Month for October. Going sport-by-sport, they are: senior Collin Reynolds (football), junior Carly Colville (girls swimming), juniors Michaela Bleeker and Jennifer Ventling (volleyball), freshman Cooper McDermott (boys cross country), freshman Grace Coen and senior Lexi DesPlanque (girls cross country) and senior Austin Shores (boys golf).
Reynolds was one of Newton football’s five senior captains this season, and in the past month he caught 15 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two interceptions, including a game-ending one in an upset over Adel-DeSoto-Minburn on Oct. 5. He holds or is tied for eight Cardinal receiving records.
Colville — one of the top swimmers for Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella — helped lead the Aquagirls to their best dual-season record in school history at 10-1, and a second-place finish at the regional meet last Saturday. That’s the best finish NCMP has ever had at regionals. Colville will swim in four events at Saturday’s state meet in Marshalltown — two individual events and two relays. She was part of four school records that were broken this season.
Bleeker and Ventling were key pieces of a Newton volleyball squad that won 22 games this fall. Bleeker was recently named the Cardinals’ lone first-team All-Little Hawkeye Conference selection after leading the league — and all of Class 4A in kills with 428. Ventling earned honorable mention status after finishing third on the team in kills (118) and total blocks (30) as the team’s middle hitter.
McDermott wrapped up a sensational freshman cross country season last Saturday at the state meet in Fort Dodge — where he placed 71st out of 116 runners and set a personal-best time.
Coen joined McDermott at Fort Dodge representing the Cardinals, and finished her stellar season by placing 25th in a season-best 14 minutes and 46 seconds — a personal-best by 23 seconds. She also won the LHC conference title on Oct. 8.
DesPlanque was Newton’s senior leader and No. 2 runner, and she narrowly missed a trip to state by three spots as she placed 13th at districts on Oct. 18. She placed 20th last year. She took fifth at this season’s conference meet.
Shores helped lead the Newton boys golf team to a seventh place finish at the district meet on Oct. 2, and his team-best 74 there was a single stroke shy of qualifying for state. After a tough first nine holes, Shores shot an outstanding 33 on the second nine to put himself in contention.