Changing gears for winter sports

We’re all a bit giddy in the Newton Daily News sports department — Prairie City-Monroe’s Mustangs are the first high school football team from our area to make it to the Dome in the six years I’ve been in Newton. We, as all Jasper County football fans should be, anticipating the top-ranked and undefeated Mustangs’ semifinal game on Saturday in Cedar Falls.

Did you know, the Mustang football team has six sets of twins on the 2018 roster? Seniors Olin and Nick Meinders the five sophomore sets: Greyson and Kaeden Strum, Caleb and Carson Duinink, Kinseer and Cooper Sloan, Ben and Adam Kramer, and Grant and Kyle Landgrebe.

Go PCM Go!

While my NDN sports colleague Troy Hyde covers the Mustangs to the UNI-Dome, he also is working on winter sports previews. Girls’ basketball, boys’ swimming and boys’ and girls’ bowling began practicing on Monday. Boys’ basketball and wrestling open practices this coming Monday.

We’re gearing up for the Newton Daily News’ annual Jasper County prep winter sports preview section. That section hits the streets and news stands on Nov. 21.

I’m busy visiting Newton teams — girls’ basketball, bowling, boys’ swimming, boys’ basketball and wrestling — and Lynnville-Sully teams — girls’ and boys’ basketball and wrestling. Those visits will be made over the next week.

Speaking of winter sports, college basketball and wrestling are underway. We don’t get reports on all former Jasper County high school athletes who are playing college sports. We do get a few.

First, Newton native Duncan Lee, a senior wrestling at 285 pounds for Central College, went 4-0 in the team’s opening tournament claiming a tournament title at 285 pounds at the Pointer Open in Stevens Point, Wisc.

Lee won his first two matches by fall in the first period. He defeated Jordan Lemcke of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh 4-1 in the championship bout.

For his work on the mat last weekend, Lee was named the American Rivers Conference wrestler of the week. The Dutch are back in action Saturday at the Millikin Open in Decatur, Ill.

Last year at 197 pounds, Lee went 21-12 with nine pins. He piled up four top-three finishes at tournaments last season, including a title at the Central Last Chance Invitational.

Another former Newton standout is Ellie Horn, a 6-foot-3 inch starting center for the DMACC Bears’ women. The Bears opened the season with back-to-back wins over Southeast (Neb.) and the William Penn JV.

Horn had 14 points and 16 rebounds in those two games. She also blocked six shots and had two steals.

The Bears lost Tuesday, 64-59, to the Graceland JV. No statistics were available on that game. DMACC plays in the Northeast Hawks Classic this weekend in Norfolk, Neb.

Horn finished her freshman season with 124 points for the Bears. She had 92 rebounds and 27 blocked shots. She also had seven steals and 11 assists.

Horn was 16-of-35 from the free-throw line. She went 54-of-108 from the field.

Newton High has its two top career scorers playing for the Drake Bulldogs this season. Redshirt freshman Connor Gholson and freshman Garrett Sturtz are 6-foot-3 inch guards on the Bulldog men’s basketball team.

The Drake men opened the regular season on Thursday at home against Buena Vista.

In Drake’s exhibition game win over Coe, 99-58, on Nov. 4, Sturtz played 13 minutes and Gholson played nine minutes.

Sturtz, Newton’s all-time leading scorer, had four points on two field goals, one rebound and two steals. Gholson, Newton’s No. 2 career scorer, hit a 3-pointer for his three points.

Winter — as in winter sports — is upon us. Hunker down for the 2018-19 run.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets
at jsheets@newtondailynews.com