Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Articles written by Mike Petersen


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  • National Honor Society holds induction ceremony at H-M-S High School

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 14, 2024

    Twelve students were inducted into the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School chapter of the National Honor Society on Nov. 7. Current NHS chapter members conducted the program, with Abby Douma giving the welcome. Explaining the meaning of the four pillars of the National Honor Society were Gracie Knobloch (scholarship), Lainie Raveling (service), Frankie Mohni (leadership) and Kamryn Ebel (character). They also presented certificates to the inductees, who were introduced by Megan Otto. Eliza Tewes...

  • From Our Files

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 14, 2024

    • Nov. 17, 1949 The Hartley Recreation Board set the hour of 10 p.m. as the curfew at the center for pre-high school age children. The board also named the grades eligible to attend the center on Saturday evenings as sixth, seventh and eighth, and the four years of high school. The Rivin Brothers Food Market was renamed Thrifty Super Market, according to Gerald Philiph, Hartley manager. All stores owned by the Sioux City-based company were operating under the new name. The Northwestern Light and Power Co. was granted a renewal of a 25-year fran...

  • From Our Files

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    • Nov. 10, 1949 The strong wind that caused untold loss to Iowa farmers was a boon to youngsters of the community. School children were employed by farmers to pick corn off the ground. In some areas as much as 20 bushels to the acre were gleaned, and some youngsters made as much as $6-$7 per day. Rehearsals were underway for “Laff It Off,” the big home talent show sponsored by the American Legion Post and Auxiliary. The show was being held to raise funds for the youth center and tennis courts, as well as the Boy Scouts of Hartley. The cast...

  • H-M-S fall vocal concert

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    Finding identity and purpose in a changing world was the theme of the songs performed during the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn fall vocal concert on Oct. 29. The men's ensemble sang "I'm Just Ken" from the "Barbie" movie. Senior Jamie Diaz was in the spotlight singing "Stay" and the women's ensemble sang "What Was I Made For," also from "Barbie". Selections sung by the concert choir, directed by Kristi Daggett, were "Who Are the Brave," "What About Us" with soloist Kenadie Van Loon, and "Does the...

  • A season of growth

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    An improved record and a playoff appearance by the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn football team were some of the highlights of the 2024 season. H-M-S improved its win total by two, moving to 3-6 overall and 3-3 in Class A District 1. As the fourth-place team in the district, H-M-S qualified for the postseason for the fourth time in five seasons. First-year head coach Jeremiah Delzer is pleased with the players' attitude throughout the season. "Just the growth from everybody, everybody's buy-in and...

  • 9 Hawks named to all-district football team

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    Nine players from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn were named to the 2024 Class A District 1 all-district football teams. Named to the first team were seniors James Gellerman, Damion Hansen, Jack Mastbergen, Slayton McCarter and Blake Meendering. Second-team selections were juniors Alex Billings and Ricky Smith, Jr. Honorable mention picks were junior Isaac Schierholz and freshman Jackson Vogt. Junior Mattis Octmann, an exchange student from Germany, was tabbed for a special honor as the top placekicker...

  • Postseason honors go to H-M-S volleyball players

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    Five Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn volleyball players were recognized by the War Eagle Conference for athletic and academic performance. Seniors Abby Douma and Frankie Mohni were named to the volleyball all-conference second team, and senior Kylee Schiphoff earned honorable mention. Seniors who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or above are named academic all-conference. H-M-S players earning that recognition are Addy Sheeler, Eliza Tewes, Douma and Mohni. H-M-S finished in a tie for seventh place in the conference standings with a record...

  • A learning experience

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Nov 7, 2024

    The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn volleyball team began the 2024 season with high expectations, some of which were not realized by the time it ended with a 3-0 loss to West Lyon in the opening round of the Class 2A regional tournament. H-M-S finished the season with a record of 7-14 overall. The Hawks' 4-6 record in War Eagle Conference play was an improvement of two wins from the 2023 season. "Looking back on the season, we obviously didn't achieve some of the goals we set out to," said Hawk coach Che...

  • H-M-S students cut away at cancer

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    The annual cancer awareness event at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School has many facets, all of which are focused on one goal: helping those who are fighting the disease. During the week of Oct. 21, elementary students were encouraged to wear clothing in various colors that represent different types of cancer. Cancer ribbons, posters and banners were displayed throughout the school to raise awareness about the disease. One of the major events of the week is the penny drive. Students were...

  • H-M-S board fields scoreboard proposal

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    The benefits of video scoreboards for outdoor and indoor athletic facilities at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn were again presented to the school board at its meeting on Oct. 21. Representatives of Daktronics, a Brookings, S.D.-based company that manufactures scoreboards and other message display equipment, had visited with the board in the fall of 2022 about replacing scoreboards at the high school athletic facilities. The board at that time identified replacing the softball and baseball scoreboards...

  • From Our Files

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    • Nov. 3, 1949 Ray Smith, of Spencer, purchased Ray’s Texaco from Ray Reinke. Smith took over operation of the service station and motor departments of the business. Reinke remained at the same location, concentrating his efforts on body and fender work, and alignment. Almost every Melvin business man turned out to work on the new community building. Thirty-eight men congregated with shovels and wheel barrows, and leveled out the ground in the basement of the building. The Melvin American Legion voted to put sheeting on the roof and rep...

  • Too much firepower

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    West Lyon's offensive strength created problems for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn during the quarterfinal round of the Class 2A Region 7 volleyball tournament. The Wildcats swept the match 25-13, 25-13, 25-22 on Oct. 23 at Inwood. H-M-S could not overcome early deficits in the first and second sets, as West Lyon controlled the action with their play at the net and their strong serving. "I felt like West Lyon did a great job early in the match of taking us out of our comfort zone, making us struggle...

  • The ground attack won the battle

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    Contrasting styles of football were on full display during the first round of the Class A playoffs on Oct. 25 at Britt. Relying on its rushing attack and big plays by its special teams, defending champion West Hancock proved too much for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's passing offense to overcome in a 65-27 win. The difference in styles was evident in how the teams scored. The Eagles' first drive was their longest (seven plays) and ended with Brady Bixel scoring on a one-yard run. As the opening half...

  • Strong start is not enough at qualifying meet

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 31, 2024

    Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn cross country runners performed well at the 1A state qualifying meet on Oct. 24 at Holstein. But the quality of the competition left the Hawks on the outside in terms of advancing any runners to the state meet. The Hawk boys started well and were in a good position through the midpoint of the race. "The course had a pretty decent incline to start the race and I thought our guys did a really nice job with that and set themselves up well," said Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund. "I...

  • Exploring the options

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 24, 2024

    The status of broadband channels controlled by the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School was discussed by the school board on Monday. Educational Broadband Service (EBS) channels are allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for advanced wireless service. Those bands are licensed only to accredited educational institutions and nonprofit entities whose missions are educational. Evertek, Inc., of Everly, asked the district in 1993 to apply to the FCC for a license for four...

  • From Our Files

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 24, 2024

    • Oct. 27, 1949 Facilities of the Central Iowa Telephone Co. in Hartley were enlarged to take care of a growing community for a number of years. Among the outstanding improvements were a new, modern switchboard and the automatic ringing of phones in subscribers’ homes. Section boss Frank Meyers, Grover Fanning and Clarence Illian narrowly escaped injury when they jumped free of the handcar on which they were riding. The crew was about two miles east of Hartley when a train approached unexpectedly. The handcar was smashed but the men were saf...

  • Coming out on the winning end

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 24, 2024

    Coming from behind to achieve victory was the pattern for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in its War Eagle Conference volleyball match with MMCRU. Despite trailing in all but one set, the Hawks came back for the 3-1 victory on Oct. 15 in Hartley. The closeness of the set scores (19-25, 25-21, 25-23, 31-29) mirrored the two teams. "Going into the match, we knew that MMCRU would be a fairly similar team to us," said Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese. "We talked about needing to make sure we covered the court well...

  • Big plays go the Jays' way

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 24, 2024

    Gehlen Catholic's first play from scrimmage was a 79-yard scoring run, setting the tone for a 47-7 win over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on Oct. 18 at LeMars. The champions of Class A District 1 rolled up 349 yards on the ground and added 74 through the air. Two possessions after Kale Pearson scored the opening touchdown, the Jays reached the end zone again on a 59-yard run by Cole McCarty late in the first quarter. H-M-S responded with a methodical 14-play drive that ended with a two-yard run by...

  • They did it again

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 24, 2024

    Winning the first War Eagle Conference title in school history last year sparked a desire in the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn boys' cross country team to repeat that accomplishment. And that is what the Hawks did at the conference meet on Oct. 17 at Marcus. Led by three all-conference performers, H-M-S won this year's championship with 57 points, outpacing MMCRU with 74 and George-Little Rock/Central Lyon with 82. "Winning a conference championship had always been one of our goals for the season, so...

  • Committed to Hometown Pride

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    The City of Royal is officially committed to participating in a program to help further the community's economic and cultural vitality. The city council approved the final contract on Oct. 9 Royal is one of nine communities in Clay and adjoining counties participating in the Hometown Pride program. Each community is assessed an amount per resident to support the cost of a community coach. Royal's assessment is $395.20 per year for five years. "That's our part of this for 380 residents," Mayor...

  • Showcasing school spirit at H-M-S

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    The indoor marching extravaganza at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School is an opportunity for groups that participate in the fall to show off their talents. But it is also "a school spirit showcase." The event held on Oct. 10 began with pep calls and the school song led by the cheerleaders, flag corps and marching band. Special routines were presented by the cheer squad, Dance Attack and flag corps. The drum line presented "Vampire" and the marching band entertained with their halftime...

  • From Our Files

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    • Oct. 20, 1949 Marlene Brehmer, Hartley High School twirler and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Brehmer, placed first in the Class C and D twirling contest at Storm Lake. She was eligible to enter the national contest to be held the following spring. Members of the Hartley Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously to discontinue the practice of closing stores for a funeral. Those who wished to close could still do so, but in the future the group as a whole would not be requested to close their doors for any funeral. A committee of Chamber of Comme...

  • On their heels

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    Lack of aggressiveness hampered Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn on both sides of the football during a 48-14 loss to Sibley-Ocheyedan. The result of the game played Oct. 11 kept the Hawks winless on the road. The winners rushed for nearly 300 yards and added 134 through the air, while H-M-S was limited to 186 yards of total offense. "We've got to find a way where we're not getting on our heels on either side of the ball," said Hawk coach Jeremiah Delzer. "At times we got on our heels and we weren't...

  • Quick start, strong finish

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    Good starts and strong finishes contributed to positive results for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn cross country runners at the George-Little Rock/Central Lyon Invitational. The meet was held Oct. 10 at the Otter Valley course near George. "I thought we ran decently and competed hard," Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund observed. "Otter Valley is a difficult course and times across the board reflect that." Kamryn Ebel placed 11th in a time of 25:00.53, while Brooklyn Erickson was 29th (30:25) and Gracie Knobloch...

  • Spot on

    Mike Petersen, Sports Editor & Staff Writer|Oct 17, 2024

    High-percentage serving was a key component in the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn volleyball team's sweep of Harris-Lake Park on Oct. 8. The Hawks improved to 3-5 in War Eagle Conference play with the 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 win at Lake Park. H-M-S was successful on 69-of-73 serve attempts (94.5 percent efficiency) and recorded 12 aces. "The ladies were spot on hitting serves," Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese said. "H-LP was really struggling with their serve receive and our girls did a fantastic job of hitting...

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