There were highs, there were lows

For Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School athletes, the past year was one of significant accomplishments and difficult challenges. The following is a snapshot of the highs and lows of 2024.

They did it again

H-M-S boys' cross country runners enjoyed winning the War Eagle Conference title so much in 2023 that they wanted to do it again. So they went out and did just that, topping the team standings with 57 points at the meet held at Marcus.

Aiden Bush (sixth), Easton Teal (seventh) and Damian Dodge (12th) qualified for the all-conference team, while James Carlin finished 17th, Ryan Grotluschen placed 18th and Blaine Finster came in 20th.

"Winning a conference championship has always been one of our goals for the season, so to see the hard work and sacrifices pay off and for it all to come to fruition was awesome," said Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund.

MMCRU was the runner-up team with 74 points and George Little Rock/Central Lyon was third with 82.

On the girls' side, H-M-S only had two competitors but both ran personal best times.

Kamryn Ebel finished third to qualify for the all-conference team for the first time.

"She was locked in early and ran a really strong race," Hoaglund said.

Brooklyn Erickson just missed qualifying for the all-conference team, placing 16th.

Nothing but strikes

Rolling a 300 game is an accomplishment for any bowler, but for a high school athlete to do it on the biggest stage of the sport is something special.

Jack Mastbergen, competing in the Class 1A state individual tournament at Waterloo, finished his final game of pre-bracket play with nothing but strikes to roll a 300 game.

After an opening game of 179, Mastbergen rolled a 248 to give him momentum entering the final game.

"Jack has always had the ability and skill to throw a perfect game and he knew it also," said Hawk coach Julia Meyer. "This time he was not denied. Each shot was perfectly thrown and he never wavered."

His 727 series was third best in pre-bracket play. In bracket play, Mastbergen lost 213-162 to finish fifth among the Top 8 bowlers.

Also competing at the individual state meet were Eli Mastbergen (16th) and Caleb Aaron (23rd).

Finally over the hump

The 2023-24 boys' basketball season was one of challenges and struggles. Having graduated nine seniors from the pervious year's team, H-M-S had little returning varsity experience.

The result was the first winless season in school history. But Hawk coach Naet Hoaglund was still able to see positives when it ended.

"I thought we made a lot of growth and gained valuable experience with some of our younger guys. We had guys have to step into roles they probably weren't ready for and they did so eagerly and with courage," he said.

As the 2024-25 season approached, Hoaglund was confident the Hawks would win a game. His main concern was that the losing streak would not extend too far into the season.

It didn't. H-M-S won at Harris-Lake Park, 47-35, on Dec. 10 to end the 26-game losing skid.

"We've been close a few times and to finally get over the hump and get back on the right side of things is uplifting for our guys," Hoaglund said.

An incredible experience

Someone has to be first and in the case of H-M-S girls' golf, it was Gracie Knobloch. As the runner-up medalist at the 1A regional final, she was the first player from H-M-S to advance to play in the state golf meet.

Competing at the American Legion Golf Course at Marshalltown, Knobloch finished the first day with a round of 99 and shot a second-day total of 93.

"Gracie improved with each round she shot," noted Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese. "Lots of lessons learned and excited that she gets to build on the experience and work to repeat next year."

Putting together winning streaks

The turning of the calendar to 2024 led to a strong finish for the H-M-S girls' basketball team. Following the holiday break the Hawks won six straight games and nine of their final 13 overall to post the program's best record in seven years.

"Going from a 3-19 season record to 13-9 this year, I couldn't be more proud of these girls and the teamwork and dedication they displayed," said Hawk coach Ashley Tessum.

With no seniors on last season's roster, Tessum looked forward to what the Hawks could accomplish in 2024-25. So far they are off to a strong start, finishing the pre-holiday schedule at 7-2 overall, including wins in their final four games.

Sixth in state discus throw

Adam Schierholz added his name to the list of H-M-S athletes who finished in the Top 8 of their events at the state track and field meet.

The senior placed sixth out of 24 competitors in the Class 1A discus throw. His best effort was 149'8". He had entered the meet seeded third based on his winning throw of 158'5" at the state qualifying meet.

Back in the football playoffs

A better record and a playoff appearance were highlights of the 2024 football season.

The Hawks finished with a record of 3-6, which represented an improvement of two wins from 2023. H-M-S finished fourth in Class A District 1 with a 3-3 mark and qualified for the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

The Hawks took on West Hancock in the first round and were defeated by a 65-27 score. Quarterback Jack Mastbergen threw for a school record 301 yards in the game.

First-year coach Jeremiah Delzer was proud of the Hawks' effort throughout the season.

"I've got a whole bunch of really good kids who want to do things the right way. That's going to help and serve us down the road."

That's a lot of sets

Setter Frankie Mohni recorded the 1,000th assist of her career during the H-M-S volleyball team's sweep of West Sioux.

During her career she recorded 54 assists as a freshman, 404 as a sophomore, 399 as a junior and 386 as senior, giving her a total of 1,243.

"Frankie is one of the hardest working athletes I know. She understands the game and has been a consistent part of the H-M-S program for four years," said Hawk coach Cheryl Kroese.

2 advance to state wrestling meet

Two Okoboji/HMS wrestlers competed in their respective state tournaments to conclude the 2023-24 season. Amelia Sirola won a match and lost two at the girls' tournament at Coralville, and Tyce Hanson was 2-2 during the boys' tournament at Des Moines. Neither was able to earn medals.

No wrestlers from H-M-S competed at state; however, James Gellerman was named to the All-Siouxland Conference second team.

The 2023-24 girls' team finished second in the Siouxland Conference dual standings and the boys were tied for third.