MV celebrates McDowell's 150th win

Wrestling

     A hectic week of matches was also a celebration for the Maquoketa Valley wrestling team, which paid homage to senior Alec McDowell, who earned his 150^th career victory during the Maquoketa Valley Duals tournament on Jan. 7.

     McDowell’s achievement was celebrated Monday, Jan. 9 as part of MV’s Senior Night.

     “Alec has worked very hard for everything he has accomplished, and not just in wrestling,” MV coach Tim Andrews said. “He is one of the most respectful high school athletes I have ever been around or coached. He has always listened and worked without hesitation, respected his coaches and teammates, and works as hard as anyone to achieve his goals. He put himself in a place that not many have been.”

     On Senior Night, the Wildcats scored a pair of one-sided victories, 60-10 over Bellevue and 66-12 over Starmont. Getting two wins for the night (although each of them had at least one forfeit win) were Carter Stahlberg. Chance Downs, Zach Cornell, Norman Wilson, Cole Kruse, Eric Heims, Aden Atwell and McDowell. Scoring pins were Stahlberg, Downs and Heims.

     “I really liked the intensity and fight our guys showed,” Andrews said. “Not one guy quit, and they gave everything they had.”

     MV then competed in a quadrangular meet at North Linn Jan. 12, and won two out of three matches. The Wildcats defeated Midland 48-27, lost to Lisbon 59-12, and beat North Linn 42-36.

     “I knew we would have our hands full with Lisbon and  very tough North Linn team,” the coach said. “Although the Lisbon dual did not come out the way we wanted, I was happy to see the guys bounce back in our last dual victory versus North Linn. The true sign of a good team is how the team responds when adversity strikes.”

     Three Wildcats went 3-0 for the evening: Heims, McDowell and Kruse. Heims had two pins and a decision win. Going 2-1 were Robert Hildebrand, Downs and Cornell. Also getting pins were Downs and Wilson.

Boys basketball

     Maquoketa Valley’s strong second half enabled it to pull out a 60-48 Tri-Rivers Conference, West Division win over Starmont Jan. 12 in Delhi.

     The Wildcats (3-3, 5-6) were tied 29-29 with Starmont at halftime, but outscored the Stars 15-6 in the third quarter to establish control.

     Four MV players scored in double figures. Brock Hillers led the way with 15 points, while teammates Garrett Hogan, Clint Krapfl and Trevor Elgin added 10 apiece. Jake Bonert had six points and 10 rebounds. Krapfl had eight rebounds. Hogan made four steals and blocked two shots.

Girls basketball

     Two wins helped the Maquoketa Valley High School girls basketball team erase the sting of a loss to North Linn during recent action.

     Maquoketa Valley (4-2, 11-3) played host to North Linn, ranked sixth in Class 2A, and suffered a 45-25 loss Jan. 3. The Lynx took a 25-11 lead by halftime, and led 35-13 after three quarters. Brianna Mensen led MV with 14 points. Payton Ries had 10 rebounds, and Mensen had eight.

     “We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to in this game,” Maquoketa Valley coach Scot Moenck said. “We got in early foul trouble, and that was a key factor.”

     The Wildcats bounced back to score a 52-32 home win over Alburnett Jan. 6, led by Mensen with 20 points and Gracie Gellersen with 17. Mensen and Ries had seven rebounds apiece, and Mensen made six assists. Sam Wall added 10 points.

     “I was very pleased with our effort and our intensity throughout this game,” Moenck said. “We really stepped up on the defensive end.”

     On Saturday, Jan. 7, the Wildcats had the opportunity to be part of Rivalry Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, and responded with a 48-35 win over Interstate 35 of Truro. Mensen scored 26 points, and Ries had 14 points and seven rebounds. The teams were tied 24-24 at halftime, but a 14-6 third quarter put MV in control.

     “Getting the opportunity to play a good team in a big arena was a very neat experience for us,” the coach said. “The best stat of the game was that we only turned the ball over eight times. When we can limit our turnovers and play great defense, we can be a very tough team to beat.”

     The Wildcats picked up two more victories last week, winning 68-22 over Starmont Jan. 12 in Delhi, and winning 68-57 at West Delaware Jan. 14. Individual statistics for those two games were unavailable at press time.

     Prior to the holidays, the Wildcats pulled out a 54-50 win at Easton Valley Dec. 20, as Mensen scored 21 points. Wall and Gellersen added 10 points apiece. Ries had six rebounds, and Mensen made seven steals. Olivia Hoeger blocked two shots.