Dresden Wilson @dreswilson22

​Two wrestlers and many fans from Boone traveled to the Wells Fargo Arena this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with high hopes of returning champions.

Junior Mason Hulse (39-3) was the first grappler from Boone, in his first match, he was set to square off against Preston Terry (44-1), a sophomore from Burlington. The match started off slow but soon picked up. Hulse was the first to score getting a takedown and scoring two points. After the first period, the score was 2-0 in favor of Hulse. 

Terry then scored a point from an escape and then successfully completed a takedown for two points. At the end of the second, the score was 3-2 for Terry. In the final period of Hulse’s first match, he would start in the down position. Hulse again got another two points by takedown but gave up one by and escape. The score being locked up at 4 near thirty seconds left in the match. 

With both wrestlers fighting for the win, Hulse shot with eight seconds left. He completed the takedown, securing the win and a spot in the quarterfinals. The final for the match was a 6-4 win for Hulse (40-3) by way of decision. The next opponent due up for Hulse would be senior Drew Sams (39-2).

The next Boone wrestler due up, senior Jacob Melton (26-5), would be in the 220-pound weight class. Melton originally pulled senior Jacob Zachary from Dowling Catholic High School, but because of personal reasons, Zachary had to pull out. Melton’s new opponent would be Gage Linahon (10-6). 

The match was a fast one as Jacob Melton secured a throw and defeated his opponent within the first period. He would win by way of fall in 1:25 in the first period, also putting himself into the quarterfinal round. Melton (27-5) would wrestle a common foe from earlier in the season, number three ranked 220 pounder and senior Zach Haggstrom (34-8). Both wrestlers would finish on top of their game for the day returning the next with two tough matches.

On the second day of the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament, both wrestlers were still fighting for their chance to be a state champion. Again the first wrestler up was Hulse in the 145-pound division. His opponent, Sams would be one of the toughest foes of the year. 

The first period would end in a 2-0 lead for Sams. The second period would go back and forth ending at 4-3, Hulse’s lead. The final period Hulse started down and got reversal points late, tying the match late at 6. The match would eventually go into overtime where Hulse would win with a final-second takedown taking the match 8-6. Hulse’s next opponent would be the two-time state champion Zach Barnes (43-3), later that day.

Melton would wrestle Haggstrom in his quarterfinal matchup. The match was back and forth at the start of the first period, but after Haggstrom completed a takedown, he would later pin Melton. His next opponent later that day would be junior Carter Sergeant (24-15) from Pleasant Valley.

After losing his first match on the second day, Melton was pretty well motivated to get the next one. With ease, the 220-pounder had no problem pinning his man in one minute and fifteen seconds. The final was Jacob Melton winning by way of fall. His next opponent would be a senior Jordain Buckland (29-2). 

The 145 pounder from Boone would find himself in a semi-final matchup against Barnes, later that day. The match did not go the full distance of three periods, but with a good fight from Hulse, he fell to a tough opponent with a final of 25-10 at 5:37 by way of technical fall. The Boone Wrestlers once against survived the second day of wrestling.

At the start of the third day of state wrestling, both Boone boys had lost their chance at a state championship, but that would not stop them from making podium appearances. Hulse would take the mat first with Nick Graham (23-1), a sophomore from Johnston. Hulse would struggle again with this grappler and would lose by way of decision 8-5. He would then wrestle for 5th place against Trevor Anderson (42-6), a junior. 

Hulse held his own against Anderson but would lose by way of decision 9-7. Hulse would finish at 6th on the podium, and his final record would be (41-6).

Melton would be the final wrestler from Boone to wrestle Alex Francois (24-19), a senior from Xavier. The high scoring back and forth match ended with Jacob Melton winning by way of decision 15-10. Melton would finish off his high school wrestling career on the podium placing 7th out of 16 wrestlers. His final record of the year would be (29-7).

​With a very successful season thus far Boone Boys Basketball looked to continue that success as they faced the Nevada Cubs this past Monday night. The Toreadors were sitting at a 14-5 record with an eight-game win streak. The Cubs had a 15-6 record with a six-game win streak.

In the first quarter, the Nevada Cubs seemed as if they were going to hold onto the early momentum which they created, but Boone junior John Herrick lead Boone’s offense and the game remained even throughout the first quarter.

Nevada’s momentum died off quickly and the Toreadors took advantage of it. Boone would put up points in a quick fashion to create a lead but Nevada narrowed it down to just three and at the halftime break with Boone leading 28-25.

Boone continued the high-powered offense fueled by forced turnovers and fast break points to open the half.  Led by Herrick, who had 27 points through 3 quarters, the Toreadors opened up what proved to be an insurmountable deficit for the Cubs.

With no offensive flow and low energy defense, Nevada wouldn’t make a dent into the lead and the Toreadors would move on to win with a final score of 67-47. This win improved Boone to 15-5 and put the win streak at nine games.

Boone’s last regular season game will be this Thursday at Webster City. Tip-off at 7:30 pm. 

​By Lane Losh

On Monday, February 13th the Toreador boys’ basketball team will look to pick up a non-conference win against the Cubs of Nevada. Boone is currently on an impressive run in the past month, rattling off eight consecutive victories and recently clinching the conference title. Nevada has also achieved a lot of success of late, winning nine of their last ten games.

Boone is led by senior sharpshooter Ethan Lewis, who is shooting a red hot 45% from three-point range this season. Lewis is also shooting a stellar 90% from the free-throw line. The Toreadors have two more double-digit scorers in senior Tanner Schminke and junior John Herrick. 

However, perhaps the most important piece has been senior Gabe Krafcisin. He is averaging over five rebounds per game and has blocked 33 shots this season. His inside presence has been a key component for Boone’s defensive success during their hot streak.

For Nevada, they are led in scoring by junior Trent Stahl, who is averaging 14 points per game. Junior Luke Merfeld will be a challenge for Krafcisin in the post, as he has pulled down a team-high 128 rebounds for the Cubs this year.

One team will continue their hot streak Monday night, and the other’s will be ended. Catch Nevada vs Boone at 7:30 in the Boone High gym.

By Sammi Crouse @sammijo019

Last Saturday,  the Boone wrestlers traveled to Fort Dodge for the last meet of the season (for most of them). All of the boys wrestled at their best, and are hoping to improve for the next season.

Junior Mason Hulse placed 2nd and qualified for state in weight class 145. Hulse got a tech fall against opponent Luke Ferguson (Nevada), the final score being 16-1. In semi-finals, Hulse won with a final score of 5-3 against Levi Trenary (Fort Dodge). Hulse wrestled for first place but lost the match against Nick Graham (Johnston), the final score being 9-4.

Senior Jacob Melton also qualified for state and placed first in weight class 220. In the first round, Melton received a bye. In the semi-final round, Melton won over Ben Standish (Johnston), pinning his opponent in 1 minute and 51 seconds. In the first place match, Melton wrestled Travis Theisen (Le Mars) and pinned Theisen in 31 seconds. After 3 years of trying, Melton finally qualified for state. 

“It feels good to finally make it. I’ve worked hard for it all year. It feels great.” says Melton. 

Juniors Jimmy Boustead and James Runestad placed third in the tournament, missing the qualification by one match. 

The class 3A state wrestling tournament will begin on Thursday, February 16th at 9:00 am. 

By Sammi Crouse @sammijo019

​On Tuesday night, Boone High held senior night for wrestling. The seniors that were recognized were Jacob Melton, wrestler, Kylee Breon, manager, Ally Bushore, cheerleader, and Gabby Fuentes, cheerleader. Though it was bittersweet for all of them, they will all be missed by the wrestling team and cheer squad.

To start off the night, Boone wrestled ADM. Sophomore Norbert Riyazimana won his match, with the final score being 19-8. Junior James Runestad also won his match, pinning his opponent in 53 seconds. Junior Mason Hulse won his match against his ADM opponent with a score of 3-1. Jacob Melton also brought in a win for the team with a 17-second pin.

For the second round, Boone faced Woodward-Granger. Riyazimana won his second match, pinning the opponent in 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Runestad also won his second match, pinning the opponent in 1 minute and 40 seconds. Hulse got a pin in 2 minutes and 55 seconds, and Melton got a pin in 1 minute and 42 seconds, finishing off the second round.

The third round was against Perry. Junior Jimmy Boustead pinned his opponent in 1 minute and 33 seconds. Sophomore Anthony Keller also pinned his opponent within 22 seconds. In this round Mason Hulse brought in yet another win, pinning the opponent in 1 minute and 11 seconds. 

​By: Evan Appenzeller @EvanAppenzeller

​Last Friday, the Boone boys, and girls basketball teams swept the Winterset Huskies. The last time these two teams met Boone was able to win both games and that’s exactly what happened this time. 

The night started out with the girls game. The Toreadors (11-3) came in on a two game win-streak and had an advantage on the Huskies (4-7). The girls have been playing well offensively and were able to put up 105 points in the 2 games prior. 

Boone continued to play good offense with junior Claire Sandvig putting up 14 points while senior Laura Anderson had 8. 

After the first half, Boone held Winterset to only 8 total points. Boone continued playing stellar defense throughout the game only allowing 15 points the whole second half. 

Next, the Toreador boys took over. Boone went into the game with a record of 7-5. The Dors’ were very confident coming into the game after a nice win against Perry. Some of the main goals for the game were to play great defense and get good possessions offensively. 

Boone came out firing in the first half. Senior Ethan Lewis was able to hit some key shots and the Toreador defense did their job. Winterset only put up 14 points in the first half compared to Boone’s 40. 

Boone lost some defensive intensity in the second half and allowed 19 in the 3rd quarter alone. But thanks to the offense the Toreadors had going, it was not enough for the Huskies. 

Ethan Lewis was the leading scorer with 15, and sophomore Justin Aspengren contributed 8 points and displayed some excellent passing by racking up 7 assists. 

Overall, the Toreadors took it to the Winterset Huskies for the second time this season making the girls record 12-3, and the boys at 8-5. 

Dresden Wilson @dreswilson22

​Both Boone basketball programs take the hardwood this Friday when they face off against the Winterset Huskies. The Toreadors Girls (11-3) are sitting on a pedestal coming off of two wins against the ADM Tigers and the Newton Cardinals, both wins in double digits. 

Boone is led by the dynamic junior Caitlynne Shadle. Shadle is averaging 11.9 points per game while shooting 46% from the field, and 30% from three point land. She is also averaging three assists per game and three boards per game.

The Winterset Girls are (3-6) splitting wins with losses in their last four games. The Huskies are led by, a sophomore, Madison Wauters. She is averaging a strong 18 points per game and nine rebounds per game. Most of her points come from in the paint.

The Boone Boys also look to start another win streak and stay atop the Raccoon River Conference when they travel to Winterset this Friday. They are half a game ahead of the Carroll Tigers. 

Boone is coming off of a big conference win at home against a strong rebounding team in the Perry Bluejays. The final for that matchup was 57-42 in favor of Boone.

The ‘Dors have four players averaging double figures in seniors Ethan Lewis and Tanner Schminke, and juniors John Herrick and Trevor VanPelt.

The ‘Dors start the second half of conference play this Friday. They look to do better in the second go around. The girls game starts at 6:00 pm on Friday in the Winterset High School gym, followed by the boys game at 7:30 pm.

​By Trevor Van Pelt @trevorvanpelt14

​Last Tuesday night the Boone Toreadors looked to bounce back against Perry, after a tough conference loss to ADM the week before. Both the Toreadors and the Bluejays came into this match-up with a 4-2 record in the Raccoon River Conference. The Bluejays were also on a five-game win streak and looking to continue their winning ways. 

Right out of the tip, Perry jumped out to a 5-0 start. After the little spurt by the Bluejays, the Toreadors clamped up on defense only allowing five more points the rest of the quarter. The Toreadors had a decent quarter offensively as they put up 13 giving the Dors’ a three-point lead.

Once again in the second quarter, the Toreador defense stepped up big time. They limited Perry to only six points. Headed into the half the Toreadors led by 31-16.

Coming out of the half the Toreadors went cold, with limited scoring. The defense that was outstanding in the first half gave up 20 points and Perry went on a 20-8 run to get back in the game.  

In the fourth quarter, the Toreadors got back on track as their defense clamped down as it had in the first quarter. They limited the Bluejays to just 6 points as the Toreadors walked away with the 15 point win.

Senior, Tanner Schminke led Boone with 14 points. For the Bluejays senior Kyle Nevitt scored 12 points with 5 rebounds.

The Toreadors are back in action this Friday in Winterset.

​By Trevor Van Pelt @trevorvanpelt14

​Last Tuesday night the girls basketball team traveled to Newton to take on the Cardinals in a non-conference match-up. The Toreadors came into game with a 10-3 record and are led by Junior guard Claire Sandvig who is averaging 17.2 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. 

The first quarter was pretty even as neither team could pull away. The Toreadors and Cardinals went back and forth trading leads the entire quarter. The Toreadors took a slight advantage as they lead 18-15.

In the second there was much of the same as the first as it was back and forth and neither team could take a large lead. The girls doubled their advantage going into the half with a 6 point lead as the score was 31-25.

After the break the Toreadors stepped up on defense. They held the Cardinals to just five points in the quarter. Headed into the last quarter the girls had a comfortable 16 point lead.

The Toreadors played just as well in the fourth as the rest of the game as they took the dub 59-40. 

Junior, guard Caitlynne Shadle and junior forward Claire Sandvig led the Toreadors. Shadle had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sanvig ended with 11 points and 8 rebounds. For the Cardinals, junior Randi Walters had 14 points.

The Toreadors are back in action tonight against the Winterset Huskies.

Both Boone boys and girls basketball squads were back in action for the first time after Holiday break, on January 3, 2017. It was Boone’s first basketball game in the new year and both teams wanted to start off with a win.

The girls varsity team had another good start going up 12-7 in the first quarter. Most of Dallas-Center Grimes’ points came of late in the quarter. Both teams continued to trade blows in the second quarter and the score stayed close. Boone had the lead heading into the locker room with a score of 19-14.

Junior Claire Sandvig led all scorers in the first half with 13 first half points and also tacked on 3 first half blocks.

DCG turned up the pressure in the second half leading to multiple turnovers. On offense the Mustangs made easy shots and took their first lead of the game with 6:39 left in the fourth with a 26-25 score. Once the Mustangs got the lead they never looked back.

The final score for the game was 44-29, with the Mustangs taking the win from the sixth ranked team in 4A.

The next game of the night was against the top ranked boys Mustangs and the unranked Toreadors. Dallas-Center Grimes came into this matchup very hot, riding a seven game win streak and also confident because of their unbeaten record.

As hot a DCG was, that did not faze Boone’s vision towards the game. The ‘Dors jump out to an early 6-0 lead, but that was followed by four unanswered points from the ‘Stangs.

Both teams played even up to the second quarter. At the quarter mark the score was 16-14 in favor of Boone.

The second quarter started with DCG driving to the basket and finishing at the rim for the score tying it at 16. Again both teams played even and Boone headed into the break with a two point lead at 29-27.

Boone then extended their lead to four points but quickly disappeared after a final second buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter. Boone had a 41-40 lead going into the final quarter of the game.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Boone jumped out to a three point lead, but DCG did not give up and answered quickly. The Mustangs continued to take a three point lead themselves. It was their first significant lead of the game.

Boone had multiple chances to take the lead again, but turnovers and bad shot selection led to a final score of 56-50.

There is not much time to dwell on the lost though as Both boys and girls have a quick turnaround, they will travel to Carroll Friday, January 6th to play the Tigers. For the girls they’re looking at a (2-7) team, for the boys, they’re fighting for a chance to stay relevant in the conference champion talk. Both teams enter tonights game (3-1) in conference play.

​