With fall sports finished and Thanksgiving now done, winter sports are here. Already, several girls basketball teams have started, and boys hoops and wrestling begin soon.
While most fans will have to watch from home due to COVID-19 attendance restrictions, there are plenty of interesting storylines to keep an eye out for this season.
1. Osage girls basketball seeking another state title
This particular group of athletes is used to winning. In 2019, as members of the Osage volleyball team, the Green Devils lost in the state quarterfinals, before storming back this season to dominate their way to a 34-2 record and a Class 3A state title.
If that pattern holds, this will be a season to remember for the girls’ basketball squad. Last season, the hoops team, led by senior Sidney Brandau, and juniors Dani Johnson and Ellie Bobinet, went 24-3 and made it to the state finals, where they lost to North Linn.
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This year, Johnson and Bobinet, both also stars on the volleyball court, return to lead a squad that lost three of its top five scorers to graduation. The pair will be joined by fellow seniors Megan Henson, Katie Smith, and Victoria Schwarting, with underclassmen Meredith Street, Claudia Aschenbrenner and Kaebre Sullivan also expected to make an impact.
With a No. 12 rating heading into the season, and with much of the team fresh off a volleyball title, these Green Devils are a team to watch.
2. The growth of girls wrestling
Last season, the IWCOA girls’ wrestling state tournament nearly tripled in size over the inaugural 2019 event, and anybody in attendance in Waverly that weekend can tell you that there is no shortage of passion for the sport. As of now though, Iowa is one of 23 states that has still not officially sanctioned girls' wrestling.
Until that time, Globe Gazette area fans still have plenty of fantastic female wrestlers to support. Osage and Charles City are two schools that have delivered some standout performances.
Osage’s Emma Grimm came closest to an area championship last year, finishing second overall in the 126-pound division at the state tournament. Grimm had only been wrestling for two years when she fell to No. 1 ranked Sydney Park in late January, and will surely be motivated to come back even stronger in her third year on the mat.
“She knows what she’s got to work on,” Osage head coach Ryan Fank said after last year’s state finals. “She’s ready to get to it. She says 'next year is my time.’”
Charles City had four wrestlers finish top-six at state, led by then-freshman Lilly Luft, who placed fourth overall. The Comets finished second in the team standings behind Waverly-Shell Rock and return much of their lineup.
3. Bounce-back seasons for Rhodes and Nelson
Two area wrestlers are looking for bounce-back seasons in 2020, in Clear Lake senior Sam Nelson and Mason City's Jace Rhodes. Both have wrestled at the state tournament, and both have dealt with injury-plagued seasons in the past.
For Nelson, this will be his final chance at a long-awaited state title. Last year, he missed most of the season due to a torn thumb ligament, and came back to make it all the way to the state quarterfinals.
Rhodes, after finishing runner-up at state his freshman year, placed fifth in 2020. Both Rhodes and Nelson are the lone returning state competitors on their respective squads, and both had ultimately disappointing finishes last year.
Keep an eye on both of them. The pair have overcome injuries and adversity, and are primed for podium finishes in Des Moines.
4. One last chance for Rachel Leerar
Rachel Leerar has been the leading scorer and star player for the West Hancock girls' basketball team for three full seasons now, and has led the program to two consecutive state tournament appearances.
In 2019, the Eagles lost to Newell-Fonda in the state title game and in 2020, fell to North Linn in the semifinals.
Now, as a senior, Leerar has one last chance to finally earn the first state title in program history, before she goes on to play college ball at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Both Leerar and head coach Paul Sonius seem confident that the Eagles can get it done, even with the departure of standout rebounder Amanda Chizek.
"We’re not going to let anything hold us back or stop us," Leerar said before the season.
5. Can Ames and Washington lead West Fork back to a title?
Last season, Kayden Ames and Jakob Washington led a young and inexperienced West Fork team to the program's first state tournament appearance in six years. After the departure of seven seniors, including All-State senior Zach Martinek, the Warhawks moved up nearly the entire junior varsity squad to take their spots in the starting lineup. That squad made it all the way to the state semifinals, where they lost to Bishop Garrigan.
This year, both Ames and Washington, who led the Warhawks in scoring with 401 and 333 points last season, are back, along with nearly the entirety of last year's starting lineup.
With a pair of standouts, and a roster with a valuable year of experience under its belt, West Fork has a real shot at going all the way.
Shane Lantz covers sports for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Shane.Lantz@GlobeGazette.com, or by phone at 641-421-0526. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneMLantz.