Ten of the 12 members of this year’s Belle Plaine girls’ basketball squad, the ones who are not seniors this year, may be wishing the next season could start next week. Of course, they are probably looking forward to a little rest from the long bus rides and cramming homework into available time after practice and after games.
But it was an exciting ride for Coach Andy Dahlquist’s Plainsman squad, which posted a 14-8 overall record and a third place tie, in the win column, in the SICL Conference race.
With the end of the season comes some good news and bad news for the program. The good news is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder will be back next season. The bad news is the second leading rebounder and the team leader in assists and steals, the quarterback of the offense, will both be graduating.
This year, the Plainsmen never lost more than two games in a row and had a six-game winning string through January, including a 28-point spanking of Lynnville-Sully, a team that later qualified for the state tournament. In fact, their next game, a second loss to North Mahaska, was by just six points. The Warhawks were undefeated until the regional finals, when they dropped a 19-point decision to Prince of Peace Prep.
Junior Dani Coover led this year’s squad with 280 points, 12.7 points per game. She was also the team leader with 226 rebounds and added 49 steals, eight assists and a team-high 26 blocked shots. Senior Taylor Schafbuch was second in scoring with 272 points, 12.4 points per game. She had 49 rebounds and led the team with 100 assists and 91 steals.
Sophomore Macy DeMeulenaere was third in scoring with 238 points and third in rebounds with 79. She had 35 assists, 58 steals and eight blocks. The other senior on the team, Laura Breja, was second in rebounds with 104. She had 22 points, 24 steals and nine blocks. Junior Joy Cronbaugh, the fifth player who started every game this season, finished with 49 points, 69 rebounds, eight assists and 17 steals.
Sophomore Melissa Janss played in all 22 games. She had eight points, but also had 25 rebounds, five assists and nine steals. Another sophomore, Katie Croft, played in 21 games and had 14 points, 36 rebounds, three assists, seven steals and two blocks. Freshman Julie Long played in 19 games and scored 52 points, with 32 rebounds, 18 assists and 26 steals.
Two freshmen saw limited varsity action. Taylor Janss played in five games and scored five points and Emily Coover was in five games.
As the Plainsmen and the rest of the conference look to next year, they know they will have to tangle with a formidable North Mahaska squad again. Four of the time five scorers and rebounders for the Warhawks are freshmen or sophomores this year. The story is much the same for state tourney bound Lynnville-Sully, where the leading scorer is a sophomore and two of the top four scorers and rebounders are juniors this season. But if Belle Plaine can develop a replacement for Schafbuch and find at least one more player to help out in the lane on rebounding, there’s no reason that the Plainsmen should not be considered in the mix for a conference title next season.

Belle Plaine’s recently completed boys’ basketball season was a series of ups and downs that began with six losses in the first seven games, followed by a four-game winning streak and ended with the team winning three of its last five games.
Coach Justin Northrop’s squad played an aggressive, up-tempo style of game, which seemed to suit this relatively young team well. This year’s Plainsman squad was heavily dominated by juniors, with just three seniors and two sophomores on the 12-man roster.
The Plainsmen finished sixth in the SICL Conference this year, beating English Valleys, Tri-County, Iowa Valley and Sigourney twice and North Mahaska and HLV once each. They scored at least 70 points in three of their games, including a 78 point performance against Iowa Valley.
As a team, Belle Plaine shot 36.8 percent from the field, including 22.3 percent three-point attempts. They also hit 54 percent of their free throws. The team also had 677 rebounds, 282 assists, 245 steals and 41 blocks this year.
Junior Ben Ehlen led the team in scoring with 285 points, 13 points per game. He also had 50 rebounds, 93 assists, 46 steals and 10 blocks. Senior Chris Janss was a close second in scoring with 279 points, for a 12.7 point per game average. He led the team with 174 rebounds and also had 32 assists, 53 steals and nine blocked shots. Junior Keegan DeMeulenaere finished with 183 points, 126 rebounds, 58 assists, 30 steals and 10 blocks. Sophomore Cooper Northrop had 141 points, with 67 rebounds, 21 assists, 37 steals and five blocks.
Junior Kyle Janss had 106 points, 48 rebounds, 27 assists, 34 steals and two blocks. Senior Seivon Stewart scored 66 pints, with 124 rebounds, seven assists, 15 steals and four blocks. Junior Mitch Jacobi had 54 points, 31 rebounds, 20 assists and 10 steals. Senior John Long had 46 points, 31 rebounds, 15 assists and 12 steals. Junior Jalen Schmuecker appeared in 14 games and had 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Junior Zach Snyder had seven points, 19 rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block in 15 games. Sophomore Logan Baburek played in three games and had three points, an assist and a steal. Another sophomore, Brett Hampton, appeared in one quarter this season.
This season, Keota and Lynnville-Sully tied for the conference title with records of 19-1. Keota’s leading scorer was one of seven seniors on the squad, but the team’s leading rebounder was sophomore Casey Sieren, who 36 blocked shots to go with his 144 rebounds.
Lynnville-Sully had five seniors in its roster this season, but the leading scorer was sophomore Chase Cullen, who had 302 points. The leading rebounder was a junior, Logan Vos, who had 223.

By Coach Bob Yilek
Belle Plaine wrestlers came home with two medals from the state wrestling tournament. Great job for Zakk and Jack to come home with medals, not the medals they were shooting for but this tournament is always full of surprises and this year was no exception.
It’s always some great wrestling and you need to be at your best to advance in the tournament. One bad match and you are sent to the consolations and then it is all about attitude and heart.
Our two guys have nothing to be ashamed of. They went to Des Moines and wrestled hard and even though they did not reach their individual goals, they can be proud of what they did accomplish. Sometimes, getting a medal at state is not the easiest thing to do. Even if you have done it in previous years. Zakk and Jack both won three matches and finished their careers with a victory in their last match. Zakk wrestled to a 7th place finish and Jack wrestled to a fifth place finish.
Zakk ends with two state medals and a 107 -21 career record. Jack finishes his career third on the all-time win list with a 155 – 36 career record and three state medals. Congratulations to both as they move on to the next level at Coe College.
Thanks again for all of the support at the state tournament. It is awesome to look up in the stands and see so many fans supporting our athletes.

Belle Plaine’s two state tournament representatives ended their high school careers on an up note Saturday afternoon, as both won their final matches in the consolation round in Des Moines.
At 105 pounds, Zakk Buch beat Heath Nagel of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, an 8-0 major decision, to claim seventh place. Nagel, a freshman, finished with a 35-11 record.
At 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien claimed fifth place with a 4-2 win over Dillon Lorentzen of Logan Magnolia. Lorentzen, a junior, is 42-8.

It was a tough night for Belle Plaine wrestlers at the state meet Friday night. Both lost and will be competing Saturday in the consolation finals for places.
At 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien lost his semifinal match 9-4 to Logan Mulnix of North Linn. Then in the consolation round, he dropped an 8-5 decision to Joran Johnson of Interstate 35 Truro.
At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch lost a 4-1 match to Phillip Laux of Pekin in the third round of the consolation bracket.
On Saturday, O’Brien will face Dillon Lorentzen of Logan Magnolia for fifth place. Buch will meet Heath Nagel, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn for seventh place.
The consolation place matches in all three classes begin at noon Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

In a whirlwind of action which saw them play three games in four days and two within a 24-hour time period, the Belle Plaine boys’ basketball squad closed out its season earlier this week. The Plainsmen held off Sigourney on Friday, 46-44, then dropped a 58-48 decision at home to HLV on Saturday afternoon in a make-up contest.
Monday night, the Plainsmen traveled to Wellman, where they dropped a 65-36 decision to Mid-Prairie in the first round of district action.
Belle Plaine finished with a record of 10-12.
Against Sigourney, the Plainsmen started off slow, scoring eight first quarter points. They added 11 in the second quarter and 12 in the third.
Chris Janss led the team with 14 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. Ben Ehlen had a dozen points, three rebounds and eight assists. Keegan DeMeulenaere had six points, four rebounds and two assists. Cooper Northrop had six points and four rebounds. Seivon Steward finished with four points, a dozen rebounds and two assists. Mitch Jacobi and Kyle Janss each had two points. John Long had two rebounds.
The Plainsmen hit on 17 of 60 shots from the field and 10 of 12 free throws. They also had 44 rebounds and 15 turnovers.
Saturday afternoon, HLV jumped to a 23-14 first quarter lead and maintained a 39-30 halftime advantage. The Warriors scored only four points in the third quarter as the Plainsmen cut their lead to 43-41.
But HLV Coach Zach Tremmel said this was a big win for his team. “We had this game circled ever since they came into our house and handed us a two-point loss. We wanted to come out and prove we were the better team,” he said.
Chris Janss led the Plainsmen with 20 points and 12 rebounds, along with three steals. Ehlen had nine points, five rebounds and six assists. Northrop had six points and two steals. Steward had four points and six rebounds, Kyle Janss had four points, Long had three points and Jacobi added two.
For HLV, Brenden Kuesel had 19 points, Brandon Leonard had 14 and Bryce Kuesel added a dozen points.
The Plainsmen hit 19 of 55 from the field. They had 32 rebounds and just 10 turnovers.
At Mid-Prairie, the Plainsmen got off to a miserable start, scoring just two points in the first quarter and seven for the half. They added 14 in the third quarter.
Chris Janss finished his high school career with a 15-point night. He also had four rebounds and five steals. DeMeulenaere had eight points, four rebounds and a block. Kyle Janss had seven points, two assists and two rebounds. Long had two points, Northrop had two and two rebounds, Ehlen had two points, four rebounds, four assists and a block and Steward had three rebounds and two steals.
But the Plainsmen hit just 14 of 47 shots from the field, with 20 rebounds and 22 turnovers.
Coach Justin Northrop had a relatively young squad this year. He will lose only three seniors, but one of those seniors is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Chris Janss. The other two are Long and Steward.

Belle Plaine won one of two matches in Friday’s state wrestling quarterfinals. At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch dropped a 6-4 decision to Jordan Bremer of Woodbury Central Moville. But at 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien took an 8-0 major decision over Dillon Lorentzen of Logan-Magnolia.
Buch then stopped Zach Imler of Coon Rapids-Bayard, 10-4 in the second round of consolation. He will next face Phillip Laux of Pekin.
O’Brien will face North Linn super-soph Logan Mulnix in the semifinals tonight. Mulnix has pinned his first two opponents at state this year, after placing seventh last year as a freshman.

Belle Plaine’s two state qualifiers advanced through first round wins Thursday morning at the state wrestling tourney in Des Moines.
At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch claimed an 8-2 win over previously unbeaten Lance Maquire, a Fort Dodge St. Edmond senior. Buch will next face Jordan Bremer, a sophomore from Woodbury Central Moville, who got an 11-0 major decision over Hunter Hutchison, Lisbon. Bremer was fourth at 103 last year and is 40-2 this season.
At 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien beat Lone Tree senior Dillon Buline, 9-2. Next up for the Plainsman senior will be Dillon Lorentzen, a Logan-Magnolia junior, who beat Guthrie Center’s Kris Lehman, 4-2.
Both wrestlers will next be in action Friday beginning at 9 a.m.

Belle Plaine’s girls’ basketball postseason journey came to a quick end Saturday night, as the Plainsmen were upset by BGM, 40-35 in the first round of regionals at the Plainsman gym. The Plainsmen finish the season with a 14-8 record, while BGM advanced with a 10-12 mark.
It was a close game throughout, but the Plainsmen faded in the fourth quarter, when they scored just six points. Belle Plaine had a 13-8 first quarter lead, but BGM took a 21-20 lead into the half. The host team regained a 29-28 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Dani Coover led the Plainsmen with 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. Macy DeMeulenaere had 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block. In her final game, senior Taylor Schafbuch had seven points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Laura Breja, another senior, had four points, seven rebounds and two steals. Julie Long finished with three points, five rebounds and three steals.
Nobody scored in double figures for BGM. The Plainsmen had a substantial 33-18 lead in rebounding. But they also had a 24-19 lead in turnovers and BGM had a 5-1 lead in blocked shots and hit four more free throws.

Two of Belle Plaine’s most experienced and successful wrestlers are getting ready for their final trip to the state tourney in Des Moines later this week. Both of them certainly know the way there, as each qualified for state for the third time.
At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch takes his 29-4 record into Thursday’s first round hoping to climb that last rung to a state title, after placing second last year. He reached 150 career wins in action last week.
Buch opens against Lance Maquire of Fort Dodge St. Edmond. Maguire, a senior, is 39-0 this season. Other wrestlers in the weight class include Jordan Bremer of Woodbury Centra Moville, a sophomore with a 39-2 record who placed fourth at state last year. Brance Simms, Twin River Valley Bode, is another sophomore who brings a 36-3 record into the meet. He was fifth at state last year. Pekin sophomore Phillip Laux is also undefeated this season at 36-0.
At 125 pounds, Plainsman senior Jack O’Brien is back aiming to climb the ladder. He was sixth at state as a sophomore and fifth last season. He takes a 39-3 record into this week’s meet. His first opponent is Dillon Buline, a senior from Lone Tree with a 41-8 record.
This weight class is loaded with state veterans. Don Bosco junior Brandon Welter was second at 112 pounds last year and ha sa 38-3 record this season. Jake Kadel, a junior from New London/WMU, was third at 112 last year and is 46-0 this year. Sophomore Logan Mulnix of North Linn was seventh at 125 pounds last year and has a 35-2 mark this year. Guthrie Center junior Kris Lehman is 44-5 and was eighth at 112 pounds in 2009.
“They are both very focused on bringing home the gold,” Coach Bob Yilek said. “We are excited as we feel these two have the talent and experience to do well in Des Moines. They just need to focus on one match at a time and just wrestle the way they have the past four years.”
The Plainsmen qualified nine wrestlers for last week’s district at Eddyville. But one of the qualifiers, Kurtis Osipchack, was sidelined with a viral infection.
“This is an exciting but very demanding day,” Yilek said. “You must go out and give it all you have and possibly a little more. We did not feel we wrestled up to our full potential but did manage a 4th place finish and two state qualifiers and had three wrestlers place 3rd. You are always expecting more but you take what you get. Lance Hinschberger, Cody Chekal and Reed Petersen all finished 3rd and will be back next season. Austin Chekal, Scott Wheeler and Jeremy Ellis all finished 4th.”
Earlier in the week, the Plainsmen qualified for the regional duals for the 19th time, but fell in the opening round to New London, 47-28.
“We wrestled hard but were beat by a better team,” the coach said. “Our schedule showed its toughness as there are eight schools who qualify for the state duals and we competed against five of them this season. We ended up 11-11 in duals this year.”
The coach expressed his appreciation to all of the Plainsman fans who supported the team at the district meet Saturday.
So the attention turns to the Wells Fargo Arena later this week, for one of the state’s biggest attractions of the year. Class 1A wrestlers open their action on Thursday at 9 a.m. with first round and first round consolation matches. Those who advance will wrestle again starting at 9 a.m. and the finals are set for Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.