Sports

HAMPTON – First it was a local family building a rack and bench.

And it hasn’t stopped there.

Brody Walton, son of long-time Bulldog head boys’ basketball coach Heath Walton, built not one, but two devices with the extra time he’s had on his hands. Both with the same material.

First, there was a ‘toss back’ device for the basketball hoop in his driveway.

ACKLEY – Former Ackley-Geneva football coach Sid Sickles remembers 1970 and his ‘mythical’ state championship team like it was yesterday.

Hard to believe it will be coming up on the 50th anniversary in which his Raiders went 9-0 and was one of only two teams in Class AA (the smallest division then) to go unbeaten, claiming first via ranking from the Des Moines Register.

HAMPTON – Sarah Miller was recently announced as the new Bulldog volleyball coach for the 2020 fall season.

Miller, a 2003 H-D graduate, hopes to pass on what she learned during her time playing the sport.

“I have so many amazing memories from my volleyball experience as a Bulldog,” Miller said. “My coach, Katherine Harr (Hadley), at the time was very inspiring to me. She had passion for the game and instilled that passion in me. I hope to do the same with my players!”

Miller said she is looking forward to taking over the volleyball program.

HAMPTON – Everything that has happened the last month and a half most definitely wasn’t part of the plan for Josh Knipfel.

First, his girlfriend Savannah Sanders and her family lost their house to a tornado near Nashville, Tenn., on March 3 and he was unable to go out and help with the clean-up that he says took about a week while preparing for a Pro Day which eventually was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

To put it plainly, Knipfel said, “It’s been a crazy month and a half.”

Certainly, he isn’t the only college player to have his Pro Day canceled.