At the beginning of last week, the West Fork softball team had a rough patch, winning just one of their last three games. Even though the skid continued, the Warhawks were able to return to the win column and gain back some lost ground.
At the midway point of the 2021 summer campaign closes in, the West Fork baseball team is making some serious strides amidst an ultra competitive Top of Iowa Conference-East. Should their cards play just right, the Warhawks could potentially capture double-digit victories and challenge for the second place slot within a division spearheaded by powerhouse Newman Catholic and a sturdy St. Ansgar squad.
Within the game of baseball, that task is easier said than done.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL baseball returns a majority of their team this season, graduating two seniors last year.
The Bulldogs will have the luxury of experienced players to build upon this season.
“It has been nice having experience on this team even if that experience was only in a shortened season,” coach Matt Lokenvitz said. “After working together last year and now the start of this year, we are growing as a team and learning now how to play with our teammates.”
Lokenvitz said the team has entered this season with better understanding between each other.
The second week of the 2021 campaign was not a kind one for the West Fork softball team. On the slate, the Warhawks faced off against two ranked clubs in ninth ranked (Class 1A) Newman Catholic and top-ranked (Class 2A) Central Springs.
It could have went either way for the West Fork Esports team, but it was the small things that kept the Warhawks from coming home with a Iowa High School Esports Association championship in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Team Competition.
Despite pushing top-ranked Linn-Mar to their limits, the Warhawks came up short due to a tiebreaker based on first place finished at the IAHSEA State Championship, held on June 1.
Both teams tied for points, the championship bout had to be resolved via first place finishes. Scoring-wise, the Warhawks fell to the Lions in a close 110-106 battle.
In any sport, including baseball, it’s hard to shake off a losing skid. To alleviate this, players and coach engage in small superstitions or rituals to convert the bad juju back into good fortunes.
Whatever happened within the West Fork baseball team, it surely worked, as the Warhawks snapped a three-game skid and countered with a two-game winning streak during their second week of play.
The West Fork girls’ golf team, guided by WF girls’ golf coach Mary Schulz, gathers up for a group photo before competing at the Class 1A Regional Tournament, held this past Monday at the Rice Lake Golf & Country Club in Lake Mills. Pictured from left to right are Emma McKee, Allison Pitzenberger, Hailey McCoy-Munger, Kalli Trewin and Rose Rother.
At this point of the track and field season, there’s only one big event left to go. The one final track meet is the big one, in the 2021 Iowa High School State Co-Ed Track & Field Championships.
The West Fork track & field teams excelled at the Class 1A-District 8 State Qualifying Meet, held on May 13 at Northwood-Kensett High School Track in Northwood, pushing eight events through to Des Moines.
