Royals Take Aim At History

With 4 games remaining in the regular season, the Colo-Nesco boys' basketball team has a shot at school history. The most wins by a boys team during the regular season is 18 (1989, 1990). With a record of 16-2, the boys need to win three of their final four games to eclipse that mark.

After a 44-39 victory over North Polk Friday night, the Royals have just one home game remaining. The win wrapped up the Heart of Iowa Conference Small Division title for Colo-Nesco, who now prepares for one of the toughest match ups of the season as they go on the road to face Jefferson-Scranton (11-3). J-S is led by 6'7" senior center Nolan Muench who averages 12.8 points per game. The Rams beat Roland-Story twice this season by a combined total of 13 points, and their three losses are to Carroll (#1 team in 3A), Carroll-Kuemper and Bondurant-Farrar.

The Royals final three games of the season are at home against Gilbert, and on the road against Meskwaki and Nevada. At 16-2, the Royals are just on the verge of the class 1A top ten. Their 16 wins is tied for second in the state of Iowa (all schools). So, pollsters, how come no love for the Royals?

Think You’ve Seen The Last of Brett Favre? Think Again.

So Brett Favre says his return next season is “highly unlikely.” Yeah right. If you think for one second that Favre is going to let the lasting image of his legacy be an interception that may have cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl, think again. No matter how much you dislike the constant waffling back and forth about retirement, no matter how much you want him to go away, it’s not happening. Consider the following: Favre threw for 4200 yards this season--the third highest total of his career. He threw 33 touchdowns--his highest total since 1997. The 7 interceptions he threw were the lowest total of his career. He had the second highest number of completions of his career with 363, and his highest completion percentage of his entire career (68.4%). All at age 40.

Do Vikings fans want him back? I guess the logical answer to that question would be “Is there anyone better?” Sports teams all have windows of opportunity that only stay open for so long. It seems like the Vikings window of opportunity is right now and Vikings fans understand that. An unscientific survey on the St. Paul Pioneer Press website shows a majority of Vikings fans DO want Favre to return. He clearly has the respect and confidence of his teammates, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else leading the team better next year than #4 did this year; although there are already rumors the team will pursue Eagles QB Donovan McNabb as his replacement.

Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian was questioned about Favre's status. He replied, “It’s still early. Way too early. Brett is liable to change his mind five, 10 times down the road.” Favre owes it to this franchise to make a decision early and stick to it. But this is Brett Favre we’re talking about, and no matter how many times he says he’s retiring in the next few months, don’t believe him. He’s coming back.

A Special Night In Colo

Trying to come up with the words to describe last night's game in Colo is not coming easily to me today. Maybe it's writer's block. Maybe it's the fact that I'm exhausted from yesterday, preparing for my son's 8th birthday party today, trying to get ready for a big presentation tomorrow at work, and trying to get ready for a 4-day work trip to Florida--which means I'm going to miss the next 2 Royals games.

So, here's just a few random thoughts:

1. The Royal boys played awesome last night, improving to 14-2 with a convincing win over Roland-Story.

2. I haven't talked much about the Royal girls this year, but I want to encourage them too. I think they have improved greatly over the course of the season, they're young, and they're well-coached. The wins will come.

3. About the events of the evening, I will say this to everyone: I think it was one of the most special nights that gym has ever seen. Dwight and Kristi Eley, Randy Stoeffler, Jon Cutler, the booster board, everyone behind the scenes, the current team, the administration, and the Royal Reign teams were the ones who made it special. Like I told some of the 1990 players--they were the ones that wrote the story, I was just the one that was crazy enough to make it into a book. And it wouldn't have been near as fun without that great win by the boys. It set the tone.

4. Dan Wright of the Ames Tribune wrote a good piece about the events last night. I can't get the link to work, but you can view it at the Ames Tribune.com website.

Royals Defense Snows GVPB; Prepares For White Out

Just 24 hours before the “White Out,” the Colo-Nesco defense once again held an opponent under 45 points. The Royals improved to 13-2 with a 55-39 victory on Friday evening over Grand View Park Baptist.

Now the Royals can turn their focus to Saturday night’s rematch with Roland-Story; a game the school has designated as a “White Out” when all fans are to wear white. The White Out has been made famous by the Penn State football program. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Penn State first tried the White Out during the 2004 season, when Purdue came to town with Heisman Trophy candidate Kyle Orton at quarterback. Orton struggled, and Purdue was held a couple of hundred yards below its average in total offense…the White Out reached it zenith when Penn State knocked off Ohio State (2005) at home, 17-10, before a frenzied, white-wearing crowd. The stadium was rocking – literally.” (Sam Ross Jr., October 13, 2006)

Now, the Royals hope their own stadium will be rocking—literally, on a night when the school will induct it’s first-ever Hall of Fame class with the 1990 boys state champion team.

Scoring vs. GVPB: Eley (25); Warren (13); Neuendorf (8); Larsen (5); Guy (4)

Lucca(fer) Staiger

Lucifer n: the devil; Satan

There’s a famous phrase in a movie that Iowa is known for which says, “Is this heaven?” Kevin Costner replies, “No. It’s Iowa.” ISU Coach Greg McDermott might beg to differ right about now. And Lucca Staiger is the latest demon to haunt his teetering program.

Lucca Staiger—the 6’5” shooting guard from Germany—decided on Tuesday that he was quitting the team, putting the already thin Cyclones (just 7 scholarship players active now) in a precarious situation. I thought all day about this, and here’s what I’ve concluded.

1. We may actually be a better team (this season anyway) without him—While Lucca had one of the prettiest three-point strokes I’ve ever seen, that’s ALL he had. He couldn’t guard, couldn’t drive to the basket, couldn’t even MOVE to the basket. I pulled more than one hair out this season watching him camp out on the wing. Scott Christopherson is a much more well-rounded player, and I think the offense (and the defense) could actually improve without Staiger.

2. Other than point #1, there’s really nothing else positive to say about this mess. Lucca knew what this team was up against, and making a decision to quit in the middle of it all is just about the biggest pansy move I’ve ever seen. Staiger says it’s about the money, and that his chances to play pro ball may not be there in 7 weeks when the season is over. He may be right about the last part, because the way he’s been playing, he may have worn out all his supposed value by the end of the year. YOU CAN’T QUIT YOUR TEAM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON!

3. How much at fault is McDermott? This is the question I’ve been troubled with all day. We may never know the answer. What we do know is, ultimately, Coach McDermott is responsible for recruiting, coaching, and winning. One of the biggest parts of recruiting, is not only to get good players, but players that will have good chemistry with each other and fit into the overall style of the program. That’s where I have a problem with Coach McD. He’s recruited good players, but not ones that are a good fit for his system or mesh into a cohesive unit. The other problem I see is there seems to be some kind of a disconnect between coach and players. There’s an undeniable pattern with Wesley Johnson, Chris Colvin, Brackins to some extent, and now Staiger.

And point #3 is where I finish. The question is, where does Iowa State finish? What does Jamie Pollard do? I had this discussion with a friend today that said he believes McDermott is “in over his head.” I hate to say it, but he may be right.

Iowa State basketball doesn't feel very heavenly at the moment. In fact, it's getting rather hot here in Cyclone country.

Royals Kick Off Special Week With a Win

The 2009-2010 edition of Colo-Nesco boys’ basketball is walking on hallowed ground. With a win over South Hamilton Tuesday night, the Royals improved to 12-2, the school's best record since (ready for this?)-- The 1990 State Champion squad. How fitting is it, then, that the 1990 State Champion team will be honored at this coming Saturday’s game against Roland-Story? That’s right, it’s been a full 20 years since the glory run of Brian Wildeboer, Brad Miller & Co. It’s set to be a special night in Colo as the current Royals look for revenge against the Norsemen who handed CN it’s second loss of the season in a tough-fought battle in Story City last week. The ceremonies will also honor the 1989-1992 Colo-Nesco girls’ squads who went a combined 103-9 and advanced to four straight state tournaments.

The Royal boys got their 12th win last night at South Hamilton, 52-36, behind another solid defensive effort; a defensive effort the 1990 team would have been proud of. 1990 State Champion Coach Doyle Miller’s motto was: “Defense Wins Championships.” This year’s team has held 10 opponents under 45 points, a feat the championship team was only able to accomplish 8 times. The big difference between the 1990 team and this one though is offensive firepower. The 1990 team scored 80 points or more 13 times. This years Royals have accomplished that feat just once. Getting it done on offense for the Royals against South Hamilton were: Eley (19); Guy (8); Larsen (7); Jamison (6); Warren (4); Neuendorf (4); Angell (2); Lawson (2).

As the school gets set to honor the team(s) that set the gold standard, the 2010 squad looks to establish a legacy of it’s own. Calling all Royals fans—Let’s get out Saturday night and support this team retro-style--the way the 1990 team was with a packed gym, and enough electricity to run the local power plant.

High School Tourney Preview

Believe it or not, the high school basketball tournaments are just about a month away. That means spring is just around the corner! What a fun time of year. Now that everyone has played at least half their schedule, we have a pretty good feel for who the contenders are in Districts 11 and 12. Here’s a breakdown of Colo-Nesco’s district and their opposing district to get to the state tournaments in March. All stats are through Friday, January 15, not including Friday night’s games.

Record; Off/Def PPG; Opponents W/L Record District 11
Ankeny Christian 9-0; 70/39; 31-51
Colo-Nesco 10-2; 57/44; 51-75
Iowa Christian Ac. 7-1; 67/47; 24-51
Madrid 6-2; 46/42; 33-45
Melcher-Dallas 6-3; 63/52; 34-55

District 12
Lamoni 8-1; 73/54; 35-37
Murray 7-2; 67/51; 25-56
Mt. Ayr 6-4; 61/56; 50-35
Orient-Macksburg 4-2; 54/45; 18-24

Colo-Nesco—Led by junior Brandon Eley, who averages 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals per game. Senior Travis Guy averages 11 points, and shoots 43 % from three-point distance. Michael Warren is one of the states leading shot-blockers with 47. The Royals best win is against West Marshall (8-2). West Marshall is now rated #8 in class 2A. The Royals won that game, 60-57. The Royals two losses are to PCM (8-3), and Roland-Story (6-4). Both losses were by double digits; both teams are 2A schools.

Ankeny Christian—Led by junior 5’11 point guard Tim Olejniczak (pronounced Olen-chak), who averages 23 points per game and is a deadly three-point shooter (nearly 50% on the season: 32-75). Have two seniors who also average double digits and have good size—6’5” Jay Snyder (14 ppg) and 6’4” Jason Cameron (12 ppg). Their best wins are against Elk Horn (6-1) and Iowa Christian Academy (7-1), and Orient-Macksburg (4-2). They beat Elk Horn Kimballton 59-49, Iowa Christian 59-52, and O-M 53-46.

Iowa Christian—Led by senior 6’4” small forward Keaton Schut, who averages 19 ppg. Also get double digit scoring from 6’1” junior Colton Barton (10 ppg), and 9 points per game from 6’5” center Andrew Klenk. Their best win is against Orient-Macksburg (4-2), who they defeated 67-53. Their one loss is to Ankeny Christian.

Madrid—Led by junior 6’6” center Mike Sievers, who averages 16 points per game. Also get 14 points per game from senior guard TJ Van Dyke. Madrid’s best win is against West Central (5-5). Their two losses are to Panorama (7-3) and Guthrie Center (8-2). They lost to Panorama 49-42, and to Guthrie Center 43-37.

Melcher-Dallas—Led by senior Clint Wetterling, who averages 19 points per game, and makes 55 % of his shot attempts. Also get 14 points per game from senior Matt Maxfield and 11 points per game from junior Robert Bingham. Jake Waddle averages 8 rebounds per game. Their best win is against Lamoni (8-1), who they defeated 84-69. Their three losses are to Iowa Christian (77-49), Moulton-Udell (81-73), and Chariton (69-51). Moulton-Udell is 5-3, and Chariton is 4-4 and is a 3A school.

Lamoni—Led by senior 6’7” center Sterling Sherman, who averages 16 points/ 14 rebounds/ 3 blocks per game. Have 3 other players who all average double figures: 5’11” senior Alex Carr (17 ppg); 5’11” Cordell Towers (11 ppg); 6’4” junior Tyler Seymour (10 ppg). Their best wins are against Murray (7-2), and Mount Ayr (6-4). They beat Murray 65-56, and Mount Ayr 67-64. Their one loss is to Melcher-Dallas.

Mount Ayr—Led by Malcolm Mercer who averages 15 points per game. 4 others average at least 7 points per game. Their best win is against Murray (7-2) who they defeated 79-60. Their four losses are to Bedford (10-0), Nodaway (7-2), Lamoni (8-1), and I-35 (5-2). Bedford is rated #3 in class 1A. They lost to Bedford by 19 points, Nodaway by one point, Lamoni by 4 points, and I-35 by 15.

Murray—Led by freshman sensation Austin Halls. Halls is a 6’ guard who is averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists per game. He is joined by fellow freshman Cody Scroggie, a 5’10” guard who is averaging 15 points per game. The duo has made 50 of 133 three pointers on the year also. Murray doesn’t have a win over a team with a winning record. They lost to Mount Ayr by 19 points, and Lamoni by 9.

Orient-Macksburg—Led by junior Michael Kaufman who averages 19 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Kyle Thompson chips in with 11 points per game. They also have not defeated a team with a winning record. Their two losses are to Ankeny Christian Academy and Elk Horn Kimballton.