Roadrunners Face-Off Against Central Decatur

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Freshman, Jaylan White, fights for the ball.

 

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Goering and White protect against the Cardinals

 

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

The Lady Roadrunners struggled against a tough Cardinal defense

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Senior, Jordan Williamson, looks for help from her team



Intensity Takes on State

The Intensity dance team took home a division II rating in their hip-hop routine and were .875 points away from the Division I

The Hoopla Routine was able to take a division I rating and fifth place in the state. They recieved a trophy for their efforts. They also were able to take home a distinguished academic achievement award with a combined GPA of 3.61.

      

Home Crowd Helps Roadrunners Take First Win of the Season

Photos Courtesy of Tess Taylor

 

        With the help of the large home crowd the Roadrunner wrestlers got off to a good start on the season dropping the first dual of the night to the top five ranked Creston/O-M Panthers, but ending the night with a 44-31 win over the county rival Winterset Huskies.  Both teams will face the Roadrunners later in the year at sectionals and districts as this year Interstate 35 bounces up to the 2A ranks.   

 

        Taking their high school start in stride, freshmen Sal Arzani and Austin Pontier both notched two wins for the Roadrunners and join Angelo Madonia and Ethan Jones as the only Interstate wrestlers still undefeated on the season. 

 

         The Roadrunners faced some tough competition right out of the gate with the Panthers.  Creston took the fourth place dual trophy home last year and only lost a few starters while they return three time state champion Jake Marlin back for his final campaign .  He is joined by three other ranked Creston wrestlers who helped defeat Interstate 57-15 on the first dual.  Wins for Interstate came from Pontier, Arzani, and Jones.

 

         The second dual was a see-saw battle until 145 where Angelo Madonia recorded a pin that was followed by pins by Arzani, Tommy Bregar, Jones, and Tyler Lester.  This was enough to seal the dual win that was capped off by another pin by junior Bobby Heilman.

         Interstate's next action will come Saturday at the Dallas Center- Grimes Tournament. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pontier looks for an escape on his second match of the night.

Arzani records the first win of his career and the second win of the night for the Roadrunners

 Tommy Bregar takes on the fourth ranked wrestler in the state and wrestles to a 7-2 decision.  The match was 2-1 going into the third period.

 

 

 

Ethan Jones pins his first opponent with two seconds left in the match to put Interstate's score at 15 points against Creston.

Heading North Against the Polar Bears

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Seniors, Nicole Travis and Jordan Williamson, lead the girls' team to their first victory of the season.

 

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

The Interstate boys had a rough tip-off to the season.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Senior, Colton Clarke, going for the dunk.



Earlham Downs the Roadrunner Girls Basketball Team
Photos Courtesy of Tess Taylor

 

Elementary Thanksgiving Feast

 

 



 

Girls Basketball starts out the season.

Photos courtesy of Tess Taylor

 

 

Megan Woods takes the court supported by her teammates

Jordan Williamson takes a shot against a tough Husky defense.











Woods saves the ball to continue running the Roadrunner offense.

Senior, Nicole Travis looks to move the ball in transition.

 

Junior High Volleyball

The Interstate Middle School Volleyball Team finished up the season with a flurry. Both 7th and 8th grade teams finished up with a toad trip to Central Decatur.
The number of players this year (41 total) made it a demand to split both grades up into two tea ms. Each grade was represented with a Red and Blue team. After splitting the schedule evenly there were less games for each player, but their playing time was increased.
Home games included playing against Winterset, Mt. Ayr, D.M. Christian and S.E. Warren.
Away games included playing against Gradview Park, Winterset, Martensdale, Nodaway Valley and Central Decatur.
The last memory is always the strongest and theirs have been boosted by a 3 vs. 2 advantage for the Seventh Grade. The girls worked hard and finished strong and their record shows it.

Jr. High Football Update

7th Grade
Central Decatur       Win
Pleasantville             Win
Earlham                   Tie
Martensdale             Win
Mount Ayr               Loss

8th Grade
Central Decatur       Tie
Pleasantville             Win
Earlham                   Win
Martensdale             Win
Mount Ayr               Win
             

Middle School Cross Country Update

Boys
Max  Bertrand, 10th Place          13:26.73
Nic Bertrand, 11th Place             13:37.91
Zach Goering, 12th Place            13:38.78
Nick Ellis, 13th Place                  13:40.76
Brennon McCuddin, 31st Place   15:10.51

Girls
Kirsten Schirm, 12th Place          15:08.03
Christina Winslow, 26th Place     17:11.47
Bailey Burton, 30th Place            18:42.77
Elizabeth Smith, 33rd Place         21:17.91
Megan Garrison, 34th Place        21:18.64

Boy's Cross Country Update

Nodaway Valley
Ryan Hart, 26th Place                19:46.77
Bryan Jackson, 42nd Place        20:47.36
Garrett McFarland, 60th Place   21:48.18
Jake McCuddin, 74th Place       22:47.26
Garrett Jones, 85th Place           23:56.76
Josh Hughes, 96th Place            25:28.84
112 Runners Total

Girl's Cross Country Update

Nodaway Valley
Holly McKinney, 9th Place    16:59.05
Megan Ellis, 49th Place         20:02.68
Shelby Spoerl, 77th Place      22:37.35
90 Runners Total

Volleyball Update

September 25, 2012

Vs. Pleasantville

Pleasantville - 1

Interstate 35 - 3

Kills - 32

Assists - 30

Blocks - 5

Aces - 20

Digs - 18

Key Players:

Jenna Sandquist: 20 out of 22 serves with 5 aces 

Rachael Wiggins: 19 out of 22 serves with 8 aces 

Football Update

September 28th, 2012
Vs. Collins-Maxwell/Baxter @ Truro
Collins-Maxwell/Baxter - 42
Interstate 35 - 22
Total Yards - 323
Passing Yards - 80
Rushing  Yards - 242
Key Performers -
Briar Vogel
141 Rush Yards
4 Catches, 45 Yards
13 Tackles
1 Fumble Recovery
2 Kick Off Returns for 67 Yards
1 Punt return for a Touch Down
Ethan Jones
16 Tackles (12 Solos)

Who Fartlek'd?

By Katie Jacobson

No Sibling Rivalry Here.  Only Peace and Running

With the crumbly gravel roads and dry days we've been having, you'd have to be insane to be running around outside, right? Wrong. You just have to be as dedicated as our cross country team.

With the heat causing early outs for our school and forcing many after extracurricular activities to be cancelled, cross country members are really feeling the need for lots and lots of water.

"It's really hard to stay hydrated," said runner Holly McKinney. Another consequence the team has been facing from the meet are having their races shortened. Instead of the girls running 2.5 miles and the boys running 3.1, the girls run only 2 miles and the boys run 2.5. "I would rather just run the whole thing since we're there already. It's just another .5 miles," added McKinney.

When Coach Spoerl was asked about his hopes for this season he said the goal was to get everyone to peak at Districts. "I've been very pleased with the performances and hard work they've put in despite the heat." So far everyone has only been improving with each meet, which probably comes from the major hill work and speed training the runners have been doing every day after school. "Overall we have a very hard working team," stated Spoerl.

This season has shown many obstacles for the cross country team and there is no guarantee that there won’t be more to come. So here’s to a good season for our runners!

Road to Success

By Jakela White

Interstate 35 volleyball team is on the road to success. The beginning of the season has been a work in progress. Interstate 35 will play some tough teams from bigger schools, but the volleyball squad is still developing and growing as a team.

This year only brought four new comers to the volleyball teams which were all freshman. It is said that these ladies show lots of potential and bring tons of energy to each practice and games.

The Interstate 35 volleyball team does certain drills in practice to better themselves like, butterfly drill which works on their passing, serve receive which works on their serving and passing  and back row attacks . The girls would like to have a winning season, and win their side of the conference which they are 2 and 1 as of September 12, and also to finish the season stronger then they started.

Kick, Punt, Tackle

By Charlie Rupp    

 “We’re just a band of brothers working hard and figuring things out,” are the words of right tackle, Bobby Heilman describing the football team this season. The team has had a rough start with a 0-3 record.

                “The team is having growing pains,” said head coach Randy Calvert.  “New varsity players are taking on vital roles. The team is improving as a unit, but we are still a work in progress. We are positioning for a strong finish this season.” Tommy Bregar is putting up good passing numbers and running yards as varsity quarterback, and Alex Middleton is developing into a good running back. The defensive side is led by Brady Gray and Briar Vogel.

                After losing a mainly senior offensive line, the boys have seen a big improvement. Calvert praises the pass blocking, but sees potential improvement of the run blocking. Leading the team in tackles are Vogel, Gray, and Lonnie Harper; Middleton and Bregar are leading in rushing.

                During the off season, many athletes on the team put in a lot of work in Speed & Agility. For those who participated, they have come out stronger and faster than last year.

                “This is a tough league, and we are the small school in the district,” said Calvert.  “We have to learn to compete at a higher level.”  Bondurant-Farrar is the team to beat in the district with a toss up for second or third place.

Online ATRIUM

By Katie Jacobson

This year the library has a great new update that will make browsing through the bookshelves possible to do from a home computer. Not only will students be able to check out books, but parents and teachers will be able to see what materials are available for them and their students.

This new system has been put together by head Librarian Mr. Dannon, and it allows you to search for a book by titles, authors, series, and even subjects. After you find your book, you can see a summery, a reading level, and if the book is available in the high school or middle school library.

To search books on this new ATRIUM system, you can simply go to http://i35k12ia.booksys.net, and type your desired book into the search bar.

“Investing” In Your Future

By Bailey Dixon

            As kids transition through high school and get closer and closer to graduation, they are closer and closer to becoming adults.  Along with this comes a heaping pile of stress about financial decisions and their futures.  How am I going to pay for college?  How am I going to buy my first car?  How should I invest my money?  Well, this year students have the opportunity to take a class that may help them through these decisions.

                Mrs. Zuercher, the business teacher in the High School, is offering a new class this semester: Investing.  The idea for this class came up last year during Mrs. Zuercher’s Microsoft Office classes.  The classes were smaller than they had been in the past, so she decided that she could combine those classes into one, and offer a new course each semester.

                The Investing class covers many topics centralized around planning for your future.  They cover investing in the stock market, the different kinds of investments, exactly how to invest, etc.  One project that Mrs. Zuercher has planned later on in the semester is to have the kids pick out different stocks and follow them and pretend to make their own investment decisions.

                “I’m really excited to teach this class, because instead of us just telling kids to save their money and invest, we’re actually going to show them how.  We’ve had a lot of interest in this class already, which is great because it’s going to help them get a much better understanding of the economy and how to be smart with your money than we were taught as kids,” said Mrs. Zuercher.

                “I like this class because I’m learning something that’s going to be really useful to my future, and I like looking at the stock market and actually being able to relate information at school to what’s going on in the real world,” said Jake Peters, a senior in the Investing class.

                With the economy in the condition that it’s in today, Mrs. Zuercher expects that this class will hopefully help to teach students how they can make better decisions when it comes to their financial situation.  This class is sure to be a success, and help kids know how to invest not only in the stocks, but in their future as well.

Blast from the Past

By Jakela White

The eighth graders of the 2007-2008 school year land surveyors started exploring and reached a successful spot. The land surveyor team consisted of a total of 12 people Jessica Deuel, Ellen Lupkes, DeLayne Hebert, Rachael Wiggins, Nicole Travis, Jakela White, Danielle Heilman, Morgan Lehman, Tiffany Brown, Alexis Nelson, Amber Robison, and Samantha Carter   all of which were intelligent young ladies that are all seniors this year.

The main study focused on the limited ability of current waste water treatment to fully remove chemical from the effluent leading to contamination of water supplies; green alternatives to household chemicals medicine use to lower waste water chemical concentration, and effects of chemicals contamination on the ecosystem. The land surveyors entered a contest called eCYBERMISSION and submitted all information like a write up of what we researched and things we demonstrated. The Land Surveyors won second place, and the winners received a 12,000 scholarship divided between all 12 girls and the land surveyors will receive the money after 2013 graduation. When asked how Mrs. Meggers felt about working with us she said, “It was a very energized and rewarding experience which allowed us to rise to the challenge so successfully, also the opportunity to develop deeper relationships led to the success”.

To this day land surveyors continue with a new group of people, but focus more on interacting with the natural world outside of the school setting.

What’s on Your Agenda?

By Bailey Dixon

Along with the new 2012-2013 school year has come a brand new organizational tool for the Secondary School at Interstate.  This new item is called an Agenda, which is like a personal planner, and every student received one at the beginning of the year.

The idea of the Agendas first came up in January of 2012.  It originated as an idea to give students a better way to organize themselves and keep all of their activities and assignments in one convenient place.  After talking with school board members, teachers, students, and Interstate graduates, the idea became solidified for the upcoming year.

The Agenda contains multiple items; it has spots to write down the assignment for each class every day, has the school handbook, lists daily sports activities at the bottom of the page, and even has a periodic table and nutritional chart in the back.  It is also serves as the student hall pass, allowing the students to leave class six times per week.

According to students and staff, the Agendas are thought to be very helpful and organizational. “They’re easy for the teachers to use as a consistent hall passing method, but it’s also a good way for the students to keep their homework and activities scheduled in one place, and it really helps to keep them on track,” said Mrs. Zuercher. 

                While being useful, the Agendas are also smaller than an average notebook and three hole punched, which makes it easy for kids to carry them snapped in the rings of their binder.  If an Agenda is lost, they can be replaced in the office for a small fee.  The Agendas are a great new way to keep students organized and on task, and they are sure to be a continuing feature at Interstate.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the School

 By Megan Ellis

            The heat makes all sorts of things function more difficultly; it turns out the students have learned their brain is included on this list.  The students didn’t need a thermometer the temperature high, the huddle of bodies fighting for the coveted seat in from of the stationary fan or the way everyone stuck to their desk seats was enough of an indicator.  On Tuesday, August 28, the student body was released from school two hours earlier than usual at 1:20 because the school had taken on many the characteristics of a brick oven.  The same early release was then set into place over the next two days, Wednesday the 29 and Thursday the 30, as the heat continued to oppress the students.  The huddle of bodies sitting in front of the stationary fans in every classroom is an easy indication the heat.

                Due to the heat the blood, sweat, and tears Roadrunners have put into the athletics has included a disproportionately higher amount of sweat (while the tear count has stayed down because all the students must conserve any hydration).  There isn’t a sporting event that has escaped the high temperatures.  Due to the Sahara-like conditions of the school, the volleyball game against Winterset that was scheduled to be played at home in Truro was instead moved over to Winterset.  The high temperatures had such an impact that they actually shorten the cross country race at Dallas Center-Grimes.  Instead of running two and a half miles the girls ran a stumped two miles while boys three miles were sliced to two and a half miles.

Besides athletic competitions, practices for sports have been reorganized.  Many of the after school practices have been rescheduled for later hours in the day or cancelled all together.  For middle school cross country and football, there have even been early morning practices to compensate for not being able to practice is the unforgiving sun.

We Have to Play Where?

By Travis Thornburgh

            Each school year brings changes.  From new students, to new teachers, to the classes we take, things have changed here at Interstate 35.  An additional change that high school students have to cope with this year is the realignment of the football districts in the State of Iowa. 

                This season, the schedule includes past opponents such as Clarke, Bondurant-Farrar, and Prairie City-Monroe, but also features some never before seen opponents.  The Roadrunners now have to prepare for roadtrips to North Polk in Alleman and Davis County in Bloomfield.  Interstate will also prepare for home contests against Collins-Maxwell-Baxter and Albia.

                Although it would seem that a change of scene would be a welcome sight for the football team, the reaction has been much different.  When asked his reactions, Coach Randy Calvert said that it is good to branch out opponents, but there are many downfalls.  For one, the travel has become much more demanding for the Roadrunners this fall, considering they have already logged a 2 ½ hour trek to Bloomfield.  Calvert further cited issues by saying, “When we went to district football, we lost many of the natural rivalries that we used to play.”

                Players are reacting in much the same way.  Tommy Bregar, starting quarterback for the Roadrunners stated, when asked about his feelings on the football district, that, “I just hate how spread out the district is and how much bigger the schools are than us.”  Ethan Jones, a starting lineman this fall, went on to second Bregar’s thoughts.

New Gym Floor

By Jessica Deuel 

 “It is gorgeous.” commented Brittany Mease when asked how she felt about the new gym floor. Rather than having a coffee stain colored floor, we now own a beautiful lightened floor. The floor was refinished and redesigned by Stalker Flooring, so now it looks better than ever. There is also a new roadrunner logo in the center of the gym as well as “Interstate Roadrunners” on either side of the floor. The atmosphere is noticeably different when you walk into the gym whether it’s for P.E. or a sporting event.

“Everything is just more upbeat and you can’t help but stare at it for a few seconds,” said Nicole Travis. 

Everyone who has seen the new gym floors are very pleased with the job. Even before they saw it, pictures flooded social networking sites. It is clear that the Interstate 35 community greatly appreciates this new edition.

A note from the administration: In order to protect out $25,000 investment in the redesigned and refinished gym floor, there will be no food allowed in the high school gym beginning immediately. Drinks will be allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Interstate Coaches Both Reach Milestones

Baseball coach Jeff Douglas and softball coach Tim Bogs both reached incredible milestones this season.  Both notched their 500th career win.  Coach Douglas collected his 500th win against his alma mater Wayne Community Schools. 

Coach Bogs' 500th win came at home against the Central Decatur Cardinals. 

Photo Courtesy of Mary Bogs

Records Keep Falling

By Ellen Lupkes
The starter’s gun has gone off and the Roadrunner’s season has started with a bang. Setting multiple meet records, school records, and personal records Interstate 35 girls track and field has set the bar high.

The sprint medley relay, consisting of Jenna Sandquist, Staci Morris, Natalie Johnson, and Maddie Beeler is ranked number one in class 2A and will be competing at the Drake Relays. Other relays off to a good start are shuttle hurdle, 4x200, distance medley, and 4x400. All are ranked in the top two in district assignments. Individuals in the top two qualifying spots include Ellen Lupkes (100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdle), Jenna Sanquist (100 meter hurdles), Maddie Beeler (200 meter and 400 meter), and Natalie Johnson (long jump).

Girls Golf

This year the girls’ golf team will be the only golf team fielded at Interstate 35. Not enough boys went out this year to make a full team. The girls so far have had six golf meets. Progress is being made and the girls are improving. Mr. Condon has an assistant coach in former Roadrunner golfer, Logan Tibbits. Logan graduated from I-35 last year and was on a very successful team in their last campaign. Logan has received several varsity letters in golf and hopes to help Mr. Condon improve the team. The girls that are out for golf include Alicia Lamas, Toriann Erickson, Tess Taylor, and Ashley Roth.
“We are shaving off points with each golf meet and getting closer to the other teams,” explained Ashley Roth. At the last golf meet Alicia Lamas scored 79, Toriann Erickson scored 60, Tess Taylor scored 86, and Ashley Roth scored 80.
“Logan Tibbits, the assistant coach, and having Mr. Condon as coaches really helps out in our improvements each meet,” described Roth. “It is not fun to golf in the cold weather.”
Keep up the progress and good Luck at your next meet girls.

Four Speakers Make All-State

In arguably the most difficult state contest in recent memory, the Interstate 35 speech team qualified four speakers to All-State held annually at the University of Northern Iowa. Judging for the competition was tougher than in the recent past. This was apparent by the lack of numbers making All-State this year. While there are usually a few different speakers in many categories, the numbers from the contest have been cut in half making it extra difficult to make the cut this year.
Speakers performing on Monday March 26 are Justin Pontier, Mariah Lewis, Andrew Morris, and Alex Bertrand.
Alex Bertrand put on possibly the best speech performance of his life to make the festival in reviewing. Andrew Morris, who is only in his second year of speech, made All-State in public address speaking. Justin Pontier had a tough day, but still got the nod for his senior campaign making it his fourth straight year. This year Justin will go in storytelling. Mariah will be performing for her third year at All-State with her after dinner speaking.

The Speech Team Strikes Again

By Alyssa Bissell

Last weekend the speech team traveled west the hometown of Coach Mehrhoff, Anita, for the annual Walnut Hill speech tournament. Although this tournament is known to be tough, the Interstate 35 squad came out at 2nd place with a whopping eighty six points, just under Ankeny. Last year, the team placed fourth, so this year’s outcome was truly an achievement, especially while competing against bigger schools.

The people who placed this year include:
Acting: first place Mariah Lewis, second place Justin Pontier
After Dinner: 2nd place Kaley Chicoine, 3rd Place Mariah Lewis
Freshman Poetry: 2nd place Brittany Mease
Original Oratory: 2nd place Kaley Chicoine
Public Address: 2nd place Andrew Morris, 3rd place Megan Ellis
Reviewing: 2nd place Alex Bertrand
Solo Musical Theatre: 3rd place Andrew Morris
Storytelling: 1st place Justin Pontier

With such outstanding results, the speech team has had a strong practice and idea of what is to come at State this weekend.

Speech Team takes Whole Team to State

By Alyssa Bissell

Watch out, State Speech! Interstate 35 has every member of their team preparing for total domination at the state contest, March 17 in Ames. This past weekend, the district speech tournament went extremely well for the speech members of Interstate 35. Out of twenty six speeches, twenty four of them were state speech material, and everyone on the team will get the privilege of going to state this year.



For the seniors Justin Pontier, Mariah Lewis, Alex Bertrand, Andrew Morris, Marie Bosworth, and Kaley Chicoine, this was their last time to be able to experience the state contest.

Justin Pontier is returning for his fourth year. He has also made it to the All-State Festival at UNI every year of his high school career. Fellow teammate Mariah Lewis is returning for her third year. These speakers have already enjoyed success going to the large group All-State festival along Kaley Chicoine and Megan Ellis.

It’s easy to see that we have some pretty talented veterans on the speech team, however, the underclassmen are also making a difference on the team. Juniors Travis Thornburgh, Kendall Hildebrand, Shelby Spoerl, Megan Ellis, Katie Jacobsen, and sophomores Brittany Mease, Sarah Yawn, and Claire Bertrand all made it through this year with a hopeful comeback for next year.

Impressively, the freshman members Bailee Huddleson, Riley Wearmouth, and Josh Hughes are going as well. Most speech teams are lucky to have a few members make it to state, let alone the entire team!

The speech team will test their speaking skills yet again this weekend at the Walnut Hill Speech contest. This is an invitational tournament pitting some of the best speakers in the state. This contest takes place in Coach Mehrhoff’s home school located in Anita, Iowa. The speakers are looking to improve on last years performances where they placed fourth out of 16 teams while only taking eight speakers. They are looking to take the whole team this year and taking on much larger schools like Ankeny and Council Bluffs Lewis Central.

Rich Gray Results and Conference Dual Championships

By Kyle Rupp

I-35 grapplers wrestled at the Rich Gray Classic on January 21. The team ended up fourth out of 16 teams. Head Coach Randy Calvert stated the Classic was “the biggest tournament in years” and was filled with stiff competition. “For a young team, we wrestled well.” said Coach Mehrhoff. He continued that the wrestlers’ performance was the “best individual wrestling at this meet so far.”
Junior Tommy Bregar brought home a title at 182, with a second place finish by Brad Yakle at 106.
Ethan Jones turned in a 3rd place at 170. Fourth place finishes were Lonnie Harper at heavy weight and Tyler Lester at 220. Todd Graham at 195 and Zach Hutton at 126 placed fifth.

The wrestlers also finished the dual season going undefeated against POI Conference foes.

Interstate takes the Coaches for Cancer Game

By Kyle Rupp

Interstate 35 boys’ basketball regular season is almost over. They have a current record of 9-8.

The team recently played Central Decatur on Saturday and Pleasantville last Tuesday.

During the "Coaches For Cancer" game against the Cardinals, the Roadrunners took control of the game from the start and never looked back blasting the home town team by thirty points.

Then on Tuesday the Interstate 35 boys’ basketball team had a heart breaking loss to Pleasantville with a 40 point loss. There are only three games left in the regular season. If they want to play more games they are going to have to step up their game. Good luck this post season boys and keep up working hard.

Sulentic reaches 1,000 Points

By Kyle Rupp

The Interstate 35 High School Girls varsity team had a tough set of games but ended their drought against Pleasantville, Tuesday, January 31st.

The Lady Roadrunners lost a squeaker against Murray. They were down by 1 point with a few seconds remaining when Senior Olivia Sulentic put up a jump shot at the buzzer which rolled around the rim but didn’t fall.

Next, the Roadrunners ran into a Corning Red Raider squad who are currently fourth in the conference. It was an up and down game which the Roadrunner stayed with the Red Raiders but in the end lost 39 to 43. During the game, Senior Olivia Sulentic became the first Interstate hoopster in the 5 on 5 era to score over 1000 points in her career.

On a rare Saturday night game, the ladies ventured to Leon for Coaches against Cancer game. The Roadrunners could not match the 12 three point shots that Central Decatur launched through the nets. After the tough road losses, the ladies returned to the comfort of Roadrunner Country to face Pleasantville. The team dominated in the second half to secure a 13-point victory.

Grapplers take the Conference Dual Title

There was little doubt after the 182 pound match against rival Martensdale-St. Marys that the Roadrunner wrestlers would secure an undefeated record in conference duals. After handing the visiting Cardinals from Central Decatur a loss earlier in the night, Interstate's dual season was completed by a 54-30 win over the top ten ranked Blue Devil squad.

Roadrunners Stomp SEW

The Southeast Warren Warhawks hit the road January 19, 2012 to wrestle the Roadrunners in inter-conference competition. Seven open matches in favor of Interstate, pins from juniors Ethan Jones and Mitch Vipond, a major decision from senior Zach Hutton, and a one point decision from Tanner Findley led the Roadrunners won step closer to a conference championship.

Two days later, the Roadrunners hosted the Rich Gray Classic. Junior Tommy Bregar was the Roadrunners only champion. Ethan Jones placed third, Tyler Lester and Lonnie Harper both placed fourth, and senior Todd Graham placed fifth. As a team the Roadrunners placed fourth at a tough tournament.



Interstate will travel to Guthrie Center Saturday for another tough tournament.

JV Roadrunners compete in Conference Tourney

The JV wrestlers traveled to Nodaway Valley for the annual JV conference tournament. This means more matches for the young Roadrunners as they look to improve their skill for the final push of the season.
Placing first on the night were freshman Wyatt Davenport and junior Ryan Hart. Ryan won all four matches on the night while only competing about a month and a half. Davenport cruised through the competition to take the top spot at his weight.

Other wrestlers turning in impressive performances were freshmen Logan Adair, Austin Wagner, Garrett Thompson, Shane Winslow and Chandler Clarke, along with Zach Beem.
Adair, Wagner, Beem, and Thompson all took the second place medal at their respective weights.

Roadrunner Speakers Send Five Groups to State

The Interstate 35 Speech Team had their strongest group showing in over four years. Six groups made the short trip last Saturday to Osceola for district group contest. Of the six participating groups, three improv groups, one ensemble group, and for the first time in Interstate speech history a short film also made the cut to head to Ankeny in two weeks for state competition.

The ensemble acting group consisting of Megan Ellis and Mariah Lewis performed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to the delight of fellow teammates and judges.

Improv groups consisted of Marie Bosworth, Dylan Webb, and Britanny Mease; Megan Ellis and Jayce Finnell; and Justin Pontier, Mariah Lewis, and Kaley Chicoine.

Interstate's first short film contestants included Ben Merrick, Andrew Morris, Kendall Hildebrand, Wyatt Oliver and Nick Peterson. The group put together an impressive special effects battle with light sabers entitled "Thunder Swords." The group not only shot their own film but also composed music, edited film, and embedded those special effeccts in the movie.

Also putting in a great effort on the day with their ensemble acting piece "Family 2.0" were Sarah Yawn and Alex Bertrand.

State competition will be in Ankeny in a little over one week.

Rich Gray 2012

Roadrunners Keep On Rolling

By Rachael Wiggins

There doesn’t seem to be a way to stop the Interstate 35 boys’ basketball team. The boys are on a four-game winning streak, prevailing over Southeast Warren, Lenox, Melcher-Dallas, and Martensdale-St. Mary’s.
In Liberty Center, Brody Brownlee dominated the scoreboard with fifteen points, with Kurt Adams close behind with eleven of his own. The Roadrunners closed the game with 46 points to the Warhawks’ 43.
When the boys took on Lenox, they led from the get-go. At halftime the score read 35-23 Roadrunners, and Interstate led all the way through the second half to close at 69-54. Brownlee again led in scoring with 27 points, and Adams contributed 18. The day before the Lenox varsity game, the Interstate JV team played Nodaway Valley, one of the toughest teams in the conference. After an intense four quarters, the game went in to overtime, with the Interstate boys ending up victorious. After the game, an excited Josh Klipping commented, “Hip-hip, hooray!”
The Roadrunners also dominated at Melcher-Dallas with a final score of 81-56, with Adams leading the score with 21 points, including five three-pointers. Brownlee scored fifteen.
The Martensdale-St. Mary’s game proved to be very exciting, with both teams scoring over seventy points. The Roadrunners once again came out on top, with a final score of 76-71. Brownlee put up a remarkable 38 points, and Adams scored 17.

Bashed by the Bluejays

By Ellen Lupkes

In the first week of wrestling in the new year, the Roadrunners had rough results. On Thursday, January 5, Interstate travelled to Winterset to face the Clarke Indians and the Bondurant Bluejays. After eight open matches and four second-period pins in favor of the Roadrunners, they were looking optimistic heading into the Bondurant match. This optimism was soon crushed by eleven losses. The only bright spot was brought by the heavier weights. Ethan Jones, 170, Tommy Bregar, 182, and Todd Graham, 195, were the only wrestlers to achieve victory against the Bluejays.

Two days later, again at Winterset, a lack of wrestlers ushered in results much the same as Thursday. Of the nine wrestlers present, only juniors Tyler Lester and Ethan Jones received medals, third and fourth respectively.