North Fayette Valley seniors Sabrina Dale and Carter Schlawin (l-r) competed at the State Special Olympics Bowling Tournament on Nov. 19. Schlawin bowled a 145 and a 139 to earn a gold medal, while Dale bowled a 74 and a 73 to earn a silver medal. (submitted photo)

State Special Olympics Bowling Tournament

NFV girls fall to Crestwood in season opener

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

Monday night, Nov. 21, marked the start of the North Fayette Valley girls’ basketball season as the TigerHawks hosted Crestwood in West Union.

The Cadets got out to the hot start, outscoring the TigerHawks in both the first and second quarters to hold a 29-23 lead at the half. In the second half, NFV cut the lead to 36-35 going into the final quarter, but Crestwood was able to hold on and get the 52-45 win and drop the TigerHawks to 0-1 on the season.

SW girls get pair of runners-up in wrestling debut

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

SW girls get pair of runners-up in wrestling debut

By Zakary Kriener

The South Winneshiek girls’ wrestling program got its first taste of action over the weekend as the Warrior girls competed at the Decorah Fall Tournament.

“We had six of nine competitors place in the top-8 on what was a great first time out this season,” said coach Ethan Adams, who’s team placed ninth with 79 points. “Our innaugral season is underway, we’re getting better, and now we have things we know we need to work on – that’s a huge success in our eyes.”

NFV girls open wrestling season Saturday in Decorah

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The TigerHawk girls’ wrestling season got underway Saturday as North Fayette Valley competed at the Decorah Fall Tournament, taking 11^th with 61 team points.

“It was an intense weekend with a huge crowd and fantastic wresting,” said coach Jon Kullen. “It was absolutely trial by fire for the girls and we wrestled hard and set the tone for the rest of the season.”

Kearney and Conway named Coaches of The Year

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

South Winneshiek cross country co-head coaches Kevin Kearney and Scott Conway were named 2022 Class 1A At-Large Girls’ Coaches of the Year by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches.

Both coaches have recently wrapped up their 29^th seasons as coaches with a Class 1A runner-up finish for the girls’ team. Kearney and Conway have coached the girls to three straight top-two finishes, including a title in 2021.

Throughout their time at South Winneshiek, the coaching duo has also led the Warrior boys to a pair of State championships in both 2006 (2A) and 2008 (1A).

North Fayette Valley senior Maeley Nefzger (third from left) swam in a pair of relay races for the Decorah swim team during Saturday’s State Meet in Marshalltown. Nefzger, along with Decorah’s (l-r) Julia Alberts, Katerina Kovarik, and Paige Werner took 14^th in the 200-yard freestyle relay and 20^th in the 400-yard freestyle relay. (submitted photo)

NFV's Nefzger competes at State Swimming

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Swimming and Diving Meet was held over the weekend in Marshalltown. North Fayette Valley senior Maeley Nefzger participated in a pair of events for Decorah, earning six team points for the Vikings.

Maeley Nefzger

Nefzger qualifies for State Swim Meet

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

North Fayette Valley senior Maeley Nefzger is headed to State Swimming as she was a part of two Decorah relay teams to advance out of Saturday’s Region 2 Meet at Dubuque Hempstead.

Nefzger swam the second leg of the 200 freestyle event along with Paige Werner, Katerina Kovarik, and Julia Alberts. The team qualified with the ninth-best time, finishing in 1:41.39.

Along with the same three swimmers, Nefzger swam as the third leg of the 400 freestlye event as the foursome qualified with the 19^th-best time.

Nefzger also tooks sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (6^th) and the 200 backstroke (6^th).

The State Swimming and Diving Meet will be held Friday and Saturday in Marshalltown.

The South Winneshiek girls’ cross country team brought home a Class 1A runner-up trophy from Friday’s State Cross Country Meet in Fort Dodge. The team scored 116 points to take the spot behind Earlham (101), giving the Warrior girls three straight top-two finishes at the State Meet. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Warrior girls bring home third straight State trophy

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

The South Winneshiek girls’ cross country dynasty continues to show its strength as Friday morning in Fort Dodge, the Warrior girls brough home their third consecutive top-two trophy after earning runner-up honors with a 116-point effort.

“This year’s 1A girls’ field was really deep. Going in, we knew that there were at least five teams capable of winning and probably eight or nine capable of placing in the top three,” said coach Kevin Kearney after the meet. “We knew that we could run as well or better than last year and not even finish in the top three this year.”

North Fayette Valley sophomore Braelyn Meyer runs in close quarters with a group of other Class 2A competitors in Friday afternoon’s State Cross Country Meet race. Meyer went on to finish 32nd with a personal best time of 20:32.91! (photo by Gidal Kaiser - Oelwein Daily Register)

Meyer & Bilden represent TigerHawks well at State XC

By Zakary Kriener

zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

A pair of North Fayette Valley runners, along with many teammates, family members, fans, and coaches, made the trek to Fort Dodge on Friday to run in the 2022 State Cross County Meet. The Class 2A race featured 140 individual runners as both TigerHawks placed within the top 100!

Leading the way was Braelyn Meyer who crossed the finish line in 32nd with a time of 20:32.91. That time is a career best for the sophomore standout, who will have two more years of competing in the NFV blue ahead of her.