Vote now: Who should be the SBLive Iowa high school team of the week? (Feb. 13-19)
By Barry Poe
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa High School Team of the Week for Feb. 13-19 as nominated by coaches, fans and readers. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Estherville-Lincoln Central girls basketball
The top-ranked and defending Class 3A state champions earned a return trip to the state tournament. The Midgets (24-0) will be making their ninth appearance and have won 38 straight games.
Solon girls basketball
Second-ranked Solon beat Mount Vernon for the third time this season, 58-44, in a Class 3A regional final. The Spartans (22-2) qualified for the state tournament for the eighth time, but first since 2006.
West Marshall girls basketball
The Trojans, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, beat No. 13 Clear Lake 45-38 in a regional final. This will be the 11th state tournament trip for West Marshall (23-1) and the first since 2019.
Benton Community girls basketball
The fourth-ranked Bobcats rode Jenna Twedt’s 33 points to a 53-44 Class 3A regional final victory over West Liberty. Benton (21-3) is back in the state tournament for the second straight season and fifth time overall.
Des Moines Christian girls basketball
The fifth-ranked Lions (21-3) earned their fifth state tournament berth with a 64-38 Class 3A regional final win over Harlan. It is, however, the first trip since 2020.
Sioux Center girls basketball
No. 7 Sioux Center denied Orange City Unity Christian a third straight state tournament berth with a 72-62 Class 3A regional final win. The Warriors (18-5) beat Unity for the second time this season and earned their sixth state bid, but first in five seasons.
Dubuque Wahlert girls basketball
Wahlert (18-6) will play in the state tournament for the ninth time after a 57-35 Class 3A regional final win over Osage. The Golden Eagles have played in two of the last three state tournaments.
Vinton-Shellsburg girls basketball
The No. 10 Vikettes had to go on the road to defeat sixth-ranked Grinnell 52-43 in a Class 3A regional final. Vinton-Shellsburg earned its first state tournament berth since 1999 and fifth overall.
Waverly-Shell Rock boys wrestling
The G-Hawks claimed their fifth state championship in the last five seasons, topping the Class 3A field with 169 points. Ryder Block won his third state individual title in his fourth state finals appearance.
Osage boys boys wrestling
The dominant Green Devils captured their second state team championship in the last four seasons and and fifth in school history, winning Class 2A with 175.5 points. Osage had already wrapped up the title on Friday with a day of competition still remaining.
Don Bosco boys wrestling
The mighty Dons won the Class 1A state championship, their fifth in a row. Don Bosco is the first school in state history to win five straight traditional state team titles two seprate times, previously winning five in a row from 2006-10.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball
It was an historic week for Class 4A top-ranked Kennedy. The only big school unbeaten team (20-0), the Cougars charted the first undefeated regular season for the first time in school history and finished perfect in the Mississippi Valley Conference for the first time.
Bondurant-Farrar boys basketball
The only unbeaten team in Class 3A, the Bluejays will take a 20-0 record into a first-round tournament game against Carlisle. Bondurant-Farrar is ranked No. 2 in the state behind Cedar Rapids Kennedy by BC Moore’s computer ratings.
Sioux Central boys basketball
Led by Jacob Hargens, the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, the Rebels will take a 22-0 record into a Class 2A district final against South Central Calhoun on Tuesday.
Lake Mills boys basketball
The Bulldogs carry a 22-0 record into a Class 2A district final against Osage Tuesday. Lake Mills, the TIC West champions, have won 20 of their 22 games by double digits.
North Linn boys basketball
The Lynx (22-0) have begun defense of their Class 1A state championship, cracking 100 points in their first postseason contest and scoring 97 in the second. North Linn has won 41 games in a row dating back to last season.
Grand View Christian boys basketball
The Thunder lost to North Linn in last season’s 1A state title game, but have won all 22 so far this season, heading into a Monday district final. Its loss to North Linn was the only blemish last season, so Grand View Christian has won 48 of its last 49 games.
