Menno senior Ashton Massey was named to the Cornbelt all-conference first team for her play on the volleyball court this past fall, while Freeman Public seniors Zenovia Butler and Ashlin Jacobsen were named to the all-conference second team. Freeman senior Cami Fransen was selected to the third team...

A season that began with an abundance of hope ended in a wash of disappointment for a Freeman High School volleyball team that had its sights set on a return trip to state. Instead, the Flyers didn’t even win their first game of the Region 4B Volleyball Tournament last week Tuesday, Oct. 31, falling...

Because of what they’ve shown to be capable of this season, there’s every reason to believe that Menno went into the Region 4B Volleyball Tournament last week fully believing they could knock off higher-seed Centerville, and early on, it looked like they were well on their way. Facing the No. 4-seed...

Just win a set. That’s all head coach Jen McConniel and the Freeman Academy/Marion volleyball team were aiming for when they stepped onto the court in Irene to face Irene-Wakonda in the opening match of the Region 4B Volleyball Tournament Monday night, Oct. 30. They came oh so close. The Bearcats ha...

A cold, windy and wet night in Platte hindered Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy’s ability to spread out its offensive attack while favoring Platte-Geddes’s relentless ground game as the two teams battled in a rugged Class 9AA quarterfinal game Thursday night, Oct. 26. The result was a 34-6 win and tri...

In the fall of 2018, Ashton Massey embarked on a cross-country journey that started strong but was marked largely by frustration along the way. Her reward came on Saturday. Competing in the final 5,000-meter race of her high school days, the Menno senior finally earned a medal thanks to a 19th place...

Freeman Academy/Marion cross-country coach Suzanne Koerner surmised several weeks ago that the Bearcats would turn in the best one-two finish since the boys’ remarkable run of strong state meets began in 2012. She was right. Running at the 2023 State Cross-Country Meet at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux...

A severe concussion sustained in gym on Monday, Oct. 16 and a hospital stay in the days that followed prevented Brayden Mangel from competing in what would have been his second State Cross-Country Meet on Saturday, but the Freeman Public eighth grader was there to cheer on his classmate and teammate...

Two big plays One of the biggest plays of the game that could have made an enormous difference came at the end of the first quarter. With the play clock expired and Weber scrambling near midfield, he launched a pass downfield that was hauled in by Evan Scharberg for an apparent touchdown. But the pl...

In a game marked by momentum swings and high-stake plays, it was the Phoenix who turned in perhaps the biggest of them all. Facing a 4th-and-5 from the Stanley County 10-yard-line and trailing 28-24 with 6:10 to play, sophomore quarterback Karter Weber found senior tight end Evan Scharberg over the ...