Sports

Long-time Vinton-Shellsburg teacher and coach Don Lyle is a finalist for one of the National Coach of the Year Awards from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. Lyle was nominated in the category of "Assistant Coach, Boys Sports" along with several others. He is a long-time varsity football assistant coach, and has helped coach a variety of middle school and high school teams over the past 40 years.

  This Week's Results   Sunday, February 26th   Coed Division Fareway / Tharp Design 39--6 Hummel's / Iron Shed 36--9 Ron-Da-Voo 32--13 PHHF 29--16 Dominant Dingoes 23--22 Diggers 20--25 Team Truax 19--29 Coots Materials 3--42 Meet The Robinsons 0--45  

  When Monica Huelman Zaruba first joined the Vinton-Shellsburg High School girls basketball team as a freshman in the fall of 1992, coach Harold Shepherd knew right away that she would make history at her school and beyond. "I could tell from the start that she would have a lasting impact on basketball, not only at Vinton-Shellsburg, but throughout Iowa," said Shep on Thursday, the day before Monica joined the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union Hall of Fame.

The West Dubuque Bobcats held the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings to their lowest point total of the 2011-12 season, defeating V-S, 55-41, in their Sub-State contest Monday evening at the McLeod Center on the UNI campus. The Bobcats shot 50 percent from the field, and hit 17 of 21 free throw attempts. Their defense kept the Vikings off-balance much of the night; V-S shooters made just 15 of 40 shots, and only 4 of their 17 three-point attempts.

  Vinton-Shellsburg has seen its opponent for Monday's boys basketball Substate game already this seeson. That contest was the second game of the season, a 72-47 loss at Western Dubuque. The Bobcats are 21-2 on the season, losing only to Mount Vernon, 56-62, and Maquoketa, 52-50. For the Vikings, 19-4, the loss to the Bobcats was one of two double-digit defeats this year.

PELLA -- Phil Miller, a 2008 Vinton-Shellsburg graduate and a senior on the Central College men's track team, is enjoying a successful season for the Division III 11th-rated Dutchmen. Miller, a three year letter-winner at Central, placed second in the shot put with a distance of 49 feet, 3.5 inches; and fourth in the weight throw (51 feet, 7.

This Week's Results   Sunday, February 19th     Coed Division Fareway / Tharp Design 36--6 Hummel's / Iron Shed 33--9 Ron-Da-Voo 32--13 PHHF 27--15 Dominant Dingoes 23--19 Diggers 19--23 Team Truax 16--29 Coots Materials 3--39 Meet The Robinsons 0--42   Ron-Da-Voo 25--25--25 vs Meet The Robinson's 9--12--14 Diggers 15--18--21 vs Fareway / Tharp Design 25--25--25 Hummel's / Iron Shed 25--25--25 vs Dominant Dingoes 17--20--10 Coots Materials 12--24--19 vs Team Truax 25--26--25   Bye Week: PHHF   Monday, February 20th   Men's Division Ron-Da-Voo 40--5 Neve's PFC 23--22 Blockheads 17--28 Terry's Gutter Service 10--35     Ron-Da-Voo 27--25--25 vs Blockheads 23--21--21 Neve's P.

After they begin the 2012 season with a short road trip to nearby rival Benton Community, the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings will be making three long road trips. They will travel to Epworth (Western Dubuque), Manchester (West Delaware) and Decorah.  The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released the schedule for 2012 high school football games.

  Vinton-Shellsburg scored more than enough points in the first period to win its District 7 boys basketball opener against Independence. The Vikings led 19-4 at the end of one, and defeated the Mustangs, 65-16, Monday evening in Vinton. Max Griffith and Grant Sagan each had scored 13 points by halftime, equaling the Mustangs’ total team score.

Note about game tonight from VSHS office: The Vikings will host Independence tonight in first round District action at 7.  The IHSAA has raised ticket prices to $6.  No passes will be accepted.  Come out and support our Vikings! --- Wearing what was left of the net his players had just cut down, Vinton-Shellsburg boys basketball coach told his team, "We're not done yet.