Small Towns Win Big

Friday night the IKM-Manning basketball team won the Iowa girls' state basketball championship for 2A. I find this note worthy since this is the first year for this school in its whole grade sharing program between the four towns of Irwin, Kirkman, Manilla and Manning. I coached the girls high school softball team in Manilla in 1980. Two of the teams on our schedule that year were Irwin-Kirkman and Manning. This year all four towns combined into one school. This should serve as a sign and a word of encouragement to small schools to take steps to make their schools more competitive both academically and in the area of activities.

The girls basketball team was not the only team to find success this year. Both the volleyball team and football teams this fall made a run for state championships. After Friday night's win in the girls' state finals this new school's sports record stands at a combined record of 98-6 since it began this last fall. The only two losses IKM-Manning's 2A girls' basketball team had this year were to Ballard, the 3A state champion (a one point loss), and Sioux City North, the 4A state champion. Simply put this is very impressive.

Mr. Wiemers
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