Belle Plaine’s recently completed boys’ basketball season was a series of ups and downs that began with six losses in the first seven games, followed by a four-game winning streak and ended with the team winning three of its last five games.
Coach Justin Northrop’s squad played an aggressive, up-tempo style of game, which seemed to suit this relatively young team well. This year’s Plainsman squad was heavily dominated by juniors, with just three seniors and two sophomores on the 12-man roster.
The Plainsmen finished sixth in the SICL Conference this year, beating English Valleys, Tri-County, Iowa Valley and Sigourney twice and North Mahaska and HLV once each. They scored at least 70 points in three of their games, including a 78 point performance against Iowa Valley.
As a team, Belle Plaine shot 36.8 percent from the field, including 22.3 percent three-point attempts. They also hit 54 percent of their free throws. The team also had 677 rebounds, 282 assists, 245 steals and 41 blocks this year.
Junior Ben Ehlen led the team in scoring with 285 points, 13 points per game. He also had 50 rebounds, 93 assists, 46 steals and 10 blocks. Senior Chris Janss was a close second in scoring with 279 points, for a 12.7 point per game average. He led the team with 174 rebounds and also had 32 assists, 53 steals and nine blocked shots. Junior Keegan DeMeulenaere finished with 183 points, 126 rebounds, 58 assists, 30 steals and 10 blocks. Sophomore Cooper Northrop had 141 points, with 67 rebounds, 21 assists, 37 steals and five blocks.
Junior Kyle Janss had 106 points, 48 rebounds, 27 assists, 34 steals and two blocks. Senior Seivon Stewart scored 66 pints, with 124 rebounds, seven assists, 15 steals and four blocks. Junior Mitch Jacobi had 54 points, 31 rebounds, 20 assists and 10 steals. Senior John Long had 46 points, 31 rebounds, 15 assists and 12 steals. Junior Jalen Schmuecker appeared in 14 games and had 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Junior Zach Snyder had seven points, 19 rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block in 15 games. Sophomore Logan Baburek played in three games and had three points, an assist and a steal. Another sophomore, Brett Hampton, appeared in one quarter this season.
This season, Keota and Lynnville-Sully tied for the conference title with records of 19-1. Keota’s leading scorer was one of seven seniors on the squad, but the team’s leading rebounder was sophomore Casey Sieren, who 36 blocked shots to go with his 144 rebounds.
Lynnville-Sully had five seniors in its roster this season, but the leading scorer was sophomore Chase Cullen, who had 302 points. The leading rebounder was a junior, Logan Vos, who had 223.

Current community events and ideas for possible additions to the calendar, as well as on-going promotions for making Belle Plaine a destination were discussed today (Tuesday) at a noon meeting of downtown business people.
The Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation’s promotions committee sponsored the luncheon meeting at the Belle Plaine Museum. More than 40 local residents attended and heard Lon Weber, the out-going chair of the promotions committee discuss what activities have been on the calendar in the past and what might be added in the future.
He told the group that the next promotion will be the very popular Easter egg hunt. Businesses will be contacted to donate prizes for the event, which should draw customers into their businesses that weekend as well.
The “Trunk or Treat” promotion has been a popular event at Halloween time for the past couple of years. Weber said 300-350 kids roamed the downtown district during the event this past year. He said an attempt will be made to lure more rural residents who might not get many trick or treaters at their homes to bring their cars downtown for that event and hand out candy.
There was some discussion at the meeting on whether the Belle Plaine Christmas celebration should remain the first weekend of December or should be moved to another time. Although last year’s event drew many people to the downtown area, it also conflicted with several other events in the city, including the Belle Plaine wrestling tournament and other events.
Some at the meeting wondered if the celebration could be moved to the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with the events scheduled for the afternoon and then blending over to the community concert that night. The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year and there was some thought that if local businesses would be open the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving, perhaps some shoppers would stay in town to do some holiday shopping.
The promotions committee is trying to come up with a late summer-early fall promotion in the city. The Belle Plaine Community Development Corporation has decided not to sponsor the Civil War Days this year, do to the large expense and time involved in it. But the committee is attempting to come up with something else to take the place of it.
Weber also told the group that committee members were wondering if the development group should have a role in promoting the city’s July Fourth celebration, perhaps as a co-sponsor with the local civic groups that have been coordinating it for the past few years.
Aside from the community special events, there was considerable discussion on whether Belle Plaine could support a shop featuring antiques or artwork sold on consignment. The mural on the grain bin northeast of the city promotes Belle Plaine as a “historic city.” Although there will be some effort with the streetscape project and Main Street designation to promote that aspect of the city, some wondered if there could be more antique shops in the city.
Weber also said that arts and crafts are popular right now and perhaps downtown businesses could feature and sell local artwork in their stores on consignment.
Brandon Kienitz is the new chair of the promotions committee. Anyone with ideas or suggestions may contact him at BPCDCpromotions@gmail.com

Pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs will be on the menu Sunday, Feb. 28, when the Belle Plaine Lions Club hosts its annual breakfast at the Belle Plaine Community Center. Serving will be from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is a free-will donation, with proceeds going to the Belle Plaine Parks and Recreation Little League program and the Lions Club scholarship fund.

By Coach Bob Yilek
Belle Plaine wrestlers came home with two medals from the state wrestling tournament. Great job for Zakk and Jack to come home with medals, not the medals they were shooting for but this tournament is always full of surprises and this year was no exception.
It’s always some great wrestling and you need to be at your best to advance in the tournament. One bad match and you are sent to the consolations and then it is all about attitude and heart.
Our two guys have nothing to be ashamed of. They went to Des Moines and wrestled hard and even though they did not reach their individual goals, they can be proud of what they did accomplish. Sometimes, getting a medal at state is not the easiest thing to do. Even if you have done it in previous years. Zakk and Jack both won three matches and finished their careers with a victory in their last match. Zakk wrestled to a 7th place finish and Jack wrestled to a fifth place finish.
Zakk ends with two state medals and a 107 -21 career record. Jack finishes his career third on the all-time win list with a 155 – 36 career record and three state medals. Congratulations to both as they move on to the next level at Coe College.
Thanks again for all of the support at the state tournament. It is awesome to look up in the stands and see so many fans supporting our athletes.

It’s the final full week of February and at last we woke up to a pleasant surprise in the weather department! That snowstorm that had caused the National Weather Service to place Benton County under a winter storm warning a few days ago took a nose dive to the south and Monday arrived with sunny skies and clear roads in this area.
There are several activities on the community calendar for this week. Although the winter sports season has ended for Plainsman teams, there are also a few activities on the school calendar as well.
A representative of Congressman Leonard Boswell’s office will meet with local residents at City Hall on Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m. If you have any concerns or questions about what’s happening in Washington, Greg Johnson will attempt to answer the questions or handle the concerns.
The Belle Plaine Library Board meets Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Two meetings are scheduled for the community center on Wednesday. The Community Center Board meets at 5 p.m. and the Belle Plaine Partners for Beautification will meet there at 6 p.m.
Also on Wednesday, the Belle Plaine Board of Education will meet in a work session at 6:30 p.m. at Longfellow Elementary School. The board will discuss the academic eligibility policy and student attendance.
Although the meeting is open to the public, no formal action will be taken at this meeting.
On Friday, preschool story time will be held at the Belle Plaine Public Library beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The PTO Winter Carnival is slated for Friday at the high school gym from 6-8 p.m.
There’s plenty to do on Sunday. The Lions Club pancake breakfast will be held at the community center from 8 a.m. to noon. At 2 p.m., Richie Lee and the Fabulous Fifties Band will present their tribute to Buddy Holly at the American Legion from 2-4 p.m. Tickets are available at the Belle Plaine Community Development office this week, $5 in advance, $8 at the door.
As mentioned earlier, the winter sports season is over for Belle Plaine athletes. Congratulations to Zakk Buch and Jack O’Brien for their performances at the state wrestling meet last week. The boys’ and girls’ basketball squads also completed their seasons with some late season success. Although both teams will lose a few key members to graduation, a lot of talent remains for upcoming seasons.
The activity calendar indicates that the boys may begin spring track practice this week. With visions of runners plodding around the track in snowshoes or getting a workout wearing cross country skis, it’s undoubtedly a comfort to note that the first outdoor meet on the calendar is more than a month away.
Speech night is set for the public library on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, schools will dismiss at 12:30 p.m. for a teacher professional development day.

Belle Plaine’s two state tournament representatives ended their high school careers on an up note Saturday afternoon, as both won their final matches in the consolation round in Des Moines.
At 105 pounds, Zakk Buch beat Heath Nagel of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, an 8-0 major decision, to claim seventh place. Nagel, a freshman, finished with a 35-11 record.
At 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien claimed fifth place with a 4-2 win over Dillon Lorentzen of Logan Magnolia. Lorentzen, a junior, is 42-8.

It was a tough night for Belle Plaine wrestlers at the state meet Friday night. Both lost and will be competing Saturday in the consolation finals for places.
At 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien lost his semifinal match 9-4 to Logan Mulnix of North Linn. Then in the consolation round, he dropped an 8-5 decision to Joran Johnson of Interstate 35 Truro.
At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch lost a 4-1 match to Phillip Laux of Pekin in the third round of the consolation bracket.
On Saturday, O’Brien will face Dillon Lorentzen of Logan Magnolia for fifth place. Buch will meet Heath Nagel, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn for seventh place.
The consolation place matches in all three classes begin at noon Saturday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The Belle Plaine Rotary Club has given a big boost to Hannah McLennan’s drive for Haitian Relief. Club officers recently presented a check for $400 to the drive, which now is nearing $1,600.
Hannah, a fourth grade student, has been collecting donations, mainly through 11 canisters placed in local businesses. The donations will go to the American Red Cross in its continued effort to aid the people of Haiti in their recovery from the devastating earthquake earlier this year.
She said the canisters will remain in the local businesses through the end of the month.
In addition to the contribution to Hannah’s drive, the Rotary Club has donated $200 to the Rotary Foundation toward the purchase of a shelter box for Haitian residents. The funds came from donations from Rotary members.

In a whirlwind of action which saw them play three games in four days and two within a 24-hour time period, the Belle Plaine boys’ basketball squad closed out its season earlier this week. The Plainsmen held off Sigourney on Friday, 46-44, then dropped a 58-48 decision at home to HLV on Saturday afternoon in a make-up contest.
Monday night, the Plainsmen traveled to Wellman, where they dropped a 65-36 decision to Mid-Prairie in the first round of district action.
Belle Plaine finished with a record of 10-12.
Against Sigourney, the Plainsmen started off slow, scoring eight first quarter points. They added 11 in the second quarter and 12 in the third.
Chris Janss led the team with 14 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. Ben Ehlen had a dozen points, three rebounds and eight assists. Keegan DeMeulenaere had six points, four rebounds and two assists. Cooper Northrop had six points and four rebounds. Seivon Steward finished with four points, a dozen rebounds and two assists. Mitch Jacobi and Kyle Janss each had two points. John Long had two rebounds.
The Plainsmen hit on 17 of 60 shots from the field and 10 of 12 free throws. They also had 44 rebounds and 15 turnovers.
Saturday afternoon, HLV jumped to a 23-14 first quarter lead and maintained a 39-30 halftime advantage. The Warriors scored only four points in the third quarter as the Plainsmen cut their lead to 43-41.
But HLV Coach Zach Tremmel said this was a big win for his team. “We had this game circled ever since they came into our house and handed us a two-point loss. We wanted to come out and prove we were the better team,” he said.
Chris Janss led the Plainsmen with 20 points and 12 rebounds, along with three steals. Ehlen had nine points, five rebounds and six assists. Northrop had six points and two steals. Steward had four points and six rebounds, Kyle Janss had four points, Long had three points and Jacobi added two.
For HLV, Brenden Kuesel had 19 points, Brandon Leonard had 14 and Bryce Kuesel added a dozen points.
The Plainsmen hit 19 of 55 from the field. They had 32 rebounds and just 10 turnovers.
At Mid-Prairie, the Plainsmen got off to a miserable start, scoring just two points in the first quarter and seven for the half. They added 14 in the third quarter.
Chris Janss finished his high school career with a 15-point night. He also had four rebounds and five steals. DeMeulenaere had eight points, four rebounds and a block. Kyle Janss had seven points, two assists and two rebounds. Long had two points, Northrop had two and two rebounds, Ehlen had two points, four rebounds, four assists and a block and Steward had three rebounds and two steals.
But the Plainsmen hit just 14 of 47 shots from the field, with 20 rebounds and 22 turnovers.
Coach Justin Northrop had a relatively young squad this year. He will lose only three seniors, but one of those seniors is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Chris Janss. The other two are Long and Steward.

Belle Plaine won one of two matches in Friday’s state wrestling quarterfinals. At 103 pounds, Zakk Buch dropped a 6-4 decision to Jordan Bremer of Woodbury Central Moville. But at 125 pounds, Jack O’Brien took an 8-0 major decision over Dillon Lorentzen of Logan-Magnolia.
Buch then stopped Zach Imler of Coon Rapids-Bayard, 10-4 in the second round of consolation. He will next face Phillip Laux of Pekin.
O’Brien will face North Linn super-soph Logan Mulnix in the semifinals tonight. Mulnix has pinned his first two opponents at state this year, after placing seventh last year as a freshman.