Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 02, 2014, Pages 1 & 6

Homecoming Week in Mount Ayr Community schools is in full swing, and the action really revs up with tonight's (Thursday's) jersey auction and royalty coronation and Friday's parade and football game.

This year's theme is Hometown Heroes.

The fun begins with a series of dress-up days at the middle and high school.

Monday is Superhero Day, and Tuesday is Black Out Day.

Wednesday has been named "What Not to Wear Wednesday." Next comes "Throw Back Thursday," and Spirit Day comes on Friday.

The Mount Ayr elementary students also get into the spirit with a series of special days.

Monday has been dubbed "American Monday," where students are urged to wear something red, white and blue.

Tuesday is "Junior Farmer's Day," and students will dress like a farmer.

Wednesday is "School Heroes Day." Students are encouraged to dress like bus drivers, teachers, coaches, nurse, cooks, janitors, secretaries, principals, cheerleaders, football players, volleyball players, State Track champions or band and music leaders.

Thursday is "Our Fighting Heroes Day." The students council members will go to the classrooms to share information with them about their topic. Ribbons will be placed in teachers' mail boxes to designaate each topic:

Kindergarten - Blue Ribbons - Bully awareness

First grade - Teal Ribbons - Food Allergy Awareness

Second - Red Ribbons - Heart Disease Awareness

Third - Yellow Ribbons - Amber Alert Awareness

Fourth - Gray Ribbons - Asthma Awareness

Fifth - Purple Ribbons - Birth Defect Awareness

Sixth - Orange Ribbons - Mental Health Awareness

Friday is "School Spirit Day," and students and staff are asked to wear black, red or white.

Besides the jersey auction Thursday evening, two special auctions are being held during Homecoming this year.

All week the volleyball team is having a silent auction for special edition volleyball shirts. Bidding will continue through Thursday, with the winners being announced that evening. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the volleyball program.

The 2014 boys state track championship team has autographed a special edition state track jersey. This jersey has been mounted in a shadow box along a black baton, and according to Delwyn SHowalter, it is destined to become the hottest item of Raider sports memorabilia in history. This outstanding collectors item will be sold by silent auction,and fans can place their bids on this one-of-a-kind keepsake on Thursday or Friday during the homecoming festivities. The winner will be announced during the fourth quarter of the game on Friday night. All proceeds from this auction will benefit the boys track program.

A supper sponsored by the Friends of Football opens the Thursday night action from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. in the high school commons.

At 6:45 p.m. the high school gym will be packed with fans for the ever-popular jersey auction. Fans are urged to bid on their favorite players' jersey and help support the football team. The winning bidders will get to wear the jersey during the day on Friday.

The football team will also auction two 2014 jerseys - one black and one white. The winning bidders on these #14 jerseys will get to keep them.

Following the auction the 2014 Homecoming queen will be crowned by the 2013 queen, Brook Rychnovsky.

Queen candidates include (L-R) Hannah Glendenning, daughter of Todd and Angie Glendenning of Redding; Allie Shields, daughter of Josh Shields and Christi Shields of Mount Ayr Shelbie Greene, daughter of David and Jody Greene of Mount Ayr; Christiana Overholtzer, daughter of John and Mary K. Overholtzer of Tingley; and, Ashton Johnson, daughter of Jim Johnson of Mount Ayr and Marci Bjustrom of Benton.

Following the coronation will be the dodgeball tournament and the senior parents' skit.

To finish off the evening, the Homecoming king will be crowned by last year's king, Jacob Beamgard.

King candidates include (L-R) Joe Ricker, son of Brent and Martha Ricker of Mount Ayr; Jake Ricker, son of Brent and Martha Ricker of Mount Ayr; Tucker Winemiller, son of Craig and Susan Winemiller of Mount Ayr; Lincoln Martin, son of Lee and Heather Martin of Mount Ayr; [Page 6]; and, Riley Weehler, son of Neil and Jill Weehler of Maloy.

The high school cheerleaders will conduct their annual elementary pep rally Friday morning.

Beginning at 1:30 p.m. Friday, October 3, the annual Homecoming parade will follow its traditional route, beginning one block north of Shopko on Fillmore Street, south to the square and around the west, south and east sides of the square. The parade will continue north on Taylor Street and turn east on Jefferson. It will follow Jefferson by the north side of the elementary and on to the high school.

As a special attraction, members of the first induction class in Mount Ayr Community Hall of Fame will appear in the parade.

At the conclusion of the parade, the big school/community pep rally will be held at the football field. All Hall of Fame inductees will be announced at the pep rally.

Later that evening the Band Boosters will sponsor a cook-out at the football field beginning at 5;30 p.m.

All Hall of Fame inductees (or their representative) will be introduced before the game on Friday night. They will be on the track in front of the home grandstand,and an abridged version of their biography will be read a that time.

At 7 p.m. the Raiders will face long-time rival Bedford Bulldogs in an important district football match-up. During halftime the queen and her court will be recognized on the track in front of the home grandstand.

Following the game the Homecoming dance will be held at the high school.

Members of the inaugural class of Mount Ayr Community Schools Hall of Fame include (top row, L-R) Dawn Huff Elliott, Jack and Mildred Elliott, Vance Geiger and Larry Hunter; (bottom row, L-R) Joe McNeill, Dave Still and Peggy Whitson. The induction banquet and ceremony will be held Saturday night.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Class of 1965 to be recognized

[Page 1] An annual tradition of each year's Homecoming celebration is the recognition of the 50-year graduating class, and this year's honorees are the Class of 1965.

The 1964 football team, whose seniors graduated in 1965, is remembered as one of the more successful in Raider history.

The Raiders had a winning streak of 22 games dating from the fifth game in 1962 to a 14-0 loss to Creston in the final game of the 1964 season. In fact, the 1964 seniors ended up with a record of 33-3 over their four years in high school.

The dominance of the 1964 squad is revealed in the season scoreboard:

Mount Ayr 38		Leon 0
Mount Ayr 21		Greenfield 0
Mount Ayr 40		East Union 0
Mount Ayr 12		Bedford 6
Mount Ayr 34		Lenox 0
Mount Ayr 28		Villisca 7
Mount Ayr 49		Saydel 7
Mount Ayr 40		Clearfield 15
Mount Ayr 0		Creston 0

According to Barry Monaghan, the senior quarterback of the '64 squad, the Saydel game was heavily publicized by the Des Moines Register because of the Raiders' winning streak, the longest in the state at the time. Ironically, head coach Joe McNeil and assistant coach Doyle Thomas were unable to be on the sidelines at Saydel after they were injured in a car accident while traveling to watch former Raider Eugene Ricker play a college football game in Rolla, MO the previous week. Assistant coach Chet Roed directed the Raiders to the convincing 49-7 victory in front of Mount Ayr fans who had traveled to the game in eight pep buses.

The 1964 conference-champion Raiders were led by 12 talented seniors, including Monaghan, Andy Abarr, Stanley "Bird" Bryan, Dan Coulson, Ken Hunt, Jerry Knight, Gale Miller, Keith Sackett, Alvin Sickels, Bill Stull, Jon Thompson and Roger Trullinger.

Coulson and Monaghan were team captains, and they along with Gale Miller were named first-team all-conference.

The 1964 Homecoming queen was Janice Caldwell, and her court included Sharyn Giles, Kathy Prentis, Carol Shay and Mary Jane Smith.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 09, 2014

The 2014 Homecoming royalty at MACS was crowned last week. Pictured, back row (l-r): Shelbie Greene, Jake Ricker, Allie Shields, Tucker Winemiller, Ashton Johnston, Joe Ricker, Hannah Glendenning and Lincoln Martin. Front row, (l-r): Prince Sam Hudson, King Riley Weehler, Queen Christiana Overholtzer and Princess Lacey Weeda.

Princess Lacey Weeda is the daughter of Jeremy and Barb Weeda of Tingley. Prince Samuel Hudson is the son of Matt and Cassie Hudson of Mount Ayr.

  

Raiders steamroll Bedford

The crowd at the Homecoming game was excited and loud throughout the night.

The Mount Ayr Raiders hosted the Bedford Bulldogs Friday, October 3 and kept their four-game winning streak alive, beating the Bulldogs 38-14.

Mount Ayr 38, Bedford 14

The Raiders got off to a shaky start Friday night as they battled the Bulldogs on Homecoming night. The Raiders were without Lincoln Martin going into the game due to an illness that may see him sidelined for four weeks.

Despite the loss, the Raiders seemed in high spirits and were ready to play. Receiving the ball on the opening kick-off, the Raiders had trouble holding onto the ball resulting in a punt.

When the Bulldogs came out onto the field they attempted to run the ball but the Raiders stuffed them.

The first quarter was a defensive battle with both teams holding the offenses to short drives and punts.

"Offensive and defensive lines wore them down, we thought we could do that but it took a while," said coach Delwyn Showalter. "Once we got the upperhand on the line of scrimmage, we began to really push them and dominated the game up front."

Shortly into the second quarter Kyle Dolecheck came to the sideline and sought the attention of the medical staff who sent him for x-rays which revealed he had two breaks in his arm. The team stepped up after another unfortunate loss and moved the ball down the field with the Raiders putting up the first score of the game with an eight yard run by Riley Weehler. The PAT was kicked wide of the goal posts bringing the score 6-0.

"I thought we responded well to adversity," said coach Delwyn Showalter. "Injury, illness, bad plays and bad luck, we turned the page and moved on. We didn't dwell on the negative stuff."

The Raiders defense again proved to be too much for the Bulldog offense forcing a fumble and recovering the ball. The Raiders again moved the ball down the field splitting the plays between pass and run, scoring on a 13-yard pass from Jacob Taylor to Caleb Schnoor. The Raiders went for two to make up for the failed PAT on their first attempt, and were successful with a pass from Taylor to Nick Wurster with 2;37 left to go in the half.

"Jacob Taylor had an outstanding game on both sides of the ball. He struggled with some of his short passes but had nice touch on the deep ball. He also played the full game on defense and was very effective on that side as well with a key tackle and a nice interception later in the game," said coach Showalter. "Grant Staats played extremely well. He ran the ball hard and continually gave that extra effort."

The Raiders held the Bulldogs again and looked to extend their lead as the offense took the field once again. With eight seconds left on the clock, Taylor threw the ball down the field to Connor Giles for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

With four seconds left, the Raiders kicked off to Bedford who had a great return up the field and crossed midfield as he was tackled to the ground, ending the half.

Bedford received the ball at half-time and were not able to put points on the board as Hunter Russell and company tried to figure out the Raider defense.

The Raiders scored again on their next possession with Wurster breaking a big run for 30-yards into the endzone. The PAT was kicked wide making the score 27-0.

Mount Ayr only allowed the Bulldogs to hold onto the ball for nearly two minutes on their next possession forcing them to punt once again. On the Raiders next possession Taylor kept the ball and ran to the outside for 29-yards and another Raider touchdown.

The coaches called for another two-point try this time Taylor kept the ball again and brought the ball in with his feet.

Bedford took the field once again and were not beaten yet. With the score 35-0, the Bulldogs trudged forward and Quarterback Hunter Russell found Isaac Weed open for a 33-yard pass that was taken into the endzone. The PAT was good and Bedford found themselves on the board with seven points.

The next kickoff, Bedford tried to get the ball back with an onside kick but failed to get the ball as the Raiders were ready and jumped on the ball. Beford was able to hold the Raiders on the next drive resulting in a Raider punt.

The Bulldog offense took the field looking more confident after their last scoring drive. The team had a trick up their sleeve that caught the Raiders off guard as the Bedford quarterback dumped the ball off to Weed which caused the Raiders to drop coverage and go after the runner. Weed then threw the ball, still behind the line of scrimmage, to Noah Thornton for a 40-yard pass which found its way into the endzone for another Bulldog touchdown.

The Raiders were unable to score on their next drive which ended in a punt to Bedford. With time running out, Bedford tried to move the ball down the field. Bedford tried to keep the ball in the air, but the Raiders' Jacob Taylor read the quarterback and picked the ball out of the air for a 14-yard return which ended up getting the Raiders another three points with a field goal. With 3:52 left in the game, the Raiders held the Bulldogs scoreless the rest of the game and moved on to 4-0 in the division and 5-1 for the season. The Raiders will travel to Earlham Friday, October 10 for their next game.

		1		2		3		4			38
MA		0		21		14		3			F
BED		0		0		0		14			14

 

Scoring

2nd quarter
7:13 - MA - Weehler 8-yard run, PAT no good.
2:37 - MA - Taylor to Schnoor 13-yard pass, 2-point good.
0:04 - MA - Taylor to Giles 17-yard pass, Wurster PAT.
3rd quarter
6:59 - MA - Wurster 30-yard run, PAT no good.
4:16 - MA - Taylor 29-yard run, 2-point good.
4th quarter
11:17 - BED - Russell to Weed 33-yard pass, Sefrit PAT.
7:55 - BED - Weed to Thornton 40-yard pass. Sefrit PAT.
3:52 - MA - Wurster 30-yard fieldgoal.

Team Statistics

First Downs		MA		BED
Total		21		7
Rushing		16		3
Passing		4		4
By penalty		1		0
Rushing
Attempts		56		30
Yds. gained		302		84
Yds. lost		10		23
Net Yards		292		61
Passing
Completions		8		6
Attempts		21		13
%		38.1		7
Intercepted		0		1
Net Yards		120		89
Total Offense		412		159
Punts		4		6
Average		7.5		28.2
Return Yds
Punt returns		17		2
Kickoff returns	11	21		113
INT returns		14		0
Fumbles
Fumbles/lost		4/0		2/1
Penalties/Yds		6/43		2/25

 

Individual Statistics

Rushing
Taylor		9		75		75		8.3
Weehler		11		43		41		3.7
Wurster		7		50		44		6.3
Dolecheck		1		3		3		3
Stark		6		27		27		4.5
Schnoor		4		7		5		1.3
Staats		16		83		83		5.2
Joe Ricker		1		11		11		11
L. Lutrick		1		3		3		3
Receiving
		Rec		Yds		Avg		TD
Wurster		3		16		5.3		0
Butler		1		55		55		0
Schnoor		1		13		13		1
Staats		2		19		9.5		0
Giles		1		17		17		1
Passing
		Comp		Att		Pct.		Yds.
Taylor		8		21		38.1		120
Tackles		Solo		Asst.
Anderson		1		2
Butler		3		1
C. Daughton		0		2
Giles		0		1
McCreary		3		3
R. Murphy		3		4
Phelps		0		1
Jake Ricker		4		1
Joe Ricker		1		6
Schnoor		1		4
Staats		0		1
Stark		4		3
Taylor		2		0
Weehler		2		4
Wehling		0		1
Wimer		0		4
Winemiller		1		0
Kickoffs
		No		Yds		Avg
Wurster		7		335		47.9
Kick Returns
		No		Yds		Avg
Wurster		1		2		2
Staats		1		9		9
Winemiller		1		0		0
Punts
		No		Yds		Avg
Jarred		4		30		7.5
Punt Returns
		No		Yds		Avg
Wurster		1		10		10
C. Daughton		1		4		4
Taylor		1		3		3

 

Photographs courtesy of Mount Ayr-Record News

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2014