North Iowa Notebook: New gym getting first action for NI Christian School – Globe Gazette

It practiced at the local YMCA and played games in an available space at the Salvation Army and later, at Nora Springs Middle School.

On Friday night, the Eagles will christen their new high school gym.

After three years of fundraising and some construction delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Iowa Christian will host Fort Dodge Harvest Baptist at 7:15 p.m. in a boys basketball game.

“It is really exciting,” Eagles Athletic Director Steve Vandenburg said. “Took a lot of effort on a lot of people’s part and now it is exciting to use it.”

The gym is a part of a whole new building the school has added. It includes locker rooms, bathrooms and offices for the school principal and secretary plus a classroom.

An additional classroom will be added later on plus fundraising will continue to upgrade the stage that is currently next to the gym.

“With COVID, it made it a real challenge,” Vandenburg said. “We had things scheduled, then they would get pushed back. A lot of things, one has to go after the other. We’re excited to have it all come together now.”

Vandenburg is grateful for the players to experience a true home court atmosphere for the foreseeable future.

“It is certainly a blessing for our players and coaches to have things right in the school,” he said. “The school enjoys coming to cheer them on and be active participants.”

Bulls hoping to turn the corner in 2022

Wins have been hard to come by for North Iowa since the calendar flipped to December. It won just once for the entire month and allowed at least five goals in the final four games of the month.

Todd Sanden, head coach of Bulls, pinpointed one reason as to why the month went the opposite of how the season started.

“When you play that level of competition, especially in the Central Division, you’re going to have some highs and lows,” Sanden said.

Over the last 10 contests, North Iowa is 2-7-1. It has dropped to fourth place in the Central Division and is at 15th in a tightly contested league with 33 points.

From seventh to 21st, there is a nine-point difference.

“I don’t think it gets any more competitive than that,” Sanden said.

Sanden knows this month is going to be telling for what the Bulls hope to accomplish in their first year in the NAHL. They face Aberdeen four times over the next four weeks and get Minot twice.

Add in a two-game set with Austin in a month and that will make three teams that occupy top-13 slots in the league standings in the next month that North Iowa will battle.

“It is a continuous prepare, be ready and try to go out and execute,” Sanden said. “You can’t even look ahead, you have to focus on the week because the standings are so tight.”

Toros enjoying first-year success

Through the first six games, Mason City was a crisp 3-3. It had showed off prowess in scoring goals, but also gave up its fair share on the defensive side.

Since a 5-2 loss to Rochester on Oct. 9, the Toros are 19-5-1 and are in second place in the West Division with 45 points and fifth overall in the NA3HL.

Their eight losses on the season are the third highest amongst teams in the top-10.

“We have a very close team and these guys, you can’t keep them away from each other,” Mason City head coach Nick Bruneteau said. “If you look at who we’ve played, we’ve beaten everybody.”

Scoring has been far from an issue. The Toros have scored 154 goals this season, fifth highest in the league. They have a pair of 20-goal scorers in Carter Newpower and Jack Campion.

Yet what Bruneteau loves about his forwards is their unselfishness.

Five of Mason City’s top passers are forwards. Campion and Newpower each have 30-plus assists. Fourteen guys have at least nine assists.

“Our staff is very much believers in possession over volume shooting” Bruneteau said. “We have a tendency to find those back door seams, these pretty plays. There’s a reason behind the madness.”

Osage Esports off to good start in winter season

The Green Devils are tops in the Overwatch ‘B’ standings with three matches won and are tied with Waterloo East in the ‘C’ standings in Rocket League.

Osage has been one of the better teams for Overwatch in Iowa High School Esports since the inception of the IAHSEA in 2019. It was the beta runner-up in 2019 and was second behind Newman Catholic in the Morrison Division last winter.