Storm Lake Times Pilot

THE TIMES 2020-21 BOYS ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Area schools’ top athletes recognized for all-around performance

Alta-Aurelia’s Cade Rohwer was a first team all-Times pick in football, basketball and baseball this season. He was the player of the year in basketball.

It was another banner year for boys sports in the area during the 2020-21 school year, both team-wise and individually.

Storm Lake won its first Lakes Conference baseball championship in 16 years en route to a memorable 27-win season.

Newell-Fonda won the Twin Lakes Conference baseball title for the first time in school history and captured a league crown for the first time since 2000.

Newell-Fonda won an area-best eight games in football. Of the six basketball teams in the Storm Lake area, five of them won double-digit games. Newell-Fonda won 17 games, while Ridge View followed with 16. Alta-Aurelia prevailed in 15 games, Sioux Central 13 and Storm Lake 11 in a higher level conference.

Leading those specific teams and squads in other sports were a lengthy list of talented athletes who pushed themselves to be the best in their respective sport.

The Times would like to recognize these students by naming an athlete of the year from each of the six schools in our coverage area — Alta-Aurelia, Newell-Fonda, Ridge View, Sioux Central, Storm Lake and Storm Lake St. Mary’s.

So without further ado, here are the top athletes from each school.

Cade Rohwer

Alta-Aurelia

A senior, Rohwer was a first team all-Times pick in football, the Times Player of the Year in basketball, a first team all-Times selection in baseball, and a member of the track and field team.

Rohwer was one of the top signal-callers in the area. The quarterback completed 56 of 103 passes for 607 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 387 yards and 10 touchdowns.

On defense, Rohwer made 43.5 total tackles, including 29 solo. He had 15 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks while recovering two fumbles and intercepting two passes.

“Cade was our top player on offense and defense on many nights,” Alta-Aurelia coach Chris Reinert said. “He was assigned as a team captain due to his understanding of everything about the game of football. From understanding the game plan to being a great teammate, he was always prepared each Friday night and ready to go. Coming off an injury- plagued junior year. He had a great season on both sides of the ball. Great discipline led to being very successful in our passing game and several tackles for loss on the defensive side. A kid that put up stats in every possible category.”

Rohwer was voted to the first team in the Twin Lakes Conference in basketball. The forward ranked second in the area in scoring with 418 points in 21 games. He averaged 19.9 points a game.

Rohwer made 61.9 percent of his field goals, including 26.3 percent from 3-point. He was also a 60 percent free throw shooter, making 81.

Rohwer charted 201 rebounds (9.6 pg.) while tallying 28 assists (1.3 pg.), 54 steals (2.6 pg.) and 18 blocked shots.

“Cade had a great season for us,” Alta-Aurelia coach Evan Franzmeier said. “He was voted a captain by his peers. We ran everything offensively through Cade. He now holds the school record in shooting percentage, field goals made and points per game. Our team relied on Cade to carry us offensively. He required a double team from most opponents. With him missing his junior year, he worked extremely hard in the offseason to get to this level for his senior year.”

Rohwer was selected to the Twin Lakes Conference second team and the all-district second team in baseball. The third baseman tallied 28 hits in 77 at-bats for a .364 average. He had 12 singles, 10 doubles, one triple and five home runs while scoring 37 runs and driving in 29 runs. Rohwer had a .490 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage.

“Cade was one of the best power hitters we have had at Alta-Aurelia,” Alta-Aurelia coach Ryan Burkhart said. “He was always a threat to drive a gap or hit a home run. I enjoyed watching him grow in every aspect of the game since he came into the program all those years ago.”

Rohwer ran middle distance races for the Warriors in track before an injury cut his season short.

Newell-Fonda’s Hunter Christiansen was a first team all-Times selection in both football and baseball and was a member of the Mustangs’ state runner-up golf team. He was also first team all-district in football and first team all-conference in baseball.

Hunter Christiansen

Newell-Fonda

A senior, Christiansen was a first team all-Times selection in football, a first team all-Times pick in baseball and a member of the state qualifying golf team.

Christiansen was Newell-Fonda’s best football player last fall. The linebacker led the team in total tackles with 57, including 38 solo stops.

On offense, Christiansen rushed for 333 yards and eight touchdowns while catching six passes for 96 yards and four scores.

“Hunter took his play at linebacker to a totally different level, especially as the year went along,” Newell-Fonda coach Brian Wilken said. “He won our starting linebacker job in preseason camp and his play at linebacker became much better and much improved. He played at a different level each and every game. I’m really happy for Hunter … his ability to have the good year that he had at linebacker and leading this defense.”

Christiansen was voted to the Twin Lakes Conference first team and all-district first team in baseball. The catcher amassed 32 hits in 70 plate appearances for a .457 average. He had 20 singles, five doubles and seven triples while scoring 29 runs and knocking in 22 runs. Christiansen, who stole 28 bases, had a .585 on-base percentage and a .729 slugging percentage.

On defense, Christiansen made only six errors in 203 total chances for a fielding percentage of .970.

“Hunter has been a leader for us behind the plate and as a leadoff for many seasons,” Newell-Fonda coach Bo Darrow said. “Each year he got better and better and established himself as a threat at the plate, on the bases, and as a defensive catcher. He was a consistent player for us this year and provided a reliable player in all aspects. He will be greatly missed in all phases.”

In golf, Christiansen averaged 45 strokes per nine holes and 96 for 18 holes for a Mustang team that finished second in the state in Class 1A. His low score was a 40 for nine holes and a 91 for 18.

Ridge View’s Cade Harriman was selected to the all-Times first team in football and second team in basketball. He also played baseball and ran on the track team.

Cade Harriman

Ridge View

A junior, Harriman was a first team all-Times player in football, a second team all-Times player in basketball and the starting center fielder for the baseball team.

Harriman was one of the top signal-callers in the area in football. The quarterback was 56 of 111 passing for 512 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 691 yards and seven touchdowns.

On defense, Harriman made 24 total tackles and intercepted three passes, including one which was returned for a touchdown.

“Cade won the starting job as our quarterback because of his quickness and speed,” Ridge View coach Dale Tokheim said. “Cade really worked on his strength and speed in the offseason and it paid off this fall. He is a great runner and led us in rushing this year. He has great vision and had several long runs throughout the year because he could read the hole and make a great cut. Cade made some good strides passing the ball and he usually made the right read on who to pass it to. Cade is great leader and someone who the kids believe in and he really helped us turn things around this year.”

Harriman was voted to the all-Western Valley Conference second team in basketball. The guard scored 330 points in 23 games for an average of 14.3 points a game. He was a 46.8 percent field goal shooter, including 34.7 percent from 3-point. Harriman also made 76.7 percent of his free throws.

Harriman charted 63 rebounds (2.7 pg.), 70 assists (3.0 pg.) and 43 steals (1.9 pg.) for the Raptors.

“Cade’s leadership and control of the game set the tone for our team this year,” Ridge View coach Alex Warnke said. “Cade’s ability to handle the ball under pressure and make plays when we needed them was great to see. He can score inside and outside, which puts pressure on the opponent.”

In baseball, Harriman hit .259 with 21 hits in 81 at-bats and scored 17 runs and drove in eight runs. He also stole 15 bases and committed only two errors.

Harriman was a member of the sprint medley and distance medley relay teams in track and field.

Sioux Central’s Jacob Hargens was first team all-Times in basketball, second team in baseball and honorable mention in football. He also ran on the track team.

Jacob Hargens

Sioux Central

A sophomore, Hargens was an honorable mention all-Times pick in football, a first team all-Times selection in basketball, a second team choice in baseball and a member of the track and field team.

Hargens was an honorable mention all-district choice in football. He led the Rebels with 14 catches for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Hargens ranked second on the team in total tackles with 56.5, including 47 solo stops.

Hargens was a first team all-Twin Lakes Conference selection in basketball. The forward led the area in scoring with 463 points in 24 games. He averaged 19.3 points a game.

Hargens shot 57.1 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point range. He also made 77.8 percent of his free throws.

Hargens also led the area in rebounding with 226 (9.4 pg.) while charting 86 assists (3.6 pg.), 22 steals and 13 blocked shots.

“Jake really elevated his game this year and became our go-to guy and one of the best players in the area,” Sioux Central coach Stephen Tjaden said. “What makes his game so solid is how versatile his game is. He really creates matchup problems because he can score in the post, drive from the perimeter and also shot 40 percent from 3-point. Where I saw the most growth in Jake’s game this year was how he evolved throughout the season to handle the different defenses teams would throw at him and still be effective when being double and triple-teamed at times. Jake possesses a lot of skills that come naturally and I am very fortunate that I get to work with him for another two years.”

Hargens was voted to the Twin Lakes Conference first team and to the all-district second team in baseball. The infielder amassed 30 hits in 78 at-bats for a .385 average. He had 23 singles, six doubles and one home run, scored 17 runs and drove in 20 runs. Hargens owned a .473 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.

As a pitcher, Hargens went 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA. In 39 innings, Hargens allowed 30 hits and 18 runs, 14 of which were earned. He walked 12 and struck out 54. Opponents batted .205 against him.

Defensively, Hargens committed six errors in 51 total chances for a .882 fielding percentage.

Ben Raveling

Storm Lake

A senior, Raveling was the Times Player of the Year in football, a first team all-Times player in baseball and the top player for the Tornado boys golf team.

Raveling was Storm Lake’s best offensive player in football. The running back led a balanced offense with 497 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He also caught two passes for 67 yards. On defense, Raveling made 10.5 total tackles.

“Ben was such an important part of our offense,” Storm Lake coach Rudy Wieck said. “His ability to keep his legs moving to gain that extra 2-4 yards was so impressive. It was always so much fun watching him meet a guy 50 pounds heavier in the hole and drive forward for the first down.”

Raveling was a unanimous first team all-Lakes Conference selection and a first team all-district pick in baseball. The catcher tallied 38 hits in 96 plate appearances for a .396 average. He had 25 singles, 10 doubles, two triples and one home run while scoring 24 runs and driving in 23 runs. Raveling had a .508 on-base percentage and a .573 slugging percentage.

Defensively, Raveling committed only one error in 261 total chances for a .996 fielding percentage. He also saved countless runs with his ability to block wild pitches.

“Ben was a consistent guy defensively to have behind the plate that did a lot for us through the years,” Storm Lake coach Ben Seaman said. “He had a high batting average and got on base more than half the time. He had strong offensive numbers with a lot of RBI and good power. He threw out a number of guys that tried to steal on him and kept a lot guys on first because of his ability to throw guys out. I can’t say enough about his presence behind the plate and how hard he worked for all of our pitchers. He has been such a huge leader and player for our program, and a lot of our success has a lot to do with him.”

In golf, Raveling averaged 44 strokes per nine holes and 84 shots per 18 holes to lead the Tornadoes. He had low scores of 41 and 78 for nine and 18 holes, respectively. Raveling just missed qualifying for state by three strokes.

St. Mary’s Mason Laven was a state golf qualifier and a standout in basketball and baseball.

Mason Laven

Storm Lake St. Mary’s

A junior, Laven was a second team all-Times player in basketball, a state qualifier in golf, and a pitcher and shortstop for the Panthers’ baseball team.

Laven was St. Mary’s top basketball player this season. The guard scored 272 points in 21 games for an average of 13.0 points a game. He shot 33.9 percent from the field, including 33.6 percent from 3-point range. He made 42 3-point goals.

Laven charted 57 rebounds (2.7 pg.), 34 assists (1.6 pg.) and 33 steals (1.6 pg.).

Laven was one of the top players on the diamond for the Panthers. In 15 games, Laven tied for the team lead in hits with 10. He batted .323, hit five doubles, scored five runs and drove in nine runs. He had a .447 on-base percentage and a .484 slugging percentage.

In golf, Laven was a first team all-conference player. He averaged 41 strokes per nine holes and 78 for 18 holes. Laven finished in a tie for 10th place at the state meet with a 36-hole total of 165.