Boys Basketball Catching Fire at 7-1

This article is from the Charger Ink dated December 20, 2012, by Editor in Chief - Karoline Dittmer

The Chariton varsity boys basketball team has been working to win this year and have a shot at State.  So far in the season, the varsity team has had seven wins and one loss.  Davis County has been their only loss.  "I think this group works well together.  They understand how to play good team basketball.  I also think a lot of that working together comes from how the coach runs them in practice.  The team expects to win together, loose together, and work together," said Assistant Coach Jay Pierschbacher.  "I think we're doing pretty well but we have a lot more room for improvement," said freshman Daric Laing.  Junior Willie Felderman said, "I think as a team, our most important asset is working hard and getting better every day."  Alex Wright, a senior said, "We've started to play more as a team than in the years past.  We've started sharing the ball.  It feels good to be winning, but we can't stop doing our best and keeping the dream alive."

The varsity boys have two players who are amongst the top in the South Central Conference.  T.J. Hockenson, a freshman, is currently in third for the most rebounds and points.  "I feel like I've been doing my job but without my team I couldn't do it.  It's a big accomplishment, but it isn't just about me.  It's mainly about the team," said Hockenson.  Senior Bryce Cunningham is number one in assists.  "Being a leader is all about the team chemistry and having good teammates who know what to do.  I'm really going to miss our awesome student section, coaches, and beating Albia," said Cunningham.  "Bryce is our hero!" yelled Laing, Felderman and Hockenson.

55-46 Win over Knoxville



Daric Laing and Alex Wright



The Chariton Varsity Boys returned to their winning streak December 17 at the Charger Dome by defeating Knoxville 55-46.  50 percent shooting at the 3 point line helped lead the boys to a victory.  Senior guard Alex Wright went 5-7 from downtown and 5-9 from inside the arc to finish with 25 points along with two steals and one rebound.  Daric Laing went 2-4 from three-point range and almost had a double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.  With the win the Chargers are now  7-1 overall.  (Google is having problems with their blog.  It took several hours to figure out how to insert a picture.  I had to do it from Picaso.)

Willie Felderman and Daric Laing

CHS Varsity boys suffered 1st loss

CHS Varsity Boys Suffer their First Loss to Davis County

Bryce Cunningham goes up for a lay up
against Davis County

The first loss of the Chariton Varsity boys basketball team happened December 14 at the Charger Dome.  Davis County came on strong and defeated the team 65-46.  Chariton held a six-point lead in the second period and continued to fight hard and ended the first half tied at 21-21.  Davis County came out fighting and outscored Chariton 44-25 in the second half.  Chariton is now 6-1 overall on the season and 3-1 in the conference. 

Chariton went on an 8-0 run to start the second period that ended with baskets by Andrew Laing and Alex Wright to take a 19-13 lead.  Davis County then went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 19 apiece.

TJ Hockenson had a double-double with a team high 12 points and a team high 12 rebounds and one steal.  Alex Wright had 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and one assist.  Bryce Cunningham had 10 points, one rebound, five assists and one steal.  Laing had four points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.  Felderman had four points, four rebounds, two blocks and an assist. 

Varsity girls fall to Clarke

The Chariton varsity girls basketball team showed great improvement in a 64-40 loss to ranked and two-time defending SCC champion Clarke at Chariton Monday night.  The Lady Chargers started out strong and trailed by just three after one period but a key switch by Clarke defensively in the second quarter along with their superior talent helped lift them to a convincing victory.  With the loss the Chartion girls are now 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Chargers Remain Undefeated

55-24 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg brings the team to a 6-0 standing overall and 3-0 in conference play.  The boys got off to a slow start, but got it going and took the game.   Senior guard, Bryce Cunningham, went 6-10 from inside the arc and 1-3 from three-point range to finish with 16 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks.  Senior guard, Alex Wright, also had a good game with 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks.  Daric Laing went 3-3 from inside the arc and 1-4 from three-point range to finish with nine points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.  TJ Hockenson had seven points, seven rebounds and a block.  Christian Bengtson had six points, one rebound, one assist and one steal.  The Chargers took good care of the ball with just 11 turnovers and they committed just seven fouls.  Chariton had 15 assists, seven steals and seven blocks.

JV Boys Soar to Victory over Blakesburg-Fremont

The Chariton JV boys got off to a good start and their defense was on fire.  The 36-18 win brought the Charger JV's to a 2-2 overall standing.  The team jumped out to a 10-2 lead after one period and never allowed more than eight points in a quarter all night.  Conner Altenhofen led the scoring attack with 10 points and one rebound.  The Chargers outscored the Rockets, 6-5 in the second period to take a 16-7 lead into halftime.  In the second half, they outscored the Rockets 12-3, with a lead of 28-10 after three periods.  Brett Braida had six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Sawyer Dow had four points, one rebound and two steals.  Alec Reynolds had two points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal.  Joey Krutsinger had two points, four rebounds and a steal.  Hunter Storm had one rebound, two steals and two assists.  Quinn Storm had four rebounds and two assists. 

Varsity Chargers rout Melcher-Dallas

The Chariton varsity boys improved to 5-0 with a 71-45 thumping of Melcher-Dallas at Chariton December 8th.  The Chargers stormed out to a 23-4 lead after one period and torched the nets by shooting 54 percent from inside the arc.  TJ Hockenson led the team in scoring with 19 points along with six rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.  Daric Laing had 16 points, two rebounds and two steals.  Alex Wright had a team-high eight rebounds along with six points, five assists and two steals.  Willie Felderman had eight points, two rebounds and a block.   The Chargers shot 15-20, 75 percent, from the foul line.  Chariton pulled down 33 rebounds including nine offensive boards.  The Chargers committed just 10 turnovers and 11 fouls with 22 assists, 16 steals and five blocks.  Bryce Cunningham had four points, one rebound, nine assists, five steals and a block.  Christian Bengtson had three points, four rebounds and six assists.  Conner Altenhofen had two rebounds.

Defense Hurts JV Chargers against Albia

The Chariton JV boys just could not recover after a slow start and subpar defense in a 56-39 loss at Albia December 7th.  The Chargers got down 20-12 after one period and 36-22 at halftime and couldn't recover.  Conner Altenhofen led the Chargers with 14 points along with five rebounds.  Brett Braida had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal.  Ben Morrett had six points, three rebounds and three assists.  Hunter Storm had five points, one rebound, two assists, two steals and a block.  Quinn Storm had one point and one assist.  Alec Reynolds had two rebounds and two assists.  Joey Krutsinger had two rebounds and two blocks. 

Varsity Chargers Edge Albia 59-57

The final buzzer ended a heart-stopping 59-57 game win over Albia at Albia Friday night, December 7th.  The game was close throughout.  At the buzzer Chariton scored a basket with 1.9 seconds left to get the win.  With the win, Chariton remained unbeaten and moved to 4-0 on the season.  Freshman starter TJ Hockenson had a double-double with a game high 21 points and 14 rebounds.  He went 8-12 from the field and 5-6 from the line.  Fellow freshman starter Daric Laing went 2-2 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals.  Senior Bryce Cunningham had 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal.  Alex Wright had six points, four rebounds and one assist.  Willie Felderman had six points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.  Carl Williams had two points and three rebounds.  Christian Bengtson had two assists.  Chariton held a 17-15 lead after one period and Albia outscored the Chargers 13-10 in the second to take a 28-27 lead into halftime.  Chariton outscored the Blue Demons, 19-16, in the third to take a two-point lead heading into the final period.  Each team scored 13 points in the final period and Chariton scored the final basket with 1.9 seconds left to get the two-point win.

Cain Scores 25 in 9th Boys' win over Clarke

The Chariton ninth grade boys basketball team rolled to a 54-22 win over Clarke at Chariton Monday, December 3rd.  Aaron Cain had an outstanding game scoring a team-high 25 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds, six steals and one assist.  With the win, the Chariton freshmen boys moved to 2-1 overall.  As a team, Chariton shot 21-53, 40 percent, from inside the arc.  They shot 3-8, 38 percent, from three point range and 3-4, 75 percent from the line.  Chariton had a ball-hawking defense with 18 steals and they dished out 11 assists on offense.  The Chargers pulled down 28 rebounds and had 16 turnovers.  Brad Krutsinger had five points, five rebounds, seven steals and four assists.  Chase Altenhofen had four points, six rebounds and one assist.

Anderson Earns Five Medals

Sailor Elaine Anderson, Chariton, had a successful gymnastic outing, earning five medals at the prestigious 2012 Peppermint Twist Invitational.  The event was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on November 30 - December 2 and was hosted by Twin City Twisters Gymnastics.  Sailor participated at Level 6 as a member of the Triad Gymnastics team.  Competing in the Level 6 (9 and under) division, Sailor earned medals in each event including floor exercises, balance beam, vault and uneven bars.  Out of 40 possible points, Sailor accumulated an amazing 35 and captured fourth place in the All-Around competition in her division.  She trains 16 hours a week at Triad Gymnastics in Ankeny, where Jason Wymer and Rachel Thompson coach her.  Sailor has been involved in gymnastics for more than seven years. 

Charger Freshman Basketball at Albia

The Chariton freshmen boys fell to Albia 44-32, at Albia on December 7th.  Brad Krutsinger and Aaron Cain each led the team in scoring with eight points.  Krutsinger also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.  Cain had three rebounds, one steal and one block.  Chase Altenhofen had five points, a team-high seven rebounds and one steal.  As a team Chariton had 26 rebounds, seven assists, eight steals and two blocks.  The Chargers also went 7-12 from the line.  Cain went 2-2 and Sherrick went 2-3.  Curnutte went 1-1 and Krutsinger and Altenhofen each went 1-2. 
JV Girls Beat Albia in Opener

Varsity Boys Beat Clarke 73-55

The Chariton Varsity boys moved to 3-0 on the season with a 73-55 win over Clarke at Chariton Dec. 3.  The Chargers shot a scorching 69 percent from the line in the win.  Starting freshman T.J. Hockenson went 9-9 from the field and 8-8 from the line to finish with a team-high 26 points, along with a team high eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks.  Fellow starting freshman Daric Laing shot 7-11 from inside the arc and finished with 16 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals.  Senior guard Bryce Cunningham went 3-6 from inside the arc and 1-3 from three-point range and 1-3 from the line to finish with 10 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two steals.  Senior guard Alex Wright went 4-5 from inside the arc and finshed with 8 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.  Connor Altenhofen went 0-1 from the field.

CHS JV Boys Beat Clarke at Home

The Chariton JV boys basketball team bounced back from an opening loss with an impressive 53-15 win over Clarke at Chariton Dec. 3rd.  The Chargers turned it up a notch in the second half scoring 33 points and evened their record at 1-1 overall.  Brett Braida went 2-3 from three point range and 5-6 from the line to lead Chariton with 13 points to go along with four rebounds and a steal.  Ben Morrett went 3-4 from inside the arc and 3-4 from the line to finish with 9 points to ago along with seven steals, two rebounds and one assist.  Quinn Storm had a team-high nine steals along with five points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists.  Sean Sullenger went 3-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line to finish with eight points and five rebounds.  Alec Reynolds went 3-3 from the field and had 6 points, five rebounds and one block.  Conner Altenhofen had five points and six rebounds.  Mathias Plank had three points and one assist.  Eduard Rodygin had two points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Joey Krutsinger had two points, one rebound and one assist.  Hunter Storm had two rebounds, Drew Derringer had five rebounds and one assist.  Ben Sullenger had one rebound.  Sam Reus had one steal.  Paul Long also played and went 0-1.

Chariton JV Boys lose to Oskaloosa

The Chariton JV boys struggled in their first game of the year with a 51-28 loss at Oskaloosa November 29.  The Chargers struggled at both ends of the floor and shot 30 percent from inside the arc and 53 percent from the line.  Ben Morrett and Brett Braida each led Chariton with eight points apiece and Morrett added three steals and an assist while Braida had one rebound and an assist.  Connor Altenhofen went 4-4 from the line and had six points, three rebounds and a steal.  Alec Reynolds had four points, one rebound and one steal.  Sam Reus had two points, a rebound and a steal.  Hunter Storm had two rebounds and a steal.  Quinn Storm had two rebounds and an assist.  Joey Krutsinger, Sean Sullenger and Sawyer Dow each had a rebound.  Eduard Rodygin had one steal.  Drew Derringer played and went 0-1 from the field.

2012-2013 Varsity Boys Basketball Team

2012-13 Chariton Varsity Boys Basketball Team.  Front from left:  Hunter Storm, Ben Morrett, Christian Bengtson, Daric Laing, Alex Wright and Bryce Cunningham.  Middle row from left:  Will Felderman, Joey Krutsinger, Brett Braida, Alec Reynolds and Dmitry Reus.  Back row from left:  Asst. Coach Jay Pierschbacher, Asst. Coach Carl Williams, Carl Williams, Conner Altenhofen, T.J. Hockenson, Sean Sullenger, Head Coach Ben Schooley and Asst. Coach Dan Reynolds.

2012-13 JV Boys Basketball Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton JV Boys basketball team.  Front row from left:  Eduard Rodygin, Drew Derringer, Paul Long and Mathias Plank.  Middle row from left:  Ben Morrett, Quinn Storm, Sawyer Dow, Ben Sullenger and Sam Reus.  Back row from left:  Alex Reynolds, Hunter Storm, Conner Altenhofen, Sean Sullenger, Joey Krutsinger and Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher.

2012-2013 Chariton Freshman Basketball Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton Freshmen Boys Basketball Team.  Front from left:  Max Covington, Adam Kaska, Kyle Dooley, Grant Shriver and Ethan Payton.  Middle from left:  Sam Lerner, Ethan Curnutte, Aaron Cain and Cody Evans.  Back row from left:  Head Coach Carl Williams, Spencer Sherrick, Bradley Krutsinger, Chase Altenhofen, Dillon Sanders and Carter Riechmann.

Chariton JV Girls Basketball Team 2012-13

Pictured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton JV Girls Basketball Team.  Front from left:  Maria Blong, Micaela Folkerts, Sarah Fuhs and Jessica Wiederholt.  Middle row from left:  Kelsey Carver, Meredith Davis, Nikki Vande Lune, Delaney Richards and Tia Bauer.  Back row from left:  Ryley Heffron, Haley Reece, Emily Seuferer, Carley Arnold, Alexis Curran, Madison Showers and Laurin Zern.

Chariton Freshmen Girls Basketball Team

Pcitured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton Freshmen Girls Basketball Team.  Front from left:  Tia Bauer, Micaela Folkerts, Meredith Davis and Ryley Heffron.  Back row from left:  Jessica Wiederholt, Carley Arnold, Haley Reece, Laurin Zern and Maria Blong.

Varsity Lady Chargers 2012-13 Basketball Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton varsity girls basketball team.  Front from left:  Chelsea McGee, Kylie Bengtson, Miranda Davis, Leah Dow and Emily McRoberts.  Back row from left:  Alexis Curran, Sarah Fuhs, Emily Seuferer, Emma Fuhs, Allyson Showers and Emily Grismore.

2012-13 Chariton Wrestling Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012-13 Chariton wrestling team.  Front from left:  Nick McDaniel, Stephen McCurdy, Nic Ryan, Carter Isley, Broc Johnson, Sawyer Atwell, Lucas Heaverlo and Devin Harberts.  Middle row from left:  Sara Runyan (manager), Dallas Cady, Tanner Poush, Jacob Cohen, Connor Grgurich, Cody Stevenson, Daniel Ilyenko, Dillon Blubaugh and Cassedy Smith (manager).  Back row from left:  Asst. Coach Zach Baughman, Samuel Adams, Jordan Baughman, Trevin Nance, Tim Good, Evan Havick, Pavel Garbuzov, Tyler Nance and Head Coach Scott Eddy.  Not pictured:  Cameron Kautz and Asst. Coach Todd Jensen.

Chariton Varsity Boys flatten I-35 in Opener

The Chariton Varsity boys were successful in their season opener with a 58-45 win over I-35 at the Charger Dome.  Playing in his first high school game, Chariton freshman T.J. Hockenson recorded a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds along with a block, a steal and an assist.  Hockenson shot 8-13, 62 percent, from the field, and pulled down six offensive boards in the win.

Another freshman, Daric Laing, also started and had 13 points, two rebounds, one block and two assists.  Senior guard Alex Wright went 5-10 from the field and just missed a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Varsity Girls lose to I-35 in Opener

The Chariton varsity girls suffered a close loss to I-35 in their season opener at Chariton.  The Lady Chargers overcame an early 11-0 deficit to take a seven-point lead but couldn't quite hit enough shots down the stretch to pull out the win.  Allyson Showers had seven points, three steals and one block.  Emily Grismore and Leah Dow had two points apiece.  Kylie Bengtson had four assists and one block.  Alexis Curran had one block.

Varsity Charger Boys Beat Osky

Bryce Cunningham, T.J. Hockenson and Daric Laing

In the picture above, Chariton senior guard Bryce Cunningham guards an Oskaloosa player; in the back are T.J. Hockenson and Daric Laing (Cindy Laing photo).

Chariton Varsity boys beat Oskaloosa with a 2-0 overall.  After 37 defensive rebounds, the scored ended up 50-42.  Senior guard Bryce Cunningham led the team with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.  Senior guard Alex Wright had 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.  For the second straight game Chariton shot at least 50 percent from inside the arc.

2012-13 Chariton Basketball Cheerleaders

Pictured are the 2012-13 Chariton Basketball Cheerleaders.  Front (bottom):  Cassie Carpenter.  Second row from left:  Sara Blythe, Mallory Gwinn, Kasey Lahart, Tori Greubel and Sierra Pruiett.  Third row from left:  DeAneria Cobty, Ashley Batty, Mackenzie Welch and Victoria Giesken.  Fourth row (top):  Cierra Covington, Not pictured:  Mikayla Rich and Serina Hinman  (Justin Sharp Photo).

Alex Wright Lay-Up Shot

Alex Wright goes in for a lay-up during the first quarter of the varsity boys' game against I-35 at the Charger Dome November 27th (Bill Howes Photo)

2012 Team Award Winners

CHS Football, Volleyball teams hold year end awards banquets for 2012 season

Pictured are the 2012 Chariton JV Volleyball team award winners.  From left:  Micaela Folkerts-Hustle Award, Sarah Fuhs-Spirit Award, Alexis Curran-Most Valuable Player and Tia Bauer-Most Improved Player.

Pictured are the Chariton volleyball players that made the 2012 Academic All-Conference Team.  Front from left:  Emily Grismore and Kourtney Nichols.  Middle row from left:  Miranda Davis, Emily McRoberts, Leah Dow and Britany White.  Back row from left:  Allyson Showers, Emily Seuferer, Emma Fuhs and Laura Tordoff.

Pictured are the 2012 Chariton Varsity Volleyball Team award winners.  Front from left:  Miranda Davis-Most Valuable Player, Emily Grismore-Hustle Award, and Britany White-Spirit Award.  Back row from left:  Allyson Showers-Most Improved Player Award and Emma Fuhs-Spirit Award

Lady Chargers Volleyball Team Plays At Winterset

The Chariton Lady Charger volleyball team competed at the Winterset Tourney and played three matches against Norwalk, Red Oak and host Winterset.  The Lady Chargers fell in their first match against Norwalk, 9-21 and 15-21.  They lost the second match to Red Oak 10-21 and 18-21.  Chariton fell in the third match to Winterset, 12-21 and 16-21.

Carlisle Game

McCurdy has Phenomenal Performance

Junior running back has 217 yards rushing, five TD's in win.

The Chariton JV football team used a 20-point fourth quarter along with a great performance by Stephen McCurdy to win a tightly contested thriller, 42-36, at Knoxville Monday night.  Trailing 36-34 with 31 seconds left, McCurdy scored the game-winning touchdown with a three-yard run, and then he ran in the two-point conversion.

McCurdy's game consisted of 217 yards rushing on 37 carries, five touchdowns and two two-point conversions.  He also had three solo tackles, one assist, one tackle for loss, two kickoff returns for 45 yards and five punt returns for 70 yards.

Knoxville led 15-8 after one period and each team scored once in the second to make the score 22-16 Panthers at halftime.  But the Chargers had a great fourth quarter outscoring the Panthers 20-7 to get the big "Win".

Chariton dominated the stats with 17 first downs to just two for Knoxville.  The Chargers amassed 413 yards of offense to 233 for the Panthers.  Chariton had 94 yards passing while the Panthers had 137.  The Chargers rushed for 319 yards on 55 carries while the Panthers rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries.  Chariton had one turnover while Knoxville had none.  The Chargers committed two penalties for 10 yards while the Panthers committed four for 35.

9th Chargers Football Team Wins 22-8 over Knoxville

The Chariton freshman football team put together a dominant performance in a 22-8 win over Knoxville at Chariton on October 5th.  The Chargers amassed 322 yards of total offense and rushed for 235 yard on 41 carries in the win.  With the win the chargers improved to 4-3 overall.
Brad Krutsinger caught two passes for 11 yards and one touchdown.  Adam Kaska caught one pass for eight yards.  Defensively Chase Altenhofen had six tackles, three assists and a fumble recovery.  Krutsinger had six tackles, three assists and a fumble recovery.

Varsity Girls Volleyball Team Falls to Albia

The Chariton varsity volleyball team played the SCC game at Albia on the 4th of October.  Each of the games were very tight with Albia pulling out a 3-0 win.  The scores of the match were 21-25, 23-25, and 21-25. 

Chariton Boys in Iowa 4-H State Shooting Match

Lucas County 4-Her's were represented by Grant Goering, Greg Beard and Samuel Adams at the state shooting sports contest on October 6 at Big Springs range near Montezuma.  One hundred thirty 4-Her's throughout Iowa participated.  Samuel Adams participated in senior shotgun, Greg Beard in senior archery and Grant Goering in Junior smallbore rifle and also archery.  Grant Goering received the first place medal for scoring 198/200 in the archery contest of 34 participants.

Grant Goering Left picture
Samuel Adams, Greg Beard and Goering Right picture

Sixth Grade Lil' Chargers Football Team

Pictured are the members of the Sixth Grade Lil' Chargers football team that's coached by Cameron Willis and Brandt Smith.  First row from left:  Adrian Hill, Cayde Black, Reid Walters, Brady Hamilton, Jimmy Graham, Cooper Shelton and Gabriel Wertz.  Second row from left:  Matthew Stout, David McCurdy, Bradley Evans, Tanner Nance, Hunter Clark, Hunter Cobb, Payton Schaeffer and Drew Warthout.  Third row from left:  Noah Weaver, Jackson Fisher, Nathan Blong, Colbie Werts, Nathan Weaver, Brody Johnson, Chance Anderson, Brock Spencer and Braden Miller.  In the back row from left are coaches Brandt Smith and Cameron Willis.  Not pictured:  Tyler Gookin.

Fifth Grade Lil' Chargers Football Team

Pictured are the members of the fifth grade Lil' Chargers football team coached by TJ Smyser and Dusty Cain.  Front from left:  Riley Reece and Jalen Howe.  First row from left:  Tyler Baliff, P.J. Rich, Braden Wireman, Hunter koehn, Jaxon Pollard, Ryan Ellis and Carson Rector.  Second row from left:  Trae Hall, Dennis Zinchenko, Ben Verone, Ty Luedtke, Will Swarthout, Daniel Blidchenko, Jackson Curnutte and Jordan Wood.  Third row from left:  Lance Wallace, Austin Metzger, Nick Wood, Kinser Werts, Graden Arnold, Garrett Johnson, Dylan Cain, Isaac Coker and Ashton Vitali.  Not pictured:  Cain Geesaman.

Chargers Fall to Knoxville Panthers 34-8

Connor Grgurich (#12) and Chasen Blue (#4) tackle Knoxville's Colton Spaur after a 15 yard gain in the first quarter on October 5th

Chargers lose to Pella 35-0

Pella dominated the game and gave the Chargers the loss. 

Chasen Blue (4) tackles Pella's Jacob Volimar on a 29 yard pass reception during the third quarter Friday night.  The reception gave the Little Dutch a first and goal at the Charger eight yard line.

Chariton Girls Fall to Centerville 3-1

Senior Night was held on September 25 when the Lady Chargers volleyball team hosted Centerville at Chariton.  Three seniors played their last match:  Miranda Davis, Leah Dow and Emily McRoberts.

The Lady Chargers won the 1st match, 25-23; Lost in the 2nd match, 25-11; lost the 3rd match, 15-25 and the fourth game 20-25.

Leah Dow and Emily Grismore each went 7-9 with one ace.  Davis had 12 digs and Dow had 10.

JV loses to Winterset

Another good team beat the Chargers despite a good effort.  The Chargers lost to Winterset 31-22.  Stephen McCurdy rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown along with a two-point conversion.  With the loss, Chariton fell to 2-3 overall.

The Chargers scored once in the first quarter and led 8-7 after one period.  The Huskies outscored the Chargers 14-6 in the second to take a 21-14 lead into halftime.  Winterset added one more score to take a 28-14 lead heading into the final period.  The Chargers scored one more touchdown in the fourth but it wasn't quite enough.   Brad Krutsinger rushed for 16 yards on two carries.  Quintin Storm rushed for six yards on four carries. 

At quarterback, Storm went 11-20 for 101 yards.  Krutsinger caught three passes for 13 yards.  Defensively Quinn Storm had nine solo tackles and two assists.  Keith Trusty had one solo tackle and Cody Smith had one solo tackle.  Krutsinger had one solo tackle and one assist.  Chance Wertz had one solo tackle.

CMS 7th Football Gets First Win

The effort shown by both defensive and offensive teams for the Chariton seventh grade Chargers led the team to an 18-6 win over Clarke at Chariton on September 20.  The win was the first of the year for the middle school team,who improved to 1-3 overall.

Tyler Anderson rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries and a five-yard touchdown.  Hunter Neer rushed for 22 yards on six carries.  Defensively Neer had five tackles.  Skylar Trusty had three tackles.  Hilton Beck and Chase Krutsinger each had one.

Varsity Volleyball Team Beats Clarke, 3-0

The Lady Chargers volleyball team won 3-0 over Clarke at Pack the Gym night at CHS.  Chariton led each game from start to finish and won 25-17, 25-12 and 25-20.  With the win, Chariton moved to 1-1 in conference play and 8-8 overall.
As a team, Chariton went 54-69 in serving with 10 aces.  Leah Dow went 14-16 with one ace and Kourtney Nichols went 12-14 with two aces.

Varsity Chargers Fall To Winterset

34-6 was the final score on homecoming night when the Chargers lost to Winterset.  At the end of the second quarter Winterset scored and took a 13-6 lead into halftime.

The Huskies outscored the Chargers 21-0 in the second half to deny the Chargers the homecoming win.

With the loss Chariton fell to 0-3 in District play and 1-4 overall.  Chasen Blue had 2 tackles and 1 assist.

Chariton Chargers Football 2012

JV Chargers edged out by Oskaloosa

JV Chargers edged out by Oskaloosa in great game at home

JV team plays at Winterset Sept. 24 at 5:30

By Bill Howes Chariton Herald Patriot

In a very well-played JV football game, the Chariton JV Chargers came up one point short in a 27-26 loss to Oskaloosa at Chariton Monday night.  The game was tied 7-7 after one period and at halftime and 20-20 after three quarters. 

With the loss Chariton moved to 2-2 overall.

At quarterback, Quin Storm went 9-14 for 111 yards and a touchdown.  Laing caught two passes for 35 yards and Charlie Palmer caught two for 29.  Ryan caught two for 22 and Hunter Storm caught two for 20.  Brad Krutsinger caught one for five.  Krutsinger had three solo tackles, two assists and one fumble recovery.  Laing had one solo tackle, three assists and one fumble recovery.  Chase Altenhofen had one solo tackle and three assists.  Chance Wertz had two solo tackles, three assists and a forced fumble.

Special Teams Mistakes earn loss to Osky

A couple of special teams mistakes lead to 40-20 loss at Oskaloosa.  The Chargers started strong, but ended up with the loss.  The Chargers had a 100-yard rush as Matt Schultz rushed for 108 yards on 18 carries and one touch-down.  With the loss, Chariton moved to 0-2 in District play and 1-3 overall. 

Alex Wright's extra point split the uprights to make the score 7-0 with 8:51 left in the first quarter.

Chariton didn't quit and they scored twice in the last 1:10 of the game.  After taking over on downs at their own 31 with 1:10 left, McCurdy took off down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run, elating the Charger crowd.  Wright's extra point was good to make the score 40-14 with 1:01 left.

Senior of the Week 2012

2012 Chariton Homecoming Court

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton High School Homecoming Court.  Queen candidates are front from left:  Chelsea McGee, Kylie Bengtson, Leah Dow, Miranda Davis and Tori Greubel.  King candidates are back from left:  Matt Schultz, Bryce Cunningham, Token Hall, Jordan Baughman and Austin Peterson.  (Justin Sharp Photo).

JV Chargers Suffer First Loss to Norwalk

The Chariton JV football team lost their operner to Norwalk, 14-6.  The Chargers fell despite a strong defensive effort where they held Norwalk to just 86 yards of total offense.  With the loss, Chariton moved to 2-1 overall.

Chasen Blue had 47 yards on six carries.  Brad Krutsinger caught two passes for 25 yards and had one assist.  Keith Trusty had one assist and Chris Wright had two tackles for a loss.  Chase Altenhofen had one solo tackle, three assists and four tackles for a loss.

Varsity Chargers play #5 Norwalk in District Opener

On September 7, Friday night, Chariton had a marvelous start and put forth a magnificent effort against #5 Norwalk at Reynolds Field in their District opener.  The Chargers hung tough with the Warriors for the entire first half and trailed just 14-12 at halftime.  However they ended up losing 42-19.  Chasen Blue recovered an onside kick that surprised everyone.  This placed the ball on the Norwalk 49 yard line.  But after moving the ball down to the Warrior 42 Chariton's drive stalled and the Chargers were forced to punt.  Alex Wright had 2 solos and Chasen Blue had 2 solos, and 1 assist.

East Union Game at Charger Invitational

Shutout Win Over Fairfield Trojans

An Outstanding defensive effort lifted the Chariton JV football team to a 14-0 win over Fairfield at Chariton on September 4.  The Chargers scored 14 points in the first quarter and amassed 245 yards of offense in the game.  With the win Chariton improved to 2-0 on the season.  Chasen Blue and Daric Laing each scored a touchdown for the Chargers and Laing kicked two extra points.  Blue rushed for 21 yards on four carries.  Blue caught five passes for 71 yards.  Blue had three solo tackles and Chris Wright had one tackle.  Brad Krutsinger had two solo tackles, three assists, two tackles for a loss and one interception.  Chase Altenhofen had two solo tackles, one assist and two sacks.

9th Chargers beat Ft. Madison

The Chariton freshmen football team improved to 2-0 with another impressive performance in a 26-12 win over Ft. Madison at Chariton Aug. 31.  Dillon Sanders rushed for 119 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown and as a team, Chariton rushed for 198 yards on 40 carries and a touchdown.  Brad Krutsinger had six solo tackles and four assists.  Chance Wertz had four solos and three assists.  Chase Altenhofen had four solos and one assist.

JV Volleyball Team Falls to Davis County

The Chariton JV Volleyball Team fell, 2-1, to Davis County in a conference match at Chariton on September 4.  Game one was played very well, but the team lost focus in games two and three.  In serving, Chariton went 57-68, 84 percent, and had 15 aces.  Alexis Curran went 16-19 with seven aces.  Brittany White went 4-4.  Lindsay Black went 1-1 with one kill.  Curran had two digs.

Senior of the Week - Alex Wright

8th Boys Football Team Loses to Creston

The Chariton eight grade football team opened their season with a 46-0 loss at Creston Sept. 6.  Creston built a 20-0 lead at halftime and the Chargers kept battling hard but came up short.
Quarterback Levi Abbas went 2-5 with 29 yards passing.  Ryder Krutsinger had one tackle.

Chariton JV Volleyball Loses to Knoxville

Chariton JV Volleyball Team Loses tight Match to Knoxville on the Road

In a non-conference match at Knoxville, the JV girls battled hard but lost a couple of close games, 21-25 and 22-25.  Lindsay Black and MacKenzie Welch each went 4-4 with an ace.  Alexis Curran went 4-5 and Sarah Fuhs went  4-6.  Curran went 11-13 with five kills.  Black had two digs. Curran led the team with four blocks.

9th Chargers have 28-0 win in Season Opener

The freshmen football team's 28-0 season opening win over Creston came like a locomotive, amassing over 300 yards of offense and four touchdowns.  Defensively, Chariton only allowed four first downs for the game.  Daric Laing led the team with 145 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.  Andrew Chapman had 54 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.  Bradley Krutsinger had five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns.  Krutsinger had four tackles and two assists.  Chance Wertz had three tackles and three assists.  Chapman had one tackle and two assists.

JV Chariton Chargers Win over Creston

A 22-6 win over Creston is the way the JV Chariton Chargers started their season.  The Chargers rushed for 257 yards in this season opener.  Chariton had 14 first downs and 321 yards of total offense.  The Chargers rushed for 257 yards on 48 carries and had 64 yards passing.  They only had one turnover.  Chasen Blue led the team with 108 yards on 17 carries.  Blue had three solos and one assist.  Bradley Krutsinger had one solo, four assists and one interception.

Varisty Team Award Winners

Pictured are the Varsity Team Award winners.  From left:  Delaney Richards-Most Improved Player, Miranda Davis-Defensive Award, Kylie Bengtson-Offensive Award, Chelsea McGee-Spirit Award, Presley Swan-MVP.  Not pictured:  Abbee Curran-Hustle Award.

Chariton Varsity Softball All-Conference

Pictured are the Chariton Varsity Softball Players named to All-Conference.  Front left:  Kylie Bengtson-All SCC second team, Miranda Davis-SCC Honorable Mention, Emma Fuhs-SCC Honorable Mention and Presley Swan SCC-First Team. (Veronica Fuhs photos).

Lucas County Fair Queen Participated at Iowa State Fair

Lucas County Fair Queen, Krista Hewlett participated in the Iowa State Fair Queen Competition on August 11.  (Iowa State Fair/Steve Pope Photography).

Lady Chargers beat Pleasantville 3-0

Leah Dow performs a dig against Pleasantville at the Charger Dome August 23rd.  The Lady Chargers beat the Trojans, 3-0, to improve their record to 3-0 overall (Bill Howes Photo).

Bill Riley Talent Show

Elyssa Black, 16, performed a vocal solo during the Bill Riley Talent Show at the Iowa State Fair on August 11.  (Iowa State Fair/Steve Pope Photography).

2012 Chariton Football Coaches

Pictured are the 2012 Chariton Football Coaches.  Front row from left:  Lee Sandy, Curt Smyser, Josh Snook and Lee Cain.  Back row from left:  Bob Cain, Tracy Hall, Bill Brown and Carl Marshall.