Exchange Student Leaves Chariton

Cole, Jay, Kim and Jayme Pierschbacher of Russell, Exchange Student,

David Apollo, Paula, Alex and Gene Wright

Local Rotary Club members provide opportunities for international students to reside in Chariton, attend the local school district and absorb the American culture.  David Apollo from Ecuador, was this year's youth exchange student.  He spent the first part of the year with the Wright family of Chariton and finished out the year in Russell with the Jay Pierschbacher family.  The Chariton Rotary Club hosted his 18th birthday party before he left for a month long discover America trip.

Chariton Honor Band

Pictured are the CHS students that took part in the Iowa State University Honor Band, February 3 and 4 at Iowa State University in Ames.  From left:  Maddy Shelton, clarinet, junior; Raven Terrell, clarinet, senior; Jaymie Pierschbacher, flute, freshman; Kellie Lahart, flute, junior; Laura Tordoff, alto saxaphone, sophomore; and Joe Hizenbaugh, trumpet, sophomore.  Shelton, Pierschbacher and Hixenbaugh were in the Cyclone Band and Terrell, Lahart and Tordoff were in the Cardinal Band.

2012 Chariton Boys Soccer Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton boys soccer team.  First row from left:  Chasen Blue, Asa St. Lawrence, Ben Morrett, Sam Reus, Eduard Rodygin, Daniel Ilyenko, Trevor Stinhausen, Lane Blue and David Apolo.  Second row from left:  Mathias Plank, Jared Kent, Ronny Christensen, Chase McDonald, Nick Clark, David Kopytko, Edward Timofeyev, Shawn Kearney, Noah Thatcher and Caleb Olson.  Third row from left:  Alex Krongart, Joe Morrett, Sergey Kopytko, Kellen Curnutte, Cole Pierschbacher, Mike Mosbach, Jake Mosbach, Austin Burlin, Tylar Goddard and Timofey Timofeyev.  Not pictured:  Matt Schultz, Drew Derringer and Pavel Garbuzov.

2012 Chariton Girls Soccer Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton girls soccer team.  Front row from left:  Briellyn Black, Amber Sanders, Quincy Swarthout and Marissa Goodrich.  Second row from left;  Karissa Terrell, Ellie Bengtson, Starr Covington, Luiza Tsygipalo, Abby Braida, Cierra Covington, Emily Grismore, Rachelle Ruepke, Ashten Blue, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Abbee Curran, Jayme Pierschbacher, Sierra Pruiett and Sara Foxhoven.  Third row from left:  Head Coach Andrew St. Lawrence, Chelsea McGee, Kylie Bengtson, Abbie Schultz, Kourtney Nichols, Vicki Slobodyanik, Renae Beard, Julianna Blidchenko, Madison Briggs, Kelcie Scarlett, Mackenzie Krutsinger, Faith Stufflebeem, Taylor Sherrick, Paige Stroud, Samantha Banks, Shantie Chance, Megan Masters and Assistant Coach Josh Hendricks.

2012 Chariton Girls Track Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton Girls Track team.  Front from left:  Kellie Lahart, Allyson Showers, Allison Mark, Madison Showers, Ashley Beatty, Nikki McCurdy and Leta Etter.  Middle row from left:  Brittany White, Aspen Koehn, Lindsay Black, Delaney Richards and Presley Swan.  Back row from left:  Emma Fuhs, Emily Seuferer, Laura Tordoff, Nikki Vande Lune and Ellie Bengtson.  Not pictured:  Abby Braida.

2012 Chariton Girl's Golf Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton girls golf team.  Front row from left:  Megan Reynolds, Leah Dow, Elyssa Black, Bethany Draper and Caroline Hunkele.  Back row from left:  Cassie Carpenter, Mallory Gwinn, Abby Storm, Miranda Davis, Tori Greubel and Mikaela Plank.

2012 Chariton Boys Golf Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton boys golf team.  Front from left:  Alex Wright, Dylan Runyan, Alex Runyan, Chris Christensen, Brett Hardin and Cameron Knust.  Back row from left:  Dallas Cady, Nate Hitt, Brett Braida, Sawyer Dow, Dusty Hardin, Bryce Cunningham and Austin Peterson.  Not pictured:  Cody Smith, Drew Spinler and Aaron Dyer.

2012 Chariton Boys Track Team

Pictured are the members of the 2012 Chariton boys track team.  Front from left:  Christian Bengtson, Jon Lazear, Stephen McCurdy, Austin Ritenour, Aaron McDonough, Nate Hoeger and Ben Kinonen.  Middle row from left:  Chase Braaksma, Token Hall, Caleb Allen, Mark Schroeder, Zach McElroy, Greg Beard and J.C. Granahan.  Back row from left:  Zach Palmer, Travis Morr, Dylan Showers, Cameron Knutz, William Kline and Alec Reynolds.  Not pictured:  Gehrig Sinclair, Jordan Baughman, Jared Herr, Ethan Askland, Stephen Penrod and Austin Richard.

Soccer - Chariton vs Centerville

Chariton varsity boys' soccer team's outstanding season came to a close with a 3-2 loss to Centerville in the substate semifinal at Reynolds Field.  With the loss, Chariton ended the season with an 11-5 record.

On the left:  Chariton's Lane Blue (#11) heads the ball in the substate semifinal game against Centerville at Reynolds Field.  On the right:  Cole Pierschbacher scores a goal on this corner kick in the 27th minute of the first half against Centerville.  This goal gave Chariton a 2-1 lead at the time. 

Charger Soccer Team Beats PCM

The Chariton varsity boy's soccer team clinched a winning season with a hard-fought 5-4 win over PCM at Reynolds Field on May 10th.  The Chargers overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a three-goal flurry over an eight-minute span in the first half.  They added two more goals and their defense held off the Mustangs to come away with the win.  With the victory Chariton moved to 8-4 overall.  The scoring started with Cole Pierschbacher putting in a free kick on the right side about 22 yards out in the 27th minute to cut the lead to 2-1.  Just before halftime PCM rebounded to tie the score.  Chasen Blue broke the tie with a goal.   The Chargers added their last goal on a nice cross by Chasen Blue, which Shawn Kearney headed into the goal in the 67th minute to give Chariton a 5-3 lead.    PCM wouldn't quit and scored their fourth goal in the  70th minute to cut the lead to 5-4.  However, the Charger defense was able to hold on and finish off the last 10 minutes to get the win.

Soccer Team has 1-0 win over Knoxville in Double OT

The Chariton varsity boys' soccer team kept their magical season alive with a thrilling 1-0 win in double overtime over Knoxville in the first round of substate play at Reynolds Field in Chariton.  The game was a tightly contested scoreless thriller in which 93 minutes of soccer were played before someone could score.

Left:  Ronny Christensen (#25) goes after a ball along with a Knoxville player during the first half.

Right:  Lane Blue sends the ball sailing downfield early in the first half against Knoxville.

Chariton's Chasen Blue (#7) moves by Knoxville's Matt Beary with the ball during the first half of the Charger's substate opener against the Panthers at Reynolds Field.  Chariton won the game in double overtime 1-0 to advance to the substate semifinal against Centerville at Reynolds Field May 24.  (Bill Howes stories and photos).

Knust, Wright lead Charger Golfers at PCM Tournament

The Chariton boys' golf team competed at a golf tournament at PCM last month.  It was an 18-hole tournament with nine teams in it and the Chargers placed seventh with a team score of 385.  Cameron Knust led Chariton with a score of 86.  Alex Wright shot a 97. Dylan Runyan shot a 100 and Austin Peterson shot a 102 to round out the top four in scoring.

2012 Wayne County High School Graduates

Congratulations to the following Russell area graduates on May 20th:

Hailee Ann Feehan, daughter of Chris and Kim Feehan.  She was involved in volleyball, basketball, track, FBLA, FCCLA, Art Club, Spanish Club, Kids Helping Kids, yearbook, student council and National Honor Society.  Hailee plans to attend Iowa State University.

Olivia Anne Grimes, daughter of Chris and Christine Grimes.  She was involved in volleyball, basketball, track, softball, JEL, drumline and Kids Helping Kids.  Olivia's plans are undecided.

Kaitlyn Ann McCurdy, daughter of Mark and Amy McCurdy.  She was involved in volleyball, volleyball manager, golf, softball, JEL, FCCLA, Spanish Club, Brain Bowl, Kids Helping Kids and National Honor Society.  Kaitlyn will attend Northwestern College in Orange City to become a nurse.

Our congratulations also to other area Russell graduates who appear in the Chariton paper.  If we have missed anyone, please let us know.

Cameron Knust leads Charger Golfers at D.M. Meet

The Chariton boys' golf team's season came to a close at the sectionals meet at Willow Creek Golf Course in Des Moines May 9.

The Chargers played pretty well and placed eighth overall with a score of 368.  Cameron Knust led Chariton with an 85.  Alex Wright shot a 92 and Austin Peterson shot a 93. 

Centerville took home top team honors with a 308 score.

Chargers beat Centerville on Senior Night

The Chariton varsity boys' soccer team got sweet revenge with a 5-4 win over Centerville on Senior Night, May 11th, at Reynolds Field.  The win avenged a 4-2 loss to the Big Rds earlier this season.  The win gave Chariton their ninth win of the season and moved their record to 9-4 overall.  Senior Cole Pierschbacher had a hat trick and scored the 50th goal of his high school career in the win.

Cole Pierschbacher pushed the lead to 2-0 when he received a nice pass from Ben Morrett and dribbled across the field firing the ball past the goalie near post in the 24th minute.  Centerville kept plugging away and scored in the last minute of the half to cut the lead to 2-1 at halftime. 

In the 43rd minute, Pierschbacher took a corner and bent the ball into the goal just off the keeper's hands to give Chariton a 3-1 lead.  The Big Reds answered and scored a goal in the 49th minute to make the score 3-2.  The Chargers came right back as Pierschbacher scored on another nice shot from the left side about 25 yards out to give Chariton a 4-2 lead.  When the score was tied at 4-4, St. Lawrence took a corner and sent a great ball across the goal where Chasen Blue somehow put a head on and blasted it by the Centerville goalie in the  75th minute to give Chariton a 5-4 lead.  Chariton's defense stiffened to hold Centerville scoreless for the last five minutes to get the win.

Ashten Blue Against PCM May 10th

Ashten Blue (#5 right) tries to get the ball away from a PCM player during the girls'soccer game on May 10th.

Boy Golfers 6th at SCC

The Chariton boy's golf team competed at the SCC meet at Albia May 7th.  Chariton placed sixth with a 361 score and Alex Wright led Chariton with an 89. 

Centerville won the meet with a 306 score and Clarke was second with a 323. 

Cameron Knust and Dylan Runyan each shot a 90.  Austin Peterson shot a 99.

Charger Soccer Team falls to Centerville, 4-2

The Chariton varsity boys' soccer team suffered a 4-2 loss to Centerville at Centerville May 1.  It was the first win of the year for the Big Reds, who were hungry for a win and came ready to play.  With the loss, Chariton moved to 6-3 overall.

Centerville put a header in the back of the net in the first four minutes of the game to take a 1-0 lead.  They continued to control the game and put two more goals in the net in the first half to take a 3-0 lead.  Chariton got on the board just before half with four seconds left when Chasen Blue was taken down in the box by the Centerville goalie, giving the Chargers a penalty kick.

Cole Pierschbacher took the penalty kick and scored, cutting the Big Red lead to 3-1 at halftime.

Pierschbacher Scores Two Goals Against Carlisle

A couple of goals by Cole Pierschbacher and another strong defensive effort lifted the Chariton varsity boys' soccer team to a 2-0 win over Carlisle at Chariton April 27.

It was Chariton's third shutout of the season and the third for goalie Kellen Curnutte  With the win, Chariton improved to 6-2 overall.

Chariton scored first in the seventh inute of the game on a long free kick by Pierschbacher.  The kick traveled over 40 yards in the air and went sailing over the outstretched hands of the Carlisle goalie and into the top back corner.  Chariton scored their next goal in the 33rd minute on a penalty kick by Pierschbacher.

Oskaloosa Soccer Game May 8th

Left:  Cole Pierschbacher (#10) blocks the ball through the legs of an Oskaloosa player during the first half of Tuesday, May 8th's game.

Right:  Lane Blue kicks the ball downfield from the Chariton goal end in the first half against Oskaloosa May 8th.

Wright, Hardin lead Charger Golfers at Albia

The Chariton boys' golf team competed at a triangular meet at Albia with Davis County and Albia May 3rd.  The Chargers placed third with a team score of 185.  Alex Wright shot a 43.  Cameron Knust shot a 46.  Sawyer Dow shot a 54.  

Lady Chargers Golf at Moravia Invite

The Chariton girl's golf team played at the Moravia Invite at the Preserve at Rathbun Lake May 3rd.  On a very difficult course, the Lady Chargers placed sixth out of seven teams with a score of 478.  Leah Dow shot a 118 and Elyssa Black shot a 125.  Ankeny Christian won the meet with a 395 score.

Gwinn leads girl golfers at Newton

The Lady Charger golfers competed at the newton Invite on May 1st.  Facing some tough, bigger schools, Chariton placed eighth out of eight teams with a team score of 249.  Leah Dow shot a 63 and Elyssa Black shot a 70.  South Tama won the team standings with a 191.

Knust Leads Charger Golfers at Charger Invitational

Chargers place sixth at home meet.

Austin Peterson putts at the Charger Invite boys golf tournament
 on May 2nd.  He shot a 98 at the tournament. (Bill Howes photo)

Cameron Knust putts at the Charger Invite golf tournament on May 5th.
  He led Chariton with an 86 score (Bill Howes photo).

The Chariton boys golf invite was held on a beautiful sunny morning on May 5th.  Chariton shot very well at the 18-hole tournament placing sixth overall with a score of 359.  Cameron Knust led Chariton with an 86 and Dusty Hardin shot an 89.  Alex Wright shot a 93.  Austin Peterson shot a 98.  Creston won the meet with a 306 score. 

Charger Soccer Team Wins 3-1 Against Albia

Chasen Blue (#7 red) goes up to head a ball while colliding with an Albia player

 during the varsity boys' match in Albia.  Chariton won, 3-1 (Dave Paxton photo)

Chariton's Ben Morrett (front right) heads a ball against Albia.  Also pictured hidden at
the front right is Austin Burlin (#9) and in the background is Cole Pierschbacher (#10).  (Dave Paxton photo)

The Chariton varsity boys soccer team got sweet revenge with a 3-1 win over Albia at Albia May 3rd.  The Chargers led 1-0 at halftime.  Cole Pierschbacher added another goal for the Chargers early in the second half.  This was set up by a double assist from Kearney to Asa St. Lawrence, and from St. Lawrence to Pierschbacher for the goal.  Pierschbacher received the ball just outside the 18 and beat the goalie on the ground to the back corner.  Chasen Blue put the ball into the open net to give the Chargers their third and final goal. 

Prom Pictures 2012

Madison Offenburger and Alec Reynolds   -   Marissa Goodrich and Cody Carroll  Prom  2012