As we are over halfway done with the 2024-2025 athletic season, let’s take some time to reflect on the success PCM sports have achieved this year, starting us off with summer sports and our baseball and softball teams. With record-breaking numbers and just over 20 eighth graders rostered between both softball and baseball, both teams spent a lot of time on the field with their JV2, JV, and Varsity teams; JV2 being a new addition for softball this year.
Baseball ended their season, 10-13, with a substate quarter-final loss to Des Moines Christian, sixth in the conference, and led by former PCM seniors and current Grand View University baseball players, Nick Farver and Easton Webb. Farver has 29 hits in the box and 40 strikeouts on the mound, and Webb has 22 RBIs and an ERA of 0.00 in 5.1 innings of work. Current senior Trenner VanDyke led the team with 4 wins.
Softball had an overly successful season, with major numbers, lots of fun, and history made. These girls ended their season 25-5, with a 3-1 win over Sumner-Fredericksburg in a Class 3A Consolation game at the state tournament, first in the conference, and tied for fifth at the Iowa high school softball state tournament, a place you would never see these Mustangs till this year. This team was led by former eighth-grader Libby Winters and former sophomore Rylee Parsons. Winters had 34 hits and 34 RBIs at the plate and an ERA of 1.11 in 12.2 innings of work. Parsons led with 16 wins and 101 strikeouts on the mound with 98.2 innings of work.
After summer break concluded, the beginning of our fall sports began, with boys and girls cross country, volleyball, and football.
Cross Country ended their season with one boy’s state qualifier, junior Coby DeRaad, and a whole team of girls’ qualifiers, only the second time ever in PCM history.
Volleyball ended their season, 16-11, with a Class 3A Region 1 semifinal loss to Mount Vernon, who went on to win the Class 3A state title. These Mustangs were also third in the conference and led by junior Tori Lindsay in assists with 465, senior Rebecca DeVries with 2.7 kills per game, freshman Libby Winters with 49 blocks, and senior Addi Steenhoek with 274 digs.
Football found themselves back at the UNI-DOME, a place they hadn’t seen themselves since 2020. The boys ended their season 11-1, with a loss to Spirit Lake in the semi-finals, first in the 2A-6 district, and were led by seniors Gavin VanGorp, Adrien Robbins, Riley Graber, and Finn Wilson. VanGorp in passing yards with 1,490, Robbins in rushing yards with 2,191, Graber in receiving yards with 592, and Wilson with total tackles with 65.5.
Lastly, our winter sports that had not concluded yet are girls’ wrestling, boys’ wrestling, girls’ basketball, and boys’ basketball.
Girls wrestling, which looks different than any other PCM sport, is combined with the neighboring school district, Colfax-Mingo. PCM and Colfax-Mingo came to this agreement last year as an opportunity for PCM’s female students to participate in wrestling. This year the team ended as 13-8-3, with 2 state qualifiers, as well as a fourth-place finish in the South Iowa Cedar conference.
Boys wrestling has five state qualifiers this year and will compete Wednesday, February 19, through Saturday, February 22, at Wells Fargo Arena. This year’s qualifiers are Kaliber Fry (126), Bentlee Sloan (132), Zach Richards (138), Tucker Wheeler (157), and Kaden Clark (285). Fry and Clark are this year’s district champions as well.
Girls basketball is on a roll this season with currently a 20-3 record and hosting their first two rounds of regional play against South Tama and Albia. These Mustangs placed second in the conference and are being led by junior Tori Lindsay in points with 277 and 75 assists, as well as freshman Libby Winters in rebounds with 169.
Boys basketball currently has an 11-11 record and has gotten the ability to host their first game against Van Buren County. The boys ended their season as fourth in the Heart of Iowa Conference and are currently being led by senior Gavin VanGorp in points with 306, junior Chase Wagaman in rebounds with 172, and senior Kaleb DeVries in assists with 98.
Your next Mustangs to be on the lookout for this spring are boys’ track, girls’ track, boys’ and girls’ soccer, boys’ golf, and girls’ golf. As time keeps going, the future’s looking brighter and brighter with these PCM athletics, with more and more state tournament appearances, state leaders, conference championships, and so much more!