When Declan Plemmons won the AAU Class A170-pound state championship — in just his third year of wrestling, he had one thought on his mind.

“I’m gonna go hug my mom,” he excitedly admitted, his mother Sarah a short distance away awaiting the big squeeze.

Adam Gress continued to serve his love of wrestling and the young grapplers of Spencer when he opened Aggressive Wrestling Academy ahead of the 2023-24 youth tournament season.

Drawing 50 participants — ranging from pre-kindergarten age through high school seniors — the former Spencer High wrestling coach will run his program year-round in the renovated former post office and Bogenrief Studio building on West Fifth Street.

SPENCER — Several top 10 finishes, in a loaded field, highlighted the Spencer boys final performance of the indoor track season, March 23, at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. The Tigers earned three third place finishes in the 300-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump; while recording eight other top 10 efforts at the Ruth Marske Invitational.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Iowa Lakes sports shooting team participated in the 2024 Nationals in San Antonio, Texas on March 23. The team shot 472x500 to tie for eighth place in Division 4 with Southeast Community College of Nebraska and the University of Arkansas Cossatot.

Roughly 35,000 camo-covered hunters in stealth mode will be heading to the timber in the next few weeks for Iowa’s spring turkey season. And, just as important as contacting the landowner, checking the shell supply and finding the decoys, part of every hunt prep is to review safe hunting practices.

Coming off record harvests in 2020 and again in 2023, Iowa’s spring turkey hunters could be living in the “good ol’ days.” And with three straight years of good hatches across much of the state, roughly 35,000 hunters are ready to hit the woods.

If walleyes live near where you live, they can be caught right now. Some states, and some areas of some states have a closed season on ‘eyes, but with just a little travel, you can get to areas that have walleye fishing happening now and those areas are probably closer to you than you think. Following are some ways to get in on the action.

For the second consecutive year, Bass Federation’s Student Angler Federation is returning to the Okoboji chain of lakes for the SAF Iowa State Championships. This year’s championship will be held on Saturday, April 27.

According to SAF Youth Director Bob Harris, “Last year we had nearly 50 boats consisting of two-youth partners per boat for the 2023 SAF Championships. With the leagues growing across the state, I am anticipating we could approach 70 teams this year.”

DES MOINES — Xavier Luna, a Spencer sixth grade student, after quarterbacking his team to a Midwest Youth Football League championship last fall, stood atop the podium at the AAU State Boys Wrestling Tournament in Des Moines. The tournament, conducted Feb. 24-25 at the Wells Fargo Arena, saw Xavier standing alongside his coach and father, Ramon Luna, just as he had done last October on MYFL Championship Weekend in Sioux Rapids.

LINN MAR — The Spencer YMCA Tigersharks competed at the YMCA Regional Swim Meet this past weekend in Linn Mar. The team featured two high-point winners — Riley Schoelerman and Halle Sears.

Schoelerman was first among the 8-and-under girls with 128 points. She swam to four first places, two second places and one fifth.

Ahead of her senior tennis season at Spencer High School, Lauren Ellis signed Thursday morning, during spring break, with Morningside College — surrounded by family, teammates, friends and her high school and college coaches.

Third-year Morningside Mustangs coach Alex Struck said, “Lauren’s best tennis days ahead of her.”

Calling her a “true competitor” the third-year coach said, “I’m excited to see her senior tennis season.”

DES MOINES — Spencer’s Shaylee Sutherland is the oldest of Bonnie and Jimmy’s three children and she is setting an example of how hard work and dedication pays off in success and accomplishment.

The Spencer High School wrestler reached the Century Club as a junior this past season en route to a runner-up finish at 140 pounds at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Wrestling Tournament in February to put a wrap on her varsity season.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is partnering for a third year with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas to conduct a statewide walleye fishing challenge from March 30 through June 30.

It’s 10 o’clock on a summer night along a gravel road anywhere in Iowa. In the farm pond next to the road, a raucous chorus of male frogs are making themselves heard as they vie for mates. A volunteer stands clipboard in hand, ear cocked, mentally sorting out each of the calling species which are using this seemingly ordinary pond.

Spring came early in many areas this year. That made anglers who enjoy open water fishing happy. Many of them celebrated their first open water fishing trip of the year earlier than usual.

For many of us, the first fishing trip of the season is for crappies, perch, or some form of panfish. There is still time to take advantage of this action. If you want to do-so, here are some ideas that will increase your odds for panfish success.