Clarinda Activities Director Eli Bales said the fall calendar is already packed — and the early results have given the Cardinals plenty to talk about
Bales joined Aaron on the KCSI / KOAK weekday School Update Thursday morning. Between an Activities Council meeting with students and middle school football in Glenwood later in the day, he ran through band, cheer, tennis, cross country, volleyball, and a football team that is 2-0 after a record night from Cooper Baumgart.
“You recover from baseball and softball, you have a little break, and then we’re just right back in it,” Bales said. “Which is good. We like staying busy.”
Football: eight touchdown passes, then Underwood
Varsity football is 2-0 after wins over Creston and Shenandoah. Last Friday against Shenandoah, Baumgart threw eight touchdown passes, breaking Clarinda’s single-game record of seven set by Tyler Steeve. Bales said the night also put Baumgart fourth all-time in the state for a single game.
“It was a fun night. It was cool to be able to see Cooper be able to do that,” Bales said. The Cardinals draw a tougher test Friday at Underwood. Coach Conner Hanafan, Bales said, keeps preaching one game at a time.
Middle school football may be the quieter headline with the longer shelf life. Bales said Clarinda has about 48 players out — the most the program has ever had — and the Cardinals ran out of helmets. Sidney and Hamburg loaned white helmets so every player could be fitted. Eighth grade plays Glenwood on Thursday. Seventh grade follows next Thursday. Heat has kept the group from much full-pad work outdoors.
“What a great thing to have happen,” the station said of the helmet shortage. Bales agreed.
Tennis: 7-2 over Creston, still unbeaten in league duals
Girls tennis is in year two as a fall sport. Bales said the season starts in early August and is nearly done by September, so it “goes by super fast.” The Cardinals beat Creston 7-2 on Wednesday. Layla Hargis won No. 2 singles at a tournament last week, and the team finished third, one point from the title.
Senior night is Monday, September 14, against Audubon. On Tuesday, September 15, Clarinda goes to Denison for the Hawkeye 10 tournament. Bales said the Cardinals are undefeated in Hawkeye 10 duals.
Volleyball: 5-1, youth tournament this weekend
High school volleyball is 5-1. Clarinda took second at the Glenwood tournament after beating Harlan and going 4-1 on the day, then swept Shenandoah 3-0 on Tuesday. The first home match is September 15 against Denison. Coach Jess Hanafan is still sorting the best lineup on a young roster.
The high school players help run a youth volleyball tournament this weekend that will use all three Clarinda gyms. Middle school volleyball has about 25 girls out under Coach Mohler and Coach Amy Wilson-Wood. They played Red Oak on Tuesday.
Cross country moved to 9 a.m. to beat the heat
Clarinda shifted its home meet to 9 a.m. Tuesday so athletes could run before the heat built. Bales thanked visiting schools for being flexible. The course sits near the old Clarinda Academy property. Coach Jane Mayer handles the layout — work Bales said is easy to underestimate.
At the home meet, Chipper Weinreich took second in middle school. Cooper Riddle was sixth and Brayton Blake 10th among middle school boys. Tana Williams was 17th for middle school girls. Jenna King was 14th for high school girls. Isaiah Stogdill was 24th for high school boys. The Cardinals had already run at Glenwood earlier in the season.
Band, cheer, stage, and the Activities Council
Marching band is about 70 strong, Bales said the group has used Friday-night halftime as practice for marching season and the Clarinda Band Jamboree. The full show is slated for halftime of next week’s homecoming football game against Chariton.
Cheer, put more than 100 mini-cheerleaders on the field at last Friday’s Shenandoah game. Parents lined the railing at halftime. Bales called Stroud one of the best in the state at getting students involved and said the varsity squad travels to nearly every sporting event.
Speech and theater auditions run this week and next. FFA is in a quieter stretch, building its recruitment plan before the year speeds up. National History Day is on a similar early-year calendar.
The Activities Council — started last year to run pep rallies and game-day spirit — has eight students now. Bales said an application went out after seniors graduated; about 20 students have applied, and he expects to add four or five. The council met Thursday morning.
“The ideas that they have to continue to have student engagement at all our activities really shows that they care about Clarinda,” Bales said.
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