Winter sports underway

As the fall season comes to an end, winter sports start practices for their upcoming seasons. These winter sports include basketball, bowling, boys swimming, and wrestling.

Girls basketball started practicing Nov. 11and has won its first three games against Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and Davenport Assumption. Last year the girls finished with a record of 16-7 and are returning some key players from last year including seniors Maggie Erpelding, Emma Dennison, Grace Mckenzie, and Kaalyn Peterson. They are also returning junior Ashley Fountain. The next game is Friday, Dec. 6, against Davenport North.

Boys basketball started practice on Nov. 18 and had its first game on Thursday, Dec. 5, at home against Cedar Rapids Washington. Last year the team finished 21-2 and ranked number one in the state before losing to Dubuque Senior in the substate finals. The Bulldogs graduated a lot of scoring, but have plenty of players ready to step up. The boys return two starting big men in Lucas Hayes and Oliver Bakeris.

“We lost some good leaders but we have some guys ready to step up and make plays,” said sophomore Tynan Numkena.

Boys and girls bowling is also getting started after the boys finished 17-26 last year, and the the girls finished 21-21. Both the boys and girls have their next meet on Saturday, Dec. 14, against Clinton.

Boys swimming is coming off a Third place finish at state last year and return one of the state’s top swimmers in Charlie Bunn. Bunn won four events at state last year including two individual events and two relays. They have their first meet on Thursday, Dec. 5, against Muscatine.

“We want to win the MAC, win regionals, win JV conference, and place at state,” said senior swimmer Andrew Wall.

The wrestling team had five wrestlers place at the state tournament last year and qualified 12. This year they return four of those wrestlers that placed and look to have a big season. Bettendorf is the preseason number one ranked team in the state. It currently has two preseason number one ranked wrestlers in Dustin Bohren (106) and Griffen Liddle (HWT). It also has five more ranked wrestlers in Aiden Evans (third), Logan Adamson (third), Ethan Barry (fourth), Bradley Hill (sixth), and Kane Schmidt (seventh).

Winters sports go through the end of February and beginning of March.

Harrison Bey-Buie prepares to shoot a free throw at the Bett vs Maquoketa home game.