UnityPoint Health Receives Inspired Award

Posted on March 5, 2018March 5, 2018 by Rick Watts

(GRINNELL, Iowa) UnityPoint Health® – Grinnell Regional Medical Center underwent a cultural climate change in early 2015 by educating GRMC staff using materials from Values Coach, Inc. Then in February 2018, GRMC employees received the Joe Tye Inspired Award for exhibiting excellence in both values and culture.

“GRMC is just the third hospital in America to receive this award,” says Joe Tye, CEO of Values Coach, Inc. “And a trailblazer for many more to follow.”

GRMC welcomed 27 team members to become Certified Values Coach Trainers and also team-taught The Twelve Core Action Values to their fellow GRMC employees. Each employee has completed the two-day values course, and all new hires complete the course as part of new employee orientation. The twelve core action values are woven into every job description and account for 50 percent of every performance evaluation.

The Values Team at GRMC meets regularly to discuss ways to enhance organizational culture and operational effectiveness. More than 20 new projects were launched under the guidance of this team.

As a demonstration of how this program has changed the lives of their staff, GRMC collected more than 50 stories from employees. These will be published in a book for employees in May.

In its most recent patient satisfaction survey results from fourth quarter 2017, GRMC ranked in the 95 percentile for the question “would you recommend the hospital?” GRMC also received the top score for overall hospital rating. All of these accomplishments factored into GRMC’s receipt of the award.

“Our staff is truly amazing. The board of directors and GRMC administration wanted to invest in our employees and their satisfaction, both personally and professionally,” says Doris Rindels, interim GRMC CEO. “The Core Value program enriches our employees’ lives and creates a greater culture here at GRMC for our patients. It’s had a positive impact on our organization.”

Pictured (L – R): Todd Linden, former GRMC president and CEO; Janet Lacey, Josey Van Weelden and Julie Buck, members of the values committee; Doris Rindels, interim CEO of UnityPoint Health® – Grinnell Regional Medical Center, and Joe Tye. **Photo provided by GRMC.**

-This information was provided in a news release sent from staff at Grinnell Regional Medical Center.

North Mahaska Again Leads the Way for Ranked Girls’ Basketball Teams

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Rick Watts

The latest rankings from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union have been released for girls’ basketball and four area teams remain in the rankings.

North Mahaska continues to be the highest ranked team in the area, as they continue to sit at #3 for the second straight week in Class 1A. The Warhawks already have wins over Lynnville-Sully and Montezuma, their two toughest opponents in the South Iowa Cedar League. NM is 7-0 to start the year.

Speaking of Montezuma, the Bravettes and first year Head Coach Janel Burgess are off to a great start at 7-1 and are at #9 this week. That is down one spot from their #8 ranking last week.

Two Little Hawkeye Conference teams are in the poll in Class 4A. Grinnell continues to be ranked 4th in the state with a 6-0 record including a big win over Pella. The Lady Dutch are #12 in Class 4A after falling out of the rankings the previous week. Pella is 4-2.

The next rankings from the IGHSAU will be released next Thursday night.

Oskaloosa Boys Victorious Over Grinnell, Girls Stumble

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa basketball teams were back at it in Little Hawkeye Conference play with a doubleheader against Grinnell at home. The girls started things off and fell to the #4 Tigers, 94-21, while the boys took care of business with a 76-30 win.

The girls game led off the evening and was never in question from the opening tip. Grinnell is coming off of a state tournament run last year and showed that they will be right back in the mix this year. The Tigers outscored Osky in the first quarter 37-6, but the Indians did show an improved press break and got into the half-court offense several times early. Shots were not falling and the turnovers began to snowball as the game wore on.

By the end of the game, Grinnell had the 94-21 victory. Senior Sienna Durr led the charge with 36 points and six steals. Durr also surpassed the all-time scoring mark for Grinnell Girls Basketball in the contest. Grinnell is now 5-0 on the year.

Oskaloosa was led by Marleigh Denburger, who finished with ten points. Oskaloosa is now 0-5.

In the boys game, Oskaloosa started out fast and furious en route to a 28-8 lead after just one quarter of play. The defensive intensity also was stout for the Indians as they held Grinnell to just three points in the second quarter. Osky led 45-11 at the half. The second half was much of the same, as the Indians would cruise to a 76-30 win to move to 5-0 this year.

Xavier Foster and Cole Henry both had 16 points to lead the way for the Indians. Foster also blocked six shots. Jarad Kruse was also in double figures with 12 points and he added four assists. Spencer Tucker had eight points, five assists, and three steals. The Indians are now 5-0 on the year.

Grinnell was without leading scorer Ethan Mitchell, who sat out with an ankle injury. In his stead, freshman AJ Wilkins led the way for the Tigers with six points and five rebounds. Grinnell is now 0-4 on the year.

The Oskaloosa boys will be back in action next Tuesday at 7:45 PM for a non-conference varsity contest against Washington. We will have a live broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN with a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Oskaloosa. The girls will be back in action as a part of a doubleheader next Friday at Dallas Center-Grimes.

Oskaloosa Boys Sharp Offensively in Rout of Centerville

Posted on December 6, 2017December 6, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa Indians Boys Basketball team was back at it on Tuesday night against Centerville in a non-conference matchup. The offensive output stole the show, as the Indians scored a season-high in their 92-65 victory.

The first quarter started with both teams hitting some early shots in a fast-paced affair. By the end of the quarter, Osky had put together enough to take a 19-14 lead into the second.

The Indian defense would slow the Big Red offense significantly in the second quarter as Centerville only mustered nine points in the period. Oskaloosa, on the other hand, continued to stay hot as several players got into the act offensively. After a 25 point quarter, Osky had a 44-23 halftime lead.

The third quarter was something special to watch, as both teams put on one of the best collective offensive displays one would ever see at a high school game. The teams traded baskets for most of the third quarter en route to scoring a ridiculous 62 combined points. Oskaloosa would get the better end after becoming unconscious from three-point land with Spencer Tucker leading the way. The Indians outscored the Big Reds 39-23 in the offensive showcase in just eight minutes of basketball.

The fourth quarter saw the running clock and some strong work from the second unit of Centerville to cut the lead down by the end of the game, but it was all Osky with the 92-65 final.

The Indians were led by Spencer Tucker, who exploded from downtown in the second half and cruised to a 22-point night. Xavier Foster had a big game all around with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Jarad Kruse and Cole Henry also chipped in plenty of offense, as Kruse had 16 and Henry had 14.

Centerville was led by Dan Hargrave, who finished with 15 points.

Oskaloosa is back in action on Friday as they will play Grinnell in Little Hawkeye Conference play. That will be a part of a doubleheader starting with the girls’ game at 6:15 PM. You can hear the broadcast on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and watch a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7. The pregame show will begin at 6 PM.

North Mahaska Leads the Way As Six Area Girls Teams Ranked

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Rick Watts

The latest poll from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union came out late last week and a half-dozen schools in the area are ranked in girls basketball.

In Class 1A, North Mahaska continues to lead the charge at #4 after a strong start. Their biggest test of the early portion of the season will be this Friday on the Game of the Week on 104.9 FM KBOE. The Warhawks will be hosting the Bravettes of Montezuma, who are ranked #9 for the second straight week. Both teams already boast early season wins over Lynnville-Sully, who is still in the rankings at #13.

Pekin joins the fray in Class 2A as the Panthers are #14 in the latest poll. Pekin has won three of their first four games, all of which came on the road. Their lone loss was at #13 Mediapolis.

In Class 4A, Grinnell and Pella are still representing the tough Little Hawkeye Conference. Grinnell is still in the #4 slot while Pella dropped three spots down to #13. Both teams are starting to get into the thick Little Hawkeye Conference.

The next rankings from the IGHSAU will come out later this week.

North Mahaska, Grinnell Highlight Area Girls’ Basketball Teams in First Rankings

Posted on November 20, 2017November 22, 2017 by Rick Watts

Basketball season is getting underway in the coming days for the girls and there are a handful of teams from the listening area that are in the initial rankings from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

In Class 1A, three teams from the South Iowa Cedar League were named. North Mahaska is a big surprise at #4 after a stellar 16-7 season last year with mostly freshman leading the way. Head Coach L.E. Moore and the Warhawks have state tournament experience but after a few down years, this year’s team will have high expectations to try to make it back with still a young core learning together.

Also in the Class 1A rankings are Montezuma and Lynnville-Sully. Montezuma went 17-7 last season under Cory Nikkel and will start this season at #9 under new Head Coach Janel Burgess. Their rivals from Lynnville-Sully had a great year last year, finishing 21-3. The Hawks start the year ranked #12.

In Class 4A, a couple of Little Hawkeye Conference teams made the list. Grinnell will start the year ranked 4^th after a 19-5 season. The Tigers return several key players to that team for Head Coach Trent Edsen. Pella will also be a factor in the LHC, as they are ranked 10^th after finishing 20-5 last season. Head Coach Jerod Garland will have to replace a couple of senior leaders, but there’s still plenty of talent for the Lady Dutch.

There are no area teams ranked in Class 2A, 3A, or 4A.

The No Coast Network will be releasing a full Game of the Week schedule later this week for the basketball season. The Game of the Week will air on 104.9 FM KBOE and kboeradio.com on Fridays throughout the season. Oskaloosa Basketball will be on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and radiokmzn.com with video on MCG Channel 7 for most games, beginning on November 28 as the Indians travel to play Fairfield with the broadcast starting at 6 PM.

Large Schools Look for Momentum Heading Into Volleyball Playoffs

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Rick Watts

We are within a week of every school beginning their trek to the Volleyball State Tournament at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. The schools in Class 3A, Class 4A, and Class 5A will not have it easy to get there.

All first round games in these classes will be on Wednesday, October 18^th at 7 PM.

In Class 3A Region 6, PCM (9-16) will have to go on the road to face West Marshall (27-10). The bracket is fairly loaded, so if PCM finds a way to get past West Marshall in the quarterfinals, #12 Iowa Falls-Alden could be awaiting them.

Staying in Class 3A, Region 8 involves four South Central Conference teams in the bottom half of the bracket. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (19-13) get Albia (10-19), a team they just beat in four sets on Tuesday night. Winner of that matchup will see either Davis County or Centerville. EBF has not lost to any of those teams all season.

Class 4A Region 4 is loaded with four area teams of the six in the bracket. Oskaloosa (11-17) will have to go on the road to play Knoxville (14-19). The Indians have made a habit out of winning road games in the playoffs. The two teams have not seen each other this season. You can hear that game live on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and radiokmzn.com.

Awaiting them is #4 Pella (28-5) for the semifinals on Tuesday, October 24^th. Pella hasn’t dropped a set in two matches with Knoxville this season and swept Oskaloosa in the only meeting between those two teams so far this year.

On the other side of the bracket, Newton (3-20) will be a big underdog on the road against Carlisle (12-13) in the first round. Bondurant-Farrar (17-10) awaits the winner in the second round. B-F is one of the few teams to beat Pella this year which could be a factor if those two teams hold serve and meet in the regional final.

Region 6 in Class 4A has Grinnell (8-19) on the road to face Clear Creek-Amana (19-16) as an underdog. Winner of that match will get #7 Center Point-Urbana (30-9) in the semifinals.

Finally, Ottumwa is our lone Class 5A school and they are in the Region 5 bracket. The Bulldogs (13-16) will host Des Moines North (0-19) in a fairly easy matchup. Should they take care of business there, they will go on the road to face #12 Waukee in the semifinals (23-18). #5 Linn-Mar and #15 Cedar Rapids Prairie are in the other semifinal in a loaded bracket.

The trek to state all begins with the first round, which will take place on Wednesday, October 18^th at 7 PM. We will have continuing coverage of the brackets on the No Coast Network.

Oskaloosa Volleyball Falls on the Road To Grinnell

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa volleyball team was back in conference action on Tuesday night, but it didn’t end the way the Indians were hoping as they fell in straight sets on the road to Grinnell, 25-14, 25-23, 25-19.

Oskaloosa was behind the 8-ball early in all three sets, but battled back in the second and third sets to hang around until late. Several attack errors and an outstanding team defensive effort from the Tigers combined to frustrate several of the Indian attackers.

Josie Bunnell would get going late to log a game-high ten kills. Emily Richmond and Baylee Crawford both would have four kills in the match with Emma Kelderman adding three kills. Jolie Yang would serve up three aces for the Indians.

Grinnell had a very balanced offensive strategy. Junior Macy Harris led the way with nine kills in the game. Kiana Kies was a great option down the stretch for the Tigers, logging seven kills and two aces. Hope Nelson had six kills and Nicole Popp had five for the victors.

The win moves Grinnell to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. They will next be in action next Tuesday, September 12^th, on the road against Newton.

Oskaloosa falls to 3-7 overall on the season and 0-2 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The Indians are back in action this Saturday against several teams at the Southeast Polk Tournament. Their next conference game will be next Tuesday, September 12^th, at home against Dallas Center-Grimes. You can hear that game starting around 7 PM on 99.5 FM and 740 AM KMZN with a live video stream with the help of the Oskaloosa Video Production program on radiokmzn.com and MCG Channel 7 in Oskaloosa.

In other volleyball scores in the area Tuesday night:

Albia 25-25-25, Centerville 20-20-14
Central Lee, Donnellson 25-25-25, Cardinal, Eldon 17-11-13
HLV, Victor 22-26-25-25, Lynnville-Sully 25-24-19-19
Pekin 25-25-25, Louisa-Muscatine 16-12-11
Pella 25-15-25-23-15, Pella Christian 20-25-18-25-9
Southeast Polk 25-25-16-23-15, Ottumwa 14-21-25-25-6
EBF 22-25-25-25, Clarke 25-22-18-10

Oskaloosa Football Looking to Make It Back to the Playoffs in 2017

Posted on August 10, 2017August 10, 2017 by Rick Watts

Yesterday, we took a look at the Game of the Week schedule for the football season, which will be heard on 104.9 FM KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app.

Today, we’ll take a peek at the Oskaloosa Indians football schedule, which as always, can be heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, with live video on radiokmzn.com, and the KMZN mobile app.

Osky gets to open their season against their archrival Pella at home on August 25^th. In case you’ve been under a rock the last few years, Pella has won the last three Class 3A state championships in football while going 41-0. If you go back to the start of the 2013 season, Pella is 52-1 on the gridiron.

While this seems daunting, Oskaloosa has improved in several aspects over the last few seasons and a great 7-3 year in 2016 under first year Head Coach Jake Jenkins gives the Indians a reason to hope for similar success in 2017. That all starts against a new cast of characters for the Little Dutch, who beat Osky Week 1 of the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs last year.

That Week 1 matchup will be a huge contest, but it is a non-district game, so it will have limited implications for the playoffs. Osky will follow that with a road game against Grinnell in Week 2, which the Indians should be favored.

The Indians start Class 3A District 5 play with a Week 3 matchup against Fort Madison at home, another game that Osky will be expected to win.

Week 4 will be a date with Mount Pleasant on the road, and while the Indians handled the Panthers last year, this game could get tricky. Same will be said for the Week 5 home matchup against Solon, who won the district last year.

Week 6 is another tricky road game against Fairfield followed by a Week 7 home game against Keokuk.

Washington gets to host Osky this year in Week 8 and they will be looking for revenge for their one point loss in Oskaloosa last year which kept them out of the playoffs.

The Oskaloosa regular season will wrap up on the road against West Burlington/Notre Dame.

Oskaloosa will likely need to win 6 of the final 7 games to comfortably secure a playoff berth for the second straight year, but that will be no easy feat. Several interesting road games mixed with a tough matchup against Solon at home will test the Indians.

If Osky does fall twice during district play and finds themselves on the outside looking in, that Pella game could loom large. A win in that game to snap the 41-game winning streak of the Dutch could go a long ways to helping Osky grab one of the two wild card playoff spots in Class 3A.

As mentioned, all of the action this season can be heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN with a live video stream on radiokmzn.com and the KMZN mobile app every Friday night with help from the Oskaloosa Video Production program at OHS and MCG. Pregame will start at 7 PM with kickoff every week at 7:30.

Baseball All-State Teams Announced By Coaches Association

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Rick Watts

It’s never easy to become an All-State athlete, but a few area baseball players received that honor, as the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their 2017 All-State Teams earlier this week.

In Class 1A, Twin Cedars senior Trace Embray was named to a utility position on the First Team. Embray pitched over 37 more innings than anyone else for the Sabers. He tossed 62 innings while going 8-2 with a superb .90 ERA while striking out 98 batters and walking only 19. Opponents only had a .150 batting average against him.

He was no slouch at the plate either, hitting .440 with 4 homers and 32 RBI. He also had a .567 on-base percentage, went 33 for 34 stealing bases, and struck out only twice in 75 at bats.

He is joined by a pair of area players on the Second Team: Moravia third baseman Tucker Babbit and Sigourney outfielder Avery Moore.

Babbit finished a great junior year in which he led Moravia with a .413 batting average and a .570 on-base percentage. He hit the only home run on the season for the Mohawks while driving in 23. He was also a thief on the basepaths, going 23 for 25 in swipes. He also did some work on the mound, going 4-2 with a 2.22 ERA as the #3 pitcher in the Moravia rotation.

Moore was a great multi-sport athlete and he wraps up his senior season with an All-State Second Team honor. Moore hit .477 in 2017, hitting a homer with 19 runs batted in. He went 35 for 35 in steals and reached base at a .578 clip. He scored 39 runs on the season in just 23 games for Sigourney.

There were no area players named in Class 2A, but there were four players from the area in Class 3A.

On the First Team, Pella’s junior catcher Jaden Rolffs and senior utility player Tyler Hillman were both honored.

Rolffs was the best hitter for the Dutch in 2017, batting .450 with a .522 on-base percentage. He hit 3 home runs with a team-leading 38 RBI. He also walked twice as many times as he struck out.

Hillman finished a great senior season where he was excellent on the mound while doing more than his share of damage at the plate. He went 5-3 with a 2.20 ERA as the Pella ace. At the dish he hit .400 with a team-leading 6 homers with 33 runs driven in. He had a .511 on-base percentage and walked a team-high 23 times.

On the All-State Second Team in Class 3A, Oskaloosa outfielder Tyler Miller and Grinnell shortstop Ethan Mitchell made the team.

Miller finished an outstanding freshman campaign that saw him lead the state qualifying Indians with a .444 batting average. He reached base at a .492 clip while driving in 22 runs. He also led the way in steals with a 23 for 27 mark.

Mitchell helped lead Grinnell’s bounceback season with a .409 average, a .485 on-base percentage, 2 homers, and 36 RBI, all team-highs. The junior was 11 for 13 in steals and also contributed on the mound with a 4-4 record and a 3.32 ERA.

Finally, Ottumwa senior Austin Shotts was named to the All-State Second Team in Class 4A as the third baseman. Shotts batted .476 with a .563 on-base percentage. He hit one homer with a team-leading 25 RBI. He walked 19 times to only 10 strikeouts and went 17 for 21 in stolen bases. He also went 4-2 on the mound with a 2.12 ERA.

It was a successful summer sports season and these players were the cream of the crop on the baseball diamond in our listening area.

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