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Nowak, Panthers run circles around Golden Eagles
ig fb nowak
Junior Luke Nowak rushed for a career high 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Fridays 277 victory at Fennimore.
Jason Nihles
Updated: Sep 27, 2013, 2:23 PM
Published: Sep 27, 2013, 2:26 PM

     FENNIMORE — Iowa–Grant’s Luke Nowak wasn’t about to let Fennimore reclaim the coveted Milk Can, at least not while he still had something to say about it.
     The speedy junior halfback rushed for a career and game-high 238 yards and a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs on a career-high 28 carries.
     Senior fullback Cody Rider added 94 yards rushing on 17 yards as the usually pass-happy Panthers ran circles around the confused Golden Eagles in a 27–7 SWAL victory at Fennimore High School.
     Iowa–Grant improved to 4–1 overall and 2–1 in the SWAL, its only to league-leading Darlington (4–1, 3–0) and retained the Milk Can rivalry trophy for a fifth straight year.
     Meanwhile, Fennimore fell to (2–3, 1–2). The Golden Eagles last won the Milk Can rivalry game in 2008, 51–14.
Rider broke loose for a 15-yard touchdown run with 3:38 left in the opening quarter to give I–G the early advantage, but the Panthers had to settle for a 6–0 lead after sophomore Isaac Anderson’s conversion pass failed.
     Fennimore tied the game on the first play of the second quarter on a 13-yard pass from Seth Henkel to Patrick Govier. Govier’s extra point gave the host Eagles a 7–6 lead.
     Nowak scored the first of his two TDs four minutes later to make it 12–6.
     Iowa–Grant had a chance to make it a two-score game just before the half, but Fennimore’s defense held four straight times inside the 10-yard line in the final seconds of the second quarter.
     The teams battled through a scoreless third quarter, before the Panthers added to their lead with a 4-yard touchdown run by Rider with 7:52 left to play. Anderson completed the two-point conversion pass to Colin Price.
     Nowak added the knockout punch, another 3-yard touchdown run, with 2:33 remaining. Mikkel Wind’s extra point accounted for the final score.
     Iowa–Grant returns to action Friday at home against Mineral Point (3–2, 2–1).

Iowa–Grant 27, Fennimore 7
(from Friday, Sept. 20 @ Fennimore)
Iowa–Grant    6    6    0    15     — 27
Fennimore      0    7    0     0     —   7
First quarter
IG Cody Rider 15 run (pass failed)
Second quarter
F: Govier 13 pass from Henkel (Govier kick)
IG: Luke Nowak 3 run (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
IG: Rider 4 run (Price pass from Isaac Anderson)
IG: Nowak 3 run (Mikkel Wind kick)
Team Statistics
First downs: IG 18, F 7. Rushing: IG 45-320, F 29-89. Passing Yards: IG 130; F 108. Passing: IG: 14-18-0; F 8-15-1. Fumbles–lost: IG 0-0, F 1-0. Penalties-yards: IG 2-18, F 3-17.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: IG: Luke Nowak 28-238, Cody Rider 17-94; F: Jeff Needham 12-65. Passing: IG: Isaac Anderson 14-18-0, 130; F: Seth Henkel 8-15-1, 108. Receiving: IG: Eli Wienkes 8-83; F: Patrick Govier 5-76.

Darlington honors long-time coach Arnie Miehe
School renames cross country course after legendary coach
Arnie Miehe
Former Darlington cross country coach Arnie Miehe (left) stands as it is announced that the DHS cross country course will be renamed after him at the Darlington Invitational on Sept. 7. The years of accomplishments are displayed on the banner behind Miehe. - photo by Casey Lindecrantz
Natalie Dillon, Fox Tales
Updated: Sep 13, 2024, 4:03 PM
Published: Sep 13, 2024, 4:04 PM

DARLINGTON — At its 41st annual Darlington Invite, the cross country team honored long-time head coach Arnie Miehe by renaming the course after him.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Arnie said. “It’s very humbling. It makes me think of all the hours, days, weeks and years that went into it — all the events and kids I’ve come in contact with.”

Since taking over  the program in 1982, Arnie has had nine state championship teams — eight for the boys and one for the girls — including six consecutive boys’ titles from 2011-2016. Another 39 teams went to state — 23 for the boys and 16 for the girls. For four straight years from 1993-1996, Darlington boys were state runners-up to Cochrane-Fountain City. In this 41-year span, he’s also had numerous individual state runners.

Two of those runners were his sons, Kent and Tyson. Tyson has run in the Olympic trials, and Kent currently coaches the Redbirds cross country teams.

“The recognition needs to be spread out,” Arnie said. “It should really be named the Miehe course. My wife and kids had as much to do with the success as I did. It was an entire family effort.”

But Kent was quick to turn the recognition back to his father.

“All the success we had started here, with him,” Kent said of Darlington’s home course and the annual Invite, which Arnie had begun years ago.

Darlington kept its successful streak at home with the girls finishing runners-up to Lancaster. Adalee Berget led the squad with her third-place finish. As a team, the Lady Redbirds, ranked No. 9 in Division 3 per Week 1 of the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, ran faster than the 2023 squad that finished third at state.

“We are learning what good is,” Kent said. “The returners know what it takes to be good. We have a perspective of what we are working toward. The season is far from over.”