The 2019 Class 3A District #3:

The INDEE Youth Boys’ Basketball Camp continues to be well attended annually and this year was no different.  44 campers attended during the evenings throughout last week.  There were campers in grades 5^th through 9^th register from East Buchanan/Winthrop, Independence, Jesup, and Maquoketa.

A common theme that sets Independence Youth Basketball Camp apart are the guest clinicians and guest speakers who attend each year.  This year’s camp featured Clinician Marcus Hall on Sunday and Monday, while Coach Paxton Molinari spoke on Tuesday, and Coach Robbie Sieverding spoke to the campers on Wednesday.

Coach Marcus Hall coached several seasons at Highland High School in Riverside, Iowa and now directs the Kalona YMCA and runs several basketball clinics through his Hardwood Academy Training and Breakthrough Basketball.

Coach Paxton Molinari has coached at DIII Luther, NAIA Benedictine College, NAIA & DII Nebraska Lutheran, and now is the Associate Head Coach at DIII Coe College in Cedar Rapids.

Coach Robbie Sieverding is a local high school graduate of Bellevue, Iowa who went on to play one year at (JUCO) Marshalltown Community College before transferring to DI University of Northern Iowa to finish out his college basketball career.  Coach Sieverding got his start in coaching as an assistant at the University of Dubuque and then in 2007 was promoted to the Head Men’s Basketball coach for the DIII Spartans.

Along with the guests, Head Coach Chad Beatty along with his junior high, high school coaching staffs, and high school players coordinate drills, contests, concepts, and competitions throughout the week.  Each camper received a pair of NIKE ELITE socks for attending camp.  Two “Hustlers of the Day” were named each evening and were nominated by the coaches and at least two contests were incorporated within the drills and activities for the night.  Sunday evening camp was held from 6 to 9 PM, while Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday was from 7:00 to 9:30 PM.

“Youth Camp week continues to be one of the best weeks of the year for our players and staff.  It allows me and our staff to meet and greet the younger players entering our program and evaluate where we are at with potential future participation and interest with the sport of basketball here in Independence.  Getting to know the names and faces is an important component to the stability of the Boys Basketball Program.  Kids want you to recognize them and know who they are, it’s important to them and I that we continue to take pride in knowing our past, present, and future INDEE Basketball Players” said Coach Beatty.

Hustlers of the Day:

Carson Cameron and Chase Kiler

Gabriel Kuennen and Isaac Wilcox

Ethan Cahalan and Lucas Sidles

Brady McDonald and Keelan Hoover

Trivia Winners and Special Mention Players:

Christopher Meyer * Josh Beatty * Kyle Williams

Block to Block Champions

Dawson Fuelling (5^th & 6^th Grade)

Chase Kiler (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

Free Throw Line Layup Champions

Dawson Fuelling (5^th & 6^th Grade)

Josh Beatty (7^th thru 9^th Grade) and Kyle Williams (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

HotShot Champions

Dawson Fuelling (5^th & 6^th Grade)

Brayden Ridder (7^th thru 9^th Grade) and Dylan Eisele (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

Knockout Champions

Jacob Mulford (5^th & 6^th Grade)

Ethan Wilcox (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

Drew Beatty (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

Free Throw Champions

Jacob Mulford (5^th & 6^th Grade)

Trey Weber (7^th thru 9^th Grade)

The Independence Mustang Baseball team finished the season at 12-27. The future is bright for this young Independence Mustang ball club as they continued to show improvement all year long. The Mustangs captured five WAMAC West All-Conference awards during the 2019 season.

Freshman catcher, Keegan Schmitt hit .455 avg. with 35 hits during conference play and led the way behind the dish all season for the Mustangs. Schmitt received 1st Team WAMAC West All-Conference.

His older brother, Logan Schmitt achieved 2nd Team WAMAC West All-Conference as a pitcher. He had a 1-1 record, with 28 innings pitched, holding a 2.75 ERA, with 47 strikeouts during conference play. 8th grader, Korver Hupke received 2nd Team WAMAC West All-Conference as an infielder for the Mustangs. Hupke hit .352 avg. with 17 RBI’s during conference play.

Freshman players, Marcus Beatty and Teegan McEnany both garnered WAMAC Recognition.

1st Team WAMAC West All-Conference Catcher- Keegan Schmitt

Head Softball Coach- Heather Hupke and Head Baseball Coach- Jimmy Lizarraga are presented checks by Fusion Forward, LLC president Mike Hamilton.

June 5, 2019 (Independence, Iowa)- The Independence Mustang Baseball and Softball Programs received a generous gift from Fusion Forward, LLC on Monday night at their “Mustang Way Season Opener” event. The two programs were each presented a check before their games from Fusion Forward, LLC President, Mike Hamilton.

The baseball and softball teams partnered with Fusion Forward, LLC to create their first annual program. The program aims to promote both athletic teams with team photos, rosters, all time-stats leaders and much more. Local and outside businesses helped make this possible by purchasing ad space within the program.

Fusion Forward, LLC dedicated time and effort into making this program stand out. Creative Designer, Terra Gissel went above and beyond to produce a product that knocks the ball out of the park. Mike Hamilton stated, “When Coach Lizarraga came to us with the idea for this year’s program, it was an easy decision to make to be involved. There is great energy and excitement around the Mustang Baseball and Softball programs and we are proud to be a part of it and thanks to the many great business sponsors in the area we were able to bring this beautiful program to life. We are proud to give back to the programs and hope to do more of these fun projects in the future for the kids and the community. Go Mustangs!”

Fusion Forward, LLC, is an Independence, Iowa based design and marketing firm that offers a multitude of design, marketing and PR services to many industries throughout the Midwest. For more information please call 319.334.9300 or email info@fusionforward.com. Visit us online to learn more about our services.

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