Sports briefs

Williamsburg Overwatch 2 team places third

MARSHALLTOWN — The winter Iowa High School Esports Association season came to end this week, and the Williamsburg Overwatch 2 varsity team came home with some hardware.

Overwatch 2 is a combat game and one of two games played in the winter season along with Rocket League.

The Raiders placed third in the Class 2A bracket at the state finals, held Wednesday to Friday at the Orpheum Theatre in Marshalltown.

Only eight teams advanced to the event and the Raiders were seeded second.

After dropping a semifinal match to Cedar Rapids Kennedy, the Raiders bounced back to win their third-place match over Waukee Northwest 3-2.

In league play, the Raiders’ team went 7-0.

Iowa Valley, which also has an Esports team, played only Rocket League in the winter season.

The Tigers went 2-5 in league play with six total game wins.

The Williamsburg team went 4-2 in Rocket League play.

Bohlen breaks previous meet record in 60m hurdles

WAVERLY — Central College junior, and former Belle Plaine standout, Olivia Bohlen, placed second in the 60 meter hurdles at the American Rivers Conference Indoor track and field championships this Friday-Saturday in Waverly.

The time of 8.86 seconds set a new personal record for Bohlen and beat the previous championship meet record for the conference. Bohlen was also part of the first-place 4 by 400 relay team.

Bohlen, who has had quite a career so far for the Dutch, is ranked tenth in the Pentahlon in NCAA Division III after Saturday.

Last season Bohlen placed sixth at the Division III Indoor championships in the Pentathlon for an all-American finish.

As a senior for the Plainsmen in 2022, Bohlen placed runner-up in Class 1A in the 100 meter hurdles, seventh in long jump, and helped the shuttle hurdle relay team place seventh.

BGM up to Class A in new classifications

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released its new football classifications for the next two-year cycle Friday.

Since 2023, classifications aren’t based solely on enrollment. The formula now includes percentage of free and reduced lunches at each school.

Six area teams will remain in the same class for the upcoming two seasons, but one will be making a jump up.

BGM, which has been in 8-player team, will move up to 11-player in Class A.

Of the 56 schools in Class A, BGM is ranked 33rd by the formula.

Indoor track and field look ahead

Track and field was the first spring sport to begin official practice this week, and with that, comes a mini indoor season.

The first area action of the indoor season will take place at the University of Northern Iowa Dickinson Relays.

Williamsburg and English Valleys will both be competing in the boys and girls meets March 10 and 11.

Then comes the IATC Indoor Championships on March 13 and 14, which is an opportunity to compete against great competition without having to qualify.