Sports

On the night Jason Hocken and his wife, Molly, announced to family and friends they were expecting their second child, the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver earned his second win of the season at Independence Motor Speedway. From his outside front row starting spot, Hocken assumed command at the drop of the green while the field battled for position in two and three-wide formation behind him.

Sarah (Ries) Erickson, even more than 18 years after her last softball game as a Vinton-Shellsburg Vikette, knew exactly where to look for her uniform. Erickson, a 1995 graduate, wore her old gold jersey with the number 16 during the first-ever, first-annual V-S alumni softball game Friday evening.  "I knew exactly which tub it was in," she said during the game on Friday.

The Cedar Rapids Hockey Association,a non-profit organization, oversees the Jr. RoughRider youth travel hockey program. Approximately 130 children ranging in ages from 5 to 14 participate in the sport. The children are from families residing along the corridor in areas as far north as Waterloo and as far south as Iowa City. Four children from grades 3 to 6 from the Vinton-Shellsburg school system play on Jr.

The Vinton-Shellsburg football team is "miles ahead" of where it was last year, especially in terms of strength and speed says Coach Joe Womochil. Yet, the Vikings face a tough schedule that includes games against six teams that reached the play-offs last season.  Coach Womochil, now in his second season, said the Vikings have a core group of team leaders who are motivating others to regularly work out in the weight room.

8/2/13 STANDINGS   Men's Division    Wednesday's Games      Mike's Service Center    8--0 Ron-Da-Voo    5--3 Big Timber / John's Qwik Stop    4--4 Reilly's Floors / Fareway    3--5 TCC Materials / Fa

The 2013 high school football season is just over three weeks away. The Vikings begin their season by hosting Benton Community on Friday, Aug. 30. The Fall Blow-Out takes place Aug. 23. The Vikings play the same teams they played last year, and in the same order, although the location is reversed for this season. This year's nine regular-season contest dates and sites are: 8/30 -- Benton Community (non-district) 9/6 -- @ South Tama (non-district) 9/13 -- @ Oelwein 9/20 -- Western Dubuque, Epworth 9/27 -- @ Independence 10/4 -- Decorah 10/11 -- West Delaware 10/118 --@ Williamsburg (non-district) 10/25 -- @ Crestwood, Cresco.

On Monday July 29, the VSHS Cross Country team ventured to Lake Belva Deer for a team camp out.  Coach Frazier along with chaperones; Carolyn Frazier, Jeff Mangold, Heather Kalous, NIcole Guenther, Nancy Jorgensen, Pat Jorgensen, Kyle Schminke, Rich MIracle and Nathaniel Brandt made the trek with 36 athletes to the newly renovated camp outside of Sigourney, Iowa.

Dozens of area wrestlers met a few All-American wrestlers, including James Locke, during this week's wrestling camp. New VSHS wrestling coach Joel Neve organized the camp. Locke, who wrestled in high school in Minnesota before enrolling in Coe College, is the new coach of the Viking Wrestling Club.  Other instructors during the 3-day camp were Northwestern assistant wrestling coach and former Iowa Hawkeye and NCAA Champion Jay Borschel and Wartburg assistant coach Chris Ortner.

The audience at the annual Jerry Stanley Demolition Derby on Saturday night cheered and ooohed at the collisions and the way drivers kept their vehicles going despite the continually increasing damage and in many cases, clouds of steam or smoke rolling from under their hoods. Among the audience favorites on Saturday was the driver of the pink car with the number 1x: Vinton native Jess Ender.

Two race cars that are nearly 80 years old were among the cars seen during Thursday night a the races during the Benton County Fair. Two Iowa racers, Wayde Russell and Rod Foster, did several laps in their 1934 and 1936 Chevy race cars, then spent some time talking about why they prefer the antiques.  Russell said the old cars are more challenging to steer, and he prefers the higher level of difficulty.