I have been pretty fortunate during my time as sports editor at The News.

As I sit down to think about all the awesome stories I have been able to cover over the last three years, I feel pretty lucky.

From on the field things like the Mid-Prairie cross country team starting a dynasty of state championships during my time here and the Highland football team making the playoffs in 2018, and Iowa Mennonite’s insane basketball comebacks during the 2018 postseason.

It includes off the field stories like telling people the story of Highland’s first girl quarterback, how athletes use sports to deal with loss and how Colton Allen could have been anyone’s friend.

Before starting the job, I had little knowledge about the schools I would wind up covering but came to encounter kind people at every stop. Coaches, parents and athletes alike were always helpful in getting the story and giving up their time for the newspaper.

Thanks to all of the coaches that were helpful in getting information into the paper. While you see all the work they do on the court, know they do a lot as well to highlight your kids off the court.

I’m escaping off to sunnier skies in Phoenix and won’t be working in sports for now, but I will for sure miss the opportunity to cover the great kids in the area.

I won’t make this long, but my final ask would be to subscribe to the paper. Many towns the size of this area are not fortunate enough to have a newspaper that funds sports coverage like we do. That’s only possible through your subscriptions.

Thanks for all of the memories!