It’s Homecoming week at Montezuma High School and the court is ready to roll. Pictured are, from left: Eddie Burgess, Connor Van Zee, Beka Teumer, Jack Brenner, Katie Reynolds, Shanae Wetering, Jade Benedict, Korrinn Kehoe, Camden Michalek, Matthew Ranfeld, Allyson Larmore and Nik Kotar. Braves Night is slated for Thursday, Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the North Gym. The parade is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24 and later that evening the Braves take on Southeast Warren at 7 p.m. at Badger Gabriel Field.
Photo by Elizabeth VanGorp

​Montezuma Community Schools is hosting homecoming, Sept. 20 -24. This year’s theme is: “The Greatest Week on Earth: Not in our House.”

List of Homecoming Activities
Monday, Sept. 20
Sleeping Beauty (PJ Day)
• Capture the Flag begins
• Advisor Game: Musical Chairs
• Junior High Football at Iowa Valley at 4:15 p.m.
• Varsity Volleyball vs. BGM at 5:30 p.m.
• Junior Varsity Football vs Iowa Valley at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 21
Hannah Montana (Celebrity Day)
• Vote for favorite Lip Sync video
• Advisor Games: Tug O War & Hula Hoop Hop
• Junior High Volleyball vs. HLV at 4:15 p.m.
• X-Country @ Eddyville at 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 22
Buzz & Woody (Cowboys vs. Aliens Day)
• Kickball Tournament
Thursday, Sept. 19
Lilo & Stitch (Beach/Hawaiian Day)
• Advisor Games: Egg Roulette, Bump and Scavenger Hunt
• Turn in Flags
• Junior High Volleyball @ Sigourney at 4:15 p.m.
• Braves Night in the North Gym at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 24 
We’re All in this Together (Blue and White Day)
• Pep Rally in the North Gym at 2:15 p.m.
• Parade at 2:45 p.m. 
• Varsity Football vs. Southeast Warren – 7 p.m.

    It’s time to lace up your running and walking shoes for the Fourth Annual Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run.
    This year’s run is slated for Sunday, Sept. 26, beginning at 8:30 a.m. from the BGM parking lot.
   “We will run/walk east to the end of the blacktop (385th St) and back,” noted run organizer Brandie Flathers. “This is just more than five miles.”
   There is no registration fee, but organizers will be collecting free will donations the day of the run. This year half of the donations will benefit the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Mollie's honor and the other half will be donated to the Find Xavior Harrelson Fund per the request of Mollie’s family.
   “This run is to honor Mollie and to continue doing what we all love to do with Mollie on our minds and in our hearts,” added Flathers.
    Register for the run: https://forms.gle/vptWCSij2GiFQPnr6.

Montezuma's Eddie Burgess plays tough in a game against BGM on Friday, Sept. 10, grabbing an interception in his first half play. The Braves won the game, 62-37.

By J.O. Parker

​   Montezuma’s Eddie Burgess and the Braves are taking care of business on the gridiron. Through five games, the Braves are hitting on all cylinders and beating their opponents by an average of 39-points, with four games left on the schedule.
    The Braves opened the season with a 57-24 victory at Iowa Valley; 56-20 at HLV; 64-26 at Grand View Christian; at home vs. BGM, 67-32 and at Melcher-Dallas, 61-8.
     Burgess, who does about everything one player can do in a game, is leading Montezuma and the state in 8-man football with 36 total touchdowns. This includes 1,190 passing yards for 17 touchdowns and 675-yards rushing for 15 touchdowns. He currently is fifth in the state in the rushing touchdown category.
      In the receiving category, Burgess has 148-yards and 4 receptions for 3 touchdowns. And he has 5 interceptions and 1 touchdown.
    Owen Cook, a junior on the Braves squad, has thrown for 3 touchdowns on 203-yards passing and Garrett Watts, a sophomore, has passed for 95-yards and no touchdowns.
    Cook is also leading the state with 2,083 kickoff yards. His closest competition is Ethan Gienger, a senior at Gladbrook-Reinbeck, who has 1,774-yards in the kickoff department.
      Cook is also a top leader in the state in the PAT department with 24 made (third in the state) on 29 attempts (second in the state).  
     In the rushing category, Connor Van Zee, a senior, has 25 carries for 118-yards and 1 touchdown while Watts has rushed for 40-yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Cruz DeJong has 23-yards on nine carries.
       In the receiving category, Masin Shearer, a junior, has caught 13 passes for 241-yards and 5 touchdowns while Cook has caught 14 balls for 412-yards and 4 touchdowns. Van Zee has 12 catches for 227-yards and 3 touchdowns while Camden Michalek, a senior for the Braves, has 219-yards on 10 catches and 2 touchdowns through five games.
      On defense, Burgess is leading the way with 34.5 tackles, including 29 solo. Van Zee has 18.5 tackles, including 15 solo while Martavious Knox is getting the job done with 16.5 total tackles, including 12 solo. Zach Bennett, a senior, has 21.5 tackles including 12 solo for the Braves while Watts has 10.5 tackles including 10 solo.
    Bennett has recovered three fumbles while Watts and Shearer both have one fumble recovery each as the second half of the season gets underway.
       Shearer has four two-point conversions to go with three by Burgess.
      The Braves will be home the next three out of four games. They face Southeast Warren on Friday, Sept. 25 for Homecoming. Next up is a home game against Twin Cedars on Oct. 1. Montezuma’s will then travel to Baxter on Oct. 8 before wrapping up the season at home against Woodward Academy on Oct. 15. Game time is 7 p.m.

    Heading into Monday night’s home match against the neighboring BGM Bears on Sept. 20, the Bravettes volleyball squad hold an 8-7 record.
    The Bravettes picked up their first two wins of the season against North Mahaska, 2-1, and Seymour, 2-0, at the Albia Lady Dees Volleyball Tournament on Aug. 23. They had losses against Albia, 0-2, and Southeast Warren, 1-2.
    The Bravettes opened home play on Aug. 31 at the Montezuma Tournament, going 2-2 on the day. They had wins over GMG, 2-0, and HLV, 2-1, and losses to HLV, 1-2, and Williamsburg, 1-2.
     Next up was a non-conference match at South Tama on Sept. 7, where the Bravettes lost to the Trojans, 2-3.
    Next on the agenda was the GMG Tourney on Sept. 11, where the Bravettes finished, 2-2. They captured wins over Collins-Maxwell, 2-0, and Lynnville-Sully, 2-0, and had losses to South Tama, 0-2, and Grinnell, 0-2.
     Next up for the Bravettes was a trip to HLV on Sept. 13, where they played the Warhawks for a third time this season, winning 3-1.
     Then it was off to Lynnville-Sully for a match against the Hawks, bringing home the 3-0 win.
     Following BGM, the Bravettes host Colfax-Mingo at home on Sept. 27 for senior night.

​The Grinnell Fireman’s Dance is slated for Sept. 5, from 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. at the IFA Convention Campground at at the intersection of 380th Avenue and 20th Street. Deep River's Tyler Richton and the High Bank Boys, pictured above, and The Wild Ones will be providing the tunes. The event is open to the general public all for a freewill offering.

     The Grinnell Fire Department is hosting the 143rd Annual Iowa Firefighters Convention and Contests, Sept. 9 - 12. To host the event the Grinnell Volunteer Fire Association built a campground with 1,500 camping spaces at the intersection of 380th Avenue and 20th Street (Just west of the Grinnell High School ball fields).  As of this week, more than 90 percent of the spaces were sold. An anticipated 2,000 – 2,500 people will travel from all over the State of Iowa to Grinnell to attend the event.
     While the event ‘officially’ starts on Sept. 9, the campground opens on Friday, Sept. 3 and campers can start arriving on that day.
Fireman’s Dance
     After having to cancel the GFD’s last two firefighter dances, Chief Dan Sicard said arrangements were made to host a fireman’s dance this year on Sunday, Sept. 5, from 8 p.m. – 12 a.m., at the new Grinnell Mutual Event Tent in the Convention campground. Deep River’s Tyler Richton and the High Bank Boys are slated to perform with The Wild Ones providing the opening act music. The dance is open to the public for a freewill offering.
Public Events
    On Thursday, Sept. 9, the Co-ed water fights take place and on Friday, Sept. 10, the Old-Timer and Women’s water fights will take place on the south side of Central Park. Both events start at 11 a.m. and will go until a winner is established. The public is welcome to come cheer them on.
On Saturday Sept. 11, the official Iowa Firefighter Association Drills kick the day off in Central Park beginning at 8 a.m. with a short opening ceremony. The games will be on all four sides of the park and go on all day.
A craft show takes place from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Eagles Club in Grinnell on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Food vendors
    The following food vendors will also be downtown during the drills as well; Relish will be providing meals outside, Maria’s Tacos, Totally Rolled Ice Cream and Smokin’ J’s BBQ.
    “The end of the day Saturday will be highlighted with a parade of new and old firetrucks,” noted Grinnell Fire Chief Dan Sicard. “The parade will start at 6:30 p.m. and run the length of fourth Avenue from Penrose Street to Ferguson Avenue.”
    The entertainment for the attendees of the convention will include Hairball, Route 66 and Sushi Roll. Several of the departments will also be taking part in bowling and golf tournaments.  On Sunday, the final day, the annual meeting of the Iowa Firefighter Association will be held at the Grinnell Fire Station.  

    Gavin Tindle, a graduate of Montezuma High School, receives the Gov. Terry E. Branstad Iowa State Fair Scholarship for 2021-22 from the former governor and U.S. ambassador to China, during a brief ceremony on the Bill and Anne Riley Stage at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 14. Also receiving the $2,000 scholarship was Ruby Hummel, a graduate of Panorama High School, directly behind Gavin, and Sierra Wegener, at left, behind Gov. Branstad, a graduate of Northeast Middle-High School in Goose Lake. Gavin is attending Iowa State University where he plans to major in agricultural business and minor in animal science. Ruby is attending Drake University where she plans to study music education. Sierra is attending Iowa State University where she plans to study animal science and agricultural business.

​    Gavin Tindle, a graduate of Montezuma High School, is joined by former Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad prior to the brief ceremony at the Bill and Anne Riley Stage at the Iowa State Fair. Gavin received a $2,000 Iowa State Fair scholarship named after the former Iowa governor and U.S. ambassador to China. 

     It was a homecoming of family, friends and fairgoers who came to the Susan Knapp Amphitheater at the Iowa State Fair on Monday, Aug. 16 to hear Etan Moses, and two other Iowa artists, sing in what was billed as the Iowa Country Showcase.
    Etan, the daughter of Mark and Melissa Doll of Lynnville, sang “Country Mile Love,” “Thankful,” and “Stained Glass Sunday,” three numbers she co-wrote with Wes Strunk and Nate Johnson of Nashville.    
    Also performing with Etan were two up and coming country artists, Adam Whitehead of Pella and Hunter Mason of Ottumwa.

    Etan is surrounded by members of the Doll and James families following her concert on the Susan Knapp Amphitheater at the Iowa State Fair on Monday, Aug. 16.