HARLAN -- Pat and Linda Deren of Harlan will mark 50 years of marriage today, April 20.    Their family includes Lisa Deren and Vinny Romano, Omaha; Jerry and Denise Deren, Health, TX; Brody and Nicki Deren, Omaha; and Jeff and Erin Deren, St. Petersburg, FL. The Derens have six grandchildren. The family plans a trip to Pensacola, FL to celebrate.

    HARLAN -- Bernice Stracke of Harlan will observe her 100th birthday on May 8. Her family is planning an open house in her honor on Sunday, April 29 from 1-3 p.m. at St. Michael’s Rosman Parish Center in Harlan. Friends and relatives are invited to attend.    The family is also hosting a  card shower in her honor. Cards will reach her if sent to Avoca Speciality Care, 610 E. York Road, Room 102, Avoca, IA 51521. 

 OMAHA, NEB.

 OMAHA, NEB. (April 12) -- Avery Blasdel and Mia McCorkle scored two goals apiece and Blasdel also had two assists to lead 14th-ranked (2A) Glenwood past Harlan Community 6-0 in girls soccer action Thursday at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium. The Cyclones, now 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the Hawkeye Ten Conference, were held without a shot attempt in the game while the Rams took 35 total shots and 28 shots on goal (11 by Blasdel).

 COUNCIL BLUFFS (April 12) -- AHSTW’s Gage Clay and Harlan Community’s Nick Foss combined to win three gold medals Thursday night at the C.B. Boys Invitational track meet held at the Gale Wickersham Athletic Complex. HCHS scored 11 times in 10 events and tied Treynor for fifth place in the team standings with 54 points. AHSTW placed in seven events and finished 10th out of 14 teams with 43 points. The meet’s top four teams included St.

 NEOLA (April 12) -- Impressive wins by Ryann Portch in the 800-meter run and Heidi Hall in the 1,500 pushed the AHSTW girls to third place out of 13 teams at Thursday night’s breezy Tri-Center Invitational. Portch, who also anchored two second-place relays - the sprint medley and the 4x400 - ran an aggressive 64-second opening lap in the 800 and buried the rest of the field with a personal-best time of 2:22.06 that is just shy of a school rec

 GLENWOOD (April 12) -- Chloe Hansen’s gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles marked Harlan Community’s only top-three finish Thursday night as the Cyclones placed 10th at the Glenwood Girls Ram Relays with just 41 points. Glenwood, despite winning only two events, easily paced the 11-team field with 135 points, followed by Sioux City Bishop Heelan (87.5), Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln (79.5), Lewis Central (77) and Sioux City East (75). Hansen

 AVOCA (April 12) -- In a matchup of undefeated, state-ranked boys soccer teams, AHSTW scored late in the first half and early in the second to shut out Tri-Center 2-0 here Thursday. The game remained scoreless until 1:49 left in the first half when Kyle Branan’s indirect free kick led to a goal by Viking junior Matthew Herrera.

 HARLAN (April 9) -- It was one of the easier goals, but perhaps the most exciting, that Dylan Eshelman will ever score. Less than two minutes into the first of two possible overtime periods Monday night, Eshelman made Kuemper Catholic pay for a mistake in front of the net, scoring the game-winning goal in sudden death to lift the Harlan Community boys soccer team past the Knights, 3-2, in a chilly 82-minute thriller at Merrill Field. The game