MANNING -- The goals of the IKM-Manning football team don’t change all that much from year to year, and that’s the mark of a good program. A: Improve each week. B: Make the playoffs. C: Advance as far as possible. Through the first eight years of their consolidation, IKM-Manning been remarkably consistent in achieving those goals.

 HARLAN -- The weapons are in place. A starting quarterback will be named any day now. With only a few preseason practices left, Harlan Community offensive coordinator Mark Kohorst is excited to unveil this year’s Cyclone ‘O.’ Kohorst’s goal in 2016 is to develop a balanced, diversified and dangerous unit that utilitzes speed and unpredictability while making opposing defenses cover sideline to sideline.

 HARLAN -- From the first-year coordinator to the player personnel, Harlan Community’s defense has a brand new look in 2016. HCHS graduated its top 13 tacklers from a year ago and the top returnee - Josh Cheek with 16 stops - isn’t even listed on the current defensive two-deep by new coordinator John Murtaugh. “For all intents and purposes, we have no returning starters,” Murtaugh said.

 HARLAN -- The Harlan Community and IKM-Manning volleyball teams, along with Treynor and Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, prepped for the upcoming season on Tuesday by holding a scrimmage at the HCHS gymnasium. Each team scrimmaged against the other three for approximately 20 minutes. HCHS, last year’s Class 4-A state runner-up, will open the season on Saturday, Aug.

 OMAHA, NEB. -- The Iowa Western Baseball League season will come to a close on Saturday when the IWL All-Star team faces the Dodge County All-Stars in a 1:00 p.m. game at Omaha’s Brown Field (15th & Q). The IWL roster includes 17 players, with Josh Weis of Persia serving as the head coach and Mike Brownlee of Council Bluffs as the assistant coach.

 PORTSMOUTH -- The National League pulled away in the late innings to defeat the American League, 10-1, in the Iowa Western Baseball League All-Star Game held Wednesday, August 10, in Portsmouth. The NL led 2-1 after five and a half innings before scoring three runs in the sixth and five in the seventh. The NL stars finished with 10 runs on seven hits, committed two errors and left 12 on base.

 HARLAN -- Returning to the program for which she was a four-time all-stater from 2007 to 2011, Brooke Schaben experienced an eventful first season as head coach of the Harlan Community softball team. It was a summer marred by injuries and inconsistency at times, but there were also positives as the Cyclones maintained excellent team chemistry through adversity and adjusted well to Schaben’s aggressive offensive coaching style. There were sign

TOPEKA, KAN. -- The Cyclone Pride 13U C Division traveling softball team put together an overall record of 25-11 this season, capped by a ‘Top 8’ finish at the USSSA National Tournament (Midwest Region) in Topeka, Kansas, July 20-23.

    HARLAN -- Chris and Patricia Blum of Harlan observed their 60th wedding anniversary on  August 21.    The Blums celebrated their anniversary at the annual Blum family reunion in Panama on June 26 and again at the Dan and Janet Hansen home near Dunlap with immediate family members including grandchildren and great-grandchildren in attendance as well as Pat’s sisters, brothers, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.