On February 1, the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn boys and girls played in the LeMars Invitational.  The six other schools competing there were Le Mars, Harlan, OABCIG, Lewis Central, MMCRU and West Sioux.
“The teams all start with their individual games and HMS boys team was 14 pins behind the leading team, Le Mars, after the individual games,” noted Hawk coach Julia Meyer. “The final part of the tournament is the five Baker games. The boys put up some good scores, but they needed to be better to overtake the leading team, as the LeMars team kept their pace and stayed ahead to stave off the HMS boys and the other teams for the win. HMS came away second overall.  The boys played exceptionally well and gave it their all. I am extremely proud of their efforts. While winning first place was our aim, I believe this experience taught us valuable lessons about strengths and weaknesses and will strengthen team unity for the remainder of the season. This was the perfect opportunity to face strong competition and grow stronger together.”
Dawson Niichel was awarded  a medal as one of the top six players. He was fourth in high series with 455 after games of 264 and 191. Luke Dagel was seventh with a series of 437 and Damian Dodge was tenth with a 431 series. The boys rolled Baker games of 200, 184, 183, 210 and 139.
“The HMS girls faced the same six teams and delivered their best performance of the season against tough competition, securing a well-deserved third place finish,” said Meyer. “Their determination and skill were evident throughout the games. I am incredibly proud of their efforts and confident they gained valuable insights into their abilities and potential. While there’s still work to be done to achieve consistently higher scores, this experience has surely set a solid foundation for future success.”
Jordan Lux was awarded a medal as one of the top six players for the girls with a 448 series with games of 239 and 209. Mason VerHelst was tenth with a 357 series. The Baker games for the girls were 151, 141, 167, 162 and 129.
Boys Team Scores: Le Mars 3232, HMS 3070, MMCRU 3029, Lewis Central 29676, OABCIG 2741, West Sioux 2505, Harlan 2285.
HMS Boys Individual Results: Dawson Niichel 191-264 – 455, Luke Dagel 204-233 – 437, Damian Dodge 187-244 – 431, Eli Mastbergen 160-264 – 424, Jack Mastbergen 210-197 – 407, Graham Lux 169-202 – 371.
Girls Team Scores: Le Mars 2849, Lewis Central 2566, HMS 2427, MMCRU 2997, Harlan 2152, OABCIG 2052, West Sioux 1084.
HMS Girls Individual Results: Jordan Lux 239-209 – 448, Mason VerHelst 199-158 – 357, Kaeley Benson 146-158 – 304, Lillian Van Loon 150-137 – 287, Kaidence Shaffer 131-144 – 275, Addison Huffman 151-114 – 265.