Special to the Times Vedette

The Panorama High School Dance Team has a busy week ahead. The team will entertain during halftime of the Girls State Basketball Tournament on Wednesday while 10 dancers were selected for the All Iowa Dance Team that performs on Saturday.

The Panther Dance Team will take the floor on Wednesday afternoon, March 4. The team will perform during halftime of the Class 1A quarterfinal games, beginning at 1:30 p.m. and at 3:15 p.m. They will demonstrate their prowess, showcasing their jazz routine that was second in the state in Class II and The Mix that placed second in Class I.

Competitive auditions were held last fall for the All Iowa Dance Team. Ten Panthers were selected to perform with this prestigious group. They will rehearse in Des Moines March 5-7. Taking the floor for Panorama will be:

• Pregame: Miyah Small and Ava Thorn, sophomores.
• Hip Hop: Hadley Fitch and Jessica Randel, juniors.
• Kick: Cali Knudsen, Nella Rivas and Berkley Schwartz, sophomores.
• Pom: Lexi Wasson, senior; Maci Bauer, junior; and Addi Wagner, freshman.

The team is coached by Kristi Vance.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The Iowa Shrine Bowl announced on Feb. 17 that ACGC’s two-way standout, Joe Crawford, accepted an invite to the Iowa Shrine Bowl. He joins Cody Matthewson, who will be an assistant coach for the South team. The 54^th annual game will be played on July 25, 2026, at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.

The Iowa Shrine Bowl is an All-Star Classic game played each year featuring 92 of the best football players in the state of Iowa. The game has raised nearly $4 million for Shriners Children’s Hospital.

Crawford had an excellent senior campaign for ACGC. He led the team in rushing with 106 carries for 1,298 yards and 18 TDs. In addition, Crawford was the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 170 yards and three TDs. He was also productive on defense with 15.5 tackles, one for a loss, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. Crawford also returned one kickoff and one punt for a touchdown.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The Panorama girls basketball team (8-15) faced Westwood (21-1) in the Class 2A Region 2 semi-finals on Friday, Feb. 20 at Westwood. The game was close early with the first quarter finishing 6-7 in Westwood’s favor. However, the Rebels poured in 22 points to the Panthers’ seven in the second quarter, giving them all the cushion necessary. Ines Gimeno Perez led the team in scoring with 12 points, adding five rebounds. Morgan Crees added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds, and led the team assists with two.

During the game, Crees scored her 1,000^th point as a Panther, capping a solid career with the program. Crees led the team in points per game for the last two seasons, averaging 14.3 this year and 15.1 the year before. During Panorama’s run to the state finals in 2024, despite a senior-heavy roster, Crees averaged the fourth-most points per game on the team at 8.5. She even had impact as a freshman, averaging 4.7 points on a squad that reached the state quarterfinals. Crees’ 1,001 total points makes her the ninth-highest scorer in Panorama’s history. Here are the eight players above her:

POINTS        

1          Payton Beckman         1,682

2          Bailey Beckman         1,579

3          Olivia Godfrey            1,313

4          Elly Arganbright         1,235

5          Tyme Boetcher           1,083

6          Sidney Beckman         1,058

7          Devyn Kemble            1,047

8          Jaidyn Sellers              1,019

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Panorama’s Blake Schwartz (165) climbed the podium for his performances at the 2026 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Des Moines. Schwartz won his consolation round-five match over Max Shanno of Riverside, Oakland by fall, sending him into the consolation semis. He would lose by fall to Jackson Kounkel. Koukel would end up finishing third, the highest possible place in the consolation bracket. Schwartz then faced Treynor Cose in the fifth-place match, losing by fall, securing his sixth-place spot.

Schwartz is the first Panther wrestler to stand on the podium since one of his coaches, Cooper Anderson, did so in 2022, placing seventh at 220. It has been an excellent season for Schwartz, who also earned his 100^th win in January this season.

Photos by Betty Cooper

Click images to enlarge.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The ACGC boys basketball team (10-13) lost in the quarterfinals of the 1A-8 substate playoffs at Coon Rapids-Bayard (22-1) on Friday, Feb. 21. CR-B jumped out to an 11-point by the end of the first quarter. ACGC drew closer, outscoring the Crusaders 17-16 in the second quarter to bring the game to 37-27 at halftime. CR-B’s fire power, and Ty Heydon’s 24 points and 21 rebounds performance, proved too much for the Chargers.

Thomas Skram performed well on offense in the playoff defeat, scoring nearly half of the team’s points. He led the Chargers with 20. Preston Kent led the team in rebounds with five. Jonny Kading led the team in assists with two.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Two ACGC wrestlers found themselves on the podium at the conclusion of the 2026 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships on Feb. 21 in Des Moines. Ryder Cline (150) and Carter Richter (215) were both alive with chances at third place heading into the final day of the competition. Cline would lose in the consolation fifth round, putting him in the seventh-round match. He would then lose by major decision, 13-3, to Aydan Groom of North Mahaska, earning eighth place.

Richter won his consolation round-five bout over Dax Youngblut of Jesup by sudden victory. He would lose by tech fall to Kamdyn Kraklio of Durant in the consolation semis. In the fifth-place match, Richter lost an 8-3 decision to Carson Edney of Logan-Magnolia, earning him a sixth-place finish.

Photos by Betty Cooper

Click images to enlarge.