It didn’t take long for local standouts to make their marks on the young 2024-25 winter sports scene.
The Iola Register’s readers are invited to vote on their favored nominees for the Male and Female Athletes of the Month for December.
On the boys side, Iola’s Cortland Carson (basketball) and Kale Pratt (wrestling) are up for consideration, as is Marmaton Valley’s Jaedon Granere (basketball).
For the girls, voters can choose between Iola’s Zoie Hesse (basketball and wrestling), Humboldt’s Karingten Hall (basketball) and Crest’s Cursten Allen (basketball).
Votes can be cast by clicking here; by calling (620) 365-2111; or by sending an email to [email protected].
The top male and female vote-getters will receive a free specialty pizza, courtesy of Rookies in Iola.
Voting will run through Jan. 2.
Girls
Zoie Hesse
It took the Iola sophomore all of about 30 seconds to show what kind of force she will be to reckon with this season.
Hesse pinned Marley Gilliland of Holton, the third-ranked 190-pound girls wrestler in Kansas Class 4A, in half a minute in Hesse’s first competition of the season.
Since then, she’s been voted by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association as the state’s second-ranked wrestler in Class 4A.
Oh, and Hesse also has become a key player for Iola’s girls basketball team, averaging nearly 10 points a game for the Mustangs (3-3) including a team-high 19 in a win over Heritage Christian.
Karingten Hall
The speedy guard has made an immediate impact on Humboldt High’s early success. The Lady Cubs enter the break at 4-2, thanks in part to Hall’s defense, which in turn has fed Humboldt’s offense. Hall scored a season-high 14 in Humboldt’s win over Erie to clinch the Humboldt Preseason Tournament.
Cursten Allen
As one of only two seniors on Crest High’s basketball roster, Allen does more than provide senior leadership. She set a Lady Lancer school record by drilling seven 3-pointers in the team’s second game of the season, a 27-point blowout of Erie.
Boys
Cortland Carson
Carson’s scoring — more than 25 points a game — generates all the headlines for Iola’s Mustangs, but he’s also leading IHS in rebounds (6.3 per game) and steals (2.7).
Carson also tied the school single-game scoring mark with 38 points in a win over Osage City.
Kale Pratt
A sophomore, Pratt already has emerged as the standard-bearer on a young IHS wrestling squad, including a dazzling tournament championship at the 157-pound division at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett Dec. 14. Pratt stands at 10-2 on the season.
Jaedon Granere
Marmaton Valley’s senior guard averages more than 10 points a game for the Wildcats (3-1), who are looking for a return to the state tournament. Granere also earned all-state honors in football.
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