Spring area sports storylines to watch

Eventually, the weather's going to get decent enough where most of the student-athletes at area high schools can get into competition for the season.
 
While northern Iowa continues to thaw out, here's some things to keep an eye on in the months to come.
 
This is a great start at looking at some of the potential big stories in our area, but some of the best stories are the ones that surprise us, and this spring should be no different. If you have a suggestion for what you think would be a great sports story in the Grundy Register, feel free to drop a line at regionalsports@midamericapub.com.
 
Grundy Center girls track leads returning state qualifiers
While there are a lot of area athletes returning with experience at the state meet in Des Moines, the Spartan girls return all of their state qualifiers, a talented quartet of Brooke Flater, Kyah Luhring, Landry Luhring, Hailey Wallis that qualified for a combined six events at the state meet last spring.
 
They left with five total medals, led by Kyah Luhring's third-place finish in the long jump, Hailey Wallis' 7th-place finish in the 100-meter dash and three medals in the sprint medley relay, 4x200 and 4x400.
 
Other medal winners returning to the track this spring:
 
- AGWSR's Aubrie Fisher is back after winning three medals in four events last season. Fisher was second in the 1,500, fourth in the 3,000 and was part of the sixth-place 4x800 relay along with Haley Bakker, Maddie Brandt and Bethany Lippert at last season's state meet. AGWSR's boys returners include Liam Stubbe (400 hurdles) and Stubbe and Alec Stahl as part of last year's fourth-place 4x800 team.
 
- BCLUW hurdler standout Jack Garber is back for the Comets. Garber was fourth as a sophomore in the 110 high hurdles.
 
- Dike-New Hartford's Ryan Moore was part of the Wolverine boys' state-championship relay in the 4x800 and was also on a 4x400 team that finished second.
 
- Grundy Center's Will Grames returns for his sophomore year after placing eighth in the long jump in what was a double-medaling event for the Spartans along with Bryce Flater's fifth-place finish.
 
Read more about the following storylines to look forward to this spring in this week's Grundy Register:

 
GCGR girls and boys soccer teams looking for strong finishes
 

 
GCGR tennis looks to maintain momentum

 
Golf programs looking for another big spring

 
For the full story, see this week's Grundy Register. Subscribe by calling (319) 824-6958 or clicking here.