Despite the Hawkettes’ historic season, the program’s future is up in the air. As Head Coach, Nate Tobey is resigning as the head of the girls’ basketball program.
The Hawkettes experienced a record-breaking season, breaking numerous team and individual records. This season saw them reach the state semifinals, the furthest the program had gotten in over a decade.
“We’ve been really close to state, every year that I’ve been here, we’ve lost by single digits, to get to the state tournament,” said senior guard Jayla Williams.
The Hawkettes were led by five seniors this year, all of whom experienced the state tournament for the first time.
“Playing at the state tournament was really cool, because obviously I’ve never been there, but being able to make it and beating them by 30 to get there was definitely really cool,” Williams continued.
The Hawkettes booked their ticket to the state tournament with the 30-point win over Sioux City East in the Region Championship on Feb. 24. In the next round, they faced a unique challenge in the Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors.
“We were playing a team [Washington] that we didn’t really know anything about because we don’t play them in the normal season,” explained freshman guard Ali Aguirre.
That challenge posed no issue to the Hawkettes, who fed sharpshooting senior guards Kyla Schaapveld and Reagan Baldwin, who each had exceptional games in the March 2, 13-point win over the Washington Warriors.
The Hawkettes would lose in the next round to the eventual champion, the Johnston Dragons, putting an end to the historic run. Despite the loss, the season left memories in the community and players alike.
“It was something that I’m gonna remember forever, because we were the first team to do it, and, I mean, going to the semifinals, and it was really exciting,” Aguirre shared. “There was something special about that team.”
Something was indeed special about this crew. Williams shared that they had made a bond through their offseason work and hustle during practices.
“Off the court, we were really connected; it wasn’t really like cliquey at all, we were all really close to the underclassmen too,” Williams said.
This bond was evident in the smiles and cheers from both starters and benchwarmers alike throughout the season. That bond is something for the underclassmen to build on next year as they look to rebuild under a new coach and expand on the historic season to create a legacy of their own.
![A Group of PEOPEL PE students and helpers set up an obstacle course during class. The “Amazing Race” unit had started in PEOPEL PE where the students and helpers got to compete in a variety of different activities and games. “We try our best to make [inclusion] a school-wide event, but it's just so much more different when you actually engage with the students hands-on and actually get to know them as people.” Sophomore Bree Christensen said. Photo Taken by Ada McNulty.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-12-1200x900.jpg)
