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Exira girls poised for another run at the Rolling Hills Conference title, maybe more
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Vikettes enter the season as the No. 5 ranked team in Class 1A, will work towards a return trip to state
By Drew Herron
NT Sports Editor
EXIRA— The feats of the Exira girls’ basketball program under coach Tom Petersen this decade have been extraordinary on paper as well as on the walls of the Exira Community High/School Middle School.
There, along the bricks of the building’s extended foyer, a few paces past the gym doors, is a modest wooden plaque with a series of conference championship brass engravings. It’s a stretch that has Vikettes handprints all over the 00s.
As Petersen looks along the wall and thought of each team and each season, he says; “Four games.”
“I think over the past seven seasons, we’ve lost four games in the conference. I think we’re right at 98-4.”
The Petersen-led Exira Vikettes will certainly set out to win the Rolling Hills Conference championship for the seventh straight season, but this year is giving way to a different set of expectations.
Having finally broken one glass ceiling late last winter to punch their first trip to state in decades, Exira becomes a bullet on every one’s schedule and a beacon towards everyone’s attention span. Every night becomes a gambit.
“They’re all going to be out to get us,” Petersen says. “We’ve got a giant target on our chest every night and if we don’t play well, that just adds to the effort. But, at the same time, I guess it’s better to have that than not to.”
What makes Exira so creditable on paper is they return four starters, including their top three scorers, from a team that went 21-3 and clinched a regional championship last year.
Now, a year older and hopefully more wise and strong, Exira and their front pack of Hallie Christofferson, Molly Boylan, Ann Walker and Kasie Simpson are likely the preseason team to beat however the regions are eventually broke down.
Petersen admits having a taste for the state tournament and the late winter air in Des Moines has made his team and those who return a bit more hungry, but is just as eager to point out this isn’t exactly the same group.
“I think that experience was an exciting experience for the gals, and you can tell they have a spark and are happy to be back at it,” Petersen says.
“But that was last year, this group needs to develop its own personality because every team that goes through these doors is different—regardless of whether you have four starters back.”
As far as expectations being tossed around?
“We didn’t talk about it last year and we’re not talking about it now,” Petersen said of state tournament talk. “Our immediate goals and expectations are playing the best we can in each quarter we play, than winning will take care of itself.”
Talking? No. Doing? Yes.
Factor in an offseason that brought 32 games over the summer, an undertaking that worked in the Harlan summer league, Diagonal Shoot-Out, Okoboji and Carroll where they competed well against larger 3A/4A schools, Exira did all they could to get better and play as tough a competition as they could find.
Also, Exira worked in a tougher schedule this season with Treynor and Martensdale St. Marys twice, as well as bouts with Coon Rapids-Bayard and Panorama.
A more demanding schedule, no doubt, but Petersen says this group has been working together effectively since the days of 35-40 game seasons in middle school.
Hallie Christofferson, a junior and returning First Team All-State selection as well as the Vikettes’ leading scorer at 22 points per game (13 rebounds), thinks this group is or could be a well-oiled machine.
“We’ve been playing with each other from a very young age, and it seems like we have sense or feel of what everyone on the court is trying to do,” she said.
Christofferson commands a lot of respect regardless of the opponent or scheme. At 6-foot-3, she’s extremely long, but also possesses a great deal of agility and athleticism that has her long-since marked as a Division I prospect.
Constantly battling double and triple teams, Christofferson has proved a tough task to slow down at either end and appears to be a one-of a kind player.
Two or weeks into the season, though she is scoring about near her average, Petersen says Christofferson is still a work in progress at this early point.
“She has a long ways to go right now, there are a number of areas we’re still working on with her,” Petersen says. “But Hallie does bring a lot to the table obviously because she’s going to be double or tripled team every night.”
Also noteworthy for Exira is the return of senior Molly Boylan, a third team All-State selection and First Team All-Conference selection a year ago.
A more than capable point guard, Boylan will be looked to as the engine for the up-tempo and press Vikettes squad that hopes to get up and down the court and wear down the other side once again.
“She’s got to be the coach and the leader on the floor,” Petersen says of Boylan. “We’re expecting a lot out of her.”
Other guards returning for Exira
Ann Walker, now listed at 5-foot-9 with a scoring average last season right around 9.5 PPG, returns for the Vikettes one year after being named Second Team All-Conference as a sophomore. Now, continuing to grow as she enters her junior season, Petersen says Walker looks to have made the most significant growth over the summer.
“She’s probably the player who’s impressed me the most since last year,” Petersen says of Walker. “She’s grown another inch and is extremely difficult to guard because we can post her up and we can put her on the perimeter.”
Kasie Simpson returns to start for Exira as well, bringing in a scoring average of 7 PPG last year as a freshman.
Exira Vikettes Basketball 08-09
Thu 11/20 Away Audubon Jamboree
Tue 11/25 Away Panorama 7:45PM
Sat 11/29 Away Treynor 6:00PM
Tue 12/02 Away Coon Rapids-B 6:15PM
Fri 12/05 Home Ankeny Christian 6:15PM
Thu 12/09 Away Adair-Casey 6:15PM
Fri 12/12 Home Paton-Churdan 6:15PM
Sat 12/13 Home Villisca 4:00PM
Tue 12/16 Away O-M 6:15PM
Fri 12/19 Away Iowa Christian 6:15PM
Tue 12/23 Home CAM 6:15PM
Mon 01/05 Home Martensdale 6:15PM
Tue 01/06 Home Walnut 6:15PM
Fri 01/09 Away EHK 6:15PM
Sat 01/10 Home Treynor 6:00PM
Fri 01/16 Away Ankeny Christian 6:15PM
Tue 01/20 Home Adair-Casey 6:15PM
Fri 01/23 Away Paton-Churdan 6:15PM
Tue 01/27 Home O-M 6:15PM
Fri 01/30 Away Iowa Christian 7:45PM
Tue 02/03 Away CAM 6:15PM
Thu 02/05 Away Martensdale 6:15PM
Mon 02/09 Home EHK 6:15PM
There, along the bricks of the building’s extended foyer, a few paces past the gym doors, is a modest wooden plaque with a series of conference championship brass engravings. It’s a stretch that has Vikettes handprints all over the 00s.
As Petersen looks along the wall and thought of each team and each season, he says; “Four games.”
“I think over the past seven seasons, we’ve lost four games in the conference. I think we’re right at 98-4.”
The Petersen-led Exira Vikettes will certainly set out to win the Rolling Hills Conference championship for the seventh straight season, but this year is giving way to a different set of expectations.
Having finally broken one glass ceiling late last winter to punch their first trip to state in decades, Exira becomes a bullet on every one’s schedule and a beacon towards everyone’s attention span. Every night becomes a gambit.
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What makes Exira so creditable on paper is they return four starters, including their top three scorers, from a team that went 21-3 and clinched a regional championship last year.
Now, a year older and hopefully more wise and strong, Exira and their front pack of Hallie Christofferson, Molly Boylan, Ann Walker and Kasie Simpson are likely the preseason team to beat however the regions are eventually broke down.
Petersen admits having a taste for the state tournament and the late winter air in Des Moines has made his team and those who return a bit more hungry, but is just as eager to point out this isn’t exactly the same group.
“I think that experience was an exciting experience for the gals, and you can tell they have a spark and are happy to be back at it,” Petersen says.
“But that was last year, this group needs to develop its own personality because every team that goes through these doors is different—regardless of whether you have four starters back.”
As far as expectations being tossed around?
“We didn’t talk about it last year and we’re not talking about it now,” Petersen said of state tournament talk. “Our immediate goals and expectations are playing the best we can in each quarter we play, than winning will take care of itself.”
Talking? No. Doing? Yes.
Factor in an offseason that brought 32 games over the summer, an undertaking that worked in the Harlan summer league, Diagonal Shoot-Out, Okoboji and Carroll where they competed well against larger 3A/4A schools, Exira did all they could to get better and play as tough a competition as they could find.
Also, Exira worked in a tougher schedule this season with Treynor and Martensdale St. Marys twice, as well as bouts with Coon Rapids-Bayard and Panorama.
A more demanding schedule, no doubt, but Petersen says this group has been working together effectively since the days of 35-40 game seasons in middle school.
Hallie Christofferson, a junior and returning First Team All-State selection as well as the Vikettes’ leading scorer at 22 points per game (13 rebounds), thinks this group is or could be a well-oiled machine.
“We’ve been playing with each other from a very young age, and it seems like we have sense or feel of what everyone on the court is trying to do,” she said.
Christofferson commands a lot of respect regardless of the opponent or scheme. At 6-foot-3, she’s extremely long, but also possesses a great deal of agility and athleticism that has her long-since marked as a Division I prospect.
Constantly battling double and triple teams, Christofferson has proved a tough task to slow down at either end and appears to be a one-of a kind player.
Two or weeks into the season, though she is scoring about near her average, Petersen says Christofferson is still a work in progress at this early point.
“She has a long ways to go right now, there are a number of areas we’re still working on with her,” Petersen says. “But Hallie does bring a lot to the table obviously because she’s going to be double or tripled team every night.”
Also noteworthy for Exira is the return of senior Molly Boylan, a third team All-State selection and First Team All-Conference selection a year ago.
A more than capable point guard, Boylan will be looked to as the engine for the up-tempo and press Vikettes squad that hopes to get up and down the court and wear down the other side once again.
“She’s got to be the coach and the leader on the floor,” Petersen says of Boylan. “We’re expecting a lot out of her.”
Other guards returning for Exira
Ann Walker, now listed at 5-foot-9 with a scoring average last season right around 9.5 PPG, returns for the Vikettes one year after being named Second Team All-Conference as a sophomore. Now, continuing to grow as she enters her junior season, Petersen says Walker looks to have made the most significant growth over the summer.
“She’s probably the player who’s impressed me the most since last year,” Petersen says of Walker. “She’s grown another inch and is extremely difficult to guard because we can post her up and we can put her on the perimeter.”
Kasie Simpson returns to start for Exira as well, bringing in a scoring average of 7 PPG last year as a freshman.
Exira Vikettes Basketball 08-09
Thu 11/20 Away Audubon Jamboree
Tue 11/25 Away Panorama 7:45PM
Sat 11/29 Away Treynor 6:00PM
Tue 12/02 Away Coon Rapids-B 6:15PM
Fri 12/05 Home Ankeny Christian 6:15PM
Thu 12/09 Away Adair-Casey 6:15PM
Fri 12/12 Home Paton-Churdan 6:15PM
Sat 12/13 Home Villisca 4:00PM
Tue 12/16 Away O-M 6:15PM
Fri 12/19 Away Iowa Christian 6:15PM
Tue 12/23 Home CAM 6:15PM
Mon 01/05 Home Martensdale 6:15PM
Tue 01/06 Home Walnut 6:15PM
Fri 01/09 Away EHK 6:15PM
Sat 01/10 Home Treynor 6:00PM
Fri 01/16 Away Ankeny Christian 6:15PM
Tue 01/20 Home Adair-Casey 6:15PM
Fri 01/23 Away Paton-Churdan 6:15PM
Tue 01/27 Home O-M 6:15PM
Fri 01/30 Away Iowa Christian 7:45PM
Tue 02/03 Away CAM 6:15PM
Thu 02/05 Away Martensdale 6:15PM
Mon 02/09 Home EHK 6:15PM
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