Chickasaws must settle for second

New Hampton ended in the same spot in the Northeast Iowa Conference tourney over the weekend as it finished during the regular season, but it took a circuitous route to get them there.
With a 4-2 record, the Chickasaws tied Waukon for second in the tournament, but because New Hampton beat the Indians during the day, it took the runner-up spot. Waverly-Shell Rock, which went unbeaten, won the tournament while Oelwein finished last at 0-6. The “middle” was, well, a jumble.
First of all, New Hampton’s two losses came at the hands of WSR and Charles City, a team the Chickasaws had beaten during the season. But the Comets lost to Waukon and to Crestwood to finish with a 3-3 record in fourth place. Decorah and Crestwood both finished 2-4, but because the Vikings won the head-to-head match, they finished fifth.
If you followed that, maybe you’re ready for the RPI ratings in football.
Even with the loss to the Comets, coach Jess Geerts felt her team could have captured the tournament.
“Waverly-Shell Rock had their best player cut her eye open and didn’t play,” said Geerts. “I felt like they were a different team without her, not as aggressive. We started out really well but we were mentally weak and didn’t come out of it.”
In the first three rounds, the Chickasaws had little trouble as they swept past  Decorah, Waukon and Oelwein.
Complete results for New Hampton may be found in the Oct. 16 Tribune.