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High School
Bulldog Standout Kramer Picks South Dakota
College football's National Signing Day was special for Ottumwa High three-sport star Ben Kramer. The standout football, basketball and baseball player for the Bulldogs signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday to play football for the University of South Dakota.
Kramer played quarterback, wide receiver and safety for the Ottumwa football team, earning second-team all-state and first-team all-conference honors as a senior. In 2011, he threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns as a QB, rushed for 588 yards and 11 TDs, and recorded 282 receiving yards with four touchdown receptions. He led the Bulldogs in total offense, touchdowns and points scored. Kramer also led the team in tackles defensively, and tied for the team lead in interceptions.
OHS Girls Clinch Share of Metro Title
The Ottumwa High girls basketball team on Friday guaranteed itself at least a share of its first conference title in a decade. The Bulldogs went on the road to blow out Des Moines Hoover 65-30. OHS has now won 11 games in a row.
Tied at seven after one quarter, Ottumwa clamped down on defense and outscored the Huskies 24-3 in the second quarter. Senior Kelsey Nickerson scored nine points in the quarter and added 11 more in the third quarter, on her way to finishing with a game-high 27 points. Senior Avery Roane tallied a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down ten rebounds.
The Bulldogs now stand at 9-0 in Metro Conference play, holding a one-game lead over Des Moines East with one conference game remaining. Ottumwa travels to East next Friday night to wrap up conference play. If the Bulldogs beat the Scarlets again, they will claim the outright conference crown. If East knocks off Ottumwa, the two teams will share the conference championship.
In the late game, the Ottumwa boys fell to #9 Hoover 65-41. Faith Pope led the Bulldogs with a game-high 21 points, but OHS fell behind by ten points in the first quarter and could never recover. Ottumwa drops to 7-9 on the season, 4-5 in the Metro Conference.
Both Ottumwa squads return to action Tuesday. The girls will play at Keokuk, while the boys will host Keokuk at Evans Middle School.
Regional Pairings for OHS Girls' Hoops
The IGHSAU regional basketball pairings have been announced, and the path to the state tournament has been laid out for the Ottumwa High girls' basketball team. The Bulldogs have been placed in Region 7, and they will host Des Moines Roosevelt in a first-round game on Wednesday, February 15th at 7pm. The matchup will mark the 3rd meeting between the two CIML Metro Conference foes this season. Ottumwa beat Roosevelt 60-51 on December 20th in Des Moines, and will host the Roughriders this coming Friday in their second regular-season tilt.
Should Ottumwa win its postseason matchup, the Bulldogs would advance to a regional semifinal against Dowling Catholic, which received a first-round bye. The matchup would take place on Saturday, February 18th at 7pm in West Des Moines. Ottumwa lost 52-50 in overtime at home to Dowling, in the second game of the season.
The other half of the regional bracket has Des Moines North playing at Indianola in the first round, with the winner advancing to play Waukee in the regional semifinal. If Ottumwa defeats both Roosevelt and Dowling to reach the regional final, Waukee would be the likely opponent. The regional final is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st at 7pm in Urbandale.