Iowa school will try to keep streaking

Sporting News, The, May 24, 2004 by Nate Olson

On the final play of Harlan Highs win over Waukee High in Iowa's Class 3A baseball championship game last summer, pitcher Heath Stein fielded a comebacker, whirled and threw to shortstop Joel Osborn, who stepped on second base and fired a perfect strike to first baseman Jeff Bissen for a double play. It was a sign of things to come.

Over the next seven months, those three players won two more state championships--on undefeated football and basketball teams. In all: a 57-game winning streak that may grow much larger; Harlan's 2004 baseball season opens May 24, the last chance for seniors Stein, Osborn and Bissen to win big together.

"I wouldn't have believed it one bit if you told me when it started," says Osborn, the football team's quarterback and basketball team's point guard. "It takes a lot of players stepping up in each sport. When you look back on it, there are a lot of places it could have ended if we didn't get a big hit or make a big catch. We made some amazing plays to keep it going."

The Cyclones won their last 17 baseball games, then went 13-0 in football and 27-0 in basketball. Harlan, which has an enrollment of 650, is the only school in state history to finish the football and basketball seasons undefeated in the same school year.

"It almost defies a superlative," says Bud Legg, an Iowa high school sports historian.

The streak appears to merit a place in the national record books. National Federation of State High School Associations assistant director John C. Gillis says that in his 14 years of working with high school athletic records, he never has seen or heard of such a streak encompassing boys baseball, football and basketball.

How the Cyclones won the championships is nearly as impressive as the streak.

Harlan trailed Mount Vernon by 12 points with just over five minutes to play in the football title game. Osborn tossed touchdown passes of 80 and 66 yards to Greg Applegate in a 38-35 win.

In the basketball title game, Harlan trailed Crestwood (Cresco) by 13 points with 6:05 to play. Bissen hit three 3-pointers to fuel a 19-0 run in a 60-54 victory.

How about one more? Harlan also won the 2003 Class 3A track championship by capturing the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter relay.

"Without trying to be cocky or bragging, that's our expectation here--to compete for a title" says Harlan athletic director and basketball coach Mitch Osborn, Joel's father. "We know we can't win all of them, but we are going to try to make a run."--Nate Olson