Clarke seniors sign letters of intent

Last week, three Clarke seniors signed their letters of intent to pursue their athletics at college - esports players Hunter Rielli-Kight and Justin Hollinger at Marshalltown Community College (MCC), and cross country runner Claire Jacobsen at Indian Hills Community College.

Esports

The esports signings took place Jan. 29. Clarke esports head coach Shane Wagoner said both Rielli-Kight and Hollinger had been interested in joining the MCC team. While Rielli-Kight plays primarily Rainbow Six Siege and Hollinger Overwatch for Clarke, they will have the chance to experience other games at MCC.

Both will have to try out for the team, but so far, there are nine former Clarke students who play esports at MCC, with six from last year.

“It’s a Clarke home for sure,” said Wagoner.

At the signing were MCC esports head coaches Nathan Rodemeyer and Dr. Andrew Goforth.

“[MCC] really has become a home for a lot of them when they graduate from high school…Clarke has become a cornerstone of our teams,” said Rodemeyer.

Goforth agreed.

“We’ve got a lot of great players from Clarke…we have not got someone from Clarke who has not made MCC a better place,” Goforth said.

Wagoner took a moment to thank all those who have helped make the Clarke Esports a success, from new fans and more players, to Activities Director Derek Van Blarcom and the players’ families.

“None of this would be possible without the support,” he said.

As for Rielli-Kight and Hollinger, their futures will bring new changes and experiences.

For Hollinger, he is excited to move out, and work on becoming independent. While he is undecided on what he wants to major in, his plans to go into radiology. The first video games he remembers playing are Spyro: Ripto’s Rage and Final Fantasy XIII.

Rielli-Kight is excited to meet new people and reconnect with old friends from Clarke. He plans to major in business administration, to work the back end of his father’s construction company. He plans to work on the job both during and after college. Skyrim was the first video game Rielli-Kight recalls playing, and remains his favorite 10 years later.

Cross country

On Jan. 30, Claire Jacobsen signed her letter of intent to run cross country at Indian Hills Community College. Jacobsen has been a member of the cross country team since her freshman year, and participates in spring track and field.

On the cross country team, Jacobsen has set school records, including the fastest run times in 2022 and 2023 with run time of 21:24 and 21:28 respectively. She also broke her own personal records each season.

This past fall, Jacobsen was one of two Clarke girls to qualify for the Girls 2A state cross country meet in Fort Dodge.

There, she placed 71st with a final time of 21:18.5. Mile one was run in 6:22.5, mile two 7:04.3 and the final mile 7:51.7. Her final time was a personal best.