Missy Miller

"Just being here reminds me of how

fortunate I was to be a Royal, said Missy

Miller. "All the great memories I had

were made possible because of the girls I

played basketball with." Missy was

named "1992 Miss Iowa Basketball," the

award given to the state's top female bas­

ketball player. She finished her high

school career with 3,793 career points;

26th all-time in Iowa Girls High School

Athletic Union history, and scored 70

points in a game against West Marshall her

junior year. She was a four-year starter that

helped her team to a four-year record of

i03-9.

The Royals advanced to the state

tournaments all four years, finishing as

state runner-up once and consolation cham­

pion once. "One of my favorite memories

was practice. We played hard and Mr.

DeJong made it so much fun...and playing

with my teammates - they were my best

friends," said Miller. Missy played college

basketball at Creighton, where she was

named all-conference honorable mention in

1996.

Miller ended her career at Creighton

the No. 2 all-time leader in career 3-

pointers with 187.

Myndie Berka

"The first thing that started it all (great

memories at Colo-Nesco) was when

Myndie Berka made the last second shot

against South Hamilton our freshman

year," said Missy Miller. The shot Miller

was referring to, and the play long-time

fans of Royals basketball will never forget,

happened at Nevada High School in the

sub-state round of the 1989 girls state bas­

ketball tournaments against South

Hamilton. Trailing by one point, Berka

received the inbounds pass and drove to the

basket for the game-winning hoop with one

scpond remaining, sending the Colo-Nesco

girls to their first-ever state tournament.

While Berka may be best remembered for

that play, it was really her amazing abilities

in softball that have shaped her career.

Berka threw six no-hitters and 10 one-hit­

ters during the 1988 softball season, with a

0.76 ERA. She ranked eighth in the state

with 270 strikeouts. Her efforts on the soft-

ball diamond, and also on the volleyball

and basketball courts, earned her the 1988

Female Athlete of the Year award from the

Nevada Journal, the second straight year

s'he won the award. She led her basketball

team in scoring every year except her fresh­

man year, set school records for wins and

strikeouts in softball and also broke many

of the school's records in volleyball.

Myndie played softball in college for Iowa

State University as a pitcher, where she was

a three-time All-Big 8 Academic first-team

performer. She is currently the owner of

BreakThrough Fastpitch in Tennessee.

Doug Riese

Of the four inductees on Friday night,

none are more plugged into' the sports scene

at Colo-Nesco than Riese. Riese currently

has three daughters involved in the Colo-

Nesco sports program, including his daugh­

ter Caitlyn, the starting center as a freshman

on the girls' varsity team. Another humble

Royal, Doug cites his "teammates" as his

favorite memories along with, "Going in

and having three or four guys team up on

tackles (on defense), and busting the line

open and watching the running back go by

you for a touchdown (on offense)." While

Riese was a valuable member of Colo-

Nesco's only stale championship team in

basketball, Doug's forte was on the grid­

iron. He accepted a full scholarship to the

University of Northern Iowa to play nose

guard after a brilliant high school career.

Doug was selected to the Shrine Bowl and

helped lead Colo-Nesco to its first-ever

state playoff appearance in 1989. Some of

his career highlights include recording a

career-high 18 tackles in one game, and

another game that included 13 tackles and

five sacks. He was a first-team all-state

selection in 1989. His collegiate experi­

ence at UNI was cut short his sophomore

season after he suffered a career-ending

back injury.

Luke Nessa

Nessa, a 1999 graduate, was a standout

high jumper at Colo-Nesco before going on

to high jump at the University of Iowa.

Luke's humbleness shone through in a let­

ter his parents had prepared for the evening:

"Luke has always been a modest person, so

we are very pleased to have this opportuni­

ty to let others know about some of his

accomplishments," remarked Luke's moth­

er, Janic. Nessa was a medal-winner at the

Drake Relays, and also was a finalist in the

boys state track meets in 1997, 1998 and

1999.

Luke's personal best jump of 6 feet,

8.14" is still a school record, and he still

ranks as one of the top ten all-time high

jumpers at the University of Iowa.

.

"It just never ceases to amaze me—the

talent that comes out of Colo-Nesco,"

remarked Kristi Eley, one of the presenters

for the evening's occasion. "Whether it's

sports or art or academics, it's amazing the

talent that comes out of this school, and I'm

proud to be a Colo-Nesco parent."

Pride and humbleness. Two traits that

usually contrast worked together in perfect

harmony during the second annual Hall of

Pride night in Colo. If you know of a Colo-

Nesco graduate you feci is deserving of

induction, you can visit the school's Web

site and fill out an on-line nomination form

under the tab "Boosters," or you can

rdquest a written form directly from the

high school.