Etched into Mount Ayr history

With the next generation exiting high school, a face has been etched on Raiderette athletics’ Mount Rushmore.

For a school loaded with talent, Mount Ayr’s Sam Stewart stood above all in girls athletics by becoming the face of Raiderette programs, and leaving a lineage that might see another “generational gap” before being surpassed.

Stewart’s success and competitiveness placed her at the forefront of opposing coaches’ schemes to shut her down, but she prevailed year after year, ultimately becoming the 2020 South Central Iowa Female Athlete of the Year Award winner.

Stewart’s talent and abilities were clear, even before she reached Mount Ayr’s high school campus.

Mount Ayr girls basketball head coach Thad Streit said he watched Stewart grab rebounds in junior high and get down the court faster than most girls while she was dribbling the ball.

“All they had to do is flat out sprint to go chase her down, and she was going away from them,” Streit said. “In the back of my mind, I said that girl was a rocket.”

Stewart didn’t get through her years as a Raiderette on talent alone. The one quality that was clear from the moment she became a high school athlete was her competitiveness.

Mount Ayr softball head coach Bret Ruggles said Stewart will compete at anything, whether it’s checkers or a race to the door.

“I feel like my competitiveness and aggressiveness really makes me who I am,” Stewart said. “In any sport, I want to win and go play really well.”

The drive to win shows itself in the accolades Stewart has gathered throughout her career. She became the all-time leading scorer in Mount Ayr girls basketball history with 1,456 points during her time.

She also was a first and second-team all-Pride of Iowa volleyball player, a two-time all-state selection and three-time first-team unanimous decision all-POI basketball player, two-time state qualifier for track and field, two-time state qualifier for softball and an all-state honorable mention for softball with three first-team all-POI appearances.

Looking at Stewart’s career compared to other Mount Ayr greats, Ruggles said a Mount Rushmore “would be tricky,” but she is one name at the front of the line.

“You go through, there’s always generational gaps. Becca Pennington, Sam Stewart, they all have this kind of ability over their four years or six years of junior high to make a mark in the history of the Raiderettes,” Ruggles said. “… I think if you put her name in, she’s one of the maybe 10 to 15 names you would definitely list.”

Being an integral part of each team, Stewart continues to be rewarded for her success with awards, but didn’t play for the accolades. She played to win.

“Sam wants to win, and she wants to win as badly as anyone that I’ve been around in girls athletics,” Ruggles said. “She flat out wants to win games. She doesn’t care how it gets done, doesn’t really care if it’s pretty or not.”

Competition from family

Stewart said her drive to compete comes from growing up around her siblings.

Being one of seven siblings, Stewart joked that things got crazy, but the family pushed her throughout each point in her life.

“We’re all just really competitive with each other,” Stewart said. “Like my sister Maddie, everything is always a competitive thing. It’s always who’s faster, who’s stronger? It just pushes us.”

Finding ways to grow in each bit of competition, Streit said her desire to win was important in bringing up her teammates’ play.

Stewart was a leader on the court for Streit. She was able to force the best out of her teammates by demanding excellence.

“Not many kids understand the term ‘leading by example.’ She’s led by example,” Streit said. “She played hard, and she pulled everybody else’s intensity up too because she increased our level of intensity. That brought everybody else’s play up too. She did a good job of leading by example. She’s so dang competitive that she would just demand everybody’s best.”

Stewart said she likes to have fun before and during games, but she’s able to flip a switch when it’s time to get serious because “it’s just a habit.”

Bringing an intensity to practices and games was that “habit” she gained from her mindset.

“If you don’t have anyone to compete against, you’re never going to get any better or go anywhere,” Stewart said. “I feel like it just helps out everyone and makes everyone want to play and actually get things done. … Having players that actually want to win and actually want to play well affects your whole team.”

Sam Stewart, the leader

With success came a following for Stewart.

As attention started to surround her, Stewart left her mark not only on the court, field or track but on the future of Raiderette athletics and the lives of the girls that will one day take her place.

“I think the one thing that people are going to kind of remember about Sam is her ability to lead younger kids,” Ruggles said. “She is great with youth level programs. Little girls see her in the crowd and they want to be Sam Stewart. They want her number. We have girls who fight over No. 20 or No. 32.”

Streit said he saw the impact Stewart had on the community without her understanding of the role she was playing.

“A lot of people that she didn’t realize idolized her, helped build a future or maybe molded some superstars,” Streit said.

Even after playing her final game in a Raiderette jersey, Stewart continues to give back. She helped with a softball camp Saturday in Mount Ayr, seeing the same girls who were in the crowd, wanting to be like her.

For Stewart, knowing she is a role model for the next generation of Raiderettes is a special feeling.

“It means a lot. I never expected to be that way,” Stewart said through a smile. “After games, I would have like four or five little kids run up to talk to me. It’s just like, ‘man I didn’t even know you knew my name.’ So, it feels pretty good.”

End of an era

As Stewart’s career in Mount Ayr has come to a close, the next chapter in her story has yet to be written as she goes to Peru State.

Stewart will continue her basketball career for the Bobcats, where she is nervous for the move, but also excited for the next step.

With tale continuing, the question of “will she succeed” isn’t part of the equation for Streit or Ruggles.

Streit said with her “competitive drive” and “gut,” she’s going to be successful at basketball and what comes after.

For Ruggles, seeing Stewart run around classrooms in middle school to becoming the athlete and person she is today, feels just as confident.

“The thing about Sam is going to be about what she does, what she chooses, whether it’s basketball for four years or whatever it is she chooses, she is going to compete at everything she does,” Ruggles said. “That’s a great skill she has. She’ll compete to get her first job. She’ll compete to get the life that she wants. I wish kids understood that the second they graduate high school, it’s basically a competition for everything you want. She understands that, and I think she’s going to be great.”

As a final farewell to Raiderette fans, Stewart said thank you.

“I just want to say thank you for supporting us,” Stewart said. “I feel like being an athlete, if you’re not, you never know how good it feels like running out of the locker room and seeing the stands are packed. It’s a really good feeling when everyone is cheering. It means a lot that we have so many people come support us.”

2013 – Sarah Pate, Clarke

2014 – Libby Bemis, Clarke

2015 – Natalie Mostek, Creston

2016 – Taylor Briley, Creston

2017 – Paige McElfish, Nodaway Valley

2018 – Alyssa Johnson, Mount Ayr

2019 – Emma Atwood, Central Decatur

2020 – Sam Stewart, Mount Ayr