Photos: Gazette’s November Favorite Sports Photos

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette (6) makes a catch in the end zone while under coverage from Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Coney Durr (16) during the second quarter of their game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Rachad Wildgoose (5) and Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Cooper Nelson (21) celebrate a turnover following a fumbled play during the first half of an Iowa Hawkeyes football game with the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Iowa City Regina's head coach Marv Cook huddles with the team after their Class 1A prep football state semifinal loss to Van Meter at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. Van Meter won 49-17. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

It's always difficult to photograph dejection. I'd much rather be photographing the cheering players hoisting the championship trophy. I'm there to visually document the story of the game. I like the quiet, tender moment between Lynn and Cade. Cedar Rapids Kennedy Cougars trainer Lynn Groth comforts senior Cade Parker after their class 4A semi-final state football loss to the Dowling Catholic Maroons at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. Dowling won 42-6. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Western Dubuque's Maddie Harris, center, and Teresa Petsche, right, embrace teammate Adeline Huehnergarth (19) in celebration after winning their Class 4A quarterfinal match of the girls high school state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Mount Vernon players pile onto the floor as they celebrate their win during a 3A championship match between Mount Vernon and Kuemper Catholic at the IGHSAU State Volleyball Tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. Mount Vernon won the match, 25-11, 25-18, 25-14. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Cedar Falls players celebrate their win during a 5A semifinal between Cedar Falls and Ankeny at the IGHSAU State Volleyball Tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. Cedar Falls won the match, 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

I love the expression on Emma's face. I'll take a good reaction photo over an action photo any day. Well, almost. Lisbon's Emma Howard (center) celebrates a Lions point with Karly Light (left) during the fourth set of their class 1A high school volleyball regional final against the Springville Orioles at Regina High School in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Springville won in four sets. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Coaches usually are very stoic. I was glad that coach Howard let loose after the Orioles' win. Springville Orioles head coach Claude Howard pumps his fist as he celebrates his team's class 1A high school volleyball regional final win over the Lisbon Lions at Regina High School in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. The Springville Orioles won in four sets. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)f

Cedar Falls' Akacia Brown (21) makes a kill shot as West Des Moines Valley's Olivia Curry (4) looks to block her in the first set during a 5A championship match between Cedar Falls and West Des Moines Valley at the IGHSAU State Volleyball Tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Wapsie Valley celebrates a point during their Class 1A semifinal match of the girls high school state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

I was setting the exposures on my cameras while player introductions were going on. I noticed the shadows that the players cast as they ran onto the court. I quickly dropped by ISO from 5,000 to 500 so I wouldn't overexpose the spotlit floor and keep the shadows dark. I fired off a few frames as the player ran to give some Hawkeyes swag to a young fan. This was the best frame with the player in mid-stride and some separation between the shadows of the two fans at left. I also like the bouncing ponytail. It reminds me of former Benton Community softball and current Minnesota Golden Gophers pitcher Amber Fiser. Iowa Hawkeyes Blythe Rients casts a shadow as she is introduced before their Big Ten Conference college volleyball match against the Michigan State Spartans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Cameron Peters-Sharp, 16, a sophomore at Cedar Falls High School, eyes the pins during Special Olympics State Bowing at Westdale Bowling Center in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. More than 1,000 athletes competed at four sites across the state on Saturday, with 370 competing in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

While I was down along the walkway leading to the pin setting equipment, I noticed that bowlers would turn and celebrate towards their teammates after getting a strike or picking up a difficult spare. Photographing people bowling starts to look the same after awhile, so I made my way behind the team tables and waited for one of the bowlers to react. It was really dark (ISO 20,000) and it shows from the digital noise. Prairie's John Keiper pumps his fist as he celebrates a strike with teammates during a boy's and girl's high school bowling dual against the Cedar Rapids Kennedy Cougars at Cedar Rapids Bowling Center in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Janesville's Gabby Gergen (10) gets under the ball during their Class 1A quarterfinal match of the girls high school state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Nevada's Sydney Mosinski (13) and Kacie Rewerts (9) jump to make a block during their Class 3A quarterfinal match of the girls high school state volleyball tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

I volunteer to photograph at my daughter's teammates when they have swim meets. The Stoney Point YMCA has a bank of windows along the south side of the building. It was a sunny day so several of the lanes closest to the windows had a mix of daylight, pool lighting and the red of the numerals being reflected from the timing display. I noticed the red light shin gin on the surface of the water earlier in the day and filed it away to use later. I like how the swimmer churning up the water broke the streak of red. Olivia Otten, 9, of Tipton, Iowa, in surrounded by the red light of the digital timer being reflected off the water as she swims in the girls' 9-10 50-yard breaststroke during a swim meet for the Stoney Point Stingrays YMCA swim team at the Stoney Point YMCA, 300 Stoney Point Rd SW, in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

The Linn-Mar girls cross country team was the happiest team to have won a third place at the state meet. I followed them after the awards ceremony to see if I could get something more candid than the posed trophy photo.Teammates joke that Linn-Mar Lions runner Micah Poellet (center) looks like the female on the class 4A third place trophy as they celebrate during the 2019 State Cross Country Championships at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Matt Hankins (8) tackles Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Kendric Pryor (3) during the first half of an Iowa Hawkeyes football game with the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette (6) reaches out for a pass that goes incomplete as Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Benjamin St-Juste (25) trails behind during the first quarter of their game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive end A.J. Epenesa (94) motions for the crowd to get loud during the fourth quarter of their game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Van Meter defenders Sam Grob (29), Lincoln Olsen (55) and Parker Fryar (43) pile on Iowa City Regina's Theo Kolie (17) in the first half of their Class 1A prep football state semifinal game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Just a nice celebration photo after a touchdown. Western Dubuque's Ben Bryant (right) celebrates his touchdown with Logan Brosius (82) and Bryce Ploessl during the second quarter of their 3A championship state football game against the Solon Spartans at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Thank goodness for team managers and the digital display on the back of my camera. Even after regularly covering the Hawkeyes, I have a difficult, if not impossible, time identifying players without their uniforms on. The visiting team? Forget about it. After I took the frame, I walked over to the Minnesota bench and showed the managers the photo. They knew that it was Winston right away.Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Winston DeLattiboudere stretches before their Big Ten Conference football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

I was working the team box for some sideline celebration in the closing moments of this semi-final game when I noticed Cam off on his own watching the final few plays. His expression and the scoreboard give context to a close game.Solon quarterback Cam Miller watches the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors drive toward the end zone in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter of their class 3A semi-final state football game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. Solon won 43-36. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Cam Miller is just a class act. He stayed after the rest of his teammates walked off the field and greeted fans after the Spartans' loss in the championship game. Solon quarterback Cam Miller shakes hands with fans as he carries the 3A runner-up trophy after the Spartans' 3A championship state football loss to the Western Dubuque Bobcats at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. Western Dubuque won 37-17. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Kennedy players celebrate a 63-6 win over Fort Dodge in their first-round playoff game at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Nov. 1, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs (74) carries the Floyd of Rosedale trophy toward the tunnel as fans rush the field after beating Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

I split the coverage of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy with my co-worker. He would cover the scrum with a wide-angle lens from field level and I would follow it from a higher vantage point in the event that fans would rush the field after the big win. I like the mass of humanity surrounding the thin ribbon of glad and gold clad players carrying the trophy to the locker room.A line of Iowa Hawkeyes players parade Floyd of Rosedale through the crowd as they celebrate their Big Ten Conference football win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. Iowa won 23-19. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

I wanted to create some dramatic lighting by placing my main light below the players and have them each show me their game faces. Their game faces lasted about a second before they just started laughing. Iowa City High's (from left) Aubrey Joens, Rose Nkumu and Paige Rocca during practice at Iowa City High School in Iowa City, Iowa, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kate Martin (20) looks for an open teammate during the fourth quarter of their game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

This was probably the craziest game I have photographed at Carver-Hawkeyes Arena. I like the depth to the photograph. The hug in the center of the frame, the look on #1's face at left and the other teammates and coaches coming off the bench as they celebrate a 30-foot desperation buzzer beater. Princeton Tigers teammates run to celebrate after teammate Julia Cunningham made a trey to tie the game at the buzzer of the fourth quarter of their women's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Iowa won in overtime 77-75. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Connor McCaffery (30) looks to pass under pressure from North Florida Ospreys guard Ivan Gandia-Rosa (10) in the first half at an Iowa men's basketball game with North Florida at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

I love a good loose ball scramble. I normally try to pick my moments so I have less to edit at the end of a game but I chose to lay on the motor drive and captured a pretty good sequence with many of the other frames being acceptable too. I liked this one because it had good facial expressions, body language and a relatively clean background. Muscatine's Emily Woepking (left) and Muscatine's Rylie Moss (right) block out Prairie's Mallory McDermott from a loose ball during the first quarter of their high school basketball game at Prairie High School in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)