Sports, March 29th

High School Track and Field

The Mediapolis girls’ team hosted the Bullette Invitational yesterday with Fort Madison winning as a team followed by Danville. Mediapolis took fourth place, Van Buren County grabbed 10th place, and WACO finished in 11th place. 

For Danville, Kenna Furnald won the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.85 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and 10 inches. The 800 Medley Relay took the win with a time of 1 minute and 56 seconds. Abby Arnett grabbed the win in the 3000 meter run with a time of 11 minutes and 50 seconds. Mediapolis will host a meet on Tuesday, April 2nd, with Danville and Winfield-Mt. Union also in attendance. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ and girls’ teams had their Invitational yesterday and here’s the results. 

For the Panthers, the top finish was the girls’ 4×200 meter relay team of Kiyah Sanders, Alex Scott, Andi Scott, and Kynlee White as they grabbed the gold with a time of 1 minute and 51 seconds. Savannah Slobodnik took first in the discus with a toss of 111 feet and 2 inches. For the boys’, Avin Truong took first place in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet and 9.5 inches. 

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Williamsburg for a meet on Tuesday, April 2nd. 

The Van Buren County girls’ and boys’ teams will participate in a meet on April 2nd hosted by WACO.

The Central Lee girls’ team will travel to Fairfield for a meet on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys team will participate in a relay at Mediapolis on April 2nd.  

The New London girls’ team will travel to WACO for a meet on April 2nd. 

High School Soccer

The WACO boys’ team was tied with Fairfield after a half of play, but the Trojans netted three second half goals to win 4-1. The Warriors will face off against Burlington Notre Dame on the road on Monday, April 1st, at 5 pm.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team took down Wapello last night 4-0 for their first win of the season. Iris Garza, Yaileen Miranda, Abby Acosta, and Lecet Quiroz each scored a goal. The Wildcats will take on Mt. Pleasant on April 1st at home with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team played strong defense for 60 minutes but as Head Coach Rocco Russo talked about after the game the Panthers ran out of steam, losing 4-0. Zach LeBlanc totaled 10 saves in the loss. The girls’ team struggled on the road against the Clippers, falling 8-0. 

The Mediapolis boys’ team snuck past Keokuk 2-1 in a road win last night. The Bulldogs will take on Wapello on April 1st in a road matchup. The Mediapolis girls’ team fell 4-0 to Fort Madison last night. The Bulldogs will take on Wapello on April 1st in a road matchup with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm. 

The Central Lee boys’ team will host Centerville on April 2nd and the girls’ team will travel to Mid-Prairie on the same day with both games starting at 5 pm.

The Danville boys’ team will battle Mediapolis in a road matchup on April 4th at 5 pm.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team dominated in their road matchup with Davis County last night, sweeping the Mustangs 9-0. Sawyer Fulton won his singles match 8-1, Phoenix Watson picked up an 8-2 singles victory, Elijah Rynders won 8-3, Dane Cook and Zach Johnson grabbed 8-4 wins, while Gavin Ross took his match 8-6. Watson and Ross teamed up for an 8-4 win in doubles, Fulton and Cook won 8-1, and Johnson and Rynders took their doubles match 8-6. 

After the growing pains of last year, the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team picked up their first since 2022 in 7-2 fashion over Davis County in front of the home crowd. Picking up wins in the singles was Jana Isanta, Ellie Situmeang, Bethany Drury, Victoria Smith, and Audrey Richmond. The team of Isanta and Situmeang and Drury and Richmond each won their doubles match 8-4. Head Coach Martha Peterson was proud not only of their physical play, but their mental game. 

Mt. Pleasant will take on Keokuk on Monday, April 1st, with the boys’ hosting the Chiefs and the girls’ hitting the road. 

High School Golf

The Central Lee boys’ team will take on Holy Trinity Catholic on April 4th.

The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in a meet hosted by New London on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Columbus to participate in a meet on April 4th. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington Golf and Country Club on April 1st and the boys’ team will participate in a conference match at Fairfield Golf and Country Club on the same day. 

Southeastern Community College

In baseball, SCC split their doubleheader against Des Moines Area Community College yesterday, losing game one 5-2 and smacking the Bears 10-1 in game two. Caleb Wulf and Kooper Schulte led the offensive onslaught in game two as they each registered a double and three RBIs. The Blackhawks will host Southwestern Community College in a three-game series starting tomorrow, March 30th. 

The SCC softball team will face off against Iowa Western Community College today at home in a doubleheader.

College Basketball

The #1-seed Iowa women’s team will battle with the #5-seed Colorado in the Sweet 16 tomorrow, March 30th, with tipoff at 2:30 pm. 

The #2-seed Iowa State men’s team’s title hopes were dashed last night in the Sweet 16 by #3 Illinois 72-69. The Cyclone’s uncharacteristic defense play in the first half allowed the Fighting Illini to put up 51 points and the comeback wasn’t able to surmount the deficit. Curtis Jones led the team with 26 points off the bench. The Cyclones finished the season with a 30-7 record. 

March Madness

The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with over 30 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.

Standings will be updated on Monday, April 1st. 

This Day in Sports History

1976 – 38th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Michigan, 86-68; first time 2 teams from same conference (Big Ten) play in title game.

1984 – NFL Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis.

1996 – The Cleveland Browns choose new name for their relocated team – the Baltimore Ravens.

In Case of a Tornado – DUCK!

With Severe Weather Awareness week in full swing, now’s a good time to remember what to do during a tornado. Now, we know most Iowans like to sit on the porch and watch it go by, but we don’t condone that. Instead, we recommend that you DUCK. That’s right. DUCK. Go DOWNSTAIRS UNDER something at the CENTER of the building and KEEP AWAY from windows. Surely you won’t forget to DUCK during a storm.

2nd Reading of Moratorium for Wind Energy Discussion

The 2nd Reading of the Resolution to Establish a Temporary Moratorium on the Rezoning of Land to the Alternative Energy Overlay District was read on Thursday’s Henry County Supervisor meeting.

With a smaller crowd than last time, but still a sizable 20, citizens listened as Supervisor White read the resolution. According to the supervisors, this moratorium allows the Planning and Zoning Commission time to do their “due diligence” and make a comprehensive plan.

A citizen thanked the supervisors for slowing this process down. Supervisor Lindeen said that the moratorium is to make sure the facts are presented, not just speculation.

Currently, a solar energy resolution is being looked at as well by the County Attorney’s Office, which is responsible for the language in the moratorium regarding Wind Energy.

When it comes to citizen comments, the best way to communicate is still through the supervisors email supervisors@henrycountyiowa.us They read through these emails and send them along to the Planning and Zoning Director, who then sends them to the commission.

The 3rd, and final reading, will take place on Tuesday, April 2nd, at 10:00am.

Councilman and Fire Chief Last City Council Meeting

Two men sat through their final City Council meeting on Wednesday evening after years of service to our community. Jeff Batty, councilman, resigned effective immediately last night as he plans to retire soon.

Drew Schumacher, Fire Chief until the end of March, submitted his letter of resignation in January and will be transferring command in a formal ceremony to Anthony Blint on April 10th. He mentioned the upcoming Fire Department pancake and sausage breakfast this Saturday, from 6-10am. This is a free will donation and the public is invited. Maybe you will even get to see a firetruck up close!

 

City Council Votes on “Dangerous Animal”

A public hearing was held for two dangerous animals yesterday evening at the Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting. After a dog was presumably attacked by two other dogs at Eastlake Park on February 25th, the two assailants were deemed “dangerous.” The victim dog died at that time.

While no charges were filed to the owners, the City Council did vote to affirm the designation of “dangerous animal” which gives the owners 3 days to remove the pets from city limits or euthanize them.

Sports, March 28th

High School Track and Field

The Danville, WACO, and Van Buren County girls’ teams will travel to Mediapolis for a meet today.

The WACO and New London boys’ teams will travel to Van Buren County for a meet today.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ and girls’ teams will host their Invitational today with the West Burlington and Mediapolis boys’ teams in attendance. 

The Central Lee girls’ team will travel to Fairfield for a meet on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys and girls’ teams will participate in a relay at Mediapolis on April 2nd.  

The New London girls’ team will travel to WACO for a meet on April 2nd. 

High School Soccer

The WACO boys’ team will open the season tonight against Fairfield on the road at 5 pm.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host Wapello tonight at 5 pm, while the boys’ team will face off against Mt. Pleasant on April 1st at 7 pm at home. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host Clear Creek Amana tonight at 5 pm, while the girls’ team will travel to take on the Clippers at the same time.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will compete against Keokuk tonight at 5 pm on the road. 

The Central Lee boys’ team will host Centerville on April 2nd and the girls’ team will travel to Mid-Prairie on the same day with both games starting at 5 pm.

The Danville boys’ team will battle Mediapolis in a road matchup on April 4th at 5 pm.

Soccer Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Association released the first rankings of the season with the top teams being Des Moines Christian for Class 1A, Dallas Center-Grimes for Class 2A, and Valley for Class 3A.

Despite losing the first game of the postseason last year, Burlington grabbed the #15 slot for Class 2A. The Grayhounds finished 12-6 last year including an unblemished record in regular season play against the Southeast Conference. A big reason for their expected success is they return everyone, including Jenna Hentzel, who had an 84.9% save percentage.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Davis County today and the boys’ team will travel to Davis County on the same day. 

High School Golf

The Central Lee boys’ team will travel to Elks Fairview Golf Club today for an invitational. 

The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in a meet hosted by New London on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Columbus to participate in a meet on April 4th. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington Golf and Country Club on April 1st and the boys’ team will participate in a conference match at Fairfield Golf and Country Club on the same day. 

Southeastern Community College

In baseball, SCC will travel to face off against Des Moines Area Community College tomorrow, March 28th, in a doubleheader. 

The SCC softball team’s doubleheader against Kirkwood Community College was postponed yesterday. The Blackhawks will face off against Iowa Western Community College tomorrow, March 29th, at home in a doubleheader.

College Basketball

The #1-seed Iowa women’s team will battle with the #5-seed Colorado in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 30th, with tipoff at 2:30 pm. 

The #2-seed Iowa State men’s team will face off against #3 Illinois tonight at 9:10 pm. 

March Madness

The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with over 30 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.

Standings have been updated and you can find them here: KILJ Bracket Challenge Standings

This Day in Sports History

1891 – First world weightlifting championship won by Edward Lawrence in London, England.

1933 – First SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Mississippi State, 46-27.

1975 – NHL Washington Capitals win their first game on road after 37 straight road losses.

Prep Girls’ Soccer: First Rankings of the Season

Prep Girls’ Soccer- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their first rankings for the girls’ soccer season and here’s the top teams.

In Class 1A, Des Moines Christian enters the season as the favorite after falling to Gilbert in the state tournament semifinals last season. Davenport Assumption is ranked second followed by last year’s state champion, Bishop Heelan, who returns their top goal-scorer in Trelyn White as she netted 33 goals last season. The runner-up, Gilbert, rounds out the top four. Further down the list is #9 Hudson, who also qualified for the state tournament last season. Pella Chrisitan rounds out the top 15 as the Eagles downed Ottumwa 2-1 to start the season.

Last year’s Class 2A state champion, Dallas Center-Grimes, enters this season as the #1 team and for good reason; the Mustangs return their top four goal scorers including Kylie Knief and Olivia Cyr who combined for 53 goals last season. Waverly-Shell Rock was last year’s runner-up, so fittingly the Go-Hawks are ranked 2nd. The Pella Dutch are hoping that Abby Warner has another spectacular season after netting 45 goals last season as they are ranked 3rd. North Scott might have only lost to Dallas Center-Grimes by one last year in the state tournament, but the Lancers are regulated to 6th on the list.

Despite losing the first game of the postseason last year, Burlington grabbed the #15 slot. The Grayhounds finished 12-6 last year including an unblemished record in regular season play against the Southeast Conference. A big reason for their expected success is they return everyone, including Jenna Hentzel, who had an 84.9% save percentage.

For Class 3A, Valley, last year’s runner-up, holds the crown as the top team. Johnston, the defending champion, is all the way down to 5th in the rankings. Waukee Northwest is ranked 2nd after the Wolves finished 17-2 last season. Waukee is expected to make a big jump after going 8-8 last season. The Warriors return their entire starting lineup after graduating just one student-athlete from last year’s squad. Dowling Catholic, despite qualifying for state last season, enters the rankings at 9th. Iowa City High rounds out the list at #15.

Mt. Pleasant to Host Preserve Iowa Summit – Register Here!

Registration is open for the Preserve Iowa Summit to be held in Mount Pleasant on June 6-8, 2024!

Some highlights of the Preserve Iowa Summit in Mount Pleasant:

– pre-conference mixer on Wed June 5 from 6-8 at East Grove Farms – a farm in the Garretson family since 1837.

– Thursday June 6 is packed with numerous events – info and training sessions by SHPO and a historic windows seminar in morning, keynote address by Brent Leggs from the National Trust, preservation awards, evening reception in the historic and restored three-story Union Block, and highlights from the downtown Mt Pleasant survey project

– Friday June 7 is filled with four educational sessions and tours that span for the full day and the evening is capped off with a dinner on the grounds of Midwest Old Threshers, with its many attractions to be open for attendees

– Saturday June 8 is a series of speakers in a longer session directed to all conference attendees including historic preservation commissions and others interested in history and historic preservation in a community, with lunch and walking tour of downtown Mount Pleasant included.

The Preserve Iowa Summit is the state’s premier conference for professionals and volunteers involved in historic preservation. Through expert presentations, workshops and tours, participants will learn new ways to preserve Iowa’s past for the future. The 2024 summit will take place in Mount Pleasant located in southeastern Iowa.

The link to register:

https://web.cvent.com/event/7EE18B8E-54A2-4EA1-99CF-5745BCFFB862/summary?fbclid=IwAR2dfUYZrEV7uwFZwx7a1_sUmeCCLh7UQPkuUNnVyXILQKCgJCtCtAuz1mo_aem_AWrqSx_lr2IKkRCP-qgeqcVc2DkC7rYJ9PrRa2P6dFYG4JI28AzwA95B2vC-O2ja7s6MM21njF4IhYpugTcZ8z4v