Sports, Saturday, September 26th

By Nathan Bloechl · Saturday, September 26th, 2020 at 7:08 am CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

New London Rolls Past Winfield, Other Area Scores:

New London recorded four touchdowns by sophomore quarterback Blaise Porter as the Tigers rolled to a 38-0 win last night over Winfield-Mount Union, encapsulating a homecoming weekend.

New London jumped out to an 8-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back.

Porter ran for touchdowns of 17, 56, and 27 yards, while throwing for a 27-yard score to cap off the New London scoring.

The win improved the Tigers to 4-1, while Winfield-Mount Union fell to 3-2.

New London is set to take on Tri-County next weekend at home, meanwhile, Winfield-Mount Union will do battle with English Valleys.

Kickoff for both games is set for 7:00 p.m.

Other area and regional games last night included:

  • Fort Madison 55, Burlington 7
    • The Bloodhounds scored the final 48 points of the game for their first win at Burlington since 1966.
  • Williamsburg 24, Mid-Prairie 8
  • Louisa-Muscatine 43, Van Buren County 12
  • Wapello 49, Columbus 7
  • Sigourney-Keota 49, Pekin 0
  • Washington 68, Fairfield 20
  • Mediapolis 44, Cardinal 8

Of course the big news in the area is the cancellation of Mount Pleasant-Keokuk.

The cancellation from the district comes with an abundance of caution due to potential COVID-19 exposures and/or positive test results.

 

Parents and players were notified of the cancellation at about 11:30 a.m. Friday morning.The Panthers were expected to travel to Keokuk for the Chiefs’ homecoming contest.Mount Pleasant Director of Athletics Scott Lamm told KILJ the team will “reevaluate” where things stand Monday after contract tracing and perhaps testing over the weekend.

The outlook of the rest of the season will be “clearer” by then, Lamm explained.

Mount Pleasant entered tonight 2-2.

They will hopefully resume their season next weekend at Fort Madison.

Super Conference Volleyball Tournament Begins Tonight:

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference will hold their Round of 6 tonight at SCC, crowning a conference champion in the process.

The top seed tonight is #1 (1A) Holy Trinity.

The Crusaders will await the winner of the 4-5 matchup between Winfield-Mount Union and West Burlington.

New London is the second seed.

Like Holy Trinity, the Tigers have a bye to the second round.

They’ll scrap with the winner of WACO-Central Lee.

Iowa State Readies for Big-12 Scrap with TCU:

The Iowa State football team is back in action this afternoon, as they aim to improve to 1-1 after a brutal 31-14 loss to open their season against Louisiana.

Today they’ll scrap against former Lewis Central (IA) standout quarterback Max Duggan — who is fully recovered from an off-season that was mired in a heart condition that was diagnosed late.

Duggan has since been cleared.

This afternoon’s game is set to begin on KILJ-FM and AM at 10:30 a.m. for the Cyclone Kickoff Show.

Kickoff from Fort Worth is scheduled for 12:30 p.m

UNI Football Releases 2021 Spring Schedule:

The Northern Iowa football team will open the 2021 football season at home on February 20th against Illinois State, the school has announced.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference unveiled the conference schedules on Thursday for the delayed season.

After opening at home, the Panthers go to South Dakota for a Friday night game on February 26th. On March 6th, they return home to meet Missouri State before three straight road games at Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State.

After a bye week on April 3rd, UNI welcomes North Dakota State and South Dakota State on April 10th and 17th, respectively.

 

Instruction at MP Remains Face-to-Face For Now

By Theresa Rose · Saturday, September 26th, 2020 at 12:55 am CDT

Despite cancelling the Panthers’ Friday night football game with Keokuk, the Mount Pleasant school administration will continue with face-to-face learning at school. Friday’s announcement said the game was being cancelled out of an abundance of caution regarding team members’ potential positive COVID-19 tests. Parents and players were notified of the cancellation Friday morning. Athletic Director Scott Lamm told KILJ the team will “reevaluate” where things stand Monday after contact tracing and perhaps testing over the weekend. Meanwhile, Superintendent John Henriksen met with administrators and school board members Friday afternoon to re-evaluate the district’s current face-to-face instructional model with the possibility of moving to a hybrid model. The Henry County positivity rate was also taken into consideration as well as the fact there have been a number of positive cases at the high school.  In his letter to parents, Supt. Henriksen said it was decided to remain with the face-to-face model and to work to improve physical distancing practices in the classrooms, minimize close contacts and potential transmission. Parents were also informed that students are doing a good job at school of observing the mitigation policies and it doesn’t appear transmission is taking place at school. In general, there isn’t a lot of illness at school. The average daily attendance is over 96% after factoring out the number quarantined due to close contact. The district also considered the fact that most of the cases in the county are localized and confined and not representative of broad virus spread across the school district. In his letter, Henriksen urged parents to follow good mitigation strategies and to encourage their students to do the same in school and outside of school. He stressed the importance of working together if students are to continue face-to-face learning which the district feels is best for students.

New London Picks HOCO King and Queen!

By Theresa Rose · Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 11:53 pm CDT

Congratulations to this year’s New London Homecoming King and Queen…Mac White and Marah Hartrick!

The full Homecoming Court was announced Wednesday night during Boom Night activities.  This year’s court includes Marah Hartrick, Clara Jones, Kyra Lincoln, Sophie Riegard and Ivonna Lajznerova. The gentleman on the court are Brody Butterbaugh, Currey Jacobs, Clayton  Phillips, Caydin Wahls and Mac White. The King and Queen were crowned Friday night before kickoff of the Homecoming game between The New London Tigers and the Winfield Mt. Union Wolves.

Ronald L. “Ron” DeWitt

By Theresa Rose · Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 8:01 pm CDT

Ronald L. “Ron” DeWitt, 76, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

A private family funeral service will be held on Monday at the Green Glade Cemetery, Farmington, Iowa, with masks and social distancing required. Military honors will be conducted by the NOCS Des Moines Naval Funeral Honors Team.

There will be no visitation at the Kimzey Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant, which is assisting the family with the arrangements. On line condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Ron was born December 19, 1943 in Kahoka, MO, the son of Adrian Leon and Eva Louise (Jenkins) DeWitt. He graduated from Kahoka High School in 1962. On November 22, 1962 in Carthage, IL, Ron was united in marriage to Betty Jean “Jeannie” McBride. Mrs. DeWitt preceded him in death on August 22, 1914.

After high school he enlisted in the US Navy. He served during the Vietnam War from 1962-1967. He did his basic training in San Diego, CA and was stationed with his wife in Rota, Spain and Key West, FL. He was honorably discharged at the USNAS, Key West, FL on Dec. 16, 1966. The couple made their home in Farmington, IA from 1968-1983. In 1983, they moved to Mt. Pleasant where they resided until their passing.

From 1967-1976, Ron worked in Ft. Madison at the Iowa State Penitentiary. He transferred to the Medium Security Unit in Mt. Pleasant as a supervisor until his retirement in 1002. After retirement, he held down a variety of part-time jobs.

Ron was a skilled craftsman and liked working with his hands. There was nothing he couldn’t do. He enjoyed being outdoors, and spending time with his family. In his later years, he enjoyed watching History channel, documentaries, Animal Planet and old westerns. Ron was a lover of animals, especially their beloved bichpoo Lilly who passed this spring.

Ron is survived by his four children – Ronotta (Dan) McCormick of Mt. Pleasant, Ronna (Alan) Mayberry of Iowa City, Ron (Belinda) DeWitt of Solon, IA and Regina Waddle of Morning Sun, IA; grandchildren – Amanda (Tyler) Sargent, Armand (Sarah) McCormick, Angelina (David) Bucheit, Brian (Sarah) Mayberry, Jennifer (Kyle) Mitchell, Eli (Kelsey) DeWitt, Chandler DeWitt, Tayler Waddle, Tabian Waddle, and Tauren Waddle; 12 great grandchildren; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Clair and Marlene Mc Bride of Farmington, IA and a sister-in-law, Nancie Holmes of Kahoka, MO.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents and wife; a brother, Larry DeWitt; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Clair and Bertha (Cochenour) McBride and a brother-in-law, Larry Holmes.

Paul Black

By Theresa Rose · Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 7:57 pm CDT

Paul Black, a well-known and highly respected cyclist from Des Moines, passed away after a brief illness on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.

Paul was born in Mount Pleasant on March 10, 1949 to Carl and Helen (Snyder) Black. He grew up on farms in the Libertyville and Fairfield area. Paul graduated from Fairfield High School with the class of 1967. After high school he attended Iowa State University earning a degree in 1972.

It was in Ames where the seeds of nearly fifty years of cycling were planted. Highlights from cycling included Paris-Brest-Paris (750 miles) in 1991; the 2,909 mile Race Across America (RAAM) where he finished 10th in 9 days & 23hrs; 6 trips to Alaska in February for the Iditasport races; and there were too many qualifying races and RAGBRI events to count. This February he was in Sebring Florida for a race and finished first in his age category on a recumbent bicycle. Paul had planned a trip to Spain this past March before travel was canceled. With all of the organized events, the rides Paul enjoyed most were casual outings with friends such as riding the temperature on New Year’s Day, Wednesday night rides and riding the miles of is age on his birthday.

Paul retired from the State of Iowa as an Information Technology Specialist in 2010. After retirement Paul enjoyed teaching fitness classes and recently started teaching Tai Chi. Paul enjoyed being a “Big Brother” to his “little brother” Austin for the last 9 1/2 years.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Helen Black and his sister Carla Campbell.

He is survived by his two latest rescue cats Ranger and Prince, brother Frank (Amy) Black of Savannah GA, brother-in-law Dale Campbell of Mt. Pleasant IA, niece Cindy (Brian) Smith of Mt. Pleasant IA, niece Brenda (Mike) Sporkman of West Point IA, nephew Dan (Brooke) Campbell of Carlisle IA, niece Kelly (George) Barker of Jacksonville FL and nephew Jonathan Black of Ellabell GA.

A private graveside service will be held at Trinity Cemetery in Mt. Union Iowa. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant is caring for Paul and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Memorials can be made out to Memorial of Paul Black and sent to Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel PO Box 656 Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641.

BREAKING: Mount Pleasant Football Cancels Against Keokuk, Potential COVID-19 Positives Among Team

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 4:40 pm CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

KILJ — The Mount Pleasant Panther football team is cancelling their contest tonight out of an abundance of caution regarding potential positive COVID-19 tests within the team, Director of Athletics Scott Lamm told KILJ.

Parents and players were notified of the cancellation at about 11:30 a.m. Friday (today) morning.

The Panthers were expected to travel to Keokuk for the Chiefs’ homecoming contest.

Lamm told KILJ the team will “reevaluate” where things stand Monday after contract tracing and perhaps testing over the weekend.

The outlook of the rest of the season will be “clearer” by then, Lamm explained.

Mount Pleasant is 2-2 this season.

Sports, Friday, September 25th

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 11:28 am CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

SEISC Volleyball Pool Play Sees Top Seeds Advance:

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference volleyball pool tournament played their first round yesterday and all of the host seeds except for Louisa-Muscatine has advanced to Saturday night’s finals at SCC.

Here are the full results:

Winfield Pool:

Winfield-Mount Union 25, Columbus 3

Winfield-Mount Union 25, Columbus 19

Pekin withdrew from the tournament because of COVID-19.

New London Pool:

New London 25, Danville 14

New London 25, Danville 7

Mediapolis withdrew because of COVID-19.

Holy Trinity Pool:

Holy Trinity 25, Lone Tree 13; Holy Trinity 25, Lone Tree 9

Van Buren 25, Lone Tree; Van Buren 25, Lone Tree 8

Holy Trinity 25, Van Buren 19; Holy Trinity 12

Central Lee Pool:

Central Lee 25, Hillcrest 9; Central Lee 25, Hillcrest 11

Notre Dame 25, Hillcrest 12; Notre Dame 25, Hillcrest 9

Central Lee 25, Notre Dame 16; Central Lee 25, Notre Dame 23

WACO Pool: 

WACO 25, Highland 11; WACO 25, Highland 10

Wapello 25, Highland 20; Highland 27, Wapello 25; Wapello 15, Highland 9

WACO 25, Wapello 17; WACO 25, Wapello 11

Louisa-Muscatine Pool:

Louisa-Muscatine 25, Cardinal 22; Louisa-Muscatine 25, Cardinal 21

West Burlington 25, Cardinal 16; West Burlington 25, Cardinal 14

West Burlington 25, Louisa-Muscatine 17; West Burlington 25, Louisa-Muscatine 8

The finals bracket has also been announced for Saturday at SCC.

The top seed is Holy Trinity, they’ll await the winner of the 4-5 matchup that pits Winfield-Mount Union against West Burlington.

New London is the second seed.

Like Holy Trinity, the Tigers have a bye to the second round. They’ll scrap with the winner of WACO-Central Lee.

Friday Night Lights Return to KILJ, Region:

A matchup of 3-1 programs will take place in New London, while Mount Pleasant looks to get back into the win column in this weekend’s edition of the Friday Football Feast.

In New London, the 3-1 Tigers will host the upstart (3-1) Winfield-Mount Union Wolves for their homecoming matchup.

Winfield has won two straight, including a 28-12 victory over Iowa Valley, last weekend.

Cam Buffington was the bell cow for the Wolves, rushing for nearly 200 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, New London rebounded nicely from a tough loss against Montezuma to win last week 54-26 over Lone Tree.

Sophomore running back Blaise Porter has rushed for 718 yards and 13 touchdowns and will be the unquestioned workhorse for Mark McSorely’s group this evening.

Kickoff at New London is set for 7:00 p.m.

In Keokuk tonight, the 2-2 Mount Pleasant football team will look to get back into the win column when they battle the Keokuk Chiefs, who are also 2-2 this year.

Senior quarterback Jack Johnson has been dynamite for the Panthers totaling over 1200 total yards this year — good for second in Class 3A. He’s punched in 13 scores through four weeks, which is 6th in Class 3A.

Keokuk quarterback Corey Skinner is the straw that stirs the Chiefs drink.

Skinner has scored nine total touchdowns this year, five through the air and four via the ground.

It will be imperative for the Panthers to get after him tonight to pull out a victory.

Air-time on KILJ will be 7:00 p.m. for the Panther Tailgate Show, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Other regional contests tonight include:

  • Wapello at Columbus
  • North Cedar vs. Highland
  • Cardinal vs. Mediapolis
  • West Burlington/Notre Dame vs. North Tama
  • Sigourney-Keota vs. Pekin
  • WACO vs. Tri-County
  • Louisa-Muscatine vs. Van Buren County
  • Fairfield vs. Washington
  • Fort Madison vs. Burlington

UNI Football Releases 2021 Spring Schedule:

The Northern Iowa football team will open the 2021 football season at home on February 20th against Illinois State, the school has announced.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference unveiled the conference schedules on Thursday for the delayed season.

After opening at home, the Panthers go to South Dakota for a Friday night game on February 26th. On March 6th, they return home to meet Missouri State before three straight road games at Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State.

After a bye week on April 3rd, UNI welcomes North Dakota State and South Dakota State on April 10th and 17th, respectively.

 

 

Man Arrested At Casey’s After Fight With Officers

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, September 24th, 2020 at 9:15 pm CDT

Thursday over the noon hour Mount Pleasant Police stopped a motor vehicle in the 400 block of West Washington Street for failure to have license plates.  The driver was identified as Kevin Fleming of Mount Pleasant and was known not to have a valid driver’s license.  Fleming got out of his vehicle and tried to walk away.  According to the Mount Pleasant Police report he was asked twice to get back into his vehicle but both times refused to comply, ignoring the officer’s commands. Fleming’s resistance escalated and he assaulted the officers. Several more law enforcement officers arrived and tried for several minutes to get Fleming into restraints.  He continued to fight, kicking the officers but was eventually put in the back of the police cruiser where he broke the leg restraints. At that point a transport van was requested.  Additional officers and members of the Henry County Jail staff arrived. Fleming still would not comply and continued to resist the officers. After about 45 minutes he was finally placed and secured in the back of the van. Fleming is charged with not having a driver’s license, failure to provide insurance, two counts of assault on police officers and interference with official acts with injuries. The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Henry County Jail staff, Iowa State Patrol and several citizens who provided pertinent information at the scene or called that information in.