Sports, Saturday, October 10th

By Nathan Bloechl · Saturday, October 10th, 2020 at 6:03 am CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Panthers Strike Early, Often in 42-16 Rout of Burlington; Other Area Scores:

The Mount Pleasant football team scored early and often as they ended their regular season with a bang, defeating Burlington 42-16 last night.

Klayton Kleinkopf got the scoring started in the first quarter with a 23-yard touchdown rush, a lead Mount Pleasant would never give up.

His backfield mate Avery Scandridge scored just minutes later on a five-yard run as the Panthers extended their lead to 14-3.

In the second quarter, the Panthers added two more rushing scores, one from senior Grifen Molle from 10-yards out and the other an electrifying 65-yard scamper by senior quarterback Jack Johnson, who returned to the starting lineup following a coronavirus caused sit-out last Friday against Fort Madison.

Leading 28-10 at recess, the Panthers jumped the Greyhounds in the third quarter, scoring on a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Chase Williamson.

Five minutes later, Williamson scored again — this time on a 3o-yard scoring strike from Jack Johnson to put the Panthers up 42-10 and effectively end all hope for Burlington.

The win improved Mount Pleasant to 3-3 on the season, while Burlington slipped to 1-5.

The Panthers now will await their fate in the 2020 Postseason Pairings, which should be announced at noon today.

Mount Pleasant officials believe their most likely scenario would be a first-round date with Keokuk, though nothing is certain.

First-round action will be next Friday at night, we’ll have coverage on KILJ-FM.

Other area scores last night:

  • New London 62, Twin Cedars 12
  • Fort Madison 55, Fairfield 12
  • Williamsburg 59, Central Lee 0
  • Winfield-Mount Union 42, WACO 28
  • Lisbon 52, Wapello 28
  • Sigourney-Keota 68, Cardinal 8
  • Pekin 42, Van Buren 21
  • Washington 62, Keokuk 8

Seeding Protocol Update:

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released their playoff overview for the upcoming football postseason.

First and second round playoff pod assignments are slated to be released today at 12:00 PM. Third round and quarterfinal pods will be released Saturday, October 24th at the same time.

All schools are eligible for the playoffs this year, and the IHSAA will “assign teams to pods throughout the postseason” with “geography and district placement…key determinants in pod assignments.”

Be sure to turn to KILJ.com later today for updated seeds.

IGHSAU Announces Regional Pairings:

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released the 2020 State Volleyball Pairings for our 1A, 2A and 4A programs here in the KILJ-area.

In Class 1A, the lot of our programs will compete in Region 5.

The first round will begin on Monday, October 19th.

Opening round action will pit:

  • Lone Tree at Highland, with the winner getting Holy Trinity. The Crusaders have a first round bye.
  • Hillcrest Academy at Winfield-Mount Union
  • Wapello at Burlington Notre Dame
  • Sigourney at WACO

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Girls’ Union has split New London and Holy Trinity, avoiding a top-10 collision in a Region Final.

New London will compete in Class 1A Region 8.

Their first round matchup, also on Monday, October 19th, will be against Moulton-Udell at home.

The top-seed in Region 5 is Southeast Warren, they’ll get the winner of Diagonal and East Union.

In Class 2A, Mediapolis will open their postseason push at home against Danville in Region 8.

Should the Bullettes’ prevail they’ll earn a trip to West Branch.

Durant is the top-seed who will await the winner of a scrap between Pekin and Columbus.

In 4A, Mount Pleasant will compete in Region 8.

There the Panthers will have a first-round tango with Fort Madison on October 20th.

Should they win, they’ll earn a date with Burlington on the 22nd.

North Scott is the top seed in Region 8 — they’ll await the winner of Fairfield-Keokuk, also on October 20th.

Iowa State Tries to Stay Hot, Win Third Consecutive:

The Iowa State Cyclone football team will look to stay hot this afternoon when they host the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Clones are coming off an impressive 37-31 win over then No. 18 Oklahoma.

Iowa State checks in this week — in both the AP and Coaches Poll — at No. 24.

Kickoff from Jack Trice Stadium in Ames is set for 2:30 p.m.

Coverage on KILJ-AM will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the Cyclone Kickoff Show.

More on Friday’s House Fire South of Mount Pleasant

By Theresa Rose · Saturday, October 10th, 2020 at 2:28 am CDT

The cause of a Friday afternoon house fire south of Mount Pleasant remains unknown.  Homeowner Rich Taylor said he has no idea how it started.  No one was at home at the time and no one was hurt.  But it appears the house was seriously damaged. A little after 1:30 pm, reports started coming in reporting smoke coming from the home at 2667 Iowa Avenue. When the Mount Pleasant Fire Department arrived on the scene with two engines, two tankers, a command unit and 16 firefighters, they found the one and a half story house fully engulfed in flames. The Salem Department was called for mutual aid and brought a tanker, an attack truck, a brush truck and 8 firefighters. The brush truck was needed when a small brush fire ignited nearby. Crews were on the scene for about 3 hours and Mount Pleasant firefighters had to return Friday evening to put out a flare-up.

Friday Sees Two Area Fires

By Theresa Rose · Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 8:37 pm CDT

Area fire departments were busy today.  The call went out Friday at around 11:20 am for a fire at a vacant home at 306 East Ash in Winfield.  As luck would have it, Winfield Fire Chief Josh Sparrow was working on another building in the neighborhood when he smelled fire and in investigating, discovered the blaze.  Sparrow reports that the fire started at the southeast corner of the home in the exterior before traveling to the soffit and into the attic.  They were able to extinguish the blaze but the structure is a total loss.  They were not able to locate the cause of the blaze and so the State Fire Marshall’s Office has been called in to investigate.  Winfield and Mt. Union Departments assisted to put the blaze out.

Friday afternoon, a little after 1:30, reports started coming in reporting smoke coming from a home in the 2600 block of Iowa Avenue.  When crews arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames.  Crews from Mount Pleasant and Salem worked on the blaze.  An ambulance was requested to the address later in the afternoon. The address was reported as 2667 Iowa Avenue.  County property records show that property is owned by Rich Taylor. KILJ News is working to get more details.

Wednesday Accident in Salem

By Theresa Rose · Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 7:21 pm CDT

On October 7, 2020, at 11:46 PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a motor vehicle accident in the 400 block of South Main Street, Salem.

Upon arrival at the scene it was found that a single-vehicle crash occurred with an injured driver.  The driver was identified as Lucas Blint, 39, Mt. Pleasant.   Blint was transported to the Henry County Health Center Emergency Room for treatment.

Henry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash, which is ongoing.

Sports, Friday, October 9th

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 11:45 am CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

As Usual, Super Conference Provides Drama:

We said it yesterday on Beyond the Game — the Super Conference volleyball schedule is a dog eat dog world. And one of the final nights of regular season competition it showed us why, with top teams cannibalizing each other once again.

Let’s take a look at the roundup from last night:

Notre Dame 3, #14 (1A) WACO 1 

The No. 14 (1A) ranked WACO Warriors took set one, before Notre Dame rallied for a pair of 25-19 wins and a 26-24 victory to upset the Warriors last night in Wayland.

Josie Bentz was next level for the Nikes, the outside hitter finished with a game-high 26 kills, while Katy Stephens and Gabby Deery chipped in with 21 and 17, respectively.

Notre Dame has had a truncated season, but are certainly a team many will want to avoid come postseason play.

The Nikes improved to 7-5 — they’ll be at Cardinal, Monday.

WACO fell to 21-4 and 5-1 in conference play, they’ll take part in the Davis County tournament on Saturday.

#6 (1A) Holy Trinity 3, Cardinal 0

Holy Trinity got 12 kills from Claire Pothitakis as the Crusaders snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating Cardinal 3-0.

The Crusdaers picked up 25-15, 25-14 and 25-16 wins to earn victory No. 18 this season.

Swiss army knife star Kassi Randolph stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, 12 assists and a pair of aces, as well.

Holy Trinity will play in the Pella Tournament this Saturday.

Cardinal slipped to 8-11.

Mediapolis 3, Wapello 2 

Josie Wolter finished with a game-high 24 kills as Mediapolis rallied for three straight set victories to defeat Wapello 3-2.

Mediapolis fell behind early dropping set one 25-16 and set two 26-24.

That’s when Wolter and the rest of the Bullette offense woke up, charging back for 25-23, 25-16 and 15-13 wins to keep their unorthodox perfect conference record alive.

7-13 overall, Mediapolis improved to 6-0 in SEISC-North play.

They’ll play in the Pella Tournament this weekend.

West Burlington 3, #10 (1A) New London 2 

What a week it’s been for West Burlington.

The Lady Falcons picked up a win earlier this week against then No. 3 (1A) Holy Trinity, last night they claimed another bounty, taking down Maureen Heath and the No. 10 (1A) New London Tigers, 3-2 at West Burlington High School.

Sydney Marlow was sublime, with a game high 30 kills, while Kenna Marlow chipped in with eight.

West Burlington took a 2-0 lead early with 25-22 and 26-24 wins.

New London rallied for two straight of their own, winning 25-23 and 25-21.

The Lady Falcons had had enough, winning set five 15-8.

The win moved West Burlington to 18-3 overall and 7-1 in South Division play.

New London slipped to 14-7, they’ll look to rebound this weekend at the Davis County tournament.

Winfield-Mount Union 3, Louisa-Muscatine 0 

As she always does, Winfield-Mount Union star Jenna Buffington came up big for the Wolves, sparking the offense with 16 kills as Winfield swept Louisa-Muscatine 25-9, 25-10 and 25-17.

Melina Oepping chipped in with six kills for Winfield who improved to 20-6 and 7-0 in conference play.

They’ll play in a pseudo North Division title match next Tuesday at Mediapolis.

Louisa-Muscatine dropped to 8-5.

Other area games last night:

  • Central Lee 3, Danville 0
  • Columbus 3, Lone Tree 1

IGHSAU Announces Regional Pairings:

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released the 2020 State Volleyball Pairings for our 1A and 2A programs here in the KILJ-area.

In Class 1A, the lot of our programs will compete in Region Five.

The first round will begin on Monday, October 19th.

Opening round action will pit:

  • Lone Tree at Highland, with the winner getting Holy Trinity. The Crusaders have a first round bye.
  • Hillcrest Academy at Winfield-Mount Union
  • Wapello at Burlington Notre Dame
  • Sigourney at WACO

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Girls’ Union has split New London and Holy Trinity, avoiding a top-10 collision in a Region Final.

New London will compete in Class 1A Region 5.

Their first round matchup, also on Monday, October 19th, will be against Moulton-Udell at home.

The top-seed in Region 5 is Southeast Warren, they’ll get the winner of Diagonal and East Union.

In Class 2A, Mediapolis will open their postseason push at home against Danville in Region 8.

Should the Bullettes’ prevail they’ll earn a trip to West Branch.

Durant is the top-seed who will await the winner of a scrap between Pekin and Columbus.

Final Regular Season Friday Football Feast to Commence Tonight:

The final regular season Friday Football Feast will take us to Mapleleaf Athletic Complex tonight when the Mount Pleasant Panthers will try to even their ledger against the Burlington Greyhounds.

The Panthers are coming off a tough 44-7 loss last weekend to Fort Madison, but will have their full allotment of starters back this week after playing with just 13 of 28 upperclassmen last week due to coronavirus concerns.

Chief among those returners will be quarterback Jack Johnson and all of their offensive line, including Nebraska commit Henry Lutovsky.

Burlington on the other hand is limping to the finish line after falling 69-0 to No. 6 (3A) Washington last week and 55-7 to Fort Madison two weeks prior.

They enter play tonight with a record of 1-4.

Kickoff from Mapleleaf Athletic Complex is set for 7:30 p.m. and air-time on KILJ-FM will be 7:00 p.m. for the Panther Tailgate Show.

Other area games tonight:

  • Mediapolis vs. Louisa-Muscatine
  • Columbus vs. North Cedar
  • Highland vs. Iowa City Regina
  • New London vs. Twin Cedars
  • Pekin vs. Van Buren County
  • Lisbon vs. Wapello
  • WACO vs. Winfield-Mount Union
  • West Burlington/Notre Dame vs. Mid-Prairie
  • Washington vs. Keokuk
  • Fairfield vs. Fort Madison

IHSAA Releases Playoff Overview:

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released a playoff overview for the upcoming football postseason.

First and second round playoff pod assignments are slated to be released on Saturday, October 10th at 12:00 PM. Third round and quarterfinal pods will be released Saturday, October 24th at the same time.

All schools are eligible football teams are allowed in the playoffs this year, and the IHSAA will “assign teams to pods throughout the postseason” with “geography and district placement…key determinants in pod assignments.”

Voting so far in Henry County

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, October 8th, 2020 at 7:37 pm CDT

Early voting began in Henry County Monday.  Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber reported on Thursday that 94 people came to the Courthouse Monday to vote.  Tuesday there were 81 early voters and 93 on Wednesday.  At noon Thursday people were lined up out the door of the second floor conference room waiting to cast their ballot.  The conference room is set up for voting with social distancing in mind.  There are also masks, gloves and hand sanitizer available. Also, on Monday, the absentee ballots began go out.  Before Monday the auditor’s office received 3,217 requests for absentee ballots.  Those were mailed Monday.  The office mailed out 19 on Tuesday, 33 on Wednesday and 27 by noon on Thursday.

Tony Bentler

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, October 8th, 2020 at 1:48 pm CDT

Anthony “Tony” Robert Bentler, 89, died Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at Great River Medical Center, West Burlington, IA.

Born March 9, 1931, in Houghton, Iowa, Tony was the son of Joe and Diena (Holtkamp) Bentler. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s in West Point, IA. On March 28, 1954, in West Point, Tony married Evelyn Dyer.  She preceded him in death on September 30, 2011.  Tony spent two years in the army during the Korean war.

Tony owned and operated Bentler’s 66 service station and car wash for 37 years retiring in 1992. He was a member of St. Alphonsus Church, Knights of Columbus, Parish Council, Past president of Jaycees in Mt. Pleasant, and a member of the American Legion. Any spare time was spent on the golf course.

Survivors include three sons, Roger (Pam) Bentler of Glendale, AZ, David (Staci) Bentler of Scottsdale, AZ, and Michael Bentler of Scottsdale, AZ; one sister, Rita Meyer of Davenport, IA; four grandchildren, Rhiana (Rolondo) Hopkins, Anthony Bentler, Taryn Bentler, and Tatum Bentler; and four great grandchildren, Skylar, Nylah, Roshawn, and Kamylah Hopkins.

Along with his wife, Tony was preceded in death by three brothers, Louis, Frank, and Leo Bentler; and six sisters, Gertrude Berg, Clara Pranger, Mary Menke, and Dorothy Pollmiller, Rosina Sanders, Agnes Fullenkamp.

Visitation will begin at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mt Pleasant where the family will greet friends from 5:00-7:00 PM.  A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 AM Wednesday, October 14, 2020, at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church with Father Paul Connolly officiating.  Burial will be in St. Alphonsus Cemetery with full military rites by the Henry County Honor Guard. Social distancing guidelines will be followed and masks are required for attendance. The service will be livestreamed on Powell Funeral Homes Facebook page and at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.

Scenic Drive Festival October 9-11

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, October 8th, 2020 at 11:56 am CDT

Villages of Van Buren County, Iowa will host the countywide Scenic Drive Festival which is always held the second full weekend in October. Visitors are encouraged to follow the marked “Scenic Drive” signs through Van Buren County in Southeast Iowa and along the Historic Hills Scenic Byway to experience each of the historic Villages. There will be Fine Arts, Crafts, Flea Markets, Antiques, Car & Tractor Show, Parade, Live Music and several other activities. While in the area be sure to visit historic sites like Pearson House Museum Complex, part of the Underground Railroad located in Keosauqua, the Pioneer Historical Museum in Farmington to learn more about the Honey War, and Richardson’s Point, an 1846 Mormon Encampment site near Milton.

The extremely popular home-cooked meals will be a buffet held Friday and Saturday nights at the Sunrise Bakery, North of Bonaparte.  And of course, all of the Specialty Shops & Antique Stores will be open! The festival is held rain or shine. There is no admission fee. Please practice physical distancing when possible. A face covering is strongly recommended when distancing cannot be met. For more details and a free brochure with map visit villagesofvanburen.com or call 319-293-7111 / 800-868-7822.

Bentonsport

  • 45th Annual Fine Art & Fine Craft Festival featuring high-end fine art & fine craft artist demonstrate, sell and compete for prize money. Hours: Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.
  • Bentonsport Riverfest with outdoor flea market, antiques, crafts, & food vendors in the Riverfront Park. Mums, Amish baked goods, leather goods, quilting and artisan demonstrations. Specialty shops will be open. Pottery, rug-weaving, woodworking and blacksmith demonstrations. Music by John Boyer both days. Free wagon rides. Hours: Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.
  • Indian Artifact Museum, 21929 Des Moines St. Thousands of artifacts impressively displayed. No admission fee. Hours: 10am-5pm

Keosauqua

  • Fall Festival Hours: Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Arts, craft, flea market & food vendors. Vendors set-up downtown along the river, Roberts Memorial Building and the Van Buren County Fairgrounds. Pedal Pull and Corn Hole Tournament near Hotel Manning on Saturday. Live music in Riverfront Park outdoor venue Saturday night beginning at 5pm.
  • Keosauqua Rotary Grand Parade on Saturday at 10am. “We’re All In This Together” is this year’s theme honoring health care workers. Line up begins at 8am at the Van Buren County High School, 503 Henry St. Please spread yourself out along the posted route to allow for physical distancing.
  • Pearson House Museum Complex, 718 Dodge St. was a “safe house” on the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves during the Civil War era. The secret hiding place under the floorboards can still be seen today. Also at the complex, is a one-room Schoolhouse and authentic Log Cabin that will be open for tours with guides in period dress depicting the pioneer lifestyle. Kids activities. Tours available Satruday 10am-3pm, Sunday 12p-3pm. No admission fee but donations for future preservation efforts are appreciated.
  • Fall Festival Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show will be on Sunday. Registration from 10am- 12pm. Show from 12pm-3pm. Registration $15. For more information call: 319-293-3752.
  • 14th Annual Fall 5K/10K Run or 2 mile Trail Walkat Lacey Keosauqua State Park, begins at the Lodge (22026 Iris Trail) at 9am on Sunday.  Registration begins at 8:15am, $25.
  • Camping with showers & electric is available at the Van Buren County Fairgrounds. $15/night with electric. Reservations: 641-919-0566.

Bonaparte

  • 3rd Annual BCIA Gun Show, held at Bonaparte School Community Center, 602 8th Buy – Sell – Trade Modern & antique guns. Unique items. Gun raffle. Fundraiser to support the Bonaparte Improvement Association. Admission: $5, under 10: Free. Hours: Friday 5-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 9am-2pm.
  • Fall Festival Citywide yard sales and vendors in Riverside Park. All specialty & antique stores will be open. Hours: Friday-Sunday 9am-5pm
  • Sunrise Bakery Amish Dinner Buffet, 21913 White Ave. (North of Bonaparte, then East on J40.) 5pm-8pm on Friday & Saturday Adults: $11+ tax, Seniors: $10+tax, Children ages 5-12: $5.50+tax, Under age 4: Free. Bakery hours: 9am-6pm.

Stockport

  • Stockport Depot / Freedom Rock Open Saturday Only from 10am-4pm. No admission fee.

 

 

 

Farmington

  • Crafts & Food Vendors at the Senior Center. Crafts, food & bean bag tournament. Saturday 8am-5pm & Sunday 9am-4pm.
  • Pioneer Historical Museum, 205 S. 4th (next to Casey’s). Open Saturday 10am-4pm & Sunday 12pm-4pm. Learn the fascinating story of the Honey War, historical artifacts & souvenirs. You might even see ukulele players! No admission fee.

Lebanon Area

  • Yoder’s Indian Creek Furniture (22769 Rt. V-64, Milton; 3/4 miles S of Lebanon) 14th Anniversary Sale with FREE coffee & donuts all day.  10% off everything purchased or ordered.  10% off in-stock poly & wood lawn furniture and 15% off Wind Chimes. Door prizes with a Glider Rocker as the Grand Prize. Sat only 8am-5pm.
  • Richardson’s Point, an 1846 Mormon Encampment Site, 11251 County Rd J40, Milton. Saturday 10am-5pm. Memorialized marked grave sites of the first deaths of the Mormon Exodus. No admission fee.

Cantril

  • Dutchman’s Store is an Ol’Fashion General Store with bulk food, fresh produce, deli counter, fall flowers, pumpkins, gourds, hard-to-find goods, and a quilter’s paradise! Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm and Saturday 8am-5pm.

Milton

  • Milton Creamery (202 E Hwy 2) Open 8am-5pm. Free samples of over 20 flavors of locally made cheeses and fresh curds.

The Scenic Drive Festival is made possible by generous contributions from Van Buren Telephone Co., Keosauqua Lions Club, City of Keosauqua, Hotel Manning, First Iowa State Bank, Dutchman’s Store in Cantril, Milton Creamery and several Van Buren County businesses and organizations.