Author: Nathan Bloechl

Iowa City — The Iowa football team got better yesterday, adding Deerfield Beach, Florida prep Jaziun Patterson to the backfield.

Patterson, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, announced his commitment to Iowa via social media yesterday.

The 5’10, 182 pound specimen held over 30 offers and chose Iowa over powerhouses such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Oregon and South Carolina among others.

Patterson rushed for 511 yards and seven scores in a truncated five game high school season last year.

He’s the ninth known commit for Iowa in the Class of 2022.

Buffalo (N.Y.) — Former Hawkeye standout A.J. Epenesa is ready for his second year in the NFL with Buffalo Bills.

Epenesa finished last year with one sack in 14 games — mostly due to a shortened rookie orientation period due to COVID.

Epenesa’s mother and father have local ties.

Eppy, his father played football at Iowa Wesleyan, while his mother Stephanie played volleyball for the Tigers.

A.J. spent his summer in Buffalo training for the upcoming season.

Epenesa and the Bills will open their season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12th.

Ottumwa  —Some of the top 14-year-old baseball players in the country are in Ottumwa this week.

The Babe Ruth Baseball 14-year-old World Series got underway Saturday and will continue this week — culminating with the championship game being played Saturday afternoon.

Ottumwa has already seen thousands of visitors to the area.

Teams from New Jersey, Arkansas, North Dakota, Oregon, New Hampshire, California, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Florida are competing for the World Series crown.

Ottumwa is competing in the World Series themselves.

The 14-year old Bulldogs will take on the Babe Ruth All-Stars from Eau Claire, Wisconsin tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Burlington — The Iowa Wesleyan men’s soccer team — who finished the spring 6-2-2 — will open their exhibition season tonight on the road when they take on Southeastern Community College in a nonconference affair.

Southeastern was the top junior college in the country last year, winning the Junior College Division II National Championship defeating The Community College of Baltimore County 3-2 in Wichita, Kansas.

The Blackhawks finished their season 17-2-1.

Tonight’s game — again an exhibition contest — will be played at 4:00 p.m. on the campus of Southeastern Community College.

Danville — The Danville-New London boys’ cross country will enter their 2021 season as the top dogs among the Class 2A pack.

Yesterday the Iowa Association of Track Coaches announced their preseason rankings and Danville-New London checks in at No. 1 following a terrific 2020 year.

Now, expectations remain the same.

Joining them in the 2A top-five are Western Christian, Tipton, Williamsburg and Des Moines Christian.

Davis County is the preseason No. 8 in Class 2A boys’.

No area teams are featured in the 2A girls’ poll.

Pekin is in the top-10 in Class 1A boys’ — the Panthers being their season No. 9.

Columbus Junction is No. 14.

The Pekin girls’ are No. 3 to begin the season in Class 1A, as well.

Individual preseason rankings are expected to be released later this week.