Author: Slaten Swords

Prep Soccer- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their first boys’ soccer rankings for the 2025 season and one of our local teams cracked the top 10. Here’s a rundown of some of the top teams.

Class 4A

Valley sits atop the class as they have rattled off eight consecutive wins after dropping their first game of the season to #3 Ames 1-0. The Tigers get the nod over #2 Dowling Catholic with a 2-0 win over the Maroons back in early April.

Last year’s champion, Johnston, is ranked 5^th as they currently tout a 5-1-1, as the Dragons also lost 1-0 to Ames then tied Southeast Polk 1-1 for their only blemishes. The Tigers and Dragons are slated to meet on May 9^th at Johnston High School.

Class 3A

Des Moines Hoover is one of two teams in Class 3A to have not lost a game, accordingly, the Huskies hold the top spot. Their lone tie comes against #3 Urbandale, who holds a 3-2-1 record. Dallas Center-Grimes sits at #2 with a 6-2-1 record.

The other team to not have lost yet this season, North Polk, is currently placed at #10 with ties to Perry and Boone hurting their ranking strength.

Class 2A

There are some tough teams in Class 2A, but the consensus #1 has to go to undefeated Bishop Heelan, who is routinely winning games by nearly seven goals on average. Xavier and Gilbert enter at #2 and #3 without a loss on their record.

Sliding in at #4 is Burlington Notre Dame after an impressive 4-1 start to the season for the Nikes. An unsightly 3-0 loss to Assumption for their season opener is their one negative, otherwise Notre Dame has handled business, including consecutive 4-1 and 6-1 wins against bigger teams in Solon and Fort Madison, respectively.

The Nikes last went to state in 2023, falling 5-0 to Assumption. That capped off a three-year run of state tournament appearances that included a state championship run in 2021 that saw the Nikes finish the year 23-1.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton rounds out the list with a 3-0-3 record.

Class 1A

Despite losing their last contest, North Fayette Valley is the king of Class 1A with a 7-1 record, despite #2 West Liberty, #3 Regina Catholic, #4 Hudson, #5 St. Albert, and #9 West Central Valley grasping zeros in the loss column with at least five games played.

#10 Beckman Catholic is the reason that statement exists with the Trailblazers, contrary to their name, moving slow through the season having only played four games. Beckman Catholic is 2-0-2 with one of those ties occurring against #3 Regina Catholic.

More

For the complete soccer rankings list for April 21^st, follow this link: 2025 1st Soccer Rankings

Des Moines, IA- Some of the best athletes from around the world will be migrating to Drake University to compete in the 115^th Drake Relays, starting on Wednesday, April 23^rd, and running through Saturday, April 26^th. The high school running events will start on Thursday, April 24^th, and here’s some of our local athletes participating.

Mt. Pleasant

Alex Scott reset her meet record at the Denny White Relays last week, which also placed her directly on the Blue Oval Standard for 2025 at 12.43 seconds in the girls’ 100-meter dash. The junior will sprint in the first heat around 9 am on Friday.

Avin Truong broke 23 feet earlier this year in the long jump, clearing the Blue Oval Standard. The senior will be looking to add to his accolades on Thursday evening at 4 pm in the second flight.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Kohlby Newsom is looking to continue his running success in his senior campaign, competing in the boys’ 800-meter run. His best time of 1 minute and 54 seconds for the season is one second better than the Blue Oval Standard. He will be apart of the first heat on Saturday around 1:50 pm.

Danville

The Bears’ girls’ team will send Alaina Gourley to run in the first heat of the 400-meter dash slated to start at 5:28 pm on Friday night. Her personal record (58 seconds) is just a second off the Blue Oval Standard.

Columbus

The boys’ team will be sending two to run the 110-meter hurdles in Lamar Ceant and Alex Rees, as they both were placed in the third heat. Ceant’s personal record for the season (14.9 seconds) is just two-tenths of a second away from the Blue Oval Standard.

The duo will run on Friday around 10:30 am.

Fort Madison

Julian Dear will be exhibiting the speed in the boys’ 100-meter dash when he runs in the second heat on Friday morning following the girls’ 100-meter dash.

Kenden Bowie will compete in the boys’ high jump on Thursday evening at 4:30 pm.

Brylie Lorence will toss the shot put on Friday morning in the second flight.

Burlington

Kylee Hill showed out as a freshman in last year’s Class 4A throwing events, winning the shot put and finishing in 4^th in the discus. She will look to express the same kind of dominance in both events as she will throw the discus at 2:30 pm in the second flight on Thursday and shot put on Friday morning at 9 am.

Washington

Greyson Hartman is following in the footsteps of other great Washington throwers as he will heave the shot put around 3 pm on Thursday and then toss the discus on Friday morning at 8:30 am.

Fairfield

Last year’s Class 3A state champion Eli Zillman will show off his skills at the high jump along with fellow Trojan Ryan Giberson on Thursday evening.

Girls’ 4×100 Meter Relay

The Southeast Conference (SEC) will be well represented on Saturday morning with five of the six squads sending a team. Burlington will run in the second heat around 9:40 am with the quartet of Kierah Wiseman, Meilah Ertz, Sophie Brown, and Mylee Stiefel.

Over in heat three, Keokuk will have the team of Layonna Stewart, Kelly Takorbisong, Alaya Carr, and Ada Wood, while Washington will participate in the seventh heat with the squad of Layla Green, Leighton Messinger, Leighton Salazar, and Jaedyn Moore.

Lastly, Mt. Pleasant’s team of Ellie Freeman, Kiyah Sanders, Taylor Williamson, and Kynlee White will run in the 12^th heat.

Boys’ 4×100 Meter Relay

It’s another busy race for our local schools with a litany of SEC and Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) talent showing off their speed and cohesion. Here’s to look out for.

Columbus’ Ceant and Rees will be joined by Juan Chairez and Riley Kaalberg to run in the second heat of the 4×100 meter relay. Following in the third heat will be Fairfield’s team of Dylan Adam, Spencer McCready, Ethan Bisgard, and Dayson Workman along with Keokuk’s squad of Tramell Smith, Kurt Joy, Ryan Bair, and Drew Campbell.

Over in the seventh heat will be the team of Nathan Schmidgall, Kyler Crow, and Will and Henry Luttenegger. The ninth heat will feature Cale Westerbeck, Gavin Strawhacker, Brigham Porter, and London Franklin of New London and Washington’s Keider Gomez Valdez, Kael Williams, Jayfred Espinosa, and Nate Edmonds.

Lastly, Burlington will compete in heat ten with the quartet of Amare Stepps, Kamryn Reynolds, Darius and Laderrias Shealey.

Next Up

Stay tuned to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, throughout the multi-day event for updates.

High School Track

Central Lee made the trip to Burlington over the weekend to participate in the Grayhound Invite and the boys’ team finished in 3rd place with 53 points, while the girls’ team took 4th place with 37 points. Brayden Wyrick grabbed the lone win for the Hawks boys’ team with a 1st place time of 55.9 seconds in the 400-meter dash. For the girls’ team, Kylie Fortune leapt 5 feet to win the high jump. 

Mt. Pleasant will host the Panther relays tomorrow, April 22nd, with Danville, Mediapolis, and the girls’ teams of New London, Central Lee, WACO, Wapello, Winfield-Mt. Union, and West Burlington/Notre Dame making the trip.

The WACO boys’ team will host the Warrior Relays tomorrow with Central Lee, New London, Wapello, Van Buren County, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating.

Fairfield will compete in the Don Newell Classic in Ottumwa tomorrow. 

The 115th Drake Relays will get underway for our local high school athletes on Thursday, April 24th. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be giving updates throughout the multi-day event. 

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will take on Burlington Notre Dame on the road tonight, while the boys’ team will travel to Fairfield tomorrow, April 22nd.

Fairfield will face off against Fort Madison tonight with the girls at home and the boys on the road.

High School Golf

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host their SEC meet today, while the boys’ teams of the SEC will travel to Washington. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a triangular along with Burlington Notre Dame today at the Bloomfield County Club. 

Mediapolis will host a triangular today with WACO and Wapello hitting the road to compete. 

Wapello will host an invite on Wednesday, April 23rd, with Danville, Columbus, and Winfield-Mt. Union competing. 

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will participate in the Lee County Classic on Wednesday at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Park along with Central Lee.

New London will face off against Winfield-Mt. Union on Friday, April 25th, on the road. 

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant and Mediapolis boys’ teams competed at a tournament in Fort Madison over the weekend, with the two facing off against one another. In their showdown, the Panthers were able to sneak out with the 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs after netting two goals in the first half. Both squads struggled against Davenport North with Mt. Pleasant losing 4-1 and Mediapolis falling 6-1. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Burlington tonight with the top of the conference up for grabs at 5 pm, while the boys’ team will host the Grayhounds at 4:30 pm.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will face off against Highland tonight at 5 pm at home. The Mediapolis girls’ team will take on Keokuk tomorrow, April 22nd, at 5:30 pm at home.

The Fairfield girls’ team will hit the road to tangle with Keokuk at 5 pm tonight.

The Columbus boys’ team will hit the road tonight at 5 pm to face off with WACO. The Columbus girls’ team will host Central Lee at the Muscatine Soccer Complex on Thursday, April 24th, at 5 pm.

Central Lee will host Wapello tomorrow with the girls’ teams playing first at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will take on Danville tomorrow at home at 5 pm, while the girls’ team will face off against Quincy Notre Dame at 7 pm.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team swept Spoon River College over the weekend as the Blackhawks clobbered eight home runs between the two contests. Game one saw Navy Clark post a nine-strikeout complete game performance in a 7-1 final. The Snappers tried to execute a comeback in game two, but fell short in a 9-6 victory for SCC. Jeliane Stewart crushed four home runs and collected eight RBIs to wrap up the weekend. The Blackhawks will host St. Louis Community College today for a doubleheader. 

The baseball team completed the series sweep of Iowa Central Community College over the weekend, winning 11-4. Efrain Osorio slugged a three-run homer for the Blackhawks. SCC will travel to Black Hawk College today. 

This Day in Sports History

1967 – The Dodgers have their first rain out in Los Angeles (after 737 consecutive games).

1990 – National League umpire Bob Engel was arrested for stealing over 4,000 baseball cards from a store.

1996 – The Chicago Bulls win a then-NBA record 72 games in a single season (72-8).

High School Track

Central Lee will compete in the Grayhound Invite today.

Mt. Pleasant will host their relays on Tuesday, April 22nd, with Danville, Mediapolis, and the girls’ teams of New London, Central Lee, WACO, Wapello, Winfield-Mt. Union, and West Burlington/Notre Dame making the trip.

The WACO boys’ team will host the Warrior Relays on Tuesday with Central Lee, New London, Wapello, Van Buren County, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating.

Fairfield will compete in the Don Newell Classic in Ottumwa on Tuesday. 

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will take on Burlington Notre Dame on the road on Monday, April 21st, while the boys’ team will travel to Fairfield on Tuesday, April 22nd. Girls head coach Martha Peterson touts a young team eager to learn the game,

“You know, they’re getting to the point where they know what they want to work on. They just were telling me they want to work on aiming their shots a little bit more. So, we are getting to the point where we can start to work on some of those advanced skills, not just getting it over the net.”

The Fairfield girls’ team will host Fort Madison on Monday, while the boys’ team will hit the road today for the Pella Invite. 

High School Golf

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host the next SEC meet on Monday, April 21st, while the boys’ teams of the SEC will travel to Washington. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a triangular along with Burlington Notre Dame on Monday at the Bloomfield County Club. 

Wapello will host an invite on Wednesday, April 23rd, with Danville, Columbus, and Winfield-Mt. Union competing. 

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will participate in the Lee County Classic on Wednesday at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Park along with Central Lee.

Mediapolis will host a triangular on Monday with WACO and Wapello hitting the road to compete. 

New London will face off against Winfield-Mt. Union on Friday, April 25th, on the road. 

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will compete at the Fort Madison Tournament today along with Mediapolis. The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Burlington on Monday, April 21st, with the top of the conference up for grabs at 5 pm. 

The Fairfield girls’ team will hit the road to tangle with Keokuk at 5 pm on Monday.

The Columbus boys’ team will hit the road on Monday at 5 pm to face off with WACO. The Columbus girls’ team will host Central Lee at the Muscatine Soccer Complex on Thursday, April 24th, at 5 pm.

The Mediapolis girls’ team will take on Keokuk on Tuesday, April 22nd, at 5:30 pm at home.

Central Lee will host Wapello on Tuesday with the girls’ teams playing first at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will take on Danville on Tuesday at home at 5 pm, while the girls’ team will face off against Quincy Notre Dame at 7 pm.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team dominated Marshalltown Community College in their doubleheader yesterday, allowing only four total hits between the two contests, winning game one 16-0 and taking game two 11-0. Lauren Summers crushed a home run in game one as she collected three RBIs along with Lydia Zaruba, who legged out a triple. Game two saw Kiera Klum and Ella Florey unleash the long ball, while also collecting three RBIs apiece. The Blackhawks will travel to Spoon River College today for a doubleheader with game one at 1 pm.

The baseball team handled business yesterday, sweeping Iowa Central Community College in their doubleheader, 14-4 in game one and 11-5 in game two. The Blackhawks will look for the series sweep today at home with first pitch at 1 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1897 – 1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world’s oldest annual marathon inspired by the success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics.

1971 – 75th Boston Marathon: Álvaro Mejía of Colombia wins in 2:18:45; Sara Mae Berman is the 1st woman to win for the 3rd straight year in 3:08:30 (unsanctioned).

1990 – Pistons & 76’ers get into a fight accruing $162,500 in fines.

Prep Track and Field- It was a busy Thursday night across southeast Iowa for high school Track and Field with multiple meet records falling at the Denny White Relays to the Fairfield girls’ team traveling West for the EBF Rocket Relays. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlights.

Denny White Relays

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team enjoyed an easy stroll to the team title last night without the presence of reigning conference champion Washington infiltrating the meet. The Panthers put up 187 points with Fort Madison finishing in a distant second place with 109 points.

The boys’ team standings were a bit more contentious with the top six teams separated by only 15 points, but Washington escaped with the narrow win with 82 points followed by Mediapolis and Fort Madison with 76 points and Fairfield with 75 points.

In total there were 12 new meet records set by the time the last starter gun rang out over Mt. Pleasant. Alex Scott was involved in three of those three record changes for the Panther girls’ team.

Scott reset her own record from a year ago in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.58 seconds. She was then joined by Kynlee White, Kiyah Sanders, and Taylor Williamson to break the 4×200 meter relay record with a mark of 1 minute and 46 seconds; moreover, that squad set another record in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 49.77 seconds.

Other notable records to fall on the girls’ side, Fort Madison’s distance medley team of Olivia Buckner, Alaina Schwerin, Mara Smith, and Avery Rump cleared the old time by six seconds with a time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Rump would also claim the 1500-meter run time, resetting her old record from two years ago with a mark of 5 minutes and 10 seconds.

The girls’ discus event would see two throwers break Mt. Pleasant’s Savannah Slobodnik’s mark from last year in Brylie Lorence, who threw 119 feet and 3 inches, and Kylee Hill, who now owns the meet record, who heaved the disc 129 feet and 2 inches.

On the boys’ side, Winfield-Mt. Union’s Kohlby Newsom, Lane Genkinger, Cruz Hagmeier, and Sheaden Adams reset the sprint medley time with a mark of 1 minute and 36 seconds.

The Southeast Conference performed well in the relays as Fort Madison had their 4×800 team of Peyton Lambert, Mason McLey, Nolan Guzman, and Riley Tripp beat Washington’s 2008 time with a new mark of 8 minutes and 9 seconds.

Additionally, Keokuk’s 4×200 meter relay squad of Tramell Smith, Kurt Joy, Ryan Bair, and Drew Campbell set a new mark of 1 minute and 30 seconds. That record had stood since Fairfield set in back in 1999.

Josh Anderson of Washington bettered his times from last year in the 101-meter dash and the 401-meter dash for the wheelchair.

Fairfield’s Gabe Tejada has continued his spectacular senior season with a meet record time of 1 minute and 57 seconds in the 800-meter run.

Mt. Pleasant will see a handful of these teams again on Tuesday, April 22^nd, when they host their Panther Relays.

EBF Rocket Relays

The Fairfield girls’ team made the trip west to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont to compete in the Rocket Relays and collected 98 points in the process for a narrow 3^rd place finish for their team.

Lilly Bergren continued to showcase her skill in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.71 seconds. That success led to a 1^st place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay with a time of 1 minute and 10 seconds.

Elyse Setterstrom grabbed another win for the Trojans in the discus with a heave of 111 feet and 2 inches.

Fairfield will head back the same direction on Tuesday to compete in the Ottumwa Don Newell Classic.

Central City Co-Ed Meet

Columbus ventured to Central City last night for a Co-Ed meet and the boys’ team dominated with 208 points, a century mark better than second place Central City. The girls’ team finished in 4^th place with 56 points.

Lamar Ceant grabbed two gold medals with the win in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.51 seconds and the 110-meter hurdles with a mark of 14.78 seconds.

The Wildcats will compete in a meet at Louisa-Muscatine on Thursday, April 24^th.

W-MU Relays

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team hosted their relays last night and Van Buren County took home the team trophy with 129.5 points, while Danville finished in 3rd place with 113 points. For Van Buren County, Aida Troutman won the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.03 seconds and Kayley Snowgren paced the field in the 3000-meter run. The Warriors won the 4×100 and 4×800 meter relays.

For Danville, Delaney Newberry captured the win in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.96 seconds. Alaina Gourley took home two golds with a victory in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run. The Bears took the 4×200, 4×400, and sprint medley relays.

WACO collected 77 points for 5th place as the Warriors won the shuttle hurdle relay. Winfield-Mt. Union’s two wins occurred in the 100-meter hurdles with Josie Nelson finishing with a time of 16.53 seconds and the long jump with Kynlee Buffington leaping 16 feet and 3 inches.

Coming Up

The 115^th Drake Relays are rapidly approaching with the meet starting on Thursday, April 24^th. Stay tuned to KILJ for a roster of our local athletes making the trip to Des Moines.

High School Track

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team hosted their relays last night and Van Buren County took home the team trophy with 129.5 points, while Danville finished in 3rd place with 113 points. For Van Buren County, Aida Troutman won the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.03 seconds and Kayley Snowgren paced the field in the 3000-meter run. The Warriors won the 4×100 and 4×800 meter relays.

For Danville, Delaney Newberry captured the win in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.96 seconds. Alaina Gourley took home two golds with a victory in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run. The Bears took the 4×200, 4×400, and sprint medley relays.

WACO collected 77 points for 5th place as the Warriors won the shuttle hurdle relay. Winfield-Mt. Union’s two wins occurred in the 100-meter hurdles with Josie Nelson finishing with a time of 16.53 seconds and the long jump with Kynlee Buffington leaping 16 feet and 3 inches.  

Mt. Pleasant presented the Denny White Relays last night as the Panther girls’ team ran away with the title, scoring 187 points, while the Washington boys’ team edged out Mediapolis for the win with 82 points. 

On the girls’ side, Mt. Pleasant controlled the relays, winning the 4×100 (new meet record of 49.77 seconds), 4×200 (new meet record), 4×800, shuttle hurdle, and sprint medley. Alex Scott defeated her own meet record in the 100-meter dash to claim the gold with a time of 12.58 seconds. Bella Dodds took the 400-meter dash. Kynlee White sprinted to a 1st place time of 27.33 seconds in the 200-meter dash, while Linzy Striegel won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and 2 inches. 

Mediapolis picked up a lone win in the 4×400 meter relay with the team of Madden Thie, Gracie Beschorner, Payton Harris, and Josie Hutcheson, getting a mark of 4 minutes and 25 seconds. The Bulldogs finished in 2nd place in four different events.

Burlington’s Kylee Hill reset the discus meet record with a throw of 129 feet and 2 inches for the win. West Burlington/Notre Dame’s best finish was the bronze in the shuttle hurdle relay, while Central Lee’s Aubrey Weber took the bronze in the discus with a heave of 114 feet and 5 inches.

On the boys’ side, Mediapolis finished with 76 points as Kyler Crow won the 200-meter dash with a mark of 23.83 seconds. The Bulldogs also took 2nd place in four different events. 

Winfield-Mt. Union set a meet record in the sprint medley with a time of 1 minute and 36 seconds, while the distance medley team also grabbed the gold. Kohlby Newsom won the 1600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes and 38 seconds. 

Danville’s Jackson Shacklett won the 3200-meter run with a time of 10 minutes and 8 seconds, while the Bears took the 4×400 meter relay. 

Avin Truong of Mt. Pleasant led the effort with a 1st place time of 16.06 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and a winning leap of 22 feet and 2.75 inches in the long jump.  

New London’s 4×200 meter relay team set a new meet record but claimed silver behind Keokuk, who finished a tenth-of-a-second faster. The Tigers did take the gold in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 43.35 seconds. 

Fairfield’s shuttle hurdle relay squad took the gold with a time of 1 minute and 2 seconds. Gabe Tejada outsprinted the field in the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute and 57 seconds, a new meet record. 

Wapello’s Kolton Small chucked the discus 138 feet and 6 inches for 2nd place. WACO had Jude Dykstra take the silver in the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute and 59 seconds. West Burlington/Notre Dame had Mason Watkins claim five points with a 4th place height of 6 feet in the high jump.

Mt. Pleasant will host their relays on Tuesday, April 22nd, with Danville, Mediapolis, and the girls’ teams of New London, Central Lee, WACO, Wapello, Winfield-Mt. Union, and West Burlington/Notre Dame making the trip.

Central Lee will compete in the Grayhound Invite tomorrow, April 19th.

The WACO boys’ team will host the Warrior Relays on Tuesday with Central Lee, New London, Wapello, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating.

High School Tennis

Mt. Pleasant split their showdown against Burlington last night with the girls’ team losing 8-1 and the boys’ team clawing out a 5-4 victory over the Grayhounds. Max Heater won a contentious singles match that went to a third set as Dane Cook and Elijah Rynders also collected wins in their singles matches. The teams of Sawyer Fulton/Lou Schimmelpfennig and Heater/Beckham Prough took their doubles matches. 

On the girls’ side, five matches were decided by two games or less with Hali Crane scoring the lone victory for the Panthers, 9-7 over Ava Fawcett. Head coach Martha Peterson can see the development out on the court for her squad,

“Yeah, they’re getting great varsity experience. Actually, the one-win tonight was at #3, and that was her first singles win in Varsity. So that’s sort of showing that growth.”

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will take on Burlington Notre Dame on the road on Monday, April 21st, while the boys’ team will travel to Fairfield on Tuesday, April 22nd. 

The Fairfield girls’ team kept their undefeated season going yesterday, defeating Keokuk 8-1. The girls’ team will host Fort Madison on Monday, while the boys’ team will hit the road tomorrow, April 19th, for the Pella Invite. 

High School Golf

The Danville girls’ team fell to Columbus yesterday 468-425. For the 18-hole score, the Wildcats were led by Hailey Wellington’s mark of 98, while Danville’s Eastin Chipman was the only Bear to finish in the top five with a score of 111. 

The Danville boys’ team held a triangular yesterday against New London and Columbus and the Bears claimed 1st place with a team score of 396 followed by New London at 434 and Columbus shot a 466. Danville’s Alex Holtkamp carded an impressive 71 to lead the field, while New London’s Sullivan Barron and Kason Dopler of Columbus each scored a 91, tying for the 3rd best score of the meet. 

New London will face off against Winfield-Mt. Union on Friday, April 25th, on the road. 

Winfield-Mt. Union executed the sweep yesterday over WACO with the girls’ team winning 223-244 and the boys’ team running away with their matchup 165-214. The Wolves were led by Ashlyn Bender’s 48 for the girls’ team and Konner Kinneberg’s nine-hole score of 39 for the boys’ team. 

Wapello will host an invite on Wednesday, April 23rd, with Danville, Columbus, and Winfield-Mt. Union competing. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team hosted their SEC meet last night and took home 2nd place with a team score of 166 as Washington finished on top with a team score of 160. Merrick Lamm turned in the third-best score of the course with a 39 for the Panthers. Fairfield took 4th place with a team score of 180 as Luke Thornton and Drew Myers each carded a 43. Washington’s Drew Conrad paced the course with a 35 (-1). 

The girls’ teams of the SEC ventured down to Keokuk yesterday where the hosts came out on top with a score of 186. Mt. Pleasant claimed 3rd place with a score of 202, while Fairfield scored a 212. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host the next SEC meet on Monday, while the boys’ teams of the SEC will travel to Washington. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a triangular along with Burlington Notre Dame on Monday at the Bloomfield County Club. 

Mediapolis will host a triangular on Monday with WACO and Wapello hitting the road to compete. 

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will participate in the Lee County Classic on Wednesday, April 23rd, at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Park along with Central Lee.

High School Soccer

The Mediapolis girls’ team shutout West Branch last night 3-0. The Bulldogs will take on Keokuk on Tuesday, April 22nd, at 5:30 pm at home.

The Columbus girls’ team collected their first victory of the season last night against Wapello, winning 4-0. Jenelis Panchillo scored two goals for the Wildcats in the effort. The Columbus girls’ team will host Central Lee at the Muscatine Soccer Complex on Thursday, April 24th, at 5 pm. The Columbus boys’ team will hit the road on Monday, April 21st, at 5 pm to tangle with WACO.

Central Lee will host Wapello on Tuesday with the girls’ teams playing first at 5 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team put on an offensive onslaught last night at East Lake, pummeling Keokuk 8-0. Charice Auwerda led the way with four goals. The Panthers will travel to Burlington on Monday with the top of the conference up for grabs at 5 pm. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will compete at the Fort Madison Tournament tomorrow, April 19th, along with Mediapolis.  

Fairfield swept Washington last night with the girls’ sneaking past the Demons 1-0 and the boys’ team downing their rivals 3-2. The Trojan girls’ team will hit the road to tangle with Keokuk at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will take on Danville on Tuesday, April 22nd, at home at 5 pm, while the girls’ team will face off against Quincy Notre Dame at 7 pm.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will compete in a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College on the road today with first pitch at 2 pm.

The baseball team will host Iowa Central Community College today for a doubleheader with game one at 3 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1964 – LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax strikes out the side on 9 pitches, for a major league best third time in his career. One of three to have ever pitched an Immaculate Inning three times.

1966 – Bill Russell becomes the first African American coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics).

1987 – Gregory Robertson does a 200-mph free fall to save an unconscious skydiver near Coolidge, Arizona.

High School Track

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host a meet tonight with Danville, Van Buren County, and WACO making the trip.

Mt. Pleasant will present the Denny White Relays tonight with Central Lee, Mediapolis, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and the boys’ teams of Fairfield, Danville, New London, Wapello, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating. 

The Fairfield girls’ team will compete in the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Rocket Relays tonight.

Columbus will head to Central City tonight for a Co-Ed meet. 

High School Tennis

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Burlington tonight with the boys on the road and the girls taking on the Grayhounds at home.

Fairfield will take on Keokuk tonight with the boys on the road and the girls at home.

High School Golf

New London hosted Highland, Mediapolis and Columbus yesterday with the Mediapolis boys’ team winning the meet, shooting a 167 as a team, while the New London girls’ team snatched 2nd place with a team score of 218. Focusing on the boys’ competition, Brock Spears led the field, carding a 40 for the Bulldogs. The Tigers finished in 2nd place with a 207. On the girls’ side, Katelyn Wischmeier’s nine-hole score of 57 pushed Mediapolis to finish the meet in 3rd place with a team score of 241.

Mediapolis will host a triangular on April 21st with WACO and Wapello hitting the road to compete. 

Danville was swept by Holy Trinity Catholic last night with the boys’ team losing 213-193 and the girls’ team falling 242-226. On the girls’ side of the competition, Elizabeth Griffin led the Crusaders with a nine-hole score of 50, while Eastin Chipman took home a 58 for the Bears. For the boys’ teams, Alex Holtkamp carded a meet-best 42 for the Bears, followed by Holy Trinity Catholic’s Max Kruse and Brock Sheetz each taking home a score of 46.

The Danville girls’ team will square off against Columbus today at home.

The Holy Trinity Catholic girls’ team will participate in the Lee County Classic on April 23rd at Sheaffer Memorial Golf Park.

The New London boys’ team will travel to the Flint Hills Golf Course today to participate in a triangular with Danville and Columbus making the trip.

WACO will square off against Winfield-Mt. Union at home today.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host their SEC meet today, while the girls’ SEC meet will take place in Keokuk. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a triangular along with Burlington Notre Dame on April 21st at the Bloomfield County Club. 

High School Soccer

The Mediapolis girls’ team will make the trip to West Branch tonight at 5 pm.

The Columbus girls’ team will travel to Wapello tonight at 5 pm. The Columbus boys’ team will hit the road on April 21st at 5 pm to tangle with WACO.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Keokuk tonight at 4:30 pm. The boys’ team will compete at the Fort Madison Tournament on Saturday, April 19th, along with Mediapolis.  

Fairfield will take on Washington tonight at 5 pm with the boys on the road and the girls at home.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will take on Danville on April 22nd at home at 5 pm.

Central Lee will host Wapello on April 22nd with the girls’ teams playing first at 5 pm.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will compete in a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College on the road tomorrow, April 18th, with first pitch at 2 pm.

The baseball team only needed two innings of offense yesterday to defeat Kirkwood Community College 12-8, putting up six runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings. The Blackhawks will host Iowa Central Community College tomorrow for a doubleheader with game one at 3 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1860 – Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight in a brutal 2 hour, 27 minute draw near Farnborough, England; police stop the fight and it has been acknowledged as the first world title bout.

1972 – Kiteman, attempting to throw out the first ball at Veterans Stadium, crashes into the centerfield seats. 

1997 – NJ Devil Martin Brodeur is the second NHL goalie to score in a playoff game.

High School Track

The Timm Lamb Pen City Relays ran yesterday with nine of our local teams participating between two divisions, here’s the highlights. In Division A, Mt. Pleasant finished in 2nd place as a team with 126 points, 50 points behind Washington. Collecting victories in the short sprints was Alex Scott in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.43 seconds and Kynlee White in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.12 seconds. The two would team up with Kiyah Sanders and Taylor Williamson to win the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 50.66 seconds; Ellie Freeman would replace Williamson in the 4×200 meter relay with the same result, a winning time of 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Fairfield’s sprint medley team of Bella Buckley, Cranston Ireland, Lilly Bergren, and Samantha Lyons secured the Trojans only 1st place finish, as the team finished in 8th place with 48 points. West Burlington’s Kaitlyn Kipp turned in the best performance for the Falcons, taking 4th place in the 800-meter run.

Division B was a two-headed race between Van Buren County and Mediapolis with the Warriors coming out on top with 148 points followed by the Bulldogs’ 145 points, as the two teams finished in 1st and 2nd place in six different events. Helping Van Buren County secure the win was Kayley Snowgren’s 1st place time of 2 minutes and 37 seconds in the 800-meter run. Rylee Phillips captured 1st place in the 3000-meter run with a time that was nearly a minute faster than 2nd place. The team of Gabby Titus, Jacqueline Singer, Phillips, and Snowgren would take 1st place in the 4×800 meter relay. Lastly, Lexie Wiley threw the discus 89 feet and 11 inches for the win.

Mediapolis had Kira Messer win the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.85 seconds and Bryn Wright pace the field in the 1500-meter run with a time of 5 minutes and 18 seconds. The Bulldogs captured wins in the 4×100, distance medley, and shuttle hurdle relays. Madden Thie leapt 4 feet and 10 inches to win the high jump.

Danville collected 110 points for 3rd place as the Bears won the 4×200, 4×400, and the sprint medley relays. Alaina Gourley outsprinted the class in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.52 seconds and Reagan Henkelvig tossed the shot put 29 feet and 7.25 inches for the win.

Central Lee finished in 5th place with 72 points, followed by Winfield-Mt. Union with 50 points, and New London with 37 points. For the Hawks, Kamryn Cox won the 400-meter hurdles. The Wolves claimed 1st place in the 100-meter hurdles as Josie Nelson clocked a time of 16.8 seconds and the long jump as Kynlee Buffington leapt 16 feet and 0.5 inches. New London had Megan Lee take 3rd place in the shot put, while Irelynn Kelly also collected 3rd place in the 3000-meter run.

The Wapello boys’ team hosted their relay last night for their senior night, but it was Mediapolis who exited the night on top with 126 points. The Bulldogs grabbed 1st place in the 4×200 meter relay, while Henry Luttenegger won the long jump with a mark of 20 feet and 6.25 inches and Simon Wendel took the 3200-meter run with a time of 10 minutes and 18 seconds.

Winfield-Mt. Union fielded 4th place with 100.5 points, while Danville took 5th place with 83 points. For the Wolves, Sheaden Adams finished in 1st place with a time of 24.34 seconds, while Kohlby Newsom captured the gold in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.29 seconds and the 1600-meter run with a mark of 4 minutes and 31 seconds. The Bears’ Jackson Shacklett led the way in the 800-meter run, while the team won the 4×400 and distance medley relays.

West Burlington/Notre Dame’s lone victory occurred in the high jump with Mason Watkins leaping 6 feet and 2 inches. Kolton Small of Wapello claimed the silver in both the shot put and discus. 

The New London boys’ team and WACO traveled to participate in the Lisbon Opener last night and here’s the highlights. On the boys’ side, WACO finished in 5th place with 76 points and New London collected 45 points. WACO’s Jude Dykstra took the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 9 seconds. Hayden Shelman’s jump of 21 feet and 7.75 inches grabbed the narrow win. The Tigers won the 4×200 meter relay with a time of 1 minute and 33 seconds.

On the girls’ side, Carlee Lunsford, with a time of 2 minutes and 32 seconds, won the 800-meter run as the Warriors took 7th place as a team with 47 points. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host a meet tomorrow, April 17th, with Danville, Van Buren County, and WACO making the trip.

Mt. Pleasant will present the Denny White Relays tomorrow with Central Lee, Mediapolis, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and the boys’ teams of Fairfield, Danville, New London, Wapello, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating. 

The Fairfield girls’ team will compete in the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Rocket Relays tomorrow.

Columbus will head to Central City tomorrow for a Co-Ed meet. 

High School Tennis

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Burlington tomorrow, April 17th, with the boys on the road and the girls’ taking on the Grayhounds at home.

The Fairfield boys’ team shutout Davis County last night 9-0. The Trojans will take on Keokuk tomorrow with the boys on the road and the girls at home.

High School Golf

The New London boys’ team fell to Central Lee yesterday 221-157 as Caleb Larson carded a 36 for the Hawks.  

The Mediapolis boys’ team tabbed a score of 382 at the Golden Hawk Invitational yesterday as Gannon Gunn shot an 88 to lead the Bulldogs. Mediapolis will travel to New London to compete in a tournament today with Columbus joining the fray.

Danville will travel to Holy Trinity Catholic today.

WACO will square off against Winfield-Mt. Union at home tomorrow, April 17th.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host the next SEC meet tomorrow, while the girls’ SEC meet will take place in Keokuk. 

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a triangular along with Burlington Notre Dame on April 21st at the Bloomfield County Club. 

High School Soccer

The Mediapolis girls’ team lost to Canton last night 2-0. The girls’ team will make the trip to West Branch tomorrow, April 17th, at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team smacked Fort Madison last night 6-1. The Nikes will take on Danville on April 22nd at home at 5 pm.

The Central Lee boys’ team scraped past Danville last night 3-2 as Zach Estrada, Peter Seyb, and Mason Sanders each collected a goal for the Hawks. Central Lee will host Wapello on April 22nd with the girls’ teams playing first at 5 pm.

Columbus was swept by Tipton last night with the girls’ team losing 3-2 and the boys’ team getting shutout 5-0. Iris Garza and Frannie Sosa tabbed the goals for the Wildcats. The Columbus girls’ team will travel to Wapello tomorrow at 5 pm.

The Columbus boys’ team will hit the road on April 21st at 5 pm to tangle with WACO.

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will host Keokuk tomorrow at 4:30 pm. The boys’ team will compete at the Fort Madison Tournament on Saturday, April 19th, along with Mediapolis.  

Fairfield will take on Washington tomorrow at 5 pm with the boys on the road and the girls at home.

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will compete in a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College on the road on Friday, April 18th, with first pitch at 2 pm.

The baseball team uncorked the offense yesterday against Illinois Central College, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to eventually win 19-7. Efrain Osorio smacked a home run and grabbed eight RBIs in the victory. The Blackhawks will face off against Kirkwood Community College today on the road. 

This Day in Sports History

1929 – The New York Yankees become the first MLB team to permanently feature numbers on backs of uniforms; numbers correspond to position in batting order.

1939 – Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, for a 4-1 series win; the first best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final series.

1959 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies’ Dave Philley gets a major league record 9th straight pinch hit, having ended the previous season with a streak of 8.