Sports, January 31st

By Nathan Bloechl · Monday, January 31st, 2022 at 12:35 pm CDT

Prep Wrestling: Historic Day Guides Nikes to Easy SEISC Title

A historic regular season was capped off by a historic conference tournament as the Notre Dame Nikes set the Super Conference’s record for team margin of victory, rolling to a 105.5 point victory Saturday in Mediapolis.

The Nikes, Class 2A’s third-ranked team, crowned six conference champions and rolled up 249.5 points in the victory.

Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union finished second while Wapello was a distant third.

Carter West, Kayden Deitzenbach, Blaine Frazier, Isaiah Fenton, River Belger and C.J. Walrath were the six champions for the Nikes, with Walrath earning a major decision over New London’s Josh Glendening.

New London finished fifth in the team race, getting conference championships from Marcel Lopez (126), Dominic Lopez (160) and Trent Wilkerson (195).

Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union saw their top-ranked 120-pounder Lane Scorpil claim a conference championship pinning Notre Dame’s C.J. Davis in 5:22.

Wildcat heavyweight Russell Coil earned a fall win over Louisa-Muscatine’s Spencer Kessell, as well.

Mediapolis’ 138-pound stud Quinten Aney earned a 5-0 decision over Tate O’Shea of Notre Dame in his finals bout.

Aney was the lone Bulldog on the championship bracket.

Next up for area wrestlers will be sectionals this Saturday.

KILJ will be your home for sectional results both on the air and online at kilj.com.

Prep Wrestling: Mount Pleasant Competes at Southern Iowa Classic

Bowen Davis led Mount Pleasant with a third-place finish at this weekend’s Southern Iowa Classic in Fairfield.

Davis earned two wins by fall in the consolation bracket then defeated Fort Madison’s Caleb Bolander in the consolation championship by fall in 5:02.

Gannon McNamee finished in fourth for the Panthers are 120 pounds.

Fort Madison was the team champ, followed up by Albia and Washington.

Knoxville and Davis County rounded out the top-five.

Boys’ Prep Basketball: Weekend Roundup:

New London 82, Highland 37 

Blaise Porter had 16 points and seven boards as New London rolled to an 82-37 victory over Highland Saturday.

The win was the Tigers third in a row.

Kade Benjamin finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while blocking three shots.

The Tigers led 59-12 at halftime and never let off the gas.

The win moved New London to 14-1.

Highland fell to 3-14.

Mount Pleasant 55, Mediapolis 29

Mount Pleasant won their second straight, blowing past Mediapolis 55-29.

The Panthers jumped out to a 20-2 first quarter lead then outscored the Bulldogs 28-18 in the second half.

Payton Hagans poured in a game-high 25 points while finishing 5-for-5 from three point land.

Dewon Trent added 12 points and eight boards.

Mount Pleasant is now 7-9, they’ll play Regina Tuesday night at home.

No. 10 Danville 68, Hillcrest Academy 30

Danville bounced back from a Friday night loss at New London with a 68-30 drubbing of Hillcrest Academy.

Sawyer Nelson recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bears.

Drake Johnson finished with 15 points and seven boards while Caiden Gourley chipped in with 12.

Danville is now 15-2.

Other area finals:

  • Lone Tree 62, Valley Lutheran 40
  • Cardinal 63, Chariton 20
  • No. 1 Fort Madison 58, Notre Dame 49
  • Keokuk 59, Central Lee 41

Boys’ Prep Basketball: 3A Substates Released

The IHSAA have released basketball substates, with regional teams competing in Class 3A.

Note these are just the pods, with dates, times and matchups still to be determined.

In Substate #4, No. 2 Washington — a Southeast Conference foe of Mount Pleasant — is the lead dog.

Joining them will be Benton Community, Center Point-Urbana, Central DeWitt, Grinnell, Solon, South Tama and Xavier.

Mount Pleasant will be competing in Substate #5.

Also in 3A-5 are:

  • Clear Creek-Amana
  • Fairfield
  • No. 1 Fort Madison
  • Keokuk
  • No. 10 Marion
  • Mount Vernon
  • Oskaloosa

KILJ will be your home for tournament trail basketball, all throughout the month of February.

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Saturday Scores

No. 10 (2A) Mediapolis 61, Mount Pleasant 40 

Mediapolis exploded for a 20-6 fourth quarter run to propel the tenth-ranked Bullettes to a 61-40 win over Mount Pleasant on Saturday.

Hallie Mohr led Mediapolis with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Liz Lane added 12 points while Payton Bush finished with 10.

Mediapolis stayed perfect, they’re now 17-0.

Mount Pleasant dropped their second straight, the Panthers are now 8-10.

Danville 51, WACO 48 

Danville won their third straight, picking up a 51-48 win over WACO Saturday.

The Bears capped off a perfect week, bagging wins over Holy Trinity, New London and now WACO.

Ava Smith led Danville with 10 points.

Ellah Kissell had a game-high 22 for WACO.

With the victory in tow, Danville is now 8-10.

WACO fell to 8-10.

Other area finals:

  • No. 7 Notre Dame 53, Fort Madison 46
  • Chariton 45, Cardinal 17

Men’s College Basketball: Wesleyan Upsets Northern New Mexico

Three weeks after being beaten by 33 by the same team, Iowa Wesleyan took down Northern New Mexico 77-68 in the second day of the CAC Clash on Saturday.

Joey Brown had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Tigers.

Carver Locke finished with 18, while Francis Okwuosah ended with 14 points and nine boards.

Wesleyan will be back in action tonight when they battle Saint Ambrose.

The Tigers are now 10-14.

Women’s College Basketball: Tigers Throttle Northern New Mexico:

Kyla Moore had 24 points and 12 boards as the Wesleyan women cruised to a 69-44 win over Northern New Mexico.

Breanna Wendland added 13 points while Brielle Baker chipped in with eight.

The Tigers will play the final home game of their regular season this Tuesday hosting Lincoln Christian University.

You can listen to that matchup on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Tip is set for 6:00 p.m.

Women’s College Wrestling: Tigers Go 1-1 at Augsburg Tri

Iowa Wesleyan earned a 28-5 win over No. 13 Jamestown while falling to No. 5 Augsburg 29-15 in Minneapolis this weekend.

Fourth-ranked 104-pounder Alaina Sunlin earned two wins while 130-pounder Joanna Vanderwood picked up two falls.

The Tigers will next take on William Penn on Wednesday — the bout is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

InMotion Competition Results

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, January 30th, 2022 at 10:44 pm CDT

The Mount Pleasant High School show choir InMotion competed Saturday at The Big Dance Invitational hosted by Davenport North High School. They placed seventh in the open class with the six ensembles ahead of them all being from larger schools.

The next performance for InMotion will be at their own invitational on February 5 at Mount Pleasant High School.

 

 Mary R. “Connie” Fitch

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, January 30th, 2022 at 10:37 pm CDT

Mary R. “Connie” Fitch, 101, of Pico Rivera, CA, died Monday, January 14, 2022 at her residence in Pico Rivera.

A committal service for Mrs. Fitch will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday, February 1, at the White Oak Cemetery, rural Mt. Pleasant (north of Rome, IA). Visitation will be from 9 AM to 10:30 AM at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mt. Pleasant. A procession to the cemetery will leave the funeral home following the visitation.

Online condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Vivian Joyce Barton Hildebrand

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, January 30th, 2022 at 3:15 pm CDT

Vivian Joyce Barton Hildebrand, 93, Dover, Tennessee, formerly of Wayland, passed away peacefully at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, January 27, 2022.

Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant.  Burial will be in the Lockridge Cemetery.  A memorial has been established in her memory. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.

Dean Leroy Hawkins, Sr.

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, January 30th, 2022 at 3:12 pm CDT

Dean Leroy Hawkins, Sr., 77, of Wapello, formerly of Oakville, passed away on Friday, January 28, 2022 at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center.  Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 31, 2022 at Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral & Cremation Services of Wapello.  A memorial has been established for the family in Dean’s name.    Sympathy messages can be left for the family at www.sandfuneralservice.com.

Dean Leroy Hawkins, Sr. was born on February 19, 1944, in Oakville, Iowa the son of Burr and Laura (Strawhacker) Hawkins.  Dean was a 1964 graduate of Wapello High School.  On March 17, 1969, Dean was united in marriage to Darlene Russell in Missouri.  Dean worked for JI Case Company and as a farmer hand for David Wyss and Wayne Gerst.  Dean enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, messing around in his shed and going to Cantril.  Dean will always be remembered for giving every one a rough time.

Dean will be deeply missed by his wife, Darlene; daughters, Terri Hull of Wapello and Patsy Hawkins of Wapello; son, Dean Hawkins, Jr. of Kingston; two grandson, Hunter and Zach; great-grandson, Keegan and siblings, Florence Kokus of Illinois, Mary Ann Manning of Mount Pleasant and Lester Hawkins of Wapello and several nieces and nephews.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Tina Hawkins and his siblings, Bertha Harvey and Gene Hawkins.

January 31, 2022 – February 6, 2022

By Allison Jacobs · Saturday, January 29th, 2022 at 2:55 pm CDT
01/31/22
Kathy Garris
01/31/22
Kurt Freesmeier
01/31/22
Jack Thornton
01/31/22
Ryan Ackles
02/01/22
Don LeBlanc
02/01/22
Dan Walderbach
02/01/22
Jerod Ruble
02/01/22
Tony Gilpin
02/02/22
Peyton Greiner - 21
02/03/22
Jovie Monteyne - 13
02/03/22
Guy Sammons
02/03/22
Wyatt Gatlin
02/03/22
Jacob Ruble
02/04/22
Roger Fullenkamp
02/04/22
Tim Griest
02/04/22
Shari McNeeley
02/04/22
Tim Griest
02/04/22
Betty Mullen
02/05/22
Justin Lightfoot
02/05/22
Ava Monteyne - 19
02/05/22
Barb Rich
02/06/22
Ken Hawkins
02/06/22
Kassidy Nichting

Sports, January 28th

By Nathan Bloechl · Saturday, January 29th, 2022 at 4:40 am CDT

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Winfield Wins; Danville Holds On, Other Prep Finals:

Winfield-Mount Union 62, Wapello 25

Bradie Buffington had 13 points while Melina Oepping added 12 as Winfield-Mount Union rolled to a 62-25 win over Wapello last night.

Keely Malone chipped in with 11 while Keetyn Townsley poured in nine.

Wapello was led by Quinn Veach and her eight points.

Danville 54, New London 41 

Danville survived a night in which they shot 3-of-33 from three, holding on to defeat New London 54-41.

The Tigers, now 0-17, had the deficit within three in the fourth quarter but a late flurry propelled the Bears to the win.

Mackenzie Morris had 14 points to lead Danville, while Jaeda Molle had 13.

Natalie Burden led New London with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Sophie Malott had nine points and two rebounds for the Tigers, as well.

No. 12 (4A) Keokuk 85, Mount Pleasant 79 

Mount Pleasant forced overtime against the 12th ranked Keokuk Chiefs, but could not get over the hump in an 85-79 Chief win.

The win clinched the SEC Championship for the Chiefs, outright.

Mount Pleasant was led by Andrea Lopreato, who had a game-high 31 points.

Abby Wolter had 30 to pace Keokuk.

The Panthers are now 8-9.

Keokuk improved to 13-3.

Other area finals:

  • Central Lee 52, Holy Trinity 50
  • West Burlington 48, WACO 30
  • Highland 64, Highland 35

Boys’ Prep Basketball: New London Throttles No. 10 Danville, Mount Pleasant Nets Road Win

New London 63, No. 10 Danville 54

The game of the night lived up to the hype as New London notched win No. 13, defeating Danville 63-54.

The 10th-ranked Bears trailed wire-to-wire as Blaise Porter erupted for 20 second half points, en route to a game high 23.

Devin Swanson added 14 points while Kooper Schulte chipped in with 10.

Caiden Gourley led Danville with 19 points, Drake Johnson had 13 while Sawyer Nelson finished with 10.

Danville is now 14-2.

New London improved to 13-1.

WACO 71, West Burlington 33

WACO just keeps on winning, as the Warriors picked up a 71-33 victory over West Burlington.

The Warriors started out hot and never let off the gas for the easy conference win.

The win moved WACO to 13-3.

West Burlington fell to 8-7.

Mount Pleasant 43, Keokuk 27 

Mount Pleasant swept the season series with Keokuk, in a 43-27 road win last night.

Owen Vansickel had nine for the Panthers in a balanced scoring night.

The Panthers were suffocating on the defensive end, limiting the Chiefs to just nine first half points, including just two points in the second quarter.

The win moved Mount Pleasant to 6-9.

Keokuk dropped to 3-8.

Other area finals:

  • Holy Trinity 54, Central Lee 38
  • No. 2 Washington 59, Burlington 49
  • Hillcrest Academy 50, Pekin 39
  • Cardinal 87, Van Buren 60

Boys’ Prep Basketball: 3A Substates Released

The IHSAA has released Class 3A substates, with regional teams competing in Class 3A.

Note these are just the pods, with dates, times and matchups still to be determined.

In Substate #4, No. 2 Washington — a Southeast Conference foe of Mount Pleasant — is the lead dog.

Joining them will be Benton Community, Center Point-Urbana, Central DeWitt, Grinnell, Solon, South Tama and Xavier.

Mount Pleasant will be competing in Substate #5.

Also in 3A-5 are:

  • Clear Creek-Amana
  • Fairfield
  • No. 1 Fort Madison
  • Keokuk
  • No. 10 Marion
  • Mount Vernon
  • Oskaloosa

KILJ will be your home for tournament trail basketball, all throughout the month of February.

Men’s College Basketball: Wesleyan Hits Century Mark in Easy Win:

Iowa Wesleyan started the game on a 17-4, rolling to a 100-71 win over Bacone College last night in the CAC Clash.

Dylan Hurley led the Tigers with 15 points while Victor Munoz finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Wesleyan shot 65% from the field, displaying their best offensive performance of the season.

The Tigers will take on Northern New Mexico College on Day Two of the CAC Clash in Lincoln, Illinois, today,

The game is set to start at 12:00 p.m.

Women’s College Basketball: Williamson’s Tigers Steamroll Bacone:

A 27-4 first quarter vaulted Iowa Wesleyan to an easy 85-43 win over Bacone.

The win moved the Tigers to 13-4, winners of two straight.

Kyla Moore led the team in points with 25. Moore was 4-5 from three-point range and also recorded five rebounds.

Brittany West chipped in with 23 points. She also had seven rebounds and six assists.

The Tigers will be back in action today, in their second game of the CAC Clash against Northern New Mexico College.

The game is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

HCHC CEO Robb Gardner Announces Resignation

By Theresa Rose · Friday, January 28th, 2022 at 10:34 pm CDT

Friday afternoon HCHC CEO Robb Gardner announced in a letter to hospital staff, EMS and volunteers that he is resigning his position as CEO effective June 30. He said in the letter that he will continue to work with the associates and medical community to ensure the highest level of care for the community while supporting the staff and he said he will work with the HCHC team and the Great River Health Systems team to ensure a smooth transition. Matt Wenzel, President and CEO of Great River Health has selected Teresa Colgan, chief clinical officer at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, to become the next HCHC CEO and also serve as Great River Health’s regional clinical integration officer. This new position will identify clinical efficiencies throughout the health system to improve services and enhance operational performance.  Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center will open a search for a chief nursing officer at the West Burlington campus. Gardner said he will be taking time to consider his next career move.