Boys’ Prep Basketball: Mount Pleasant Hosts Keokuk

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, December 10th, 2021 at 12:38 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant — The Mount Pleasant boys’ basketball team will look to win their second in a row tonight when they welcome in Keokuk.

The Panthers, off since last Saturday’s win over West Burlington, are 1-2 on the season.

Senior Dewon Trent is off to a fantastic start for Eric Rawson’s bunch. The dynamic slasher is averaging 14 points and nine rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Payton Hagans is averaging 13 points per game, while Owen Vansickel — fresh off a career high 25 points against the Falcons — is up to 11 points per game.

Keokuk senior M.J. Davis is the straw that stirs the Chiefs drink.

Davis is scoring 19 points per game at an efficient 50% shooting from the field.

Sophomore Diego Garcia is second on the team with 7.0 points per game.

Mount Pleasant’s 50-46 win in February snapped a four game losing skid against Keokuk.

The Chiefs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings between the two schools.

Tonight’s game will tip at 7:30 p.m. and you can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Other area matchups tonight:

  • WACO at Cardinal
  • Notre Dame at Danville
  • Wapello at Highland
  • Mediapolis at Lone Tree
  • New London at Van Buren County
  • Holy Trinity at West Burlington

The Mount Pleasant girls’ will play at Keokuk — they too will tip at 7:30 p.m.

Prep Wrestling: New London’s Lopez Commits to SIU-E

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, December 10th, 2021 at 12:35 pm CDT

New London — New London’s three-time defending state champion Marcel Lopez has made his college decision official.

Lopez will continue his wrestling career as a member of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Cougars are in their infancy stages of Division I wrestling and are associate members of the Mid-American Conference.

They have not had an individual national champion since 1993.

Lopez was named the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler last year after defeating Lisbon’s Brandon Paez in the state finals.

He has a chance to become just the 30th four-time state champion in Iowa High School wrestling history.

Sports, Friday, December 10th

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, December 10th, 2021 at 12:33 pm CDT

Prep Wrestling: Notre Dame Rolls in Riverside, Other Area Finals

Nikes Win Two

Notre Dame received two pins from 132-pounder Blaine Frazier, as the Nikes surged past Van Buren County and Highland yesterday in a Super Conference double dual.

C.J. Walrath, one of the top wrestlers in the state, scrapped at 182 yesterday and picked up two fall victories as well.

Carter West, C.J. Davis, Tate O’Shea, Sam West and Aidan Kniffen both earned two wins, as well.

Notre Dame beat Van Buren 42-18, while defeating Highland 60-12.

Highland took down Van Buren County 36-24.

Wildcats Take Out New London

Second-ranked 120-pounder Lane Scorpil earned an easy win over New London’s Gage Burden, helping guide Columbus Community/Winfield-Mount Union to a 48-34 dual win last night.

Marcel and Dominic Lopez each won by technical fall, with Marcel defeating Damian Vergara and Dominic ousting Lane Genkiner.

New London 195-pounder Trent Wilkerson picked up a fall victory over Ethan Palmer, as well.

The Wildcats nabbed four forfeit wins.

Mount Pleasant Dominates Keokuk

Mount Pleasant’s Bowen Davis pinned Ethan Rose of Keokuk in 5:40 as the Panthers rocked Keokuk for a 57-24 dual win at Mount Pleasant High School last night.

The Panthers won 10 of 14 matches in the bout, six of which were the result of a Keokuk forfeit.

Frank Tousignant won by fall at 285 in 3:01, while Chase Irving won by decision for Mount Pleasant, as well.

Mediapolis Sweeps Double Dual

Third-ranked Quinten Aney paced Mediapolis with two tech fall wins as the Bulldogs took both duals at Louisa-Muscatine last night.

Mediapolis beat Pekin 47-30 while edging Louisa-Muscatine 35-33.

Grady Gunn, Braxton Davis and Wil Whitaker were all double winners for the Bulldogs.

Pekin took care of Louisa-Muscatine in the last match of the night, 36-35.

WACO Goes 1-1

WACO fell to Wapello 42-32, but bounced back for a 58-21 win over host Cardinal in yesterday’s Super Conference double dual.

WACO had six 2-0 wrestlers on the night, led by Louden Huisenga and Kris Boone — who won both of their matches by fall.

Gage Samo earned a fall and a technical fall for the Warriors, as well.

Prep Wrestling: New London’s Lopez Commits to SIU-E

New London’s three-time defending state champion Marcel Lopez has made his college decision official.

Lopez will continue his wrestling career as a member of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Cougars are in their infancy stages of Division I wrestling and are associate members of the Mid-American Conference.

They have not had an individual national champion since 1993.

Lopez was named the Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler last year after defeating Lisbon’s Brandon Paez in the state finals.

He has a chance to become just the 30th four-time state champion in Iowa High School wrestling history.

Boys’ Prep Basketball: Mount Pleasant Hosts Keokuk

The Mount Pleasant boys’ basketball team will look to win their second in a row tonight when they welcome in Keokuk.

The Panthers, off since last Saturday’s win over West Burlington, are 1-2 on the season.

Senior Dewon Trent is off to a fantastic start for Eric Rawson’s bunch. The dynamic slasher is averaging 14 points and nine rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Payton Hagans is averaging 13 points per game, while Owen Vansickel — fresh off a career high 25 points against the Falcons — is up to 11 points per game.

Keokuk senior M.J. Davis is the straw that stirs the Chiefs drink.

Davis is scoring 19 points per game at an efficient 50% shooting from the field.

Sophomore Diego Garcia is second on the team with 7.0 points per game.

Mount Pleasant’s 50-46 win in February snapped a four game losing skid against Keokuk.

The Chiefs are 5-2 in the last seven meetings between the two schools.

Tonight’s game will tip at 7:30 p.m. and you can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Other area matchups tonight:

  • WACO at Cardinal
  • Notre Dame at Danville
  • Wapello at Highland
  • Mediapolis at Lone Tree
  • New London at Van Buren County
  • Holy Trinity at West Burlington

The Mount Pleasant girls’ will play at Keokuk — they too will tip at 7:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Latest IGHSAU Rankings Announced

Class 1A
School
Record
LW
1
Newell-Fonda
4-0
1
2
Bishop Garrigan
3-2
2
3
Exira-EHK
3-0
3
4
Springville
6-0
4
5
North Linn
5-1
5
6
MMCRU
2-0
6
7
Burlington Notre Dame
5-0
7
8
North Mahaska
3-1
8
9
Storm Lake St. Mary’s
2-0
9
10
Montezuma
5-0
10
11
East Buchanan
4-0
11
12
Stanton
3-0
12
13
Central Elkader
5-1
13
14
Westwood
4-1
15
15
Woodbine
4-0
NR
Dropped Out: CAM (14)
Class 2A
School
Record
LW
1
Dike-New Hartford
4-0
1
2
Grundy Center
3-0
2
3
Denver
5-1
3
4
Central Lyon
3-1
4
5
Panorama
4-0
5
6
Cascade
4-0
6
7
Sibley-Ocheyedan
4-1
8
8
West Hancock
3-1
9
9
South Central Calhoun
5-0
11
10
Nodaway Valley
3-2
7
11
Treynor
3-1
12
12
North Union
3-0
13
13
Jesup
3-1
10
14
Aplington-Parkersburg
3-1
14
15
Hinton
4-0
NR
Dropped Out: Wilton (15)
Class 3A
School
Record
LW
1
Unity Christian
4-1
1
2
West Lyon
5-0
2
3
Ballard
4-1
3
4
Estherville-Lincoln Central
5-0
4
5
Center Point-Urbana
5-0
5
6
Cherokee
3-1
6
7
Sergeant Bluff-Luton
3-0
7
8
Clear Lake
2-1
8
9
West Liberty
3-1
9
10
West Marshall
5-0
10
11
Vinton-Shellsburg
5-0
11
12
Roland-Story
2-1
12
13
Davenport Assumption
3-2
15
14
Shenandoah
4-1
NR
15
Harlan
3-1
13
Dropped Out: Okoboji (14)
Class 4A
School
Record
LW
1
Glenwood
3-1
1
2
Bishop Heelan
5-0
5
3
Central DeWitt
2-1
3
4
North Scott
4-0
6
5
Indianola
3-1
2
6
North Polk
5-1
7
7
Dallas Center-Grimes
4-1
8
8
Winterset
4-0
9
9
Grinnell
3-0
10
10
Waverly-Shell Rock
3-1
NR
11
Cedar Rapids Xavier
4-2
4
12
Spencer
5-1
13
13
Solon
3-3
11
14
Mason City
2-2
12
15
Lewis Central
3-2
NR
Dropped Out: Gilbert (14), Benton Community (15)
Class 5A
School
Record
LW
1
Johnston
5-0
1
2
Waterloo West
3-0
2
3
Iowa City High
2-0
4
4
Iowa City West
3-0
7
5
Ankeny Centennial
5-0
8
6
Southeast Polk
4-1
9
7
Dowling Catholic
6-0
11
8
Des Moines Roosevelt
2-2
5
9
Cedar Falls
2-1
3
10
Cedar Rapids Washington
4-1
10
11
West Des Moines Valley
3-1
6
12
Waukee Northwest
3-2
12
13
Pleasant Valley
2-1
14
14
Iowa City Liberty
4-1
NR
15
Linn-Mar
3-1
15
Dropped Out: Sioux City East (13)

Hy-Vee Now Offering Free Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Booster Vaccines to 16- and 17-Year-Olds

By Theresa Rose · Friday, December 10th, 2021 at 12:08 pm CDT

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (Dec. 9, 2021) — Hy-Vee, Inc. announces today that free Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19
vaccine booster doses are now available to 16- and 17-year-olds at Hy-Vee Pharmacy locations across its
eight-state region.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend a
booster dose for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients ages 16 and older at least 6 months after their second
vaccine dose. Patients ages 16 and 17 receiving a booster dose may NOT mix-and-match vaccines. At this time,
Pfizer-BioNTech is the only vaccine authorized for minors.
COVID-19 vaccinations are available at Hy-Vee Pharmacy locations by appointment only. Patients can
schedule their COVID-19 vaccination by visiting www.hy-vee.com/covidvaccine.
A parent or legal guardian must consent to the vaccination and accompany all minors to their vaccination. The
booster vaccines are free to all eligible patients, regardless of their insurance coverage.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved for individuals 12 years of age and older requires two doses (known as
the primary series). The second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be administered at least 21 days
after the first dose. However, a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is ONLY available for individuals
ages 16 and older, and should be administered at least 6 months after the second dose.
Individuals ages 16 and older receiving a COVID-19 first, second, booster or third vaccine dose can receive their
flu shot during the same appointment by requesting it with the pharmacy team.
It is recommended (but not required) that vaccine recipients bring the following to their appointment: insurance
card (if they have insurance) and Medicare Part B red, white and blue card (if Medicare recipient); photo ID; and
their COVID-19 vaccination record card. Masks are required. If individuals do not have insurance, they can still
be vaccinated.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit www.hy-vee.com/covidvaccine.

Reynolds extends the order to fly flags at half-staff

By Theresa Rose · Friday, December 10th, 2021 at 12:04 pm CDT

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has extended the order to fly all flags in Iowa at half-staff until midnight on Saturday December 11, 2021, in honor and remembrance of Senator Robert Dole, who represented Kansas in Congress for 35 years, both in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.  

 The governor’s order is issued in conjunction with President Joe Biden’s proclamation to amend the initial order earlier this week to lower the United State’s flag to half-staff for the updated length of time.  

  Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex. Flags will also be half-staff on all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.  

  Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flags at half-staff for the same length of time.  

High Lights from the MP City Council Meeting

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, December 9th, 2021 at 10:00 pm CDT

Wednesday the Mount Pleasant City Council approved a site plan for Ryan Barton to construct a 12 unit multiple family dwelling at 416 N. Van Buren Street.

In other business, the Council agreed to the expenditure of approximately $45,000 for purchase of various new components for the Library/Civic Center HVAC system. According to the City Administrator Brent Schleisman it seems like several things are breaking down at the same time.  Problems with the electrical system seemed to be an issue in several areas so there are plans to have the system assessed.

A motion to approve hiring Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission to administer a R.I.S.E. grant was approved. The city received the grant in the amount of $254,800 for upgrading Blue Grass Road. The grant will cover 50% of the cost to upgrade the gravel road to curb and gutter concrete.  The road is located on the east edge of Mount Pleasant in a developing industrial area. The council also approved an enginnering service agreement with Warner Engineering to design and oversee the project.

The Council set December 22 at 5:30 pm as the date and time for a public hearing regarding the Lift Station project at the Northeast Lagoon. Following the hearing, they council hopes to award the contract for the project.

Bridge West of Donnellson Scheduled to Open

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, December 9th, 2021 at 9:31 pm CDT

The bridge located at Sugar Creek, 1.4 miles west of Donnellson in Lee County is scheduled to open Wednesday, December 15th, weather permitting. With the first phase to replace bridges on Iowa 2 completed, between Farmington and Donnellson, Iowa 2 will be open to traffic in both directions during the Winter.

However, in Spring 2022, the next phase to microsurface Iowa 2, between Donnellson and Farmington, will require alternating lane closures and using a pilot car for traffic control.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through our 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter (find links at https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device.

To receive email or text alerts about traffic incidents, road closures, traffic delays, and other restrictions that affect this highway route or other routes you travel, the Iowa DOT offers the “Your 511” option on 511ia.org. It’s easy to subscribe to Your 511 and sign up to receive the email/text alerts. Visit https://iowadot.gov/511/511-full-feature-website-help/how-to-videos for simple, step-by-step instructions.

#

Lee County Accident Report

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, December 9th, 2021 at 4:51 pm CDT

The Lee County Sheriff’s Department investigated a two vehicle accident Wednesday just before noon on Wednesday on the Old Quarry Road. Deputies were dispatched to the intersection of 115th Street and 280th Avenue. Logan Sanders of West Point was southbound on 280th. At the intersection with 115th he made a u turn in order to go back north.  But he didn’t see a vehicle driven by Barbara Cecil of Bonaparte that was southbound. Sanders vehicle hit the Cecil vehicle broadside. No one was injured but both vehicles were totaled.