Sports, April 15th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at 6:43 am CDT

High School Track and Field

The Fort Madison girls’ team hosted the Timm Lamb Pen City Relays last night and Mt. Pleasant took the title for the Class A Division with 139 points, while Van Buren County snuck past Mediapolis for the Class B championship with 155 points–only eight points more than Mediapolis’ total.

The Panthers collected gold medals in two events. Delaney Anderson won the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.31 seconds. Izzy Sloat gilded to a victory in the long jump with a mark of 16 feet and 10.5 inches. 

Sticking in Class A, Washington finished in 3rd place with 107.5 points, while Fairfield and West Burlington/Notre Dame claimed 7th and 8th place, respectively. The Demons dominated the relays, winning the 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 meter relays, while Iris Dahl took the individual gold in the 800-meter run with a mark of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Fairfield’s top finisher was Elyse Setterstrom’s bronze medal performance in the discus with a heave of 105 feet and 2 inches; following suit was West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Kaylee Webb taking 3rd place in the 200-meter dash and Kaitlyn Kipp pacing her way to a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter run.

In Class B, Van Buren County finished the night with four gold medal performances. Aida Troutman sprinted to a 1st place time of 13.73 seconds in the 100-meter dash and leapt to the win in the long jump with a distance of 15 feet and 1 inch. Kayley Snowgren took the 800-meter run with a mark of 2 minutes and 39 seconds. Briley Losey claimed the shot put with a heave of 31 feet and 10 inches.

Mediapolis had Evie Schmidgall win the 400-meter dash with a time of 1 minute and 5 seconds. Bryn Wright exhibited her endurance in the 1500-meter run with a mark of 5 minutes and 16 seconds. Layne Price outlegged Winfield-Mt. Union’s Kaelyn Townsley in the 100-meter hurdles. In the field events, Payton Harris launched the discus 115 feet and 9 inches for the win. The Bullettes also won the 4×800 and distance medley relays. 

Central Lee, Danville, New London, and Winfield-Mt. Union populated 4th though 7th place, respectively, in the team standings. The Bears had a trio of victories with Delaney Newberry taking the 200-meter dash, while the team nabbed the 4×100 and sprint medley relays. New London’s Allison Gillip took the 400-meter hurdles, while Winfield-Mt. Union’s Quin Smith leapt to the win in the high jump. 

The Fairfield boys’ team won their meet last night with 126 points, while Mt. Pleasant claimed the silver medal with 95 points. The Trojans had Ethan Bisgard win the 100-meter dash and Spencer McCready take the 110-meter hurdles and long jump with a leap of 21 feet and 6.5 inches.

Mt. Pleasant sprinted to the win in the 4×100, while Silas Hulett edged past Riley Tripp of Fort Madison for the win in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes and 43 seconds. Mason Frueh catapulted the discus 133 feet and 6 inches for the victory.

Van Buren County got a trio of gold medals. One from Lincoln Bainbridge in the 200-meter, the second from the sprint medley team, and the third one from Jace Duncan in the 400-meter hurdles. 

Lastly, the Wapello boys’ team held their relays last night and Mediapolis cruised to the victory with 128 points followed by West Burlington/Notre Dame with 79 points. The Bulldogs collected wins in the 400-meter dash by Will Schmidgall, the long jump with a leap of 20 feet and 9 inches from Henry Luttenegger, the high jump with a mark of 6 feet and 4 inches from Lathan Keller, along with the 4×200 and 4×800 meter relays.

Mt. Pleasant will host the Denny White Relays tomorrow, April 16th, with Central Lee, Danville, Fairfield, Mediapolis, New London, WACO, Wapello, Washington, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Winfield-Mt. Union making the trip. 

High School Soccer

Central Lee was swept last night, losing to Fort Madison, 13-1, in the girls’ game and 2-0 to Fairfield in the boys’ game. Evelyn Adkins had the lone goal for the Hawks. 

The Central Lee girls’ team will face off against Burlington Notre Dame tomorrow, April 16th, at 5 pm on the road, while the boys’ team will take on WACO in a road matchup at the same time.

The WACO boys’ team picked up their first victory of the season last night over Danville, 3-1. Niles Reichenbach and Tristain Luitjens each tabbed a goal and assist, while Holden Hughes made 12 saves for the Warriors. 

Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union split the night with Mediapolis, as the girls’ team fell, 3-0, and the boys’ team shutout the Bulldogs, 2-0. 

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will travel to Maquoketa tomorrow at 5 pm.

The Mediapolis boys’ team will hit the road to play Danville on Friday, April 17th, at 5 pm.

The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team fell to Fort Madison last night, 3-2. The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will host Wapello tomorrow at 7 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will clash with Washington tomorrow with the girls’ at home playing at 4:30 pm and the boys’ traveling to play at 5 pm.

High School Golf

The Fairfield boys’ team shot a 348 as a team at the Albia Invite yesterday with Andrew Myers and Archer Kreuter each turning in cards of 86. 

The Southeast Conference will meet back up tomorrow with Mt. Pleasant hosting the boys’ teams and the girls’ teams heading to Keokuk.

The Mediapolis boys’ team finished in 7th place with a score of 350 at the Golden Hawk Invitational yesterday. 

Mediapolis will host New London tomorrow. 

The Wapello girls’ Invite has been postponed for today.

The Van Buren County and Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ teams will compete in the Mohawk Classic tomorrow.

Danville and WACO will travel to Highland tomorrow for a triangular. 

High School Boys’ Tennis

Mt. Pleasant will host Burlington tomorrow, April 16th.

Fairfield will compete against Keokuk tomorrow at home.

Southeastern Community College

The baseball team will travel to Northeast Iowa Community College tomorrow, April 16th, for a doubleheader. 

The softball team will hit the road to play Iowa Western Community College on Saturday, April 18th.

College Baseball and Softball

The Iowa baseball team walloped Bradley last night, 20-1. Kooper Schulte led off the game with a solo home run, his 5th of the season. The Hawkeyes will get ready to host Maryland on Friday, April 17th, at 6 pm.

The Iowa State softball team shutout South Dakota yesterday, 8-0. Isabelle Nason clobbered a grand slam in the win. The Cyclones will tangle with BYU tomorrow, April 16th, at 7 pm on the road. 

The Iowa softball team will return to conference play with a home series against Indiana on Friday at 6 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1896 – The First Modern Summer Olympic Games close at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece; the USA wins the gold medal count with 11; Greece wins the total medal count at 46; IOC has retroactively assigned gold, silver & bronze medals to 3 best placed athletes in each event.

1947 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in major league baseball.

1997 – Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams.

Severe Weather To Stick Around Through the End of the Week

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at 6:25 am CDT

The National Weather Service has placed the area under a Slight Risk for severe weather today, with multiple rounds of thunderstorms expected this afternoon and evening.

Forecasters say a cold front moving in from the west will bring scattered thunderstorms, some of which could become severe. All modes of severe weather are possible, including damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes.

Timing for today’s storms is expected in two main rounds. The first round is forecast between noon and 5 p.m., with isolated to scattered storms developing. A second round, expected between 5 and 11 p.m., could bring a more organized line of storms moving in from the west with greater coverage.

Heavy rainfall is also a concern, with the hardest-hit areas potentially receiving between one and three inches of rain from this morning through midnight tonight.

Locally, Mount Pleasant recorded seventeen hundredths of an inch of rain over the last 24 hours, bringing the year-to-date total to 7.43 inches. That is about half an inch above the normal year-to-date average of 6.93 inches.

Looking ahead, Thursday is expected to bring a break from thunderstorms before another round of severe weather moves in Friday. The National Weather Service has issued an Enhanced Risk—level three out of five—for severe storms Friday afternoon into Friday night across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and northeast Missouri.

The primary threats Friday appear to be damaging straight-line winds and isolated tornadoes as a strong cold front pushes through the Midwest during the evening and overnight hours.

Residents are encouraged to stay weather-aware today and Friday, monitor updated forecasts, and have multiple ways to receive warnings if severe weather develops. KILJ, your local National Weather Service Station, will keep you informed.

Henry County Sheriff’s Office Confirms ISSDA Fundraising Letters to Southeast Iowa Residents Are Legitimate

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at 6:17 am CDT

Residents in Southeast Iowa may soon see fundraising letters connected to the Iowa State Sheriffs’ & Deputies’ Association and its charitable arm, the Iowa State Sheriffs’ & Deputies’ Association Institute.

According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, letters being mailed to residents inviting them to become honorary members of the Institute are legitimate. If you receive a letter from Sheriff Rich McNamee with a return address listed as a P.O. Box in Wellman, Iowa, the mailing is authentic.

The Institute is a nonprofit, professional law enforcement and educational organization dedicated to preserving peace and public safety across Iowa. The honorary membership program has been in place for many years and is designed to strengthen relationships between citizens, businesses, and local sheriffs.

Funds raised through donations and memberships help support law enforcement training and community programs, including youth outreach efforts and partnerships with organizations such as Special Olympics Iowa and the Des Moines YMCA Camp.

Officials emphasize that donation requests are made by direct mail only and that the organization does not solicit donations by phone.

The Institute is registered with the Iowa Secretary of State and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning membership dues and donations may be tax deductible.

WACO Jr./Sr. High School Sustains Storm Damage

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 at 6:12 am CDT

The WACO Community School District junior and senior high school sustained damage during storms that moved through the area Tuesday evening.

Around 7:30 last night, district leaders notified families that the WACO Jr./Sr. High School had experienced storm-related damage. Out of an abundance of caution, access to the building was restricted while crews began assessing the extent of the damage and working to ensure the facility is safe.

Despite the damage, school officials reported that classes are still scheduled to take place as planned. A follow-up message later in the evening confirmed that school remains on schedule while assessments continue.

District staff continued evaluating the building Tuesday night and plan to resume inspections again this morning. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available, including details for those interested in helping with cleanup efforts.

School leaders also expressed gratitude for the strong response from the community and beyond, thanking families and supporters for their patience and partnership as safety remains the top priority for students and staff.

Prep Boys’ Soccer: Mt. Pleasant Rides the Wind to Victory over Fairfield

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 5:33 pm CDT

Mt. Pleasant, IA- East Lake Park already had a reputation of being a perilous environment for visiting teams—even the home team has acknowledged its unpleasantries—but that was amplified in Monday’s home conference opener against Fairfield with a prevailing wind helping the Panthers glide to a 3-2 victory.

At the time of kick-off, the wind was bustling at 22 miles per hour with gusts north of 30 miles per hour. With an expansive space allowing unadulterated access to the wind, the advantage rested with the team going towards the north goal. Mt. Pleasant started with the disadvantage, which was not a surprise for Mt. Pleasant’s head coach Rocco Russo,

“Dylan [White] took the side that didn’t have the wind to start the game. He said it was strategic, so it looks like it worked out.”

For most of the first half, it appeared that the blustering winds was not going to be idyllic for either team with the score locked at zero; until the Trojans managed to find an opening right before halftime and took an early 1 to 0 lead into the break.

These two teams have become accustomed with narrow finishes as the previous six matches had been decided by two goals or less, including a 1-1 tie last April that saw Mt. Pleasant score a late goal to ruin the upset chance for the Trojans.

Despite the experience in these tight showdowns, it was a melancholy mood at halftime,

“Well, they came over and they were a little down on themselves because they felt like they definitely could have made a play on that,” expressed coach Russo. “But it’s early on in the season, and we’re making mistakes, and I think they’re going to clean those up. We are going to clean those up, and we’re going to keep pushing forward.”

But the now the wind was at Mt. Pleasant’s back, and they were quick to take advantage. Xachary LeBlanc, the First Team All-SEC goalie last year, was instrumental in keeping the pressure on the Trojan defense with long passes down the pitch allowing for quick strikes on offense.

The first goal for Mt. Pleasant happened within 10 minutes of the second half starting as Dylan White found a streaking Asa Rose on the right side of the field and Rose blasted it top left corner to even the game at one goal apiece. However, that tied score would not hold up for long as a Panther foul in the goalie box presented Cormac Van Pelt a penalty shot to retake the lead.

One shot later and Fairfield was back in the driver’s seat, 2 to 1.

Still, the Mt. Pleasant offense had found its rhythm by this point and started peppering the goal. A header from Isaiah Lange and a patient shot from the slot by White gave Mt. Pleasant their first lead of the night and the eventual final of the contest, 3-2. For coach Russo, it has been great relying on an offense that is averaging 6.3 goals through the first four games of the season,

“Yeah, our guys feel confident in their shot, and all that starts with passing the ball and making good passes and finding the guy that can take the shot. We’ve got about five or six guys that are not scared to pull the trigger, and when they do, things can happen, especially on a windy day like this.”

The win put the Panthers tied atop the SEC standings at 2-0 and 3-0-1 for the year, while Fairfield fell to 2-1 on the year and 1-1 in conference play. Fairfield will take on Central Lee tonight at 7 pm, while Mt. Pleasant will travel to Washington on Thursday, April 16th, at 5 pm.

As the Panthers attempt to defend their conference title from last year, coach Russo is still looking for his team to hit the next gear,

“I’d like us to get a little bit mentally stronger. We’re a team that does not like something negative to happen, and if something negative happens right away, it takes us a few minutes to regroup and get going, and then once positive stuff starts falling, then it’s like the floodgates open and we start playing our soccer. We need to just start the game like that. We need to start with the mentality of we’re the big fish in the pond and we’re going to go get it.”

Staffing Uncertainty Lingers in Henry County Attorney’s Office After Special Election

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 1:44 pm CDT

A series of leadership changes and personnel decisions continue to impact the Henry County Attorney’s Office following multiple resignations, a special election, and recent terminations.

Former Henry County Attorney Darin Stater resigned in February, just two weeks after Assistant County Attorney Blake Vierra stepped down. Those departures led to a special election for the vacant position, in which Assistant County Attorney Abbie Liechty faced challenger Becky Wilson. During the campaign, Wilson emphasized plans to restore the office to full staffing levels and identified prosecuting the county’s pending cases as the main priority. Wilson won the election and was sworn in as the Henry County Attorney on April 7th.

On April 13th, the Board approved the hiring of an outside, part-time attorney to assist with outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests, citing ongoing staffing shortages within the office. Also on April 13th, Liechty was served a notice of termination, effective immediately. That same day, the Henry County Board of Supervisors approved an employee separation agreement for Assistant County Attorney Steven Giebelhausen. Under the terms of the agreement, Giebelhausen will continue working through April 30th, while receiving salary, accrued vacation, and benefits through July 31st, totaling approximately $26,400.

In a statement posted to social media, Liechty said, “Serving the County has been a privilege, and I appreciate the opportunity to prosecute cases and appear in court.” She also announced her intention to run for Henry County Attorney in November, stating she looks forward to engaging with constituents and potentially continuing to serve the county.

KILJ’s efforts to obtain a comment from County Attorney Becky Wilson on the future staffing and operations of her office have been unsuccessful.

Roger A. Ehrhardt

By Allison Jacobs · Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 1:23 pm CDT

Roger A. Ehrhardt, 80 of Fairfield, passed away Monday April 13, 2026 at Prestige Care Center of Fairfield.

A celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Sympathy Cards can be mailed to the family at 2335-229th St., Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield is assisting the family.

Roger was born September 16, 1945 in Fairfield, the son of Eugene and Millicent (Stoner) Ehrhardt. He married Sandra (Harvey) Ehrhardt, March 30, 1968, in Fairfield.

Roger worked for 35 years at Rockwell International. He enjoyed gardening, fishing and mushroom hunting. He also loved to can just about anything he could get into a jar.  He loved to watch all his granddaughters in all their sporting events.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Sandy; sons, Todd and Scott; daughter; Amy Ferrel (Brett) of Fairfield; grandchildren, Taylor (Josh) Ethridge, Maggie (Chase) Duesenberg, Carly (Izaak Lahue) Ferrel, Addison Ferrel; two great-granddaughters; and his sister, Nancy Ehrhardt.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Bobby, Walter, and Jerry; and sisters, Karen and Becky.

Prep Track and Field: WACO Girls’ Team Claim Title at Home Relays

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 1:22 pm CDT

Wayland, IA- Six days later and an abbreviated team list but the WACO Relays went off without a hitch, including a successful defense of their home turf for the girls’ team in a close finish of team points.

Girls’ Meet

Of the original eight teams that were scheduled to make the trip to WACO high school back on April 7th, only the Van Buren County and Springville girls’ teams were able to travel last night. The final podium had WACO on top with 70 points followed by Van Buren County with 65 points and Springville not terribly far behind with 52 points.

WACO dominated the individual events, which included a couple of repeat champions. Ryan Pepper demonstrated her speed, winning the 100-meter dash in 13.54 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 26.83 seconds.

Josie Dykstra’s long strides came through in the 400-meter dash with a gold medal time of 1 minute and 2 seconds and the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 1 minute and 10 seconds. Of the multi-time winners, Macie Carter outpaced the field in the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs with times of 5 minutes and 26 seconds and 11 minutes and 49 seconds, respectively.

The Warriors also had winners in Carlee Lunsford and Madelyn Farmer. Lunsford grabbed the victory with a time of 2 minutes and 32 seconds in 800-meter run, while Farmer leapt to the win the long jump, covering 15 feet and 5 inches.

Van Buren County generated team success, snatching wins in four of the seven relay events—4×100, 4×800, sprint medley, and distance medley relays. Individually, Briley Losey swept the throwing events with a heave of 31 feet and 1 inch in the shot put and toss of 90 feet and 6 inches in the discus.

Boys’ Meet

The boys’ teams were a bit more eager to attend with six of the nine teams busing out to Wayland yesterday and it was Iowa Valley that finished atop the standings with 163 points followed by Van Buren County with 131 points and Washington with 117 points.

Like most of the season, Van Buren County was led by their seniors as Kayden Simmons claimed the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in 11.6 seconds, while Lincoln Bainbridge claimed 1st place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.63 seconds and the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 53.63 seconds.

The lone junior to finish atop the leaderboard for the Warriors was Landry Loeffler in the 3,200-meter run, as he paced himself to a time of 10 minutes and 39 seconds.

Washington had two winners in their 3rd place team finish with the 4×800 crossing the line in 8 minutes and 17 seconds, and Sawyer Tschantz securing a time of 4 minutes and 42 seconds in the 1,600-meter run.

WACO finished in 4th place as a team with Jude Dykstra’s lone 1st place time of 2 minutes and 2 seconds in the 800-meter run leading the Warriors. Fairfield ended up in last place with only 31 team points. The 4×100 managed a victory, while Blake Burnett tied for the gold in the high jump with Josh Read of Iowa Valley as they each clear 6 feet-even.

Up Next

WACO will compete in the Co-Ed Lisbon Opener today, while most of the girls’ teams will head to Fort Madison for the Pen City Relays today and the boys’ teams travel to Fairfield for a meet.