High School Track

The Washington boys’ team will host the Steve Roth Relays tomorrow, March 27th, with Fairfield, Mediapolis, Wapello, Mt. Pleasant, Danville, West Burlington/Notre Dame, Columbus, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union all competing. 

The Danville, Fairfield, Mediapolis, New London, WACO, Winfield-Mt. Union, West Burlington/Notre Dame, and Mt. Pleasant girls’ teams will meet up in Burlington for the Falcon Relays on April 1st. 

College Signings

A pair of Panthers will be heading off to Davenport to continue their athletic careers at St. Ambrose University in the fall. Payton Walker was the first to sign his National Letter of Intent yesterday to play football for the Bees. 

Walker was a star on the gridiron for Mt. Pleasant, compiling 180.5 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions on defense, while rambling for 1,100 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in his three years at the varsity level. He took home 1st Team All-District linebacker this past season, the position he plans to play at St. Ambrose. He plans on studying Sports Management as he eyes a career as an Athletic Director. Walker gives the credit to the Panther program for wanting to continue his football career,

“Oh, it’s just been amazing. Probably the best four years of my life right here playing football here. My best memories are with the guys out there on that field. So, I kind of realized that as soon as I was having fun out there, I just wanted to keep doing it for as long as I can.”

After practice, Ava English held her announcement that she would be joining the Bees track and field team as a thrower. English has added on to the Panther throwing legacy after attending the state championship for shot put in her sophomore season, finishing in 16th place with a toss of 34 feet and 11.75 inches, despite having shoulder surgery during the offseason. It was through that adversity that she was pushed towards St. Ambrose,

“I kind of just had my heart set on St. Ambrose,” said Ava English. “I had shoulder surgery in 2022 and so I went to my physical therapist. I was like, ‘this is what I want to do.’ Where do you recommend? She’s like St. Ambrose. So, I decided. ‘OK. St. Ambrose or nothing.’ St. Ambrose or SCC. So, I went, and toured and I was like, this is it. This is. This is going to be my home.”

English has an early season mark of 34 feet and 6.75 inches through the indoor season, as her goal for her senior campaign is a return trip to Des Moines for the state championships.

High School Basketball

The 2025 Pizza Ranch All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 29th, at Dallas Center-Grimes High School with three of our local players and a coach making the trip to compete. 

On the girls’ Southeast team, WACO’s Ella Huisenga, who ranked 2nd on the team in points and 1st in rebounds, earned a spot and accompanying her will be her coach Lisa Graber. The Southeast squad will face off against the Northwest team for the first round at 10:45 am.

On the boys’ Southeast team, a pair from the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division will join forces in West Burlington’s Mason Watkins and Luke Hellige of Holy Trinity Catholic. Watkins and Hellige both finished within the top 10 in the state in points per game and as their respective program’s all-time leading scorer. The Southeast and Northwest will square off for their first round matchup at noon. 

Southeastern Community College                                                     

The softball team will host a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College today.

The baseball team will hit the road today to take on Ellsworth Community College in a doubleheader. 

College Basketball

Iowa State’s Audi Crooks was named one of the 50 finalists for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America team yesterday. For the season, Crooks averaged 23.4 points per game, which led the Big 12. Crooks was named Third Team All-America by the Associated Press and the USBWA as she was the first Cyclone sophomore to be named to an All-America team by either outlet. 

March Madness

The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with nearly 50 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes. 

The standings have been updated through the first two rounds. For a look at the top 10 breakdown, follow this link: KILJ Bracket Challenge Standings

The standings will be updated after the Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship matchup. The Sweet 16 will be back in action tomorrow, March 27th.

This Day in Sports History

1917 – Stanley Cup Final, Seattle Ice Arena, Seattle, WA: the Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA) beat the Montreal Canadiens (NHL), 9-1 for a 3-1 series victory; becoming the first US team to win the Stanley Cup.

1952 – 14th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kansas beats St. John’s, 80-63; first tournament to have a true “Final Four” format.

1979 – 41st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Indiana State, 75-64 for their first National Championship; marks the start of the rivalry between future Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Additionally, it was the highest-rated game in the history of televised college basketball.

Mount Pleasant, IA- Mt. Pleasant High School has had a strong tradition of women throwers for the track and field team and that tradition added another name to its history as Ava English signed her National Letter of Intent to throw at St. Ambrose University.

English was able to witness some of that dominance her freshman year when Jadan Brumbaugh was in the process of taking home both the shot put and discus state championships, while English put up a respectable season best of 33 feet and 9 inches.

For English, it has been an honor getting to throw for the Panthers,

“I feel very, very lucky. I look at everyone else and I’m like I have a very, very talented coaching staff and other athletes that came out of this program that are just amazing, like Jayden and she’s definitely one of my people I look up to 100%.”

The nascent of her college decision goes back to her sophomore season, but not in the shot-put ring. Offseason shoulder surgery set the stage for her career choice and her best season of throwing.

“I kind of just had my heart set on St. Ambrose,” said Ava English. “I had shoulder surgery in 2022 and so I went to my physical therapist. I was like, ‘this is what I want to do.’ Where do you recommend? She’s like St. Ambrose. So, I decided. ‘OK. St. Ambrose or nothing.’ St. Ambrose or SCC. So, I went, and toured and I was like, this is it. This is. This is going to be my home.”

Despite the adversity, English led the team with a season best throw of 37 feet and 3 inches and a trip to Des Moines for the Class 3A State Championship for the shot put. English would claim 16^th place with a throw of 34 feet and 11.75 inches.

English missed out on state last year with a season best throw of 35 feet and 7 inches as the sport of track and field can often be a frustrating outlet of competition with more setbacks and plateaus than personal bests.

In fact, English was contemplating whether track and field had a place in her future plans, but that thought was short lived,

“It definitely developed last year was kind of iffy. I didn’t know if I wanted that to be my whole life, but now I’m dead set on that. It’s definitely my main thing.”

Now, in her senior campaign, the goal is simple,

“Just keep improving. Trust the process, chop wood, carry water, [Shawn] Striegel [her throwing coach] would like that one. Make it to state. Just do my best. Have fun.”

In the indoor season, English hit a mark of 34 feet and 6.75 inches, as she prepares for Mt. Pleasant’s first outdoor meet on April 1^st at West Burlington High School for the Falcon Relays.

St. Ambrose had Annah Miller finish in 11^th place in the shot put with a heave of 45 feet and 0.5 inches at the 2024 NAIA National Championship meet.

Mount Pleasant, IA- One of the three senior captains that helped snapped a 23-game losing streak and nearly got the Panthers to finish the year with an over 0.500 record, Payton Walker has signed his National Letter of Intent to play football at St. Ambrose University.

He discussed what went into his decision to play for the Bees,

“Honestly, after talking to their coaches and going there, it really wasn’t that hard. They were close. They have a nice culture there and they have the major I was looking for. So those things kind of lined up and made a really easy decision for me.”

Walker first saw Varsity action in his sophomore campaign and instantly made his mark for the Panthers. Patrolling the middle of the field on defense, he finished second on the team in total tackles with 34.5, while adding 7.5 tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery, and an interception.

As a fullback on offense, he would open lanes and occasionally get the call to carry the ball, resulting in 87 yards and three touchdowns on four yards per carry for the season. Walker would end up taking home District Punter of the Year honors after stepping in for Owen Vansickel and averaging 34.3 yards per punt.

The promise shown in his sophomore season exploded onto the gridiron as Walker turned into a star his junior year. The jack-of-all-trades started the year exclusively in the backfield, whether that was running or blocking and occasionally catching a pass.

That was until starting quarter Cooper Coleman was knocked out of a road game at Tipton in the third game of the season, ushering a need for a new signal caller and who else to step in but Walker.

The running quarterback led the team on the ground in yards and carries with 609 yards, while scoring eight of the team’s nine rushing touchdowns; additionally, he completed 31 passes for 582 yards and added four passing touchdowns.

Moreover, he was also the leader on defense. The middle linebacker totaled 71 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss and still held the role of the team’s punter, averaging 31 yards per punt. This culminated in him earning 2^nd Team All-District running back.

However, he was still looking for his first victory in the Maroon and Gold.

Week one of his senior season provided the perfect opportunity in a road matchup against non-district rival Fairfield. Offensively, Walker only had to focus on blocking and running the ball, while defensively he was still the sheriff of the squad.

For the first time in nearly three years, Mt. Pleasant ended the game with the victory as Walker scored both touchdowns in a 13-12 win over the Trojans. Two weeks later at Bob Evans Field, he came through on defense, registering 8.5 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack for a safety in a win over Tipton.

Walker had trouble describing what it meant to get Mt. Pleasant back in the win column,

“I don’t know how to explain it honestly because we were 1-8, 0-9, 0-9 and after we got that first win it was just kind of like a sense of relief and then building on it and going 4-5 and I just want to keep seeing more and more win totals and it’s just a lot of gratification there and feel amazing.”

Overall, in the eight games he played his senior season he found the endzone in seven of the contests as he led the team in carries, despite splitting his share with Ramzy Davis.

Walker again led the team in tackles with 75 on the season, including 11.5 tackles for loss and an interception and fumble recovery. His impact on defense earned him 1^st Team All-District linebacker.

For his Panther career, Walker compiled 180.5 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions on defense. The side of the field he will continue to play for the Bees,

“I’m probably just going to stick with a linebacker. mean, punting is fun and all, but I think I’m more of a next level linebacker. I don’t think the leg is quite there”

On offense he totaled 1,100 rushing yards on four yards a carry and found paydirt 18 times and he’s not quite ready to close the chapter on that side of the ball,

“Definitely for sure. It’s definitely fun to run the ball. I mean, who knows if the opportunity presents itself.”

Walker will study Sports Management as he would like to become an Athletic Director. Though he looks toward his collegiate career, he will never forget the past four years at Mt. Pleasant High School,

“Oh, it’s just been amazing. Probably the best four years of my life right here playing football here. My best memories are with the guys out there on that field. So, I kind of realized that as soon as I was having fun out there, I just wanted to keep doing it for as long as I can.”

The Bees finished the season with a 3-8 overall record with a 1-5 mark in conference. They are searching for their first winning season since going 5-3 back in the 2020-2021 season. St. Ambrose will kickoff the season on the road against Briar Cliff on August 30^th at 6 pm.