Mt. Pleasant, IA- The “Seven Blocks of Granite” was a nickname bestowed upon the Fordham University offensive line during their run through the 1930s made most famous in 1936 due to a group that featured six future NFL players and Vince Lombardi. It might be time to give the 2025 Mt. Pleasant line a nickname after Jaymisen Rich signed his letter of intent to join the Storm at Simpson College.

Rich is now the second lineman to commit to playing football at the next level and it’s hard to argue with the center’s toughness. He and his brother Jeryn were apart of a small group of six that attended 100% of summer workouts, trotted back out to long snap despite aggravating a hamstring injury in their playoff game, and now does CrossFit to train for the upcoming grind that is collegiate athletics.

Rich fully encompassed what head coach John Bowlin expected his team’s identity would be,

“So, just focus on our assignments and just, you know, being a physical team, I think that’s the biggest thing that our guys need to hang their hats on is we need to be the most physical team out there. I feel good about our all-around athleticism, but we may not be the fastest team, but I think I think our eleven guys will work really well together and, you know, just got to go win the line of scrimmage. So, I think that’s our biggest MO is control the line of scrimmage, control the football and play physical. So that’s what we’re going to focus on here going into Week 1 is being that team when you leave the field that somebody says, man, these guys play hard, they play tough and they’re physical.”

For Rich, he feels he found a second home two-hours west of Mt. Pleasant in Indianola,

“I chose Simpson because I felt like it was my best option. Ever since I stepped foot on campus, it just felt like home. And the town feels just like Mount Pleasant. And I just see the environment, the coaches. I felt like I really fit in there. I’ve been down there five or six times now visiting. So, I’ve got to know the team very well and I just felt like it was home.”

The entire Panther football program engaged in a change of culture after Rich’s freshman season. The team started to focus on running the ball again and while the wins did not come until his junior and senior seasons, the foundational blocks were being placed,

“You know, I don’t think I would trade it for anything. Going 0-9 two years in a row, it not only fuels you, but it builds character, obviously. And so, I think the last two seasons, we went 4-5 junior season, and last season we went 7-3. I think it just made everything a lot sweeter. You know, it made it feel like work really paid off.”

There was an added layer of determination after his sophomore season, as he saw his chance of accomplishing a lifelong dream of playing collegiate football laid out before him. It truly echoed a sentiment that Rich and Mt. Pleasant football had seared into their identity,

“Yeah, I kind of knew it was going to come true going into my junior year. I put in some work at camps. But now that it’s over, I mean, it feels amazing, obviously. But it’s just good to really know that all my hard work paid off and everything I wanted to happen happened.”

That hard work resulted in Mt. Pleasant’s first win over Washington since 2008—a moment Rich deemed his favorite from the season, two double-digit comebacks in the second half, their first winning season since 2019, and their first trip to the postseason since 2010.

At the center of it all, Rich dished out 21 pancakes as the Panthers ran for 1,603 yards on 4.1 yards per carry and 24 touchdowns on his way to being named Second Team All-District. There’s a certain disposition needed to be a lineman, one spelled out perfectly by Rich,

“You get to hit people. I mean, I like being one because you can, especially being a center, you can kind of run the offense. And I just like it because you’re with the guy crossing you all game. And so, it’s you versus him every play. And then offensive linemen, we’re like our own little team up there of five. And you really come close to those guys with double teams. And, you know, you’re always together. So, working together and seeing, like, long runs and everything, it just really makes it all worth it.”

Rich plans on studying Health and Exercise Science with the hope to own his own chiropractic office one day. Simpson College will look to build upon their 6-4 campaign from last season when they travel to Augustana to start the season on Saturday, September 5^th, at 6 pm.

Southeast Iowa- It was a busy Thursday afternoon on the fairways for our local teams as the Southeast Conference (SEC) met up for their second conference meet of the season, while the Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) clashed for the first time this year after cold weather canceled the first round of showdowns.

Here’s a rundown of the local matches.

Wapello versus Hillcrest Academy

The Hillcrest Academy boys’ team is aiming at a return to the Class 1A state tournament after finishing in 4^th place a year ago. After taking 2^nd place at the Wapello Invite the day before, the Ravens got a rematch against Wapello and handled business, winning 161-199.

On the girls’ side, Wapello got their revenge on Hillcrest Academy with nearly 20-stroke victory against the Ravens, 196-210. Emmalin Marshall and Macey Kuntz hit the bullseye for the Arrows as they took 1^st and 2^nd place with rounds of 45 and 47, respectively. Kyndall Stigge’s 4^th place score of 49 and Zoey Delzell’s 55 rounded out the scoring.

Wapello will get back to action on Monday, April 13^th, at home.

Van Buren County Triangular

The Warrior boys’ and girls’ teams hosted their first meet of the season and the boys’ team defended their home turf with a gold medal finish of 166, nearly 20 strokes better than Holy Trinity Catholic’s 181 as Davis County rounded out the standings.

Leo Jirak led the field with a 9-hole score of 39, while Will Cocherell and Jerrod Griffin turned in rounds of 41 and 42, respectively. The Crusaders had Brock Scheetz claim a score of 43, while Nathan Box, Zane Houtz, and Max Kruse turned in a round of 46 each.

On the girls’ side, Davis County snuck past the Warriors for the victory with a team score of 204 followed by Van Buren County’ 208. Holy Trinity Catholic finished with a team score of 219. Despite finishing as the team runner-up, Van Buren County’s Sophia Jirak turned in the best score of the course with a 40. Teagan Sickels and Maddie Cocherell managed 55s for the Warriors.

Elizabeth Griffin of Holy Trinity Catholic claimed the bronze medal with a round of 47, while Emma Mohrfeld took 5^th place with a score of 53. Eva Denning’s 53 and Calli Kruse’s 63 rounded out the Crusaders’ final score.

The Holy Trinity Catholic boys’ team will join Central Lee for the Lee County Invitational today.

Van Buren County will hit the road to face off against New London on Monday.

Columbus versus Lone Tree

The Wildcats split their road contest against Lone Tree yesterday with the girls’ team getting a win due to the Lions not fielding enough players for a team score, while the boys’ team fell 189-201. Columbus will look to bounce back on Monday at home against Winfield-Mt. Union.

Central Lee at Mediapolis

Mediapolis swept Central Lee last night with the girls’ team logging a score of 216-277, while the boys’ team snuck out with a narrow five-stroke victory, 161-166. On the girls’ side, Kate Wischmeier led Mediapolis with a score of 51–the best score of the course, while Lily Smith finished in 3rd place for Central Lee with a card of 54.

For the boys’ teams, Brock Spears and Ephram Hallgren each shot a 39 for Mediapolis to share the gold, while Caleb Larson and Carter Jones each carded a 40 to finish as the runners-up for the Hawks.

Central Lee will host Holy Trinity Catholic on Monday, while the Mediapolis boys’ team will compete in the Golden Hawk Invitational on Tuesday, April 14^th at the Kalona Golf Course.

Southeast Conference

The SEC met up for the second time this season as the girls’ team made the trip to Fairfield while the boys’ teams traveled to Fort Madison. On the girls’ side Mt. Pleasant and Fort Madison tied for the best score at 194.

Fairfield’s Ellanor Bentler had the best round, posting a 38 on nine holes but the Trojans struggled as a team—minus Vanessa Kessel’s 10^th place standing, finishing in 4^th place with a team score of 210. Kylie Lumino finished as the individual runner-up for the Bloodhounds; yet, the Panthers had three finish in the top ten in Ashlynn Beauchamp’s 6^th place score of 45, Izzy Zihlman’s 48, and Sophia Walderbach’s card of 49, which placed them in 8^th and 9^th, respectively.

Washington’s Elizabeth Hora and Adalyn Long headlined the Demons as they both shot a 44 for the T-4^th best score on the course.

Over on the boys’ side, Rajan Roth again led Washington to another team victory with his round of 32, which was aided by Kaleb Orr ‘s and Ethan Peebler’s top five finish, paved the way for the Demons to score a 149, which was 13 strokes better than Fairfield.

Fairfield put together a solid round with all four of their golfers claiming a spot within the top 15, as Andrew Myers produced a silver medal performance with a card of 37, while Archer Kreuter nabbed 5^th place. Mt. Pleasant was paced by Alek Barton and Owen Dolf, who each finished with a round of 40, which tied Kreuter’s score. Merrick Lamm’s 42 was good enough for 12^th place.

The SEC will reconvene on Monday with the girls’ teams heading to Fort Madison and the boys’ teams playing in Washington.