High School Girls’ Tennis

Mt. Pleasant will stay on the road to face off against Fort Madison on Monday, August 25th.

Fairfield will travel to Pella today for an invitational. 

High School Volleyball

The season will officially get underway on Monday, August 25th, around the state of Iowa and WACO will ring in the new season by hosting a tournament with Columbus, Van Buren County, and Burlington Notre Dame making the trip.

High School Cross Country

Van Buren County will compete on Thursday, August 28th, at Albia. 

The Danville girls’ team will travel to compete in the Iowa City West Early Bird meet on Thursday.  

Meet the Players Night

Danville hosted their “Meet the Players” last night, which involved their volleyball and football teams scrimmaging against Mt. Pleasant. It was a battle of defense on the gridiron with brief interludes of chunk plays. The Panthers saw the speed of Griffen Jones put on display when he sprinted down the sideline 80 yards on a halfback screen for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a hold. Adam Denning would eventually score for Mt. Pleasant when he scampered his way into the endzone on a wide receiver screen. Panther head coach John Bowlin talked about the importance of having a scrimmage against a real opponent,

“That’s, you know, getting the cobwebs out. Like I said, it’s huge for everybody. You know, kids can see mistakes, we can correct mistakes. You’ve kind of got the nerves of that first time under the lights Friday night of the season. You get those nerves out of the way and obviously nerves are a great thing. But we’re one step closer to being prepped for Friday night against Mepo and I know that’s going to be a tough challenge for us. Traditionally a really good team. So, we’re going to have to limit the penalties and get the chains moving on Friday.”

Danville would find the endzone on the last play of the night when Dillan Mason connected with Drake Biesler for a long pitch and catch that saw Biesler cross the goal line on a desperation lunge. Bears head coach Cody Thompson discussed some of the positives from last night’s action,

“Yeah, so defensively, I thought we did a really good job flowing. You know, a lot of the seven-on-seven stuff we did, first time we were really seeing the RPO action and some of the false-pull stuff. So, our linebackers were able to pick up on that as we went because we were on them and on them all week about reading their guards and you know they showed a good ability to adjust on the fly. Full grasp of our defense as far as everything we wanted to do tonight. Offensively, we started slow, right? You know, they were sending some stunts and some blitzes at us that we were struggling with, but our o-line was able to figure it out there at the end, we were able to punch it in.”

High School Football

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Easton Valley on Thursday, August 28th, at 6 pm.

WACO will kick off the season with a road showdown against Central City on Friday, August 29th, at 7 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Mediapolis on Friday at 7:30 pm for their home opener. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

Danville will compete against West Burlington on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Columbus will host BGM to start the season on Friday at 7 pm.

Wapello will clash with Louisa-Muscatine on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

New London will ring in the new season with a home contest against Cardinal on Friday at 7 pm.

Van Buren County will tangle with Central Lee on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Southeastern Community College

The women’s soccer team will look to bounce back on Wednesday, August 27th, against Mineral Area College on the road. 

The volleyball team collected a pair of victories on day one of the Opening Weekend Tournament, sweeping Bryant & Stratton College and winning a contentious five-set match against Schoolcraft College 15-11 in the final set. The Blackhawks will continue the tournament today with games against Monroe University and Macomb Community College. 

The men’s soccer team was led by Angel Frias’ two goals in a 3-1 victory over Oakton Community College yesterday. The Blackhawks will compete on the road against Mineral Area College on Wednesday at 5 pm.

College Football

#22 Iowa State will start the season in Ireland today with a showdown against #17 Kansas State at 11 am. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call with the pregame show at 9 am.

This Day in Sports History

1936 – 17-year-old future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller’s first MLB game as a starter; strikes out 15 St. Louis Browns in 4-1 win at League Park, Cleveland.

1947 – First Baseball Little League World Series, Williamsport, Pennsylvania: Maynard beats Lock Haven All Stars, 16-7.

1992 – Dennis Eckersley, who previously set record for most consecutive saves (40), is the first pitcher to record 40 saves in four different seasons.

Prep Volleyball- Time to raise the nets, the 2025 Iowa high school volleyball season is scheduled to get underway on Monday, August 25^th. Aptly, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the preseason rankings for all five classes yesterday and just one local team finds themselves in the top 15.

Class 5A

Waukee Northwest was a bit of a surprise when the Wolves made the championship game as the #6-seed going against the #1-seed Pleasant Valley, who had loss only two games all year. Predictably, the Spartans exited with the victory, but that script may be flipped this season.

Waukee Northwest took the preseason #1-slot followed by Pleasant Valley and Waukee, respectively. Ankeny Centennial, who was upset in the semifinals by Waukee Northwest, was placed 4^th with Dowling Catholic and Cedar Falls taking 5^th and 6^th.

Then, the list got a bit whacky. Five teams were placed in the top 15 that ended last season with a losing record. Expecting to make the biggest leap is Valley. The Tigers finished 14-23 last year, yet a young squad is expected to find their footing, as they enter the season at #7.

Class 4A

Clear Creek Amana has collected a three-year record of 117-20, three of those losses have occurred in the state tournament, including a state championship lost and state semifinal lost that ended a perfect season.

This may be the Clippers year to end the heartbreak as they enter as the #1 team of the class. Surprisingly, last year’s champion, Bishop Heelan, enters the season ranked 7^th. Sergeant Bluff-Luton and last year’s runner-up Pella hold on to the #2 and #3 spots, respectively.

Bondurant-Farrar is the only team in the Class 4A rankings to have a losing record last year as they start the year ranked 12^th. Knoxville rounds out the list after going 23-17 last year.

Class 3A

Western Christian has been in the championship match the last two years, splitting the title in that span. They look to redeem their loss in straight sets to Mt. Vernon last year with a preseason #1 ranking followed by Kuemper Catholic and Assumption.

The Mustangs got the Crusader treatment and last year’s champion would only see them sneak into the state tournament this year with a preseason ranking of 8^th. An adjacent team to us is #4 Mid-Prairie. The Golden Hawks were swept by Mt. Vernon in the state quarterfinals but with Jovi Evans coming back for her senior season expect a similar flight path for the Birds.

Class 2A

Denver, the defending champions, enter the year as the favorites after sweeping Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the championship game. Hinton and Union make up the top three and perennial threat Dike-New Hartford in back at #6.

The Rockets are completely removed from the top 15 after graduating the Shafer sisters, who bot committed to UNI. They are the only team to make the championship game last season and to not start the season ranked this year.

Class 1A

Holy Trinity Catholic has made the state tournament four years in-a-row and 14 of the last 15 seasons. Despite being a staple of state volleyball, the Crusaders have not won a state championship since 2014 with a runner-up finish in 2023.

This year’s squad has a chance to change that as they are the #1 team in the preseason rankings. Holy Trinity Catholic will attempt to shake off an upset loss in the quarterfinal round last season after sweeping their way through the regional. Head coach Melissa Freesmeier, one of five coaches to have over 1,000 wins in the state, talked about the culture at Holy Trinity Catholic,

“You know it’s been great. It’s just awesome to see the younger kids looking up to the older kids and you know, every year they want to be as good as a team before them. So, they come into the gym. It’s a culture that is hard work and winning. And you know, it just never changes and it’s just, you know, that’s a compliment to the players who have done all the great things through the years and the parents who have supported them and our community.”

The Crusaders will return one of the best hitter tandems in the state in senior Presley Myers and junior Adalyn Kruse. Myers enters the year with a career efficiency of 0.336 and 1,000 career kills despite never leading the team in attempts. Kruse already has 455 kills in two seasons with 78 aces.

Yet, coach Freesmeier knows the loss of Anna Bendlage and Teagan Snaadt will weigh heavy on the team in the early part of the season,

“You know, I think a lot is just consistency, getting to know their roles or maybe their new roles. Just see what we can do with our hitter combinations. Defense is going to be big, Teagan’s going to be tough to fill but we’re working at it. The kids are excited and we’re just going to go out and play Holy Trinity volleyball.”

The one to pull off that upset, BCLUW, enters the season back at #8 as North Tama and Saint Ansgar round out the top three. Janesville, who has had the Crusaders number in years past, is ranked 4^th to start the year.

The Ankeny Chrisitan reign appears to be over. After winning three straight state championships behind Katie Quick’s leadership, the Eagles graduate a majority of their heavy hitters over the past three season and essentially look to start over. Nevertheless, they round out the preseason top 15.

Full List of Rankings: 2025 Preseason Rankings

High School Girls’ Tennis

Mt. Pleasant trounced Keokuk last night in a road showdown, 8-1, halting a two-match skid against the Chiefs. Lila Cook, the #1-singles and doubles competitor for the Panthers, had a pair of contested wins, defeating Baylee Picton 10-7, then pairing up with Bella Dodds to dig out a 10-8 win over Picton and Londyn Mueller in doubles. 

Mia Gray, Dodds, and Lianah Phangchanthong won their singles matches, while the team of Gray and Katana Phangchanthong picked up their victory in doubles. The Panthers will stay on the road to face off against Fort Madison on Monday, August 25th.

Fairfield maintained their conference dominance last night but lost their sweeping streak, besting Burlington 7-2. The Trojans will travel to Pella tomorrow, August 23rd, for an invitational. 

High School Volleyball

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to West Liberty tonight for a scrimmage.

The season will officially get underway on Monday, August 25th, around the state of Iowa and WACO will ring in the new season by hosting a tournament with Columbus, Van Buren County, and Burlington Notre Dame making the trip.

High School Volleyball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their preseason rankings yesterday and Holy Trinity Catholic sits atop the Class 1A standings to begin the year. The Crusaders finished last year with a 29-13 record, earning their fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament before falling in the quarterfinals. The team will have to replace four-year starters Anna Bendlage and Teagan Snaadt, but they will return a fearsome hitting duo in Presley Myers and Adalyn Kruse, who combined for 657 kills last season. 

Head coach Melissa Freesmeier detailed another name to keep an eye on,

“I think you know one of the biggest surprises this year might be Adalyn’s little sister Callie. She had some injuries last year that did not allow her to play at her full potential, and she’s done the work, and I think he’s going to surprise a little. A lot of people out there.”

 The other top teams included Waukee Northwest in Class 5A, Clear Creek Amana in Class 4A, Class 3A’s Western Christian, and Denver in Class 2A.

High School Cross Country

The Columbus cross country team achieved its goal last night of running 150 miles in two hours at its Run-A-Thon in an effort to raise funds for new uniforms and warmups. All 30 student-athletes contributed anywhere from 3 miles to 8.5 miles. The program is still accepting donations until August 29th; if you are writing a check, they ask that you make it out to the Columbus Community School District with cross country written on the memo line.

Meet the Players Night

Danville will host their Meet the Players tonight with the volleyball and football teams scrimmaging against Mt. Pleasant at 7 pm. Danville’s head football coach Cody Thompson talked about his focus heading into the night,

“…Opportunity for us as coaches not only evaluate the kids in certain positions, but evaluate some of the things we’re doing as coaches, you know how we’re calling plays, what our substitutions look like. We have the kids in the right spot, so it works kind of like a pretest to make sure we’re ready to kick off Week 1…”

High School Football

WACO will hold an intrasquad scrimmage tonight at home at 7 pm. 

Wapello will hold a sports drink scrimmage tonight at home at 5:30 pm. The cost of admission is a bottle of sports drink for the team to use throughout the season.

Columbus will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 6 pm for a scrimmage.

Van Buren County will host a scrimmage against Albia tonight with the JV starting at 5:15 pm. The cost of admission will be a Gatorade.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s soccer team fell to Black Hawk College yesterday 5-1. The Blackhawks will look to bounce back on Wednesday, August 27th, against Mineral Area College on the road. 

The volleyball team will get the season started with the Opening Weekend Tournament today with their first opponent being Schoolcraft College. 

The men’s soccer team will square off against Oakton Community College today at home.

College Football

#22 Iowa State will start the season in Ireland tomorrow, August 23rd, with a showdown against #17 Kansas State at 11 am. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call with the pregame show at 9 am.

This Day in Sports History

1950 – Althea Gibson becomes the first Black competitor in a US national tennis competition.

1965 – San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal hits Los Angeles Dodger catcher John Roseboro on the head with his bat causing a 14 minute brawl.

2007 – The Texas Rangers rout the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.