Prep Wrestling: WACO and Washington Girls’ Teams Competed at Sigourney for First Meet of the Season

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at 10:38 am CDT

Sigourney, IA- Sigourney-Keota officially kicked off the winter sport season for girls’ wrestling as WACO and Washington both made the trip to compete in the meet last night as a wrestler from each squad exited the night with an unblemished record.

Washington, who dropped the co-op with Highland after a season, had four wrestlers compete last night with two of the wrestlers competing for the podium.

Allison Reed, in the 120-pound weight class, finished the night 0-2 after falling to Jordyn Jarchow of Lisbon and Bee Earnest of Pekin in the consolation round.

In the 140-pound weight class, Ryha Wellington picked up a quick pin of Tabitha Eggleston of Clear Creek Amana to start off her night. However, a loss by fall at the hands of Haley Pedrik of Pekin sent her to the 3rd place match, where she fell against Newton’s Johana Cerna.

Peggy Miller in the 145-pound weight class made a name for herself, pinning Layla Shilling of Tri-County and narrowly taking down Kiana Lopez of Clear Creek Amana at the 5:39 mark to advance to the 1st place match. Miller ended the night with the gold after a 1-0 decision on Aleigha Sheets of Oskaloosa.

Lastly, Jaelyn Entsminger lost by fall in both of her matches to Breegan Ellison of Moravia and Alejandra Hernandez of Grinnell.

WACO had just three wrestlers going last night with Elyssa Graber taking care of business in the 105-pound weight class. Her first match of the night was the toughest with her and Quynn Foster of East Union trading points until Graber nabbed the 9-8 decision.

From there, Graber pinned all of her opponents in less than 1:35 of mat time, including two in under 30 seconds as she finished the night with a 5-0 record.

In the 115-pound weight class, Athena Flores took down Alyvia Traner of Pekin in the quarterfinals; a loss to Reanah Utterback of Sigourney to relegate the Warrior to a 3rd place match, ultimately losing to Alivia Garcia of West Liberty by fall.

Lastly, Bella Bonar, in the 120-pound weight class, fell in both of her matches to Bree Earnest of Pekin and Kyrie Chapman of Grinnell.

Upcoming Schedule

WACO will be making the trip to Columbus high school to meet up with the rest of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference for a tournament tomorrow, November 21st, starting at 4:30 pm.

Washington will head over to Burlington for the Grayhound Invite on Saturday, November 23rd, with the first match scheduled to take place at 10 am.

Curtis L. Fett

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at 8:00 am CDT

Curtis L. Fett, 58, of rural Salem passed away on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at his home.

Curt was born on October 22, 1966, in Keokuk the son of Gary and Sharon (Pryor) Fett.  He graduated from Harmony High School and went on to attend Reisch Auction College.  Curt and his father Gary worked together as Fett Auctioneers for 36 years.  Curt was united in marriage to Deborah Joann Boileau on July 31, 1993. He went to Indian Hills Community College and received a degree in Auto Body Work.  Curt worked for Hearth & Home Technologies from 1988 until 2024.  Curt was active for 13 years at Old Threshers as a gun slinger in the north village.  He was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan.

Curt was a very outgoing person. He was a superhero to many people, always willing to help anyone who needed it, and he accepted everyone for who they were.  He enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping and spending time with his dogs.  He enjoyed playing cards and poker.  All of his family was very important to him, he loved to teach his kids and grandchildren new things.  Curt was a loving husband, father, papa and pop pop.  He was a strong fighter up to the very end.

Those thankful for sharing in Curt’s life include his wife, Deborah of 32 years, his children and their families, Megan Carver (Zach Rodibaugh), Tanner Rodibaugh and Brynnlin Rodibaugh of Mt. Pleasant, Colten Fett (Casey Davis), Theo Fett, Aspen Fett of Salem, Cody (Laura) Fett, and Miles and Max, of Lisbon and Jennie (Paul) Carver-Westra, and Mattison Westra and Sabrina Westra of Vinton,  Maddee Carver (Terry Page) and Tay Mir, of Winfield, his parents, Gary and Sharon Fett, of Bonaparte, his brothers and sisters, Tamela (Steve) Hohl, of Donnellson, Tim (Dawn) Fett of Farmington, Toni Fett of Fairfield, along with several nieces and nephews.

Curt was preceded in death by his grandparents, Curtis and Elsie Pryon, Lynn and Pearle Fett, his uncle, Jim Fett and his aunt, Bonita Fett.

His family will receive friends from 2 to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2024 at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant.  Following the visitation cremation will be accorded.  Memorials in his memory may be directed to the Holden Cancer Research Center.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.

Free Clothing Closet Opens At SCC West Burlington Campus

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at 7:14 am CDT

Southeastern Community College has started a Free Closet on campus. Trisha Hopper is a Business Teacher at SCC and has organized the closet and the space on campus. KILJ spoke to SCC President, Dr. Ash, about Trish, and her creation of the Free Clothing Closet.

The clothing closet is free for to any SCC student at the West Burlington campus. Trish intends for students to find things they like, and take them home to keep. Dr. Ash talked about the closet itself and how it functions on campus for the students.

In the Past, there have been students that utilize the closet for things to wear for an interview, and then return the items. If you have new or gently used clothing items, you can drop them off at the welcome center at the West Burlington SCC campus.

Henry County Habitat for Humanity Nears Completion of House #31

By Hayden Douglas · Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at 6:50 am CDT

The Habitat for Humanity in Mount Pleasant is nearing the end of their most recent home builds. Habitat for Humanity in Mount Pleasant has been around since 1994. By having people work together in equal partnership, Habitat builds new relationships and a sense of community as well as new housing. Lisa Diener, President of Henry County Habitat for Humanity, tells us a little about their process.

Each house build starts the Early Springtime, and volunteers will work on Saturdays to make progress on the house. There is an application and selection process for the recipients of the house each year. Lisa tells KILJ about this year’s Habitat for Humanity Home recipient.

Habitat is funded by gifts from individuals, churches, community groups, businesses and other organizations.  The Henry County Habitat for Humanity also works year-round writing grants for donations. Several area business owners have partnered with HCHH for materials and contracting efforts. Lisa recognizes a few businesses that have helped make House #31 possible this year.

You can see the progress pictures of the current Henry County Habitat for Humanity Home being built on Their Facebook page by searching Henry County Habitat for Humanity. You can also reach out to volunteer on a build by sending them a message on Facebook.  Lisa says that the house is scheduled to be completed in time for the family to move in before Christmas time.

Sports, November 20th

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will start the season on Friday, November 22nd, at New London at 6 pm.

The Columbus girls’ team will travel to Tipton, while the boys’ team will host English Valleys on Friday for a scrimmage.

WACO will take on Van Buren County on Friday at home in a scrimmage. 

West Burlington will scrimmage Fort Madison at home on Saturday, November 23rd, at 6 pm. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will compete against Keokuk on Saturday for a scrimmage on the road. 

Postseason Football

The 8-Player championship game between Remsen St. Mary’s and Gladbrook-Reinbeck will be played tomorrow, November 21st, at 9:30 am.

The Class A championship game between Tri-Center and West Hancock is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 pm. 

The Class 1A championship game is scheduled for tomorrow at 4 pm between Dike-New Hartford and the defending champions Grundy Center.

Pella versus North Polk will decide who the Class 4A champion is tomorrow night at 7 pm.

Spirit Lake and West Lyon will play for the Class 2A state championship on Friday, November 22nd, at 10 am.

The Class 3A championship between Wahlert Catholic and Humboldt is scheduled for 1 pm on Friday. 

Valley and Southeast Polk will compete on Friday at 7 for the Class 5A championship.

High School Football

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the Class 3A All-District 4 teams and Mt. Vernon led the way with 14 players making the First Team offense or defense along with sweeping the District Players of the Year. 

Washington finished the year with a 6-3 record and had five Demons make the First Team. Mason Morgan grabbed First Team wide receiver/tight end as he finished with 464 yards and four scores. Kael Williams nabbed First Team running back with 743 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Summit Keith earned First Team offensive lineman. On defense, Jayfred Espinosa was named First Team defensive back and Jude Carter, who led the district in tackles with 84.5, was named First Team defensive utility. 

Keokuk went 3-6 for the year, as the team was headlined by the offense. Brenton Hoard was named First Team quarterback as he threw for 1,893 yards and totaled 30 touchdowns. Drew Campbell, who hauled in 10 touchdowns, earned First Team wide receiver/tight end. Mason Claus grabbed his second career First Team linebacker honor for his 79.5 tackles. 

Fort Madison went winless for the season, but touted some talent with three First Team members with Brody Cashman being named First Team wide receiver/tight end, Henry Graham grabbing First Team kicker, and Marcus Guzman taking home First Team defensive back. 

Lastly, Mt. Pleasant collected a 4-5 record on the year with three players making the First Team. Nolan Frueh grabbed First Team offensive lineman as the Panthers touted the third best rushing attack in the district. On defense, Payton Walker and William Birdsell were named First Team linebackers. Ramzy Davis and Kellen Kohorst also made the Second Team. Head coach John Bowlin was proud of what his squad accomplished this year, but won’t let his program grow complacent,

“I think the number one thing is obviously we took a step in the right direction, but you know, the end goal, you know, we want to compete for that district title, compete for the playoff spot every year. And I think we made it, we made a big stride in that. We had a ton of guys, our seniors led us to that. And, you know, doing the right things off the field in the weight room is really where all that all that starts at and, you know, obviously it was a successful season for us in terms of the last few years but, you know, don’t ever want to be satisfied with a 4-5 record, you know, we can celebrate the wins but, you know, this shows how much more work there is to do and I think the kids that they’ve seen what they’re capable of doing and how much they can make that next step growing into next year and, you know, just set our goals higher and higher and, you know, never be satisfied with what we’ve got.”

High School Wrestling

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host a Southeast Iowa Super Conference showdown tomorrow, November 21st.  

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Burlington for the Grayhound Invite on Saturday, November 23rd, at 10 am.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook tonight at 6 pm on KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, as we talk to several Southeast Iowa Super Conference basketball coaches with the season on the horizon. 

Southeastern Community College

The men’s basketball team will be back in action on Friday, November 22nd, at 5 pm against North Arkansas College on the road. 

College Football

#22 Iowa State will face off against Utah on Saturday, November 23rd, at 6:30 pm on the road. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.

Iowa will travel to Maryland on Saturday at 11 am. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. 

College Basketball

The #5 Iowa State men’s team will play #4 Auburn in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday, November 25th, at 8 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team clobbered Rider last night 83-58. Payton Sandfort and Owen Freeman put together terrific games with Sandfort scoring 22 points and Freeman adding 19 points to the team’s total. The Hawkeyes will face off against Utah State for the NABC Hall of Fame Classic on Friday, November 22nd, at 7 pm on the road. 

The #8 Iowa State women’s team will play Northern Iowa tonight at 6 pm on the road. 

The Iowa women’s team will compete against Kansas on the road at 6 pm tonight.

This Day in Sports History

1934 – Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Busher Jackson becomes the first NHL player to score four goals in a period in a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Eagles at St. Louis Arena.

1988 – Boston College beats Army 38-24 in the ‘Emerald Isle Classic’ at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road Stadium, the first NCAA Football game to be played in Europe.

1990 – The Sacramento Kings pick up their last road win for over a year as the Kings would set an NBA record of 43 consecutive road losses.

Gail D. Hallowell

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, November 19th, 2024 at 10:45 am CDT

Gail D. Hallowell

Gail Dean Hallowell, 77, of New London, died Sunday, November 17, 2024 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, IA.

Gail was born July 16, 1947 in Mt. Pleasant. He was the son of Wayne Dale and Lena Mae (Pickard) Hallowell. He graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School, Class of 1966.

Gail was called to the service of his country during the Vietnam War. He was inducted into the US Army on October 19, 1966 at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. He was a chemical equipment technician stationed with the 647th Maintenance Company of the US Fourth Army. He was honorably discharged as a SP4 at Fort Hood, Texas on October 23, 1969.

On December 28, 1971 in Oquawka, IL, Gail was united in marriage to Florence Lorraine Stearns. The couple made their home in Ankeny where Gail worked for the John Deere Corporation. They returned to Mt. Pleasant where Gail worked for CECO Building Systems.

In his younger years, Gail enjoyed working in his garden. After retirement, Gail liked to attend city council meetings and spend time with his granddaughters. Gail was known in his family for his rigid ritual of what and where to eat supper.

Those thankful for sharing in Gail’s life include his 2 children – Angel Jacobs and her husband Tim of New London, and Shane Hallowell of Salem; his 3 granddaughters – Emily Jacobs (Ben Nickel) of Mt Pleasant, Brenna Jacobs (Mason Shelledy) of New London and Loren Jacobs of New London; his brother – Leo Hallowell of Burlington; his sister – Dana Hocker of Brookport, IL and an aunt and uncle – Roberta and Harold Fraise of Danville, IA.

Gail is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Florence, who died Monday, September 6, 2010 at their home in New London; an infant son – Jason Dean Hallowell; a sister – Janet Lindstrom and an infant brother – Gary Lee Hallowell.

A private family celebration of life will be held. Interment of Gail and Florence’s ashes will be held later in Oakland Mills Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the family for a decision to be made later.

The Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main Street, Mount Pleasant, is assisting Gail’s family with arrangements.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.

Mount Pleasant iJAG Attends DesignDash

By Hayden Douglas · Tuesday, November 19th, 2024 at 6:47 am CDT

10 Mount pleasant High school students attended DesignDash, an entrepreneur workshop last week. Three Mount Pleasant High School students, out of one hundred and fifty competitors received awards while at the University of Iowa last week for DesignDash. Superintendent John Henriksen announced this during his weekly Mount Pleasant Community School District update.

The Mount Pleasant Community School District has Three iJAG programs that range from Middle school, 9th & 10th grade, and 11th & 12th grade.

Sports, November 19th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, November 19th, 2024 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Basketball

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team hosted their jamboree last night with four one-half matchups. In the toughest matchup of the night, the upstart Burlington Notre Dame Nikes were pressured by the defending SEC champions Keokuk Chiefs as the Chiefs caused havoc in a 43-3 victory. 

The second game saw Mediapolis’ aggressive press defense convert turnovers into easy transition buckets, as the Bulldogs defeated Fort Madison 29-16. Grace Holsteen led the team with 11 points. Head coach Todd Borrison believes his team has the makings to be a competitive team amongst the Super Conference South Division,

“Yeah, we’re excited. We got two starters back with Hutchinson and Holsteen. And we have the other three kids that are starting. Came off the bench last year, played JV, and then came off the bench for the varsity. But they all, this group of kids, work extremely hard. And they got better in the offseason, and they’re all pretty athletic and can move. And they really like to play uptempo basketball, so it’s gonna be a fun year.”

In the third game of the night, Burlington’s offense overcame a slow start, outscoring Lone Tree 37 to 8 for the final quarter and a half to win 39-15. Kylee Hill and Mylee Stiefel combined for 11 points. 

To cap off the night, Mt. Pleasant faced off against Winfield-Mt. Union and the Wolves managed to climb back into the game after falling into a 14 to 3 deficit at the end of the first quarter. However, Tori Wilson’s eight points led the Panthers to a 19-14 victory. For Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson, the Panthers need to build upon their first quarter performance,

“I thought we played a really good first quarter. In the second quarter, I just thought we got in too big a hurry and we lost track of who we were guarding. And then we just kind of came down and kind of started throwing up shots on one pass. But we just need to experience and like you said, to hang on for a win, even though a Jamboree doesn’t mean a whole lot. But I thought we did a lot of good things in the first quarter and the second quarter you can see we needed some work yet.”

The Wolves were led by Kynlee Buffington as the freshman scored 10 of the team’s 14 points. Head coach Mendy McCreight talked about what went well for her squad last night and what they need to work on,

“I loved how we got up and down the floor. We ran the floor well. We just gotta get the passes down. We saw them sometimes, but we missed four good up the court shots. So I was glad to see how good we ran the floor. And we still got to work on communicating and finding five girls that just click out there.”

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will start the season on Friday, November 22nd, against New London at 6 pm.

The Van Buren County girls’ team will participate in a jamboree tonight at Pekin with the Warriors going against Albia. 

The Columbus girls’ team will travel to Tipton, while the boys’ team will host English Valleys on Friday for a scrimmage.

WACO will take on Van Buren County on Friday at home in a scrimmage. 

West Burlington will scrimmage Fort Madison at home on Saturday, November 23rd, at 6 pm. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will compete against Keokuk on Saturday for a scrimmage on the road. 

Postseason Football

The 8-Player championship game between Remsen St. Mary’s and Gladbrook-Reinbeck will be played on Thursday, November 21st, at 9:30 am.

The Class A championship game between Tri-Center and West Hancock is scheduled for Thursday at 1 pm. 

The Class 1A championship game is scheduled for Thursday at 4 pm between Dike-New Hartford and the defending champions Grundy Center.

Pella versus North Polk will decide who the Class 4A champion is on Thursday night at 7 pm.

Spirit Lake and West Lyon will play for the Class 2A state championship on Friday, November 22nd, at 10 am.

The Class 3A championship between Wahlert Catholic and Humboldt is scheduled for 1 pm on Friday. 

Valley and Southeast Polk will compete on Friday at 7 for the Class 5A championship.

High School Wrestling

The WACO girls’ team will travel to Sigourney for a meet tonight at 5 pm.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host a Southeast Iowa Super Conference showdown on Thursday, November 21st.  

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Burlington for the Grayhound Invite on Saturday, November 23rd, at 10 am.

High School Volleyball

The Iowa Girls Coaches Association released the All-District and All-State teams for all of the classes yesterday and here’s a look at our local teams.

In Class 4A, Burlington’s Annalise Buxton earned a spot on the East District team as she led the Grayhounds with 283 kills.

In Class 3A for the Southeast District, Leighton Messinger of Washington and Central Lee’s Taylor Jones made the team.

For Class 2A, West Burlington had a trio of seniors make the Southeast District team in Brenna Beggs, Taryn Snodgrass, and Carli Cline, as her 746 digs and 47 aces claimed her a spot on the All-State Fourth Team.

In Class 1A, Burlington Notre Dame had Addi Brockway and Madalynn Knapp grab a spot on the Southeast District team as Knapp’s 286 kills earned her a spot on the All-State Fourth Team.

Wapello had Annaka Greiner and Mya Wagner claim a spot on the All-District team.

Holy Trinity Catholic dominated the All-District team list with Presley Myers, Adalayn Kruse, Anna Bendlage, and Teagan Snaadt each grabbing a spot, while Melissa Freesmeier was named District Coach of the Year.

Additionally, Myers was named All-State First Team as she sits at 1,000 career kills. Kruse nabbed a spot on the All-State Second Team with 310 kills for the season. Lastly, Bendlage and Snaaadt each made the All-State Fourth Team. 

Southeastern Community College

The men’s basketball team will be back in action on Friday, November 22nd, at 5 pm against North Arkansas College on the road. 

College Football

#22 Iowa State will face off against Utah on Saturday, November 23rd, at 6:30 pm on the road. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.

Iowa will travel to Maryland on Saturday at 11 am. KILJ 105.5 FM will have the broadcast. 

College Basketball

The #5 Iowa State men’s team crushed IU Indianapolis last night 87-52. Curtis Jones led the scoring from off the bench with 20 points as he knocked down four threes. The Cyclones will play #4 Auburn in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday, November 25th, at 8 pm. 

The Iowa men’s team will host Rider tonight at 7.

The #8 Iowa State women’s team will play Northern Iowa tomorrow, November 20th, at 6 pm on the road. 

The Iowa women’s team will compete against Kansas on the road at 6 pm tomorrow. 

This Day in Sports History

1978 – “The Miracle at the Meadowlands,” Eagles Herman Edwards returns a fumble for a touchdown with 31 seconds left to give Philadelphia a 19-17 victory over the rival New York Giants.

1983 – The Edmonton Oilers beat the NJ Devils, 13-4, Wayne Gretzky calls the Devils “a Mickey Mouse organization.”

2019 – LeBron James hits 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists as the LA Lakers’ beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 to become the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 franchises.