Prep Volleyball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their preseason rankings for the upcoming volleyball season and there’s a couple local teams to look out for.

Class 5A

Last year’s champion, Waukee Northwest, starts off the year all the way in 9^th with the runner-up Dowling Catholic staying put in their #2 slot behind #1 Pleasant Valley. Iowa City Liberty enters the rankings at #7 despite a losing record last season. #12 Waukee also joins the distinction of being ranked in the top 15 despite a losing record last year at 13-20.

Class 4A

North Scott shocked the crowd in Coralville after sweeping the undefeated #1 team last season in Clear Creek-Amana and eventually blanking Indianola to win the championship. The Lady Lancers were awarded the #3 slot in the preseason rankings. #1 belongs to Cedar Rapids Xavier followed by #2 Bishop Heelan. The Clippers are back at #6 despite a 46-1 record last year. #14 Waverly-Shell Rock and #15 Sergeant Bluff-Luton round out the list as they both suffered losing record last year.

Class 3A

Mt. Vernon looks to avenge their loss in the championship game as they enter the season as the #1 team in Class 3A followed by #2 Assumption and last year’s champion #3 Western Christian. Mid-Prairie looks to follow up another successful season as they enter the year at #6.

Class 2A

Denver enters the season as the favorite after falling in the semifinals to the eventual undefeated champion, #6 Dike-New Hartford. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont is ranked #2 and Beckman Catholic grabbed #3.

West Burlington is ranked #11 to start off the year after falling to #14 Grundy Center in last year’s Regional Championship contest. Last year’s SEISC champion, West Burlington could very well control the SEISC this year after graduating just two players from last season’s squad. However, one of those names is Taryn Havener as she led the team in kills with 335 and blocks with 68.

A good candidate to fill that slot will be junior Brenna Beggs, who posted 241 kills and 34 blocks in her sophomore campaign. Taryn Snodgrass returns after nabbing 900 assists last season, which led the conference.

Their top servers in Madelyn Hamelton and Carli Cline return and following behind are their 107 combined aces. The Falcons could soar to a spot in the Class 2A state tournament.

Class 1A

Ankeny Christian is the only champion from last year to enter the new season as the #1 team in their class as the Eagles look for a three-peat in November. Ankeny Christian retained the strength of their lineup from last season’s championship team sans defensive specialist Riese Gjerde.

Expectedly, last year’s runner-up starts off the season at the #2-slot, Holy Trinity Catholic. The Crusaders are hoping to keep the tradition rolling after making it to state for the 13^th time in the past 14 years. The squad was led by five All-Southeast players and, of course, District Coach of the Year, Melissa Freesmeier.

However, two of those All-Southeast members were seniors: Mary Kate Bendlage, who tabbed over 1,000 career kills, and Natalie Randolph, an all-around talent. Taegan Denning, Reagen Holvoet, and Jenna Hellman also graduated from the squad.

Nevertheless, the Crusaders will be returning towering junior Presley Myers and an experienced sophomore in Adalyn Kruse as the two combined for 479 kills and 206 blocks.

Additionally, Anna Bendlage has had two successful seasons of being the team’s main setter under her belt and Teagan Snaadt is a defensive specialist that keeps plays alive as she led the team with 482 digs.

North Tama is ranked 3^rd with Janesville being ranked #4. Edgewood-Colesburg rounds out the list as they ended last year with a 29-13 record, falling to Holy Trinity Catholic in the regional championship.

Iowa City, IA- Yesterday the University of Iowa was gearing up for their 2024 season opener at Kinnick Stadium set for next Saturday, August 31^st, at 11 am against the Red Birds of Illinois State with head coach Kirk Ferentz, similar to the past 25 seasons for Ferentz.

Today, the Hawkeyes will have to prep for the game without Ferentz for the first time in his Hawkeye coaching career after receiving a one-game suspension for recruiting violations in 2022. Jon Budmayr, assistant coach, also received a one-game suspension for the same violation.

The violation stems from the recruitment of starting quarterback Cade McNamara from the transfer portal. McNamara joined the Hawkeyes three days after entering the transfer portal.

It was reported by The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman that Budmayr had recruited McNamara when he was an assistant coach at Wisconsin and that relationship aided the Hawkeyes’ odds in the portal.

This will be the first time in Ferentz’s Iowa coaching career that he will miss a game. He currently has a career record of 196-119 with two Big Ten titles.

High School Football

WACO will kick off the season with a week zero matchup against Central City tomorrow, August 23rd, at home at 7 pm. Head coach Chad Edeker discussed what the Warriors’ identity will be,

“You know, we’re just going to, we’re going to be the same thing that we’ve done in the past. I mean, Clayton, we had 18 touchdowns and two interceptions last year. And I think both interceptions came against Winfield. Really, really good catches by the defenders. I mean, not balls that Clayton put in the wrong spot, but they made really nice plays. So I think you know protecting the ball, you know we didn’t, we didn’t fumble the ball a ton last year and obviously only two interceptions, you know, keeping hold of the ball is going to be big for us and you know can we get first downs, can we use our passing game to get first downs where we used to use our running game a little bit more. But when I say we’re not going to run it’s not that we’re not going to run, we got Louden. He had almost 800 yards rushing last year and is a huge part of our offense in the backfield, so we’re definitely going to run the ball still too, but it’s just, you know, making mistakes and getting a couple kids to develop is going to be our biggest thing.”

Winfield-Mt. Union will scrimmage Midland tomorrow at 5 pm at home. 

Central Lee will take on Keokuk tomorrow at 6:30 pm for a scrimmage at home.

Mt. Pleasant will face off against Danville tomorrow at 7:30 pm for a home scrimmage. Mt. Pleasant head coach John Bowlin will be leaning on his senior tandem in the backfield to provide the leadership for the squad,

“We got, we got a good group of seniors here starting, you know, Zach Newton’s going to play quarterback for us right now to start the year. Smart kid. He came out late last year, but he’s, you know, he’s really done a lot of good things in the offseason, getting ready. I think he’s going to do a nice job leading us at quarterback. Payton Walker was a guy that kind of did everything for us last year. So, he’s going to have a, you know, a little less of a role, not having to play quarterback right now, being able to focus more on playing at that running back/linebacker position. I think he’s going to be a really good there for us.”

High School Volleyball

WACO will participate in a scrimmage tonight at Washington with Keota and Hillcrest Academy also attending. 

Danville will compete in a scrimmage tonight at Burlington Notre Dame.

Central Lee will host a scrimmage tomorrow, August 23rd, at 5 pm against Keokuk.

Holy Trinity Catholic and West Burlington will travel to Mediapolis on Monday, August 26th, at 4:30 pm for a scrimmage with Fort Madison, Wapello, and West Liberty also participating.

Meet the Players Nights

New London’s “Meet the Players” night will be tomorrow, August 23rd, at 5:30 pm with cross country and volleyball introductions and scrimmage taking place in the Charles Lorber Gym. On the football field, cheer and football will have their introductions with a football scrimmage against Wapello to follow.

Mt. Pleasant will have their “Meet the Panthers” night tomorrow starting with an intrasquad volleyball game at the high school gym at 5 pm. Introductions of the fall teams will begin at 7 pm, starting with the cross country teams.

Fairfield will have their “Meet the Trojans” tomorrow with introductions taking place on the track at 6:35 pm. Volleyball and football will have intrasquad scrimmages at 7 pm. 

Central Lee will have their “Meet the Hawks” night tomorrow with the cross country race beginning at 4:30 pm to kick off the night. Volleyball introductions will commence at 6:10 pm in the gym, while dance, football, and cross country team introductions will take place on the football field at 6:20 pm.

High School Cross Country

Fairfield will practice at 3:30 pm today and 8 am tomorrow, August 23rd.

Southeastern Community College

The volleyball team will travel to Rockford, Illinois tomorrow, August 23rd, for their opening weekend tournament with their first matchup against Kansas City Kansas Community College.

College Football

The University of Iowa will officially kick off the season on Saturday, August 31st, at home against Illinois State at 11 am.

Iowa State will take on North Dakota on August 31st at 2:30 pm at home.

UNI Football

The Panthers have two players on the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl watchlist. The duo hinge on each other as running back Tye Edwards and offensive lineman Jared Penning vie for a spot in the matchup. Trevor Penning was the last Panther to appear in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in 2022.

Edwards led the team in rushing yards last year with 536 on only 109 carries. He also found paydirt five times, tied for the team lead, as he grabbed All-MVFC Fifth Team. Penning has been a bulldozer for the UNI offense, earning All-MVFC First Team and MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award and Honor Roll.

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.