High School Soccer

In the boys’ Class 1A Substate 6 postseason bracket, Mediapolis will square off against West Branch on the road tonight at 7 pm with the winner advancing to the state tournament. 

In the girls’ Class 1A Region 1 bracket, Central Lee’s matchup against the #1-seed Assumption will be tonight at 5 pm on the road.

In the girls’ Class 2A Region 8 backet, Burlington Notre Dame will face off against Iowa City Liberty tonight at 5:30 pm on the road.

In the bottom half of the bracket, Fort Madison travels to Burlington tonight at 7 pm.

High School Tennis

Jana Isanta of Mt. Pleasant will participate in the girls’ Class 1A State Singles tournament on Friday, May 24th, in Iowa City. 

The boys’ Class 1A state singles and doubles tournament starts today. For Southeast Iowa, Fairfield’s Rumin Lou, the district champion, will face off against Christian Jensen of Lewis Central—the runner-up in the district seven tournament—in the first round today.

High School Golf. 

The girls’ Class 1A state meet will take place at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown tomorrow, May 23rd, continuing into Friday, May 24th, with New London eyeing a team title. 

The Class 2A state meet will take place at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone tomorrow with Olivia Hines of Mediapolis competing as an individual and Mid-Prairie participating as a team. 

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will host Clear Creek Amana tonight at 7 pm.

West Burlington will host Burlington Notre Dame on Friday, May 24th, at 5:30 pm. 

Central Lee’s matchup against Louisa-Muscatine scheduled for last night has been postponed to tomorrow, May 23rd, at 5:30 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will host Hillcrest Academy tomorrow at 5:30 pm. 

New London will hit the road to face off against Van Buren County on Friday at 5:30 pm. 

Mediapolis will square off against Wilton tonight at 7:30 pm at home. 

High School Softball

Van Buren County will travel to take on New London at 7 pm on Friday, May 24th. 

West Burlington will participate in a tournament on Saturday, May 25th, at Louisa-Muscatine. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will compete against Hillcrest Academy tomorrow, May 23rd, at 7 pm at home. 

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Central Lee tonight at 7 pm at home. 

Mediapolis will face off against Danville on Friday at 7 pm on the road. 

Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the preseason rankings and the Southeast Conference will have some stiff competition with two teams ranked in the top 15. 

In Class 3A, Washington ranks as the #7 team in the state as they finished last season with a 24-13 record. The Demons return their two best pitchers in Isabella Salazar, a junior, and Colbie Greiner, a freshman, along with their best hitter Leighton Salazar, a sophomore, as she hit 0.550 last season with 24 RBIs. Add in her prowess on the basepath with 24 steals and 58 runs scored and the Demons will be tough to beat.

In Class 4A, Burlington slides in at the #11 slot. Kylee Hill, fresh off her state championship in the shot put, will lead this squad as she crushed a conference leading 14 home runs last year in her 8th grade season, while slashing a 0.477 average. Saydee Plummer returns for her senior season in the circle as she collected a 1.24 ERA last season with 168 strikeouts. The Grayhounds will look to improve upon their 20-9 record last year. 

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM or kilj.com tonight at 6 pm for a new episode of the Southeast Iowa Playbook. This week’s school of focus will be Winfield-Mt. Union. This episode will be the last of this school year with the program set to return for the 2024-2025 school year. 

Southeastern Community College

SCC baseball will head to Oklahoma to compete in the 2024 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series on Saturday, May 25th. The Blackhawks earned the #7-seed and will face off against #10 South Arkansas Community College in the first round at 4 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1911 – Boston pitcher Cliff Curtis lost his 23rd game in a row, dating back to 1910, still the all-time record for consecutive losses by a pitcher.

1987 – Canadian Rick Hansen completes his ‘Man in Motion’ world tour in a wheelchair at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium, raising money for spinal cord research.

2003 – In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.

Ames, IA- If this was Caddyshack and Carl Spackler was your caddy, we’d keep playing because the heavy stuff won’t be coming down for a while; however, the 2024 Boys’ State Golf Tournament is not a movie, and the weather has put an early end to the meet.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) decided before day two got underway that the tournament was to be concluded with the results based off the day one scores.

Class 1A

Winfield-Mt. Union had their squad finish tied for 6^th place with Keota with a team score of 334 (+50). Carter Loyd led the Wolves as he shot 79 (+8) for the course, which was tied for 15^th in the field. Cody Milks carded an 81, which was tied for 20^th place.

Justin Knipfer finished tied for 38^th with a 15-over par, while Konner Kinneberg finished 17-over for the course, which was tied for 40^th. Grant Anderson and Max Edwards claimed 54^th and 55^th place, respectively.

Boyden-Hull claimed the team crown as the shot 16-over par for the course. The individual champion was Hamburg’s Keith Thompson as he carded a 70 (-2), with two birdies on the front nine. Chase Jahde of CAM took 2^nd place and Austin Stene of Lake Mills tied with Carter Kleinwolterink of Boyden-Hull for 3^rd place.

Class 2A

Beckman Catholic had a very successful day one, earning both the team title and the individual state championship. The Trailblazers snuck past the competition with a score of 22-over par.

Pella Christian, Grundy Center, and Columbus Catholic were all separated by one-stroke apiece as they finished 2^nd through 4^th, respectively.

Luke Harwick took the individual title, as he carded a 68 (-3). His card included six birdies, but three bogeys to go along with it. Axton Miller of OABCIG finished 2-under for the course and 2^nd overall, while Cody Weaver of East Marshall claimed 3^rd place as he shot a 70 (-1).

Class 3A

ADM finished as the top team with a score of 16-over par, while Waverly-Shell Rock and MOC-Floyd Valley claimed 2^nd and 3^rd place, respectively. Washington finished in 5^th place with a team scored of 33-over par.

Roman Roth was the top golfer for the Demons as he shot a 71 (-1) for the 18-hole course, which tied him for 3^rd place. Luke Beenblossom shot an 82 as he was tied for 26^th place. Drew Conrad carded an 83, while Rajan Roth finished with an 85.

Teague Mayer and Carson Brown earned 53^rd and 55^th place, respectively.

Easton Korell of ADM led the charge toward the first-place finish with an 18-hole score of 6-under par. Isaiah Zoske finished in 2^nd place with a score of 68 (-4), while Parker Rodgers of Nevada and Carson Korver tied with Roth for 3^rd place.

KILJ would like to thank Sparrow Building Services for allowing us to cover the 2024 Boys’ State Golf Tournament.

High School Soccer

In the boys’ Class 1A Substate 6 postseason bracket, Central Lee was eliminated by West Branch last night 7-1. Ayden Kent scored the lone goal for the Hawks as Central Lee finished the season with a 5-6 record. 

In the bottom half of the bracket, Mediapolis snuck past Danville last night 2-1 with the only goal of the second half. The Bears ended the season with an 11-4 record. The Bulldogs will square off against West Branch on the road tomorrow, May 22nd, at 7 pm with the winner advancing to the state tournament. 

In the boys’ Class 2A Substate 5 bracket, Keokuk was unable to stop Williamsburg’s offensive attack, yielding six first half goals before falling 10-1. Mosqueda Diaz scored the goal for the Chiefs. Keokuk went 1-12 on the season. 

Burlington Notre Dame was shut out by Assumption last night 2-0. The Nikes ended the season with a 9-9 record. 

In the girls’ Class 1A Region 1 bracket, Central Lee’s matchup against the #1-seed Assumption has been postponed to tomorrow at 5 pm.

In the girls’ Class 2A Region 8 backet, Burlington Notre Dame versus Iowa City Liberty has been postponed to tomorrow at 5:30 pm.

In the bottom half of the bracket, Fort Madison versus Burlington has been postponed to tomorrow at 7 pm.

High School Tennis

Jana Isanta of Mt. Pleasant will participate in the girls’ Class 1A State Singles tournament on Friday, May 24th, in Iowa City. 

The boys’ Class 1A state singles and doubles tournament was originally scheduled to begin today, but due to the threat of severe weather the tournament has been postponed to tomorrow, May 22nd, at 10 am.

For Southeast Iowa, Fairfield’s Rumin Lou, the district champion, will face off against Christian Jensen of Lewis Central—a runner-up in the district seven tournament—in the first round tomorrow.

High School Golf. 

The girls’ Class 1A state meet will take place at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown on Thursday, May 23rd, continuing into May 24th, with New London eyeing a team title. 

The Class 2A state meet will take place at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone on Thursday with Olivia Hines of Mediapolis competing as an individual and Mid-Prairie participating as a team. 

The boys’ state meet for all classes began yesterday and here’s how our local teams performed. In Class 1A, Winfield-Mt. Union is tied for sixth place with a first round score of 50-over par. Leading the way for the Wolves is Carter Loyd’s 18-hole score of 79 (+8), which has him tied for 15th place. Cole Milks sits behind him on the leaderboard with a card of 81. Overall, Boyden-Hull has a secure hold atop the leaderboard with a fourteen stroke lead. 

Class 2A will have a close finish with Beckman Catholic sneaking away with a one-stroke lead after round one, but the entire top four is separated by only one-stroke each. 

Lastly, the Class 3A team title is currently in ADM’s grasp with a team score of 16-over par, followed by Waverly-Shell Rock who is three strokes behind. Washington, despite Roman Roth’s third-place performance of 71 (-1), currently sits in fifth place as a team. Luke Beenblossom is tied for 26th after one round with a score of +10. 

Due to weather, the state meet has canceled the rest of the state meet. Results will be based off of the day one scores.

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will host Clear Creek Amana tomorrow, May 22nd, at 7 pm.

Burlington Notre Dame’s game against Wapello tonight has been canceled. No date has been selected for the make-up game. 

West Burlington’s defensive woes continued into game two this season as the Falcons lost to Keokuk last night 14-7. Isaac Beard knocked two doubles, while Brock Thuleen totaled three RBIs in the losing effort. The Falcons will host Burlington Notre Dame on Friday, May 24th, at 5:30 pm. 

After scoring a run in the opening frame, Central Lee was shut out for the next six innings, losing to Fort Madison 2-1 last night. Central Lee’s matchup against Louisa-Muscatine scheduled for tonight has been postponed to Thursday, May 23rd.

Winfield-Mt. Union versus New London has been canceled for tonight. A makeup date will be announced at a later time. 

Mediapolis versus Lone Tree scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to the threat of severe weather.

Van Buren County’s game against Hillcrest Academy tonight has been canceled.

High School Softball

Van Buren County lost to Fairfield 11-1 last night. Savannah Hollander led the Trojans at the plate with a double and three RBIs. Laney Norris picked up the complete-game win in the circle, allowing only three hits while striking out two. The Warriors’ game against Hillcrest Academy tonight has been canceled. 

West Burlington smacked Keokuk last night 15-5 to open their season. Ada Wood and Kali Ames had two RBIs apiece for the Chiefs. The Falcons will participate in a tournament on Saturday, May 25th, at Louisa-Muscatine. 

Winfield-Mt. Union versus New London has been canceled for tonight. A makeup date will be announced at a later time. 

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Central Lee tomorrow, May 22nd, at 7 pm at home. 

Mediapolis versus Lone Tree scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to the threat of severe weather.

This Day in Sports History

1819 – The first bicycles (swift walkers) in the US were introduced in New York City.

1943 – Fastest 9 inning American League baseball game. The Chicago White Sox beat the visiting Washington Senators, 1-0, in 89 minutes.

2006 – The Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor takes gold in the World Championship, becoming the first nation to hold both the World and Olympic titles in the same year.