Prep Girls’ Basketball- The Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) released their All-Conference teams for the North and South divisions with the state-bound Mediapolis squad leading the way with seven All-Conference nominees.

North Division

The North Conference Player of the Year went to Lone Tree’s Finley Jacque as she led the division with 19 points per game, while adding 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.3 steals per game. Her output led to the Lions securing 2^nd in the North.

Highland may have been upset in the Region 6 quarterfinals, but the Huskies accumulated a 19-2 overall record and a perfect record in North play. Kamryn Fink, unanimous, and Hailey Brun led the play on the court, and conducting the team from the sideline was Jody Fink, as she was named North Coach of the Year.

For our local teams, Wapello’s Macey Kuntz, a junior, and Brenna Graber, a junior from WACO, both earned 1^st Team honors. Kuntz was one of four players in the North to average a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, while Graber averaged 11.8 points per game and finished top five in assists and steals per game.

Columbus had Kennedy Woepking and Ellie Sanders placed on the 2^nd Team. Both averaged over 10 points per game, while Woepking added eight rebounds per contest.

Wapello’s Annaka Greiner tabbed 2^nd Team honors as she averaged 7.8 points per game to go along with 2.4 steals per game.

WACO’s Madelyn Farmer was named 2^nd Team along with Winfield-Mt. Union’s Madisen Kellogg. Farmer, a junior, nabbed the 10^th most rebounds in the North. Kellogg etched her name in the history books by tying the team record for points in a game with 35 against New London, she also averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

*Unanimous

First Team: Kamryn Fink*, Highland; Hailey Brun, Highland; Finley Jacque, Lone Tree; Ava Christofferson, Lone Tree; Grace Kissell, Louisa-Muscatine; Hannah Kissell, Louisa-Muscatine; Abby Guise*, Pekin; Macey Kuntz*, Wapello; Brenna Graber, WACO; Claire Withrow, Hillcrest Academy

Second Team: Katelyn Thomann, Highland; Kinzie Ruess, Highland; Dalanie Graap, Lone Tree; Kennedy Woepking, Columbus; Ellie Sanders, Columbus; Anna Hadley, Pekin; Annaka Greiner, Wapello; Madelyn Farmer, WACO; Niva Helmuth, Hillcrest Academy; Madisen Kellogg, Winfield-Mt. Union.

Honorable Mentions: Isabel Rendon and Iris Garza for Columbus, Taeya Wagner and Lexi Brown for Wapello, Carlee Lunsford and Drew Graber for WACO, and Suttyn Schlee and Quin Smith of Winfield-Mt. Union

Standings: Highland (16-0), Lone Tree (12-4), Louisa-Muscatine (10-6), Columbus (9-7), Pekin (9-7), Wapello (8-8), WACO (4-12), Hillcrest Academy (3-13), Winfield-Mt. Union (1-15)

South Division

Another year, another undefeated run for Mediapolis through the SEISC, including a dominant win over Highland at the shootout. This year, the Bulldogs put the exclamation mark on the regular season by clinching their first trip to the state tournament since 2015. The result was all five of their starters getting placed on the 1^st Team.

Additionally, Grace Holsteen of Mediapolis will share the Conference Player of the Year award with Central Lee’s Kenna Sandoval. Holsteen averaged nearly 17 points per game, while tying for the conference lead in three-pointers made per game with 3.2. Sandoval nearly averaged a double-double with a conference-high 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Nabbing Coach of the Year honors was Todd Borrison as he led the Bulldogs to a perfect 24-0 record on the season and a #8 ranking in Class 3A. Coach Borrison discussed what makes his team so special,

“Well, they really love each other, and they take care of each other, and they play together as a team. And I said before, our strength, our superpower is our balance. And that balance starts, to be a team of truly balanced kids, you gotta really like each other, and you gotta know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And they really get the game, and they really, ultimately, they don’t care who gets any credit. They just like to win, and that makes it a fun group, and a group that you like to see be successful.”

Along with Holsteen, the Bulldogs had Ellah Wagenbach, Josie Hutcheson, Amelia Grier, and Bryn Wright named to the 1^st Team. Wagenbach, Grier, and Hutcheson each averaged 11 points per game, while Hutcheson ranked first in the conference in three-point percentage, knocking down nearly 50% of her tries. Wright led the conference with 6.1 assists per game.

Also finding a spot on the First Team was Danville’s Alaina Gourley, Kaylee Webb of West Burlington, and Van Buren County’s Sophia Jirak. Gourley finished second in the conference in points per game with 17 and tied for first in steals with 4.2. Webb led the conference with 4.2 steals per game and added 7.8 rebounds to her 12.9 points per game. Jirak did it all with 10.9 points, 3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.

Holy Trinity Catholic’s Adalyn Kruse found a spot on the 2nd Team as she supplied 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Danville placed two on the 2^nd Team in Alivia Bauer, as she put up 11.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and Brynley Wenig.

Mediapolis’ final senior, Maycie Thornburg, was put on the 2^nd Team, as was Central Lee’s Taylor Jones and Nora Lampe. Burlington Notre Dame’s Daisy Hazell made the 2^nd Team along with West Burlington’s Presley Prill and Van Buren County’s Marlee Mertens and Adalyn Snowgren, who led the Warriors in scoring.

*Unanimous

First Team: Kenna Sandoval*, Central Lee; Alaina Gourley*, Danville; Grace Holsteen*, Mediapolis; Josie Hutcheson*, Mediapolis; Ellah Wagenbach*, Mediapolis; Amilia Grier*, Mediapolis, Bryn Wrigth, Mediapolis; Kaylee Webb*, West Burlington; Sophia Jirak, Van Buren County

Second Team: Taylor Jones*, Central Lee; Nora Lampe, Central Lee; Alivia Bauer*, Danville; Brynley Wenig, Danville; Adalyn Kruse*, Holy Trinity Catholic; Presley Prill*, West Burlington; Adalyn Snowgren, Van Buren County; Marlee Mertens, Van Buren County; Maycie Thornburg, Mediapolis

Honorable Mentions: Jayden Mueller and Macie Doty of Central Lee. Addi Steffener of Mediapolis. Daphny Wells and Kayley Snowgren of Van Buren County. Kaitlyn Kipp and Kinsey Cameron of Burlington Notre Dame. Elizabeth Griffin and Olivia Bendlage of Holy Trinity Catholic. Megan Lee and Molly Proost of New London. Macie Wagner and Violette Sowell of Danville. Kyleigh Applegate and Adley Mundth of West Burlington.

Standings: Mediapolis (16-0), Danville (10-4), Van Buren County (9-5), West Burlington (9-5), Central Lee (8-6), Holy Trinity Catholic (3-10), Burlington Notre Dame (2-11), New London (0-14)

Monroe, IA- It has been 11 years since Mediapolis has been to Des Moines for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s State Basketball Tournament. After taking down #6 PCM 49-42 for the Class 3A Region 6 championship on their home floor this past weekend, this group, led by six seniors, will get an opportunity at their first state title since 1973.

Coached by the tandem of Todd and his son Cade Borrison, the Bulldogs entered the game with a 23-0 record, while the Mustangs collected a 22-1 record for the year.

Nerves appeared to play a large role in the contest as the very first play of the game led to a wide-open Lila Milani lay-up that she threw too hard off the glass for an early miss. Both teams struggled in terms of offense, as the Mustangs keyed on stopping the Mediapolis three-point shot and the Bulldogs supplied relentless pressure. For Mediapolis, they were well versed on what the plan was.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is just making sure that you have your kids ready to go every night, and that starts in practice, and that always carries over to games” said coach Cade Borrison. “And all the preparation, I’ve learned a lot from my dad. And yeah, I’ve just, it’s been so much fun, and I couldn’t ask for a better coach to work with.”

The Bulldogs’ pressure allowed for Amelia Grier to snatch six first quarter points, while the outside containment meant Josie Hutcheson was able to roll to the basket or cut backdoor as she supplied six points of her own in the first quarter. Despite holding a 15 to 8 lead at the end of the 1^st quarter, PCM would not go away easy.

The Mustangs boasted a defense that held their opponents to 29 points per game in their 22 victories and their physicality kept the Bulldogs to just five points in the second quarter, while a Tori Lindsay three-pointer at the buzzer brough the score even at 20 heading into the break.

A year ago, the Bulldogs were ousted by Benton in the Regional Semifinal at home. A day after the team was back in the gym, adamant that would not happen again.

“This group’s been working so hard, just about every day, just been running, running, running” explained Coach Todd Borrison. “And to finally punch your ticket to the state tournament, it’s gotta be a special feeling. It’s a great feeling, you know, and you really feel for the kids. We do a lot of basketball year, you know, year-round, and these kids have committed, and they put in the time, and they’ve kept, you know, getting better and better, and they’ve trusted the process. And the ultimate reward is punching your ticket, and they got to experience that today. And we’ve been close a couple times, but this is always a big hurdle to get over. And they just fought, and fought, and fought tonight, and I was really, really proud of them.”

Grier’s defense again led to quick offense for Mediapolis to start the second half and that separation was all Mediapolis needed, despite Lindsay’s 12 points in the second half for a game high 22 points.

Overall, Mediapolis tallied 18 steals and only made four three-pointers on the night, despite the squad averaging 11 per game. Grier led the way with 17 points, but Grace Holsteen added 11, including eight points in the fourth quarter, and Hutcheson added 13 points of her own. This cohesiveness is what coach Todd Borrison believes will carry Mediapolis through the tournament,

“Well, they really love each other, and they take care of each other, and they play together as a team. And I said before, our strength, our superpower is our balance. And that balance starts, to be a team of truly balanced kids, you gotta really like each other, and you gotta know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And they really get the game, and they really, ultimately, they don’t care who gets any credit. They just like to win, and that makes it a fun group, and a group that you like to see be successful.”

The Bulldogs grabbed the #7 seed for the Class 3A state tournament and will face off against #2 Maquoketa at 8:30 pm on Monday, March 2^nd. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 8:15 pm.

Des Moines, IA- All eyes and lights are on you for championship Saturday, as a pair of local wrestlers squared off against the top seed in their weight class for the right to bring home the title from the IHSAA’s 2026 State Wrestling Tournament. Here’s how our two local athletes fared.

Class 1A

113-Pound Weight Class

With only one goal in mind, WACO’s #2 Ian Maize was gifted a rematch against #1 Kaiden Belinsky of Don Bosco, the same wrestler who defeated him last year in the state championship.

Unfortunately, the senior for the Dons jumped out to an early 8 to 1 lead in the 1^st period and never looked back, winning by technical fall. Maize, a sophomore, finished the season as the runner-up and with a 38-4 record for the season.

Class 2A

175-Pound Weight Class

In his fourth trip to the state tournament, Mediapolis’ #2 Kyler Crow was looking to end his high school career with a state championship but standing in his way was #1 Christian Dunning of Clear Lake.

Dunning proved to be the top wrestler of the class for a reason as he tabbed four takedowns by the end of the match for a major decision victory. Crow grabbed the silver medal and a 51-2 record for the year.

More Information

The Class 1A team title went to Don Bosco. The Class 2A team title was split between Decorah and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, and the Class 3A title was snatched by Southeast Polk.

KILJ would like to thank all of our tournament sponsors for allowing us to cover the 2026 Boys’ Wrestling State Tournament.

Des Moines, IA- To start off championship Saturday for the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s 2026 Boys’ State Wrestling tournament, the consolation bracket played out all of their matchups to fill in the podium for 3^rd through 8^th place and KILJ had eight local athletes vying for the best spot they could get one the podium.

Here’s how our local athletes fared.

Class 1A

157-Pound Weight Class

Wapello’s #6 Cohen Wolford was handled by #9 Jaxon Gordon of Riverside by technical fall in the 7^th place bout.

Wolford claimed 8^th place with a season record of 40-7.

Class 2A

113-Pound Weight Class

#2 Kohen Dietzenbach of Burlington Notre Dame tangled with #1 Ethan Humphrey of West Branch in the consolation semifinals, but loss by a 10-3 decision. Dietzenbach was able to recover in the 5^th place match as he pinned #12 Lucas Peters of West Delaware in the 3^rd period.

Dietzenbach finished the season with a 40-2 record and with the 5^th place medal.

120-Pound Weight Class

A southeast Iowa showcase pitted Burlington Notre Dame’s #5 Rowan Berndt against Mt. Pleasant’s #14 Levi Evans for the consolation semifinals. Berndt jumped out to a 6 to 1 lead entering the third period before the Panther scored an escape and takedown within the first minute to bring the match within one point.

Berndt gained a two-point lead after tabbing an escape and appeared to have won the match, but Evans scored a takedown with four seconds remaining to claim the 8-7 decision victory to advance to the bronze medal match.

Evans appeared exhausted from 8^th match in three days and just could not keep up with #4 Atlee Dewitt of Alburnett, losing by technical fall. Still, the first boys’ state wrestler since 2020 claimed 4^th place and a 38-7 record.

Berndt could not usurp #2 Urijah Courter of West Marshall in the 5^th place match, falling by a 7-1 decision. The Nike took home a 6^th place medal and a 43-8 record.

132-Pound Weight Class

#5 Colt Boyles of Burlington Notre Dame was in a stalemate against #3 Carter Schmauss of Crestwood for most of the match, but a 2^nd period escape by Schmauss was all he needed to win the match by a 1-0 decision.

In a rematch from the quarterfinals, Boyles kept close to #4 Linden Phetxoumphone of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows yet still fell by a 4-0 decision. Boyles finished in 6^th place with a 44-6 record for the year.

138-Pound Weight Class

#7 Caden Greiner of Washington pulled off the upset in shutout fashion, as he defeated #4 Kaydin Jones of Union by major decision. However, Greiner would lose by fall to #3 Liam Adflinger of Wilton to take 4^th place overall.

150-Pound Weight Class

#4 Kael Cook of Burlington Notre Dame pinned #6 Aiden Hippen of Clear Lake within the third period. The victory gave the Nike 7^th place and a 45-3 record.

175-Pound Weight Class

Fairfield’s #6 Dain Burkhart finished the day 2-0 after defeating #5 Kasen Tyler of Decorah by a 6-3 decision, sending him to the 3^rd place match. In a match where every second was needed, Burkhart snuck away with a 9-8 victory after a couple rounds of overtime.

Burkhart took the bronze and finished with a 41-7 record.

More Information

KILJ would like to thank all of our tournament sponsors for allowing us to cover the 2026 Boys’ Wrestling State Tournament.

Girls’ Regional Basketball

In Class 2A Region 8, Danville was unable to keep up with #8 Regina Catholic last night, falling 56-35. Alaina Gourley led the way with 11 points for the night. The Bears finished the season with a 16-6 record. 

For Class 3A Region 6, #8 Mediapolis will travel to #6 PCM with tip-off tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

For Class 4A Region 6, Keokuk will venture to #6 Central DeWitt tomorrow at 7 pm. 

High School Wrestling

The 2026 Iowa High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) slate is set for championship Saturday and southeast Iowa will have two representatives dueling for their respective state championships.

In Class 1A 113-pound weight class, WACO’s #2 Ian Maize flew through his quarterfinal and semifinal matches with wins by technical fall and major decision, respectively. The Warrior will look to avenge his loss last year against #1 Kaiden Belinsky of Don Bosco in the championship bout tonight.

In the 157-pound weight class, #6 Cohen Wolford of Wapello bounced back from a tough 21-20 decision loss in the quarterfinals to take one win in the consolation bracket, guaranteeing a finish on the podium. He will wrestle #9 Jaxon Gordon of Riverside for 7th place today.

In Class 2A, Mt. Pleasant’s Levi Evans collected three victories in the consolation bracket to set up a match against Burlington Notre Dame’s #5 Rowan Berndt in the consolation semifinals today. 

The Nikes will also be looking for #2 Kohen Dietzenbach (113-pound weight class), #5 Colt Boyles (132-pound weight class), and Kael Cook (150-pound weight class) to finish on the podium with Cook taking on #6 Aiden Hippen of Clear Lake for 7th place. 

In the most exciting matchup of the day, the 175-pound weight class pitted Fairfield’s #6 Dain Burkhart against Mediapolis’ #2 Kyler Crow against one another in the semifinals. Crow would jump out to a 7 to 1 lead in the second period and battle off a comeback attempt by Burkhart to earn a spot in the championship match.

Crow will face off against #1 Christian Dunning of Clear Lake tonight. Burkhart will compete against #5 Kasen Tyler of Decorah in the consolation semifinals. 

Stay tuned to KILJ for updates from championship Saturday.

For a full recap of day three, click on this link: Day 3 Results

Boys’ District Basketball

In Class 3A Substate 4, #5 Mt. Pleasant will venture to #4 Davenport Assumption for their first round matchup on Monday, February 23rd, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. 

Substate 5 houses the rest of our local teams with #8 Fairfield traveling to #1 Pella. #4 Burlington will host #5 Washington, while #3 Keokuk will take on #6 Fort Madison at home for a pair of Southeast Conference clashes. 

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 9, it’s a rematch of last year’s district championship, Burlington Notre Dame will host Holy Trinity Catholic on Tuesday, February 24th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

In District 10, Hillcrest Academy will travel to Calamus-Wheatland on Tuesday at 7 pm.

In Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee will compete for the District Championship on Tuesday at 7 pm against Regina Catholic.

In Substate 5 District 10, Mid-Prairie will head to Northeast for the District Championship at 7 pm on Tuesday. 

High School Bowling

Keokuk’s Chase Hemann will compete in the Class 2A individual state tournament on Wednesday, February 25th.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will travel to Northeast Community College today at 1 pm.

The men’s basketball team will host Moberly Area Community College tonight at 7 pm.

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team will look to upset #12 TCU tomorrow, February 22nd, at 3 pm on the road. 

The #13 Iowa women’s team will host #6 Michigan tomorrow at 11 am.

The Iowa men’s team will travel to #24 Wisconsin tomorrow for their 3rd straight ranked opponent with tip-off at 3 pm.

The #6 Iowa State men’s team will travel to BYU tonight at 9:30 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will have the call.

This Day in Sports History

1979 – Two Iowa girls high school basketball teams play four scoreless quarters as the game was won 4-2 in the 4th overtime period.

1980 – Liechtenstein becomes the smallest country to produce an Olympic champion as Hanni Wenzel wins the women’s giant slalom at the Lake Placid Winter Games.

2016 – 58th Daytona 500: Denny Hamlin wins the closest finish in race history, by just 0.01s over Martin Truex Jr.