Sports, February 6th

By Slaten Swords · Friday, February 6th, 2026 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Wrestling

Day one of the 2026 Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s state tournament is in the books and five of our 17 local wrestlers sit one match away from a chance at the state championship. Here’s some of the highlights from yesterday’s action.  

In Class 1A, Wapello will have a pair of wrestlers competing in the semifinals, as #2 Kenadee Helscher handled business in both of her matches for the 105-pound weight class, while #1 Clara Ball snuck past #8 Cadence Kinzie of Atlantic in the quarterfinals by a 10-7 decision to advance to the semifinals of the 115-pound weight class.

Helscher will take on #3 Kate Martin of Mt. Vernon and Ball will face off against #4 Hailey Harvey of Riverside today.

Pekin’s #4 Hailey Pedrick displayed her endurance yesterday by securing both of her victories by fall in the third period. She will tackle #1 Tayla Stiefel of East Buchanan in the semifinals today.

 A pair of Southeast Conference wrestlers dominated in their action yesterday. Fairfield’s #2 Samantha Lyons pinned her first opponent in the opening minute of her first round match and she followed that up with another first round pin in the quarterfinals. She will compete against #3 Gracie Pickney of Mt. Vernon in the semifinals today.

In Class 2A, #3 Mara Smith of Fort Madison punched her ticket to the semifinals after a technical fall in the first round and a pin in the quarterfinals. She will take on #2 Makana Miller of Waverly-Shell Rock today.

In the consolation bracket, #6 Brystol Wiley of Van Buren County, #2 Adley Sweeting of Highland, and #7 Amaziah Twillie and #9 Macy Peterson of Burlington will be eyeing a bronze medal.

Stay tuned to KILJ for updates throughout the day and for a full recap of yesterday’s action, follow the links provided.

Class 1A Recap: Class 1A

Class 2A Recap: Class 2A

The Van Buren County boys’ team finished 0-3 at the Davis County quad last night, losing 58-24 to Oskaloosa, 42-36 to Davis County, and 48-24 to Montezuma. Leo Jirak and Carver Goehring went undefeated for the night. 

The Fairfield boys’ team snuck past Washington last night, 41-40. Kohda Higdon, Cael McCabe, Dusty Haynes, Aiden Holthus, Dain Burkhart, and Calvin McClain each picked up victories for the Trojans.

The boys’ district wrestling meets are scheduled for February 14th.

High School Basketball

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Keokuk tonight with the girls’ teams playing at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm.

Fairfield will host Burlington tonight with game one at 6 pm.

Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout

The girls’ teams seeded #3-#8 had their SEISC shootout games last night, here’s how everything played out. 

Leading off the night, Van Buren County wallopped Columbus, 62-37 in the #4-seed contest. The Wildcats will try to bounce back against Cardinal on Monday, February 9th, at 6 pm.

In a battle of the Falcons, Louisa-Muscatine soared past West Burlington 68-44 for the #3 seed. West Burlington will travel to Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday, February 10th, with tip-off at 6:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:15 pm.

Wapello handled business in the 6th seed showdown as Macey Kuntz’s double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds led the Arrows past Holy Trinity Catholic, 47-25. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will square off against Clark County on Monday at 6 pm.

Wapello ends the regular season with a 12-9 record. 

In the 5th seed contest, Central Lee surged past Pekin, 50-33. The Hawks will travel to Illini West on Monday for their regular season finale at 7:30 pm.

In the 8-seed contest, New London fell to Hillcrest Academy last night, 54-34. The Tigers finished the regular season with an 0-21 record. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host Cedar Valley Christian tonight at 6 pm.

Highland and Mediapolis will face off for the conference title tomorrow, February 7th, at 2:30 pm at Highland, while Danville will compete with Lone Tree to lead off the day at 1 pm.

The boys’ will start play tonight for their SEISC shootout with Central Lee hosting the #3 and #4 seeds, Holy Trinity Catholic will have the #5 and #6 seeds, and Van Buren County will house the #7 and #8 seeds with the south division acting as the home team.

At 6 pm, #4 West Burlington will play #4 WACO at Central Lee, #6 Danville will tip-off against #6 Wapello, and #8 New London will tussle with #8 Lone Tree at Van Buren County.

At 7:30 pm, #3 Central Lee will face off against Pekin, #5 Holy Trinity Catholic will tangle with #5 Columbus, and #7 Van Buren County will take on #7 Highland.

Burlington Notre Dame will hold the #1 and #2 seed games tomorrow with Mediapolis clashing with Winfield-Mt. Union at 6 pm and the conference title going to either the Nikes or Hillcrest Academy at 7:30 pm.

High School Bowling

The girls’ state meet is scheduled for February 10th through the 12th in Waterloo. Keokuk will be competing as a team, while Mt. Pleasant’s Shyann Smith will bowl as an individual along with Keokuk’s Allison Sapp, Jaelynn Ketterer, and Josie Sapp.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team hosted their invite yesterday and finished in 3rd place with 2,467 pins. West Burlington/Notre Dame won the meet with 2,558 pins, 41 more than Central Lee.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the state qualifying meet assignments and Central Lee will host West Burlington, while Fairfield will travel to Monticello in Class 1A.

 In Class 2A, Clinton will play host to Burlington, Keokuk, and Mt. Pleasant.

Both meets are scheduled for Monday, February 16th, at 10 am.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team will host Kirkwood Community College tomorrow, February 7th, with tip-off at 1 pm.

The men’s basketball team will continue the home stand tomorrow at 3 pm against Triton College. 

The men’s and women’s wrestling teams will travel to North Iowa Area Community College for the District Championships on February 15th. 

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team will travel to Utah tomorrow, February 7th, at 6 pm.

The #10 Iowa women’s team made a late run but ultimately fell to Minnesota last night, 91-85. Ava Heiden scored 24 points in the losing effort. The Hawkeyes will host Washington on Wednesday, February 11th, at 6:30 pm.

The Iowa men’s team will head back home to play Northwestern on Sunday, February 8th, at 2 pm.

The #7 Iowa State men’s team will take on Baylor at home at 1 pm tomorrow.

This Day in Sports History

1932 – First Olympic dog sled race at Lake Placid, New York. It is run as a demonstration sport.

1971 – American astronaut Alan Shepard is 1st to hit a golf ball on the moon. 

1990 – Brett Hull becomes the first son of an NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to also score 50 goals.

Prep Girls’ Wrestling: Fort Madison’s Mara Smith Eyeing Gold and More From Class 2A’s Session

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 10:52 pm CDT

Coralville, IA- Wrestlers from all over the state made the trip to the Xtreme Arena with one goal in mind, an Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Championship. Day one is officially done after the second session wrapped up their last matches of the day. Here’s how our four local competitors fared.

Class 2A

140-Pound Weight Class

Fort Madison’s #3 Mara Smith is looking to finish on the podium again for her senior campaign and she has positioned herself nicely after the first day of action. The Bloodhound handled business in the first round against #14 Khloee Schmidt of Western Dubuque, taking the match by technical fall.

The quarterfinals proved to be a bit more tedious as #6 Lauryn Metcalf of Ames kept it scoreless after the first period and cut the lead to one after scoring a reversal in the second period. Nevertheless, Smith would score the pin in the same period and punch her ticket to the semifinals.

Smith will face off against #2 Makana Miller of Waverly-Shell Rock tomorrow with the winner advancing to the championship match.

145-Pound Weight Class

#8 Kat DiPrima of Fort Madison took down #9 Kerene Panya of Le Mars in the first round but would drop her next two matches against #1 Lizzy Wolf of Benton Community in the quarterfinals and #10 Callum Wu of Iowa City Liberty to end her day.

DiPrima finished her season with a 34-7 record.

155-Pound Weight Class

Burlington’s #7 Amaziah Twillie had an amazing run in her freshman season, clinching 6th place last year. This year, she’s still in the hunt for 3rd place. The sophomore started the day with a major decision victory over #10 Halle Mosaquites of Hinton-SBL.

She’d run into a wall in the quarterfinals, falling to #2 Regan Jensen of Algona. Here journey in the consolation bracket saw Twillie pin #8 Morgan Bills of Dubuque Hempstead to move on to the third round of the consolation bracket.

Twillie sits two matches away from the 3rd place bout as she will wrestle #5 Peyten Van Dyke of Iowa City Liberty to start her day tomorrow.

170-Pound Weight Class

#9 Macy Peterson of Burlington is looking at a similar story to her teammate. The Grayhound scored a narrow 6-2 decision victory over #8 Aurora Lloyd of Linn-Mar to set up a matchup against #1 Amalia Djoumessi of Waverly-Shell Rock, who took down Peterson in the first period of the quarterfinals.

In her third match of the day, Peterson outlasted #7 Precious Kredit of Sioux Center, securing a second period pin. Peterson will continue her journey through the consolation bracket against #5 Addison Bowman of Prairie tomorrow.

More Information

Class 2A will be back in action tomorrow at 1 pm. Stay tuned to KILJ for more updates throughout the day, as we would like to thank our sponsors for allowing us to cover all state tournament competition.

Prep Girls’ Wrestling: Four Local Wrestlers Advance to the Semifinals in Day One of Class 1A Action

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 2:14 pm CDT

Coralville, IA- Wrestlers from all over the state made the trip to the Xtreme Arena with one goal in mind, an Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Championship. Southeast Iowa sent 13 local representatives for Class 1A from the area and four of them still have a chance to walk away with the gold. Here’s a look at the results from the first session.

Class 1A

100-Pound Weight Class

Van Buren County’s #6 Brystol Wiley started off the day with a collection of points as she defeated #11 Josie McGraw of Alburentt by technical fall, catapulting her into the quarterfinals against #3 Abigail Peterson of Denver.

Unfortunately, Peterson got the better of Wiley, scoring a takedown in the first period to send Wiley to the consolation bracket. Waiting for Wiley in the second round was #13 Goldie Davis of South Central Calhoun.

Wiley took the early 3 to 1 lead after the first period, but Davis pounced in the second period to take a commanding 10 to 5 lead. Still, the Warrior fought back to earn four points in the start of the period but needed a late takedown to claim a narrow 12-11 decision victory.

Wiley will face off against #2 Molly Knechne of Central Lyon-George Little Rock tomorrow, February 6th, in the third round of the consolation bracket.

105-Pound Weight Class

#2 Kenadee Helscher of Wapello has collected just about every accolade one can throughout her high school career. She is a two-time conference champion, three-time state qualifier, and has collected over 100 wins for her career. Yet, the gold medal still alludes her.

After falling one match short of an undefeated season last year, she is looking to end this year with a flawless record and enact some revenge in the process. She started that process with a win by technical fall over #15 Kayda Freeman of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.

She wasted little time in the quarterfinals, pinning #10 Brielle Starkweather of North Fayette Valley in the first round to advance to the semifinals. She will face off against #3 Kate Martin of Mount Vernon tomorrow. On the top half of the bracket, #1 Ainsley Hemann of Osage, last year’s champion and Helscher’s lone loss, and #4 Sophia Calpito will face off.

#12 Armoney Adams of Van Buren County was unable to knock off #5 Sophia Hazen of ATU and lost to #13 Finley Rushton of West Branch in the first round of the consolation bracket by major decision to end her tournament run with a 27-6 record.

110-Pound Weight Class

Pekin’s #6 Lexa Nelson was on the wrong side of two upsets as she lost to #11 Kierstan McRoberts of Osage by major decision in the first round before losing to #14 Bradi Houston of Davis County by fall in the consolation bracket. She finished the season with a 34-6 record.

115-Pound Weight Class

Moving up a weight class is never easy but when no one returns from the top eight of last year’s state tournament it certainly gives you a leg up. #1 Clara Ball of Wapello, who finished 6th last year in the 110-pound weight class, started her day with a victory by technical fall of #16 Khloe Neal of BCLUW-SH.

Her quarterfinal match was not as easy as Ball entered the third round with a narrow 5 to 3 lead over #8 Cadence Kinzie of Atlantic after scoring a reversal late in the second period. She would eliminate Kinzie with a third-period takedown to punch her ticket to the semifinals on a 10-7 decision.

She will wrestle #4 Hailey Harvey of Riverside tomorrow.

120-Pound Weight Class

#11 Lila Miller of Pekin was pinned in both of her matches today, ending her season with a 32-13 record.

Highland’s #2 Adley Sweeting earned a late first-period pin of #15 Gracyn Stone of Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine to find a spot in the quarterfinals. However, she would trip up against #10 Kiley Collins of West Liberty after Collins maneuvered Sweeting into a surprising loss by fall, despite the Huskie leading 7 to 0 in points.

In her third match of the day, Sweeting took on #16 Ivy Christensen of Osage and dominated, securing a pin in 26 seconds. She will take on #6 Makenna Kurth of Waukon in the third round of the consolation bracket tomorrow.

140-Pound Weight Class

#11 Maiya Singbeil of Highland fell to #6 Alexa Heflin of Garner-Hayfield/Ventura, sending the Huskie into the consolation bracket. Facing off against #14 Kimora Owens of Williamsburg, Singbeil took down her opponent in the first 30 seconds of the match.

Her tournament run would come to an end against #5 Macie Little of North Mahaska, falling in the first period. Singbeil ended her season with a 24-9 record.

145-Pound Weight Class

Pekin’s #4 Hailey Pedrick had to battle against #13 Cara Schuette of Kuemper Catholic, but the Panther broke through in the third period, pinning her opponent. In the quarterfinals, Pedrick wrestled #5 Paytn Haack of Emmetsburg and escaped with a victory by fall early in the third period.

Pedrick will take on #1 Tayla Stiefel of East Buchanan in the semifinals tomorrow.

170-Pound Weight Class

#2 Samantha Lyons of Fairfield is looking to end her senior campaign with a title as she enters the tournament with a 28-1 record. Lyons made quick work of her first-round opponent, #15 Harper Manwarren of GTRA, pinning her in the first 47 seconds of the period.

The victory pitted Lyons against #7 Afton Dean of Lamoni, who stood no chance against the Trojan as the senior pinned her in the first period to advance to the semifinals. She will wrestle #3 Gracie Pickney of Mt. Vernon with the winner advancing to the championship match tomorrow.

190-Pound Weight Class

#12 Chloe Sexton of Pekin lost her first-round match in heartbreaking fashion, losing by ultimate tiebreaker to #5 Maren Subbert of Hampton-Dumont-CAL. She bounced back to defeat #13 Claire Schumacher of Western Iowa by fall in the first period to advance in the consolation bracket.

Her tournament run would end at the hands of #3 Emma Dejong of Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley with a loss by fall. Sexton finished the season with a 22-11 record.

235-Pound Weight Class

We had our first local showdown after #15 Reese Connolly of Wapello and Fairfield’s #7 Kendra Allison lost their first-round matches. In the consolation bracket, Allison got revenge for her loss at the Regional Championship with a one-sided victory by fall over the Arrow.

Connolly finished her freshman season with a 15-21 record.

Unfortunately, that momentum would not carry Allsion into the next round as she was pinned by #1 Kaylee Dejong of Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Allison finished her senior season with a 23-8 record.

More Information

Class 1A will be back in action tomorrow at 9 am. Stay tuned to KILJ for more updates throughout the day, as we would like to thank our sponsors for allowing us to cover all state tournament competition.

Salem to Hold Special Election for City Council Seat

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 1:38 pm CDT

The City of Salem is holding a special election to fill a vacant city council seat on April 7th, 2026. Interested individuals may pick up the necessary paperwork at the Community Center. The deadline for filing with Salem City Hall is Friday, March 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The deadline for withdrawing from the election is Monday, March 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The election will be held at the Salem Crew Public Library.

Missing 13-Year-Old Safely Located in Wapello County

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 1:37 pm CDT

A missing 13-year-old child was safely located Tuesday night following a multi-agency search in Wapello County.

According to the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a report around 8:08 p.m. on February 3rd that a juvenile had walked away from a residence about an hour earlier. Family members became concerned when the child did not return and could not be located.

An immediate investigation and search were launched, with assistance from the Wapello County Rural Fire Department, Wapello County Emergency Management, and the Ottumwa Police Department.

Around 10:30 p.m., a concerned citizen contacted authorities after spotting a young child walking near Highway 34 around mile marker 191. Search personnel responded to the area, but the child was not located at that time.

Approximately 20 minutes later, a deputy using a thermal imaging device located the child in a nearby tree line. The child told law enforcement he had become lost. He was safely recovered and transported back to his residence without injury.

The Wapello County Sheriff’s Office thanked the citizen who reported the sighting and reminded the public to contact authorities when something does not seem right. Officials also noted that the Sheriff’s Office offers an anonymous crime tip line, which continues to play a key role in investigations.

Law enforcement says community involvement is essential in keeping Wapello County a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

Pediatric Cancer Research Bill Advances at Iowa Capitol

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 1:36 pm CDT

Following National Cancer Day, cancer-related legislation continued to advance at the Iowa Capitol.

The Iowa House Higher Education Committee unanimously approved House File 2057 on Wednesday, a bill that would provide annual funding for pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa. The bill is chaired by local State Representative Jeff Shipley of Fairfield.

The legislation would fund pediatric cancer research at roughly one dollar per Iowa resident, with a cap of three million dollars per fiscal year. During committee discussion, lawmakers heard testimony from families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer.

Shipley said pediatric cancer is devastating not only for patients, but also for families and communities, adding that the state has a responsibility to show compassion and support efforts focused on treatment and potential cures.

House File 2057 now moves on to the full Iowa House for consideration.

Supervisors Hear Old Threshers Presentation, Department Updates, Public Comment on County Attorney Resignation

By Shelbi Swinscoe · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 12:50 pm CDT

The Henry County Board of Supervisors met Thursday morning to hear updates from county departments and community partner Midwest Old Threshers.

Old Threshers Executive Director Terry McWilliams addressed the board, requesting continued county support totaling one thousand dollars, along with a separate nineteen-thousand-dollar request. McWilliams presented economic impact data showing Midwest Old Threshers brings significant tourism dollars into Henry County, with visitors representing sixty-seven Iowa counties and thirty-four states. He noted that spring promotional mailers reach approximately one hundred eighty-five thousand households in surrounding counties and an additional ten thousand nationwide.

McWilliams also highlighted educational outreach, including field trips for roughly one thousand fourth and fifth grade students each year. Attendance figures from the 2025 Midwest Old Threshers Reunion included more than twelve thousand multi day visitors, twenty-five thousand single day visitors, and approximately six thousand children. One Saturday set a one-day attendance record, and McWilliams said total attendance could reach around twenty thousand when five-day passes are fully counted. Old Threshers also relies heavily on volunteers, with more than one thousand two hundred volunteers contributing over forty-one thousand hours in 2025.

Supervisors also heard plans for improvements to the EMS building located near the carousel. McWilliams also spoke on plans to demolish one of the oldest buildings on the grounds, the restroom located across from the Midwest Old Threshers office. Plans include replacing the structure with a new bathroom and shower facility and adding a covered bus loading area.

During departmental reports, Sheriff Rich McNamee reported that the sheriff’s office handled one thousand five hundred nineteen calls for service in January, down about one hundred calls compared to the same time last year. The department currently has one deputy opening, with four applicants in the hiring pool, and interviews are expected within the next two weeks. McNamee also reported a patrol unit transmission failure at one hundred twenty-three thousand miles, requiring replacement at the cost of the county due to the vehicle being out of warranty.

County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss updated the board on road and bridge projects, noting ongoing brush work, crack filling, and equipment repairs. He said bids for quarry crushing will be opened February nineteenth, and work continues on the Fremont project, with plans to pour half the footing soon. Hotchkiss also reported progress on the removal of the west pier on the 235th Street Bridge and discussed next steps for bridge replacement on Iowa Avenue, including pursuing grant funding.

Public Health Director Katie Reuter reported Iowa is continuing to see high levels of flu activity, though no local schools have crossed the ten percent absentee threshold this week. She also noted there are currently no confirmed measles cases in Henry County, though cases have been reported nationally and in Iowa over the past year. Residents were reminded to wear red Friday in support of women’s heart health awareness. Reuter also reminded the community that free blood pressure checks are available at the clinic.

During public comment, residents addressed the Henry County Board of Supervisors regarding the recent resignation of Henry County Attorney Darin Stater. Supervisors assured residents and department heads that addressing the vacancy and determining next steps is a top priority.

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Lyle Murray also addressed the board, sharing concerns related to the resignation and urging supervisors to move forward promptly in filling the position. Murray cited pending litigation, including cases involving crimes against children that have been awaiting action for several months. Speaking on behalf of local law enforcement and victims, Murray emphasized the importance of timely action to ensure cases can proceed.

Murray also asked that law enforcement agencies be kept informed throughout the process, noting the critical working relationship between local law enforcement and the county attorney’s office.

Sports, February 5th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at 6:17 am CDT

High School Basketball

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Keokuk tomorrow, February 6th, with the girls’ teams playing at 6 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:45 pm.

Fairfield will host Burlington tomorrow with game one at 6 pm.

Girls High School Basketball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their ninth edition of the girls’ basketball rankings yesterday and for another week Class 3A had no teams dropped from the top 15 and Mediapolis kept their position at #9.

The Bulldogs are one of six undefeated teams left in the state and the first team to reach 20 victories this season. They are tops in Class 3A in points per game and points allowed per game. Mediapolis knows how to generate extra possessions with a class-high 19.1 steals per game and they are unselfish with 20.1 assists per game, second in the state. 

The Bulldogs will be looking for their fourth straight SEISC-Shootout title on Saturday.

Southeast Iowa Super Conference Shootout

The girls’ teams seeded #3-#8 will lead off the SEISC shootout tonight with Louisa-Muscatine, Pekin, and WACO hosting a pair of games.

The #3 and #4 seeds will meet up at Louisa-Muscatine with the north teams acting as the home team. In the #4 seed game, Van Buren County will take on Columbus at 6 pm, while West Burlington will face off against the hosts at 7:30 pm in the #3 seed contest. 

The #5 and #6 seeds will compete at Pekin with Wapello tangling with Holy Trinity Catholic in the #6-seed game at 6 pm followed by Pekin colliding with Central Lee at 7:30 pm to decide the #5 seed.

Due to illness, the Burlington Notre Dame and WACO contest has been canceled. New London and Hillcrest Academy will play at WACO with tip-off at 7 pm.

The Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will host Cedar Valley Christian tomorrow, February 6th, at 6 pm.

Highland and Mediapolis will face off for the conference title on Saturday, February 7th, at 2:30 pm at Highland, while Danville will compete with Lone Tree to lead off the day at 1 pm.

The boys’ will start play tomorrow with Central Lee hosting the #3 and #4 seeds, Holy Trinity Catholic will have the #5 and #6 seeds, and Van Buren County will house the #7 and #8 seeds with the south division acting as the home team.

At 6 pm, #4 West Burlington will play #4 WACO at Central Lee, #6 Danville will tip-off against #6 Wapello, and #8 New London will tussle with #8 Lone Tree at Van Buren County.

At 7:30 pm, #3 Central Lee will face off against Pekin, #5 Holy Trinity Catholic will tangle with #5 Columbus, and #7 Van Buren County will take on #7 Highland.

Burlington Notre Dame will hold the #1 and #2 seed games on Saturday with Mediapolis clashing with Winfield-Mt. Union at 6 pm and the conference title going to either the Nikes or Hillcrest Academy at 7:30 pm.

High School Wrestling

The 2026 girls’ state tournament will take place today and tomorrow, February 6th. KILJ will be providing updates for 17 local wrestlers. For a full look at their first round matches, follow this link: First Round Matchups

The top seeds to look out for in Class 1A will be Wapello’s #2 Kenadee Helscher, as she looks to finish the season undefeated in the 105-pound weight class, and #1 Clara Ball in the 115-pound weight class, as she looks to build off her 6th place finish last year as a freshman. From the Southeast Conference, Samantha Lyons of Fairfield enters as the #2 seed in the 170-pound weight class, while Fort Madison’s Mara Smith earned the #3 seed for the 140-pound weight class in Class 2A.

The Van Buren County boys’ team will compete in a quad tonight.

The Fairfield boys’ team will duel Washington tonight.

The boys’ district wrestling meets are scheduled for February 14th.

High School Bowling

The girls’ state meet is scheduled for February 10th through the 12th in Waterloo. Keokuk will be competing as a team, while Mt. Pleasant’s Shyann Smith will bowl as an individual along with Keokuk’s Allison Sapp, Jaelynn Ketterer, and Josie Sapp.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team will host their invite today with Central Lee and West Burlington making the trip.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released the state qualifying meet assignments and Central Lee will host West Burlington, while Fairfield will travel to Monticello in Class 1A.

 In Class 2A, Clinton will play host to Burlington, Keokuk, and Mt. Pleasant.

Both meets are scheduled for Monday, February 16th, at 10 am.

Southeastern Community College

The women’s basketball team lost to Des Moines Area Community College last night 71-44. The Blackhawks will host Kirkwood Community College on Saturday, February 7th, with tip-off at 1 pm.

The men’s basketball team secured a thrilling 70-68 victory over Sauk Valley Community College last night behind Brady Martin’s 17 points. The Blackhawks will continue the home stand on Saturday at 3 pm against Triton College. 

The women’s wrestling hung close but fell to Iowa Western Community College last night, 26-17. Nina Hamm, Caitlin Van Praag, Evenlyn Phillips, and Kiernan Farmer each picked up victories for the Blackhawks.

The men’s wrestling team was snuffed by the Reivers, 56-0. 

Both teams will travel to North Iowa Area Community College for the District Champions on February 15th. 

College Basketball

The Iowa State women’s team will travel to Utah on Saturday, February 7th, at 6 pm.

The #10 Iowa women’s team will host Minnesota tonight at 6 pm.

The Iowa men’s team rallied back from a halftime deficit to pick up a road victory over Washington last night, 84-74. Bennett Stirtz cashed in for 22 points as the Hawkeyes have now won five straight. Iowa will head back home to play Northwestern on Sunday, February 8th, at 2 pm.

The #7 Iowa State men’s team will take on Baylor at home at 1 pm on Saturday.

This Day in Sports History

1943 – Jake LaMotta defeats future multi-weight world boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson by unanimous points decision in Detroit in the 2nd of their 6 meetings; his only win of their rivalry. It was Robinson’s first loss in his first 40 pro bouts. 

1989 – Kareem Abdul-Jabar becomes the first NBA player to score 38,000 points.

2017 – Super Bowl LI, NRG Stadium, Houston, TX: New England Patriots defeat Atlanta Falcons, 34-28; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB. The first Super Bowl to be decided in overtime.