Saturday night at about 6 pm emergency responders were called to a crash on Winfield Avenue east of Mount Pleasant. Early information indicates three people were injured. One person was airlifted from HCHC and it appears a second person was transported by air, as well. KILJ will have more information when it becomes available.
Randy Espy
Randolph “Randy” Espy, 59, of Mount Pleasant, formerly of Burlington, died unexpectedly Thursday, October 7, 2021 at his home.
Randolph was born January 11, 1962, in Centerville, Iowa, the son of Roger and Patricia (Van Landingham) Espy. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1980. He served in the United States Air Force for 20 years. Randolph was a member of the Moose Lodge and the VFW. He enjoyed playing pool and bowling.
Randolph is survived by his wife Angela Runnells of Mount Pleasant; two daughters: Randha O’Dourty of Kansas City, MO; Zofia Espy of Mount Pleasant; a step daughter: Brooke Runnells of Middletown; and his parents: Roger and Paula Rae Espy of Burlington and Patricia Woodside of Burlington. He was preceded in death by his step father Bob Woodside and a sister Paula Espy.
Funeral service will be held at 4:00 pm Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm until service time on Tuesday. Military rites will be conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard. A memorial fund has been established for Zofia Espy’s education. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
Sports, Saturday, October 9th
Prep Football: Mount Pleasant Rolled, WACO Crowned District Champs, Other Area Finals:
Burlington 56, Mount Pleasant 3
Burlington got three rushing touchdowns from Bryant Williams as the Greyhounds scored 56 unanswered points for a 56-3 win over Mount Pleasant last night at Bracewell Stadium.
Mount Pleasant marched down the field on the game’s opening series on a 12-play series that resulted in a 21-yard field goal from Owen Vansickel.
From there, the Greyhounds would roll.
Burlington scored their fourth touchdown of the first half with just seconds remaining on a 74-yard passing touchdown from Kanyae Baker.
Mount Pleasant sent the Greyhounds up with two short fields in the first half, as well.
Payton Hagans fumbled which led to a score, then on the ensuing play from scrimmage for Mount Pleasant Carson Coleman was intercepted.
The second half was melted away from the running clock mercy rule.
Mount Pleasant fell to 1-6, they’ll battle Clinton next Friday.
Burlington improved to 5-2.
#6 (8P) WACO 47, Winfield-Mount Union 20
WACO clinched the district title in convincing fashion, with a 47-20 win over Winfield-Mount Union last night in Winfield.
Simeon Reichenbach put the game on ice for the Warriors with an interception and a touchdown rush to bring the line to a four score game.
John Rice caught a fourth quarter touchdown for the Warriors who stayed perfect at 8-0.
Winfield slipped to 4-3.
The Warriors are guaranteed a spot in the eight-player playoffs, which will feature 16 teams from across the state.
New London 53, Lone Tree 8
New London got off the schinde with a dominant 53-8 win over Lone Tree last night.
The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak — their first under head coach Mark McSorely.
The win evened their ledger at 3-3.
Lone Tree has now last back-to-back games after falling to Winfield-Mount Union a week prior.
New London kept their hopes alive for a postseason berth by way of RPI.
Other area finals:
- Solon 56, Fairfield 7
- Iowa City Liberty 24, Fort Madison 16
- Washington 43, Keokuk 23
- Columbus Junction 35, North Cedar 16
- Durant 18, Mediapolis 7
- Wapello 48, Alburnett 12
- Grinnell 49, West Burlington 7
- Central Lee 48, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 7
Prep Volleyball: Regional Pairings Released:
Regional volleyball pairings have been released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Here’s a look at area tilts:
Class 1A, Region 7
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Morningstar Academy at Wapello
- Highland at Winfield-Mount Union
Second Round (October 20th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Lone Tree or English Valleys at Notre Dame
Class 1A, Region 8
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Moravia at New London
- Keota at WACO
Second Round (October 20th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Seymour or Moulton-Udell at Holy Trinity
Class 3A, Region 6
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Central Lee at West Burlington
Class 4A, Region 6
First Round (October 19th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Mount Pleasant at Fairfield
KILJ will of course be your home for postseason volleyball through the months of October and November.
College Football: Iowa Meets Penn State, Other Statewide Matchups:
No. 3 Iowa is set for the big stage today when they host No. 4 Penn State.
Today’s game is shaping up to be a defensive struggle.
Penn State is third in the country in scoring defense, while Iowa is second.
Today’s game will begin at 3:00 p.m., with pre-game coverage at 1:00 p.m.
You can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.
Other statewide matchup:
- UNI at North Dakota State
- Dayton at Drake
- Upper Iowa at Augustana University
- Central at Coe
- Dubuque at Nebraska Wesleyan
- Luther at Simpson
- Loras at Wartburg
- Iowa State, Upper Iowa and Iowa Wesleyan are all on bye
Crash Details
On October 7 around 2:45 PM, Henry County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single-vehicle crash, with injuries, on Highway 78 near Marsh Avenue. Henry County responded to the scene and investigated the accident.
The driver of the vehicle, Judy Hazlett, 58, Cedar Rapids was traveling east on Highway 78 when she swerved to miss an animal in the roadway causing the vehicle to enter the south ditch. The vehicle continued through the ditch and the rear passenger side struck a utility pole, causing it to spin. The vehicle came to rest in a field. One passenger of the vehicle was transported to Henry County Health Center Emergency Room with minor injuries.
Judy Hazlett was issued a citation for Failure to Maintain Control of a Motor Vehicle. The Henry County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Winfield First Responders, Henry County Ambulance, and Mullen’s Towing.
Sports, Friday, October 8th
Boys’ XC: Danville-New London Repeats at SEISC Meet:
Danville-New London had five runners inside the top-10 as the Bears rolled to yet another Southeast Iowa Super Conference title last night in Wapello.
Ty Carr was the meet champion for Danville-New London, running an absurd 16:55.2 while his teammate Alexander Julian placed second in 17:07.87.
Rylan Martin placed fifth, Seth Bailey seventh and Carter Fesler went 18:22.49 for 10th.
All told, the Bears finished with 24 team points.
Columbus was the team runner-up with 54 points.
Winfield-Mount Union placed third, Pekin was fourth and Mediapolis fifth.
Mediapolis was led by sophomore superstar Solomon Zaugg, who ran 17:18.10 for fourth place.
WACO’s top runner was Wyatt Dennis, who finished 27th in 19:49.87.
Girls’ XC: Danville-New London Finishes 2nd, Pekin Wins SEISC Meet:
Pekin’s Lauren Derscheid and Lauren Steigleder went first and second to help lead the Panthers to a Southeast Iowa Super Conference girls’ cross country crown last night.
Derscheid ran 20:50.13, while Steigleder went 21:01.43.
Danville-New London was the team standings runner up after being led by Kamyrn Sherwood, Cassidy Yaley and Carissa Mackey.
Cardinal finished third, with Mediapolis and Columbus rounding out the top-five.
Justin Lynn led the WACO team with a 29th place finish, while Maggie Hutton topped Winfield-Mount Union running 27:25.24.
Prep Volleyball: Notre Dame, Holy Trinity Win, New London Falls:
No. 1 Notre Dame 3, WACO 0
Gabby Deery had 13 kills to lead a balanced attack as 1A’s top-ranked Notre Dame rolled to a sweep victory over WACO last night.
The Nikes pulled out 25-8, 25-3 and 25-9 wins in a truly dominant showing.
Megan Harrell chipped in with 12 kills.
The win pulled Notre Dame to 29-6, they’ll clash with 2A’s No. 1 Dike-New Hartford Saturday at the Cedar Rapids Jefferson tournament.
WACO fell to 16-11.
They’ll open the Washington tournament on Saturday with Sigourney.
No. 5 Holy Trinity 3, Cardinal 0
Kassi Randolph stuffed the stat sheet with 12 kills and 11 digs as No. 5 Holy Trinity crockpotted Cardinal last night.
The Crusaders earned 25-6, 25-9 and 25-13 wins in the sweep.
Brooke Mueller had seven kills, while Natalie Randolph and Mary Kate Bendlage each chipped in with six.
Holy Trinity improved to 20-5 in the win.
No. 9 (3A) West Burlington 3, No. 12 (1A) New London 1
New London nabbed set two, but a 29 kill effort by West Burlington’s Sophie Armstrong was all the difference as the Lady Falcons earned a 3-1 win over New London last night.
Armstrong ordered a side of five blocks, to go along with the 29 kill effort.
Kenna Marlow had 11 kills for the Lady Falcons.
Natalie Burden led the way for New London, who fell to 19-12 and 5-3 in SEISC play.
The Tigers will play in the Davis County tournament Saturday.
West Burlington will rest before hosting 1A’s top-ranked Notre Dame in a box office matchup.
The Lady Falcons are now 27-2.
Winfield-Mount Union 3, Louisa-Muscatine 0
Winfield-Mount Union showed no mercy, earning 25-15, 25-17 and 25-6 wins over Louisa-Muscatine in a quick sweep.
Bradie Buffington and Melina Oepping each had eight kills while Keely Malone provided 22 assists.
Winfield-Mount upped their ledger to 19-10 and 6-1 in SEISC play.
They’ll be off until next Tuesday when they link up with Mediapolis.
It will be the Lady Wolves senior night.
Other finals:
- Central Lee 3, Danville 0
- Lone Tree 3, Columbus 0
Prep Volleyball: Regional Pairings Released:
Regional volleyball pairings have been released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
Here’s a look at area tilts:
Class 1A, Region 7
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Morningstar Academy at Wapello
- Highland at Winfield-Mount Union
Second Round (October 20th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Lone Tree or English Valleys at Notre Dame
Class 1A, Region 8
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Moravia at New London
- Keota at WACO
Second Round (October 20th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Seymour or Moulton-Udell at Holy Trinity
Class 3A, Region 6
First Round (October 18th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Central Lee at West Burlington
Class 4A, Region 6
First Round (October 19th, 7:00 p.m.)
- Mount Pleasant at Fairfield
KILJ will of course be your home for postseason volleyball through the months of October and November.
Prep Football: WACO, Winfield-Mount Headline Area Games:
No. 6 (8P) WACO will battle Winfield-Mount Union tonight which headlines our area games this week.
The Wolves are 4-1 and winners of two straight after falling to New London earlier this year.
WACO is 7-0 and are in prime position for hoisting a district title.
That game will be played at Winfield-Mount Union High School.
Kick is set for 7:00 p.m.
Elsewhere in eight-player, New London is aiming to get back into the win column.
The Tigers have lost three straight for the first time under Mark McSorely.
Tonight, they get a matchup with Lone Tree, who was beaten last week by Winfield-Mount Union.
In Class 4A, Mount Pleasant is at Burlington.
The Panthers are 1-5 after being cascaded by Liberty last week 56-0.
The Greyhounds are 4-2.
That game will kick at 7:30 p.m. and you can listen on FM 105.5.
Other area matchups tonight:
- Fairfield at Solon
- Iowa City Liberty at Fort Madison
- Keokuk at Washington
- Pella Christian at Cardinal
- North Cedar at Columbus
- Mediapolis at Durant
- Highland at Lisbon
- Pleasantville at Van Buren County
- Alburnett at Wapello
- Grinnell at West Burlington Notre Dame
- Central Lee at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
Prep Cross Country: Southeast Iowa Super Conference Meet Tonight
Wapello — Champions will be crowned tonight at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Cross Country Meet.
Action will be start at 4:30 p.m. with the junior high races.
Varsity girls’ are slated to run at 5:00 p.m. with the varsity boys’ race to be ran at 5:30 p.m.
The meet will be held at Heritage Oaks Golf Club in Wapello.
According to meet information, spectators can park in the main parking lot and along the south highway.
Course administration is also asking spectators to stay off greens and out of bunkers during the race.
Prep Volleyball: Showdown in West Burlington, Holy Trinity Looks to Stay Hot, Notre Dame Hosts WACO
KILJ — It’s looking like another gauntlet night in the Super Conference with several high profile matchups.
We’ll start in West Burlington, where 3A’s No. 9 will host No. 12 (1A) New London.
The Tigers have been hot of late, winning four of their last five, led by the stellar play of junior hitter Natalie Burden, who’s averaging 2.8 kills per set.
Sophia Armstrong paces the Falcons front row with 4.3 kills per set.
West Burlington, 26-2 on the year, have won three straight in the series — most recently a 2-0 sweep back on September 21st.
Tonight’s matchup will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile in Fort Madison, Holy Trinity is looking to stay hot and rebound from a Tuesday loss to the Lady Falcons.
Tonight 1A’s No. 5 Crusaders will get a matchup with Cardinal.
It will be senior night for Melissa Freesmeier’s club.
Cardinal is 4-18.
Holy Trinity is 19-5 — they’ll start at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
1A’s No. 1 Notre Dame is also back on the hardwood tonight when they welcome in WACO.
The Warriors are 16-10 on the year while Notre Dame is 28-6.
Gabby Deery is having a monster year for the Nikes with 4.0 kills per set and has been their top server.
Ellah Kissell leads WACO with 2.7 kills per set.
Notre Dame has won the last three matchups between the two schools.
Other matchups tonight:
- Central Lee at Danville
- Columbus at Lone Tree
- Winfield-Mount Union at Louisa-Muscatine
- Wapello at Mediapolis
- Highland at Hillcrest Academy
- Centerville, Davis County, Van Buren County at Pekin
College Football: Hankins, Moss Named to Bednarik Award Watch List
Iowa City — University of Iowa senior defensive backs Matt Hankins and Riley Moss have been added to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, which is presented to the most outstanding defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Monday Nov. 1.
Hankins had two interceptions against Iowa State and has 15 tackles this year. He was a second-team All-Big Ten choice one year ago.
Moss leads the Big Ten with three interceptions and the Ankeny native has tallied 22 tackles.
Hankins and Moss will get their first big test on Saturday when they welcome in the fourth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.
Kickoff from Kinnick Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m.