High School Basketball
Mt. Pleasant will travel to Benton tonight with the night’s doubleheader starting at 5:30 pm with the boys’ game and the girls’ game to follow at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.
Central Lee will head back home to take on New London tomorrow, December 16th, with the girls playing first at 6 pm.
Danville will hit the road to compete against West Burlington tomorrow with tip-off at 6 pm.
WACO will tangle with Hillcrest Academy at home tomorrow at 6 pm.
Wapello will host Highland with the night starting at 6 pm tomorrow.
Burlington Notre Dame will face off against Mediapolis at home tomorrow with game one at 6 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic will hit the road to play Van Buren County tomorrow with the girls’ tipping-off at 6 pm.
Winfield-Mt. Union will compete tomorrow at home against Columbus with the night starting at 6 pm.
Fairfield will face off against Keokuk on Friday, December 19th, at home with game one at 6 pm.
High School Bowling
Fairfield will duel Mt. Pleasant today at home.
High School Wrestling
The Wapello boys’ teams collected 80.5 points for 6th place at the North Cedar Invitational over the weekend. Cohen Wolford defeated Teague Williams of Solon in the championship match of the 165-pound weight class by an 8-3 decision. Grayson Nagle took 2nd place in the 215-pound weight class.
The WACO boys’ team competed at the Springville Invitational over the weekend and finished in 6th place with 98.5 points. Ian Maize finished the weekend 3-0 to win the 113-pound weight class. Rydge Sterna claimed 3rd place in the 120-pound weight class. The Warriors will travel to the North Mahaska meet tomorrow, December 16th.
The Wapello girls’ team competed at the Marion Tournament over the weekend and Clara Ball pinned her three opponents to win the 115-pound weight class.
The WACO and Wapello girls’ teams will compete in the Warhorse Invitational on Saturday, December 20th.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team will head to Lisbon for a triangular tomorrow.
Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fort Madison for a dual on Thursday, December 18th.
The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ team will host a triangular on Thursday with Van Buren County and Wapello making the trip.
The Burlington Notre Dame boys’ team will compete in a triangular at home against WACO and Mediapolis on Thursday.
High School Wrestling Rankings
IAwrestle released their first team and individual rankings of the season over the weekend and 17 of our local wrestlers found their way into the top 12. Here’s some of the highlights.
In Class 1A for the boys, WACO’s Ian Maize was placed at #2 in the 113-pound weight class, while Wapello’s Cohen Wolford took the #4-spot in the 165-pound weight class.
In the boys’ Class 2A team rankings, Burlington Notre Dame was ranked 10th with five individuals ranked, including #3 Kael Cook as the highest ranked Nike. Fairfield’s Cael McCabe is the favorite in the 113-pound weight class. Lastly, Kyler Crow of Mediapolis was ranked 3rd in the 175-pound weight class.
In Class 1A for the girls, Wapello put a pair in the top four with undefeated Kenadee Helscher placed atop the 105-pound weight class and Clara Ball being ranked 4th in the 115-pound weight class. Fairfield’s Samantha Lyons was placed at #2 in the 170-pound weight class, as she looks to be named Southeast Conference Wrestler of the Year.
For a full breakdown of our local wrestler’s rankings, follow this link: Wrestling Rankings
Southeastern Community College
The women’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak over the weekend, defeating Central Community College 80-71. Avelle Bonfoh went off for 28 points in the win. The Blackhawks will host Ellsworth Community College on Wednesday, December 17th, at 5:30 pm.
The men’s basketball team went 1-1 at the Highland Tournament over the weekend, losing a close one to the host school 64-60, while outlasting Moraine Valley Community College 80-75 in double overtime. Kalvyne Eby finished with a 22 point/13 rebound double-double in the thrilling victory. The Blackhawks will head into winter break with an 8-7 record.
College Football
#23 Iowa will take on #14 Vanderbilt on December 31st at 11 am for the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
College Basketball
The #10 Iowa State women’s team clobbered UNI yesterday, 81-53. The Cyclones executed their first in-state sweep since the 2021-22 season. Addy Brown was brilliant in the victory, collecting a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Iowa State will prepare to host their first conference game of the season against Kansas on Sunday, December 21st, at 1 pm.
The #11 Iowa women’s team brushed off Lindenwood over the weekend, 102-68. Hannah Stuelke was a force for the Hawkeyes, tallying 31 points in the winning effort. Iowa will face off against #1 UConn in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions on Saturday, December 20th, at 12:30 pm.
The Iowa men’s team steamrolled Western Michigan yesterday, 91-51. Five Hawkeyes finished the game in double figures. Iowa will travel to play Bucknell on Saturday at 5 pm.
The #4 Iowa State men’s team handled Eastern Illinois over the weekend 78-53. Milan Momcilovic led the scoring with 18 points. The Cyclones will stay at home to take on Long Beach State on Sunday at 5 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1966 – The New Orleans Saints became the 16th NFL franchise.
1982 – Paul “Bear” Bryant announced his retirement as head football coach at the University of Alabama.
1992 – Arthur Ashe was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.