Postseason High School Football
Classes A and 4A held their semifinal matchups yesterday and a majority of the games were decided before the final whistle.
For Class A, Wapsie Valley was in complete control for a half of play, leading 7 to 6 over #2 Saint Ansgar at the break. Then the Saints broke through with three huge plays in the third quarter: an 83-yard kick return touchdown, a 90-yard touchdown pass from Porter Schwiesow to Korben Michels, and a Schwiesow 30-yard dash to the endzone as they outscored the Warriors 24 to 0 in the second half to win 31-7.
It was the Michael Schmillen show as #1 MMCRU shut out West Sioux 28-0. Schmillen reeled in three receptions for 147 yards and three touchdowns in a truly dominating display, while the Royals defense curtailed the Falcons’ rushing attack to just 49 yards. The Class A championship contest is set for November 20th at 1 pm between Saint Ansgar and MMCRU.
The Class 4A semifinals saw Emmanuel Diers of Pella run all over Sergeant Bluff-Luton, tallying 197 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Dutch’s 35-14 victory over the Warriors. Michael Manning added 157 yards and a touchdown through the air.
In the closest finish of the day, Xavier’s mad dash of a second half saw Cash Parks plunge in from a yard out late in the fourth quarter to beat Newton 31-24. Parks finished with three total touchdowns in the winning effort. Caden Klein put the Cardinals on his back in the loss, amassing over 300 total yards and three touchdowns.
Pella and Xavier will meet at 7 pm on November 20th for the Class 4A state title.
Class 1A will play today with Grundy Center taking on Regina Catholic at 10 am and West Lyon facing off against South Hardin at 1 pm.
The Class 5A semifinals are set for tonight with Dowling Catholic facing off against Valley at 4 pm and Waukee Northwest dueling with Iowa City Liberty at 7 pm.
The Class 2A semifinals will lead off tomorrow, November, 15th, with Osage and Van Meter playing at 10 am and Kuemper Catholic squaring off against Wilton at 1 pm. The Class 3A semifinals will follow with Bishop Heelan kicking off against Wahlert Catholic at 4 pm and Solon taking on Nevada at 7 pm.
#1 Bishop Garrigan and #2 Woodbine will meet on November 20th at 9:30 am for the Eight-Player state championship.
High School Girls’ Basketball
Mediapolis will travel to Burlington tonight for a scrimmage.
Mt. Pleasant will host their jamboree on Monday, November 17th, with Columbus, Mediapolis, and Winfield-Mt. Union also participating.
New London will scrimmage against Fairfield and Van Buren County will take on Sigourney at a jamboree held by Cardinal on Tuesday, November 18th.
Southeastern Community College
The women’s basketball team will face off against Moberly Area Community College tomorrow, November 15th, at a tournament held by John Wood Community College.
The men’s basketball team will travel to Olive-Harvey College tonight at 6 pm.
The men’s and women’s wrestling teams will travel to Luther College tomorrow for a tournament.
The Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) released the All-Region Teams for Division II volleyball yesterday and the Blackhawks put four on the list.
Aviana West was named to the All-Region First Team after finishing 4th in the conference with 405 kills for the season. Finding a spot on the Second Team was Taryn Havener, as she posted 74 total blocks and 273 kills. Jacque Adair made the Third Team with 379 kills on a kill efficiency of 0.150. Fairfield alum Maddie Jones was named All-Region Honorable Mention as she amassed 793 assists for the year, adding 44 aces and 23 kills for the squad.
College Football
#21 Iowa returns to action tomorrow, November 15th, in a road showdown against #17 USC at 2:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will be on the call.
Iowa State is now on a bye week.
College Basketball
The #21 Iowa women’s team put on another dazzling display of offense, clobbering Drake 100-58 last night. Layla Hays collected a double-double from off the bench, cashing in for 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will travel to Cedar Falls to take on UNI on Sunday, November 16th, at 2 pm.
The Iowa men’s team will host Xavier tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM will be on the call.
The #16 Iowa State women’s team will face off against Norfolk State on Sunday at 1 pm.
The #16 Iowa State men’s team will compete at home against Stonehill College on Monday, November 17th, at 7 pm. KILJ 98.5 FM and AM 1130 will be on the call.
This Day in Sports History
1943 – Sid Luckman became the first passer in NFL history to eclipse the 400-yard plateau when he threw for 433 yards and 7 touchdowns in his team’s 56-7 rout of the New York Giants.
1993 – Don Shula became the winningest coach in NFL history when the Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 19-14, at the old Veteran Stadium. The victory was the 325th of Shula’s career.
2018 – New York Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom wins the NL Cy Young Award; his 10 wins were the fewest ever by a Cy Young winner in a non-strike-shortened season.