IOWA CITY, Iowa – – University of Iowa sophomore wide receiver Oliver Martin has been approved for immediate eligibility by the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference. Martin, a native of Coralville, Iowa and a graduate of Iowa City West High School, transferred to the Hawkeye football program this summer.

Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz said, “We are pleased that the NCAA and Big Ten Conference have approved Oliver’s waiver to play this season. Oliver is a tremendous young man who has been working hard since the day he set foot on our campus this summer. His teammates are excited to have him on the practice field and in the weight room, and we look forward to Oliver being able to contribute to our team.”

Martin had this comment after receiving word of the approval, “I am ecstatic that the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference have approved our waiver request. I want to thank my coaches and my teammates for their help as I work to get ready. I have been dreaming of running out of the tunnel wearing the black and gold ever since I decided to join the program. I can’t wait to contribute to this team on the field.”

Iowa opens the 2019 season Saturday, Aug. 31, hosting Miami, Ohio (6:40 p.m. CT, FS1). We’ll have coverage of the game on the Hawkeye Radio Network here on KJAN. Pregame will start at 4:30pm.

Essex Triangular

(2-0) Bedford 25-25 Essex 9-20
(2-0) Riverside 25-25 Essex 21-12
(2-1) Riverside 25-23-15 Bedford 21-25-7

Logan-Magnolia Triangular 

(2-0) Logan-Magnolia 25-25 Heartland Christian 14-17
(2-0) Logan-Magnolia 25-25 West Harrison 18-13
(2-0) West Harrison 25-25 Heartland Christian 15-21

Other Scores

(3-0) East Union 25-25-25 Twin Cedars 15-13-17
(2-1) Greene County 25-16-15 Glidden-Ralston 21-25-12
(2-0) Glidden-Ralston 25-25 Collins-Maxwell 19-13
(3-0) Lynnville-Sully 25-25-25 Martensdale-St. Marys 21-17-9
(3-0) Nodaway Valley 25-25-25 Audubon 11-17-17
(3-1) Stanton 25-21-25-25 Lenox 10-25-11-13

The Shenandoah Early Bird Cross Country Meet was held on Tuesday night. Tri-Center’s Peyton Pogge and Sidney’s Noah Jorgensen were the individual champions here is a look at the top finishers.

Girls Individual Top Ten

Girls Team Scores

Boys Individual Top Ten

Full meet results HERE.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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(Radio Iowa) — The results of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources survey show there will be plenty of pheasants available when the season opens in October. D-N-R wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz, oversees the survey and says the numbers didn’t crater despite some rough winter and spring weather. “Yeah they are down a little — but I think it could have been a lot worse. I think we even had a couple regions that showed a slight uptick,” Bogenschutz says.

The August roadside survey showed an average of 17 pheasants per 30 mile route, down from 21 per route last year. But he says two areas caused the overall average to drop. “The south-central and south-east had a lot of ice down there last year and of course they had an abundance of rain in May. So the counts are way down in those two regions — 40 to 50 percent — and that kind of drove our overall statewide number,” Bogenschutz says. “The rest of the numbers are up a little, down a little, none of them significant.”

The west-central region saw an 18 percent increase in pheasants and the north-central region saw a 14 percent increase. He says seeing the roadside count numbers close to last year is a win for hunters. “Last year was our best year in ten years — so that’s pretty good I think,” Bogenschutz says. The pheasant numbers have been building back up after several years of decline brought on by bad weather. While the birds will be available, he says the hunting conditions are going to make it more difficult to find them. “Because crop planting was so late this year there it’s probably a high likelihood on our opener that most of the crops are going to be standing. And that’s going to make for a tougher opener because bills will have a lot of cropland they will be able to move off to and basically you won’t be able to hunt them,” Bogenschutz explains.

He says acres of standing corn make a great place for birds to hide. “All the birds — especially when the season opens at the end of October — I mean they are using the crop fields as things are maturing they are starting to use them as a food source and are in them anyway. And a little bit of hunting pressure and they are going to figure out quick that’s the place to be so they won’t be bothered,” Bogenschutz says. “I fully expect because of how far behind the planting season was this year we’re going to have a lot of crops the opener.”

He expects hunters to take around 200-thousand roosters again this year — but says that could be much higher if more hunters went out. “Fifteen years ago we had 100-thousand hunters and last year we barely broke 50 (thousand). Our harvest is partly driven by how many guys get out there and chase them. Our hunter numbers have been slowly creeping back up, they had gotten down into the 40-thousand range,” Bogenschutz says. He says the number of birds taken could more than double if more hunters hit the fields. “If we had the hunters we had 15 years ago I think our harvest last year would have been half a million. I think the birds were there,” Bogenschutz says.

The pheasant season will open up on October 26th.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Nate Stanley will enter his senior season with a chance at becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history. Stanley is content to focus on winning and letting his legacy take care of itself. Stanley threw for 52 touchdowns in his first two seasons as a starter, the best two-year stretch for a Hawkeye. He is just 23 TD passes away from passing Heisman Trophy runner-up Chuck Long for the top spot. Iowa opens the season Saturday against Miami (Ohio).

AMES, Iowa (AP) — No. 21 Iowa State heads into the season with an offensive line it considers a strength. That has not always been the case for coach Matt Campbell, who is now in this third season. The five players who will start on Saturday against Northern Iowa have combined to start 114 games at Iowa State. Only four Bowl Subdivision teams have a unit with more combined starts. Campbell says he expects the four seniors and a sophomore to play like a veteran group.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yadier Molina hit two home runs and the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals matched a season high with their sixth straight win, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on a rain-delayed game inside Miller Park. Play was halted in the seventh inning as rain poured through the open roof and fans rushed to the covered concourses. The delay lasted about nine minutes as the retractable roof closed. Cardinals right fielder Dexter Fowler made a jumping catch at the wall with two on to end it.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two people familiar with the situation tell The Associated Press that the ownership of the Kansas City Royals is open to the possibility of selling the franchise if the right buyer is found. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sale. The Athletic reported Tuesday that team owner David Glass was in discussions with a group led by Kansas City native and Cleveland Indians vice chairman John Sherman.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory. Semien had hits in his first two at-bats of the game, coming around to score in the first inning and driving in a run in the second. Fiers scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings and has won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, to tie Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The final preseason game is where the final spots on the roster are typically won and lost. That’s no different for the Kansas City Chiefs, where everything from the backup running back to wide receiver to defensive backfield positions will be settled.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks has been charged with illegally possessing firearms. The U.S. attorney’s office said Monday in announcing the charges against 40-year-old Saousoalii Siavii Jr. that he was twice stunned with a Taser after he resisted arrest when he was taken into custody in August.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Chris Klieman inherited a roster without a single scholarship running back when he took over the program. But the arrival of three touted transfers, including former Ball State running back James Gilbert, has Klieman feeling optimistic. The season opener is Saturday against Nicholls State.

UNDATED (AP) _ The St. Louis Cardinals continue to lead the NL Central by three games over Chicago after Yadier Molina homered twice in a 6-3 victory at Milwaukee. Miles Mikolas was reached for one run and only four hits while striking out 10 over six innings to help the Redbirds get their sixth straight win. The Cubs bounced back from their three-game sweep by Washington as Yu Darvish scattered five hits over eight innings of a 5-2 victory against the New York Mets.

The preseason football rankings for the 2019 season are out from Radio Iowa.  Here’s a look at the full top-ten poll in each class and their week one opponent listed.

Class 4A
1. Dowling Catholic vs #2 Waukee
2. Waukee @ #1 Dowling
3. Iowa City West @ 3A #4 North Scott
4. Ankeny Centennial vs #9 Ankeny
5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy vs CR Jefferson
6. WDM Valley @ Southeast Polk
7. Bettendorf @ Pleasant Valley
8. Cedar Falls vs Ames
9. Ankeny @ #4 Centennial
10.Dubuque Senior @ Linn-Mar

Class 3A
1. Western Dubuque @ Clinton
2. Solon @ Mount Vernon
3. Cedar Rapids Xavier vs 1A #9 Regina
4. North Scott vs 4A #3 Iowa City West
5. Pella vs #7 Dallas Center-Grimes
6. Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs Lewis Central
7. Dallas Center-Grimes @ #5 Pella
8. Sioux City Heelan @ Sioux City East
9. Decorah @ 2A #1 Waukon
10.Spencer @ Spirit Lake

Class 2A
1. Waukon vs 3A #9 Decorah
2. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley @ 1A #1 West Sioux
3. Clear Lake vs Osage
4. Crestwood @ Charles City
5. Williamsburg @ West Marshall
6. Algona vs Humboldt
7. Des Moines Christian @ West Central Valley
8. Chariton vs Creston/O-M
9. Carroll Kuemper vs A #5 St. Albert
10.Waterloo Columbus vs Iowa Falls-Alden

Class 1A
1. West Sioux vs 2A #2 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
2. Dike-New Hartford vs Denver
3. Van Meter vs Earlham
4. West Branch @ West Liberty
5. West Lyon vs Central Lyon
6. Pella Christian @ Oskaloosa
7. Mediapolis vs West Burlington
8. Mount Ayr vs Nodaway Valley
9. Iowa City Regina @ 3A #3 Xavier
10.South Central Calhoun @ East Sac County

Class A
1. West Hancock @ Garner-Hayfield-Ventura
2. Alta-Aurelia @ Lawton-Bronson
3. Wapsie Valley vs Clayton Ridge
4. Saint Ansgar vs West Fork
5. Council Bluffs St. Albert @ 2A #9 Kuemper
6. Edgewood-Colesburg @ Bellevue
7. Hudson vs Jesup
8. Algona Garrigan vs Emmetsburg
9. Wayne (Corydon) @ Woodward Academy
10.Mason City Newman @ Lake Mills

Eight-man
1. Don Bosco @ #9 Gladbrook-Reinbeck
2. Newell-Fonda vs Collins-Maxwell
3. Fremont-Mills vs Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton
4. Turkey Valley @ AGWSR
5. Remsen St. Mary’s vs #7 Audubon
6. New London (1-0) Idle
7. Audubon (1-0) @ #5 Remsen St. Mary’s
8. Iowa Valley (1-0) Idle
9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs #1 Don Bosco
10. Lenox (1-0) @ Sidney

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the preseason rankings for the 2019 volleyball season. Here is a look at the list in each class with 2018 season records.

Class 1A
1 Tripoli (24-16)
2 Sidney (39-3)
3 Janesville (46-5)
4 North Tama (26-8)
5 LeMars Gehlen Catholic (28-5)
6 Holy Trinity Catholic (37-4)
7 Montezuma (30-7)
8 East Mills (28-6)
9 St. Albert (23-6)
10 Wapsie Valley (21-15)
11 Fremont-Mills (22-14)
12 East Buchanan (22-14)
13 BCLUW (26-12)
14 Lamoni (21-10)
15 Central Elkader (22-8)

Class 2A
1 Western Christian (42-5)
2 Osage (30-7)
3 Beckman Catholic (44-4)
4 Hudson (31-7)
5 Van Buren (30-4)
6 Clarion-Goldfield (27-9)
7 Wilton (36-5)
8 South Central Calhoun (30-12)
9 Central Lyon (23-9)
10 Mediapolis (23-17)
11 Underwood (23-13)
12 Grundy Center (39-4)
13 West Monona (22-11)
14 Woodward-Granger (23-11)
15 Tri-Center (31-8)

Class 3A
1 Mount Vernon (28-16)
2 Kuemper Catholic (45-1)
3 Tipton (39-4)
4 Dike-New Hartford (35-13)
5 West Liberty (26-11)
6 Union (29-15)
7 Davenport Assumption (31-6)
8 MOC-Floyd Valley (28-8)
9 New Hampton (36-6)
10 Humboldt (30-5)
11 Spirit Lake (33-8)
12 Red Oak (25-13)
13 Cherokee (29-17)
14 Bishop Heelan (24-13)
15 Sioux Center (22-16)

Class 4A
1 Wahlert Catholic (26-12)
2 Cedar Rapids Xavier (29-9)
3 West Delaware (33-11)
4 Dallas Center-Grimes (36-5)
5 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (35-7)
6 Lewis Central (21-14)
7 Waverly-Shell Rock (40-9)
8 Clear Creek-Amana (26-15)
9 North Scott (22-12)
10 Norwalk (20-21)
11 Gilbert (21-28)
12 Glenwood (17-14)
13 Fairfield (31-6)
14 Winterset (20-8)
15 Knoxville (17-15)

Class 5A
1 Cedar Falls (46-1)
2 Dowling Catholic (29-13)
3 Ankeny (31-13)
4 West Des Moines Valley (41-4)
5 Waukee (29-15)
6 Ankeny Centennial (41-3)
7 Pleasant Valley (26-8)
8 Abraham Lincoln (31-10)
9 Iowa City Liberty (19-15)
10 Indianola (29-15)
11 Des Moines Roosevelt (20-20)
12 Iowa City High (24-13)
13 Ottumwa (19-17)
14 Johnston (18-17)
15 Sioux City East (20-21)

DES MOINES – Secretary of State Paul Pate is partnering with the Iowa Cubs to promote our state’s unique first-in-the-nation caucus status and help Cubs fans register to vote. The Iowa Cubs will temporarily change their team name to the Iowa Caucuses for this Friday’s game against the Memphis Redbirds.

Secretary Pate’s staff will be on hand at the game to help attendees register to vote or update their registration. He also invited the Republican Party of Iowa and Iowa Democratic Party to attend and inform Iowans about the caucus process. Although approximately 90 percent of Iowans are registered to vote, Pate says it is important to keep your registration up-to-date with your current address. Friday’s game, he says, is an ideal opportunity to check your status.

The Secretary of State will have voter registration forms and online tablets available at the entrance gates for Friday’s game. Additionally, they will be giving away free Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration bookmarks and Iowa League of Heroes #BeAVoter trading cards. For more information on Friday’s game, visit IowaCubs.com.