Class 1A Championship @ Merchants Park in Carroll

St. Albert, Council Bluffs 7, Kee, Lansing 5

Class 2A Championship @ Merchants Park in Carroll

Van Meter 10, Centerville 2

Class 4A Quarterfinals @ Duane Banks Field in Iowa City

Pleasant Valley 5, Ottumwa 1

Prairie, Cedar Rapids 8, Dowling Catholic 4

Ankeny 2, Waukee 1

Johnston 11, Dubuque, Hempstead 5

The St. Albert Falcons are the 2021 Class 1A State Baseball Champions. Their 4th State Title in school history was achieved at Merchants Park in Carroll on Thursday afternoon with a 7-5 victory over Kee.

The Falcons scored 2 runs in each of the first, second, and third innings and tacked on one more in the 4th. Kee scored one in the second but St. Albert had the commanding 7-1 lead by the end of the 5th. Kee was able to get the bats going a bit in the 6th and put up four runs to close the gap. Some interesting base running ended up poorly for the Kee-Hawks that frame. One of two runners that were still aboard got chased down in a pickle at third, ending the threat. The Kee-Hawks couldn’t get anything going in the 7th aside from a mishandled grounder that got a runner on first. Carter White made the snag on a fly ball in left field for the final out.

The Falcons racked up 13 hits in the game and Luke Hubbard picked up the win on the mound. Cy Patterson came on in the 6th to secure the save and the title. Patterson also led the offense with two hits, and two RBI. Colton Brennan had 3 hits and scored twice. The Falcons end the season with a terrific record of 35-8 and pick up a State Title for the first time since 1999.

ST. LOUIS, Mo., July 29, 2021 – In accordance with the City of St. Louis’ mask mandate that went into effect on Monday, July 26, the St. Louis Cardinals have updated their existing health and safety protocols.  All fans will be asked to wear a mask when entering or circulating the five indoor ticketed club areas, plus the Official Team Store and the Cardinals Authentics Shop at Busch Stadium.  The five indoor club areas include the Cardinals Club, Redbird Club, UMB Champions Club, National Car Rental Club, and Perficient Red Jacket Club.  Fans do not have to wear masks when actively eating or drinking inside the clubs or in the outdoor seating portions of those clubs.

Fans will also be asked to wear masks in all indoor public spaces at Ballpark Village.

Masks will be made available for guests as they enter enclosed spaces to ensure compliance with the City’s new mandate.  A full list of Busch Stadium health and safety protocols can be found at cardinals.com/backatbusch.

The Cardinals continue to encourage all fans to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The Iowa Girls Coaches Association has released their 2021 All-State Softball selections. Here’s a look at area honorees.

CLASS 1A

1st Team
TJ Stoaks, Lenox
Macy Emgarten, Exira-EHK
Charlie Pryor, Woodbine
Emily McIntosh, West Harrison

2nd Team
Erika Rife, Logan-Magnolia
Anna Kelly, Griswold
Haylee Pennock, Griswold
Shay Burmeister, Exira-EHK

3rd Team
Kenna Ford, Riverside
Haley Koch, West Harrison
Abby Hiatt, Logan-Magnolia

Honorable Mention
Karly Millekan, Griswold
Maccan Guritz, Logan-Magnolia
Mallory Behnken, CAM
Maddy Holtz, CAM
Alexia Miller, Boyer Valley
Leah Cooper, Boyer Valley
Jolie Sheldon, Sidney
Katelyn Nielsen, Audubon

Full list: 1A

CLASS 2A

2nd Team
Ella Pierce, Underwood
Kenzie Schon, Kuemper Catholic

3rd Team
Ella Sand, West Central Valley
MaKayla Haynes, West Monona

Honorable Mention
Kelsey Madalyn, ACGC
Carly Miller, West Monona
Ally Meyers, AHSTW
Jayden Huisman, Treynor
Maddie Pierce, Underwood

Full list: 2A

CLASS 3A

1st Team
Olivia Engler, Atlantic

2nd Team
Alyssa Derby, Atlantic

Full list: 3A

CLASS 4A

1st Team
Haley Bach, Lewis Central

2nd Team
Chloe Gallegos, Carroll
Emily Brouse, Harlan

3rd Team
Gracie Hagle, Creston

Full list: 4A

5A

Class 1A Championship

12:00—#2 St. Albert, Council Bluffs vs. #4 Kee, Lansing

Class 2A Championship

2:30—#1 Van Meter vs. #2 Centerville

Class 4A Quarterfinals

11:00—#1 Pleasant Valley vs. #8 Ottumwa

1:30—#4 Dowling Catholic vs. #5 Prairie, Cedar Rapids

5:00—#2 Ankeny vs. #7 Waukee

7:30—#3 Johnston vs. #6 Dubuque, Hempstead

Class 1A Semifinals @ Merchants Park in Carroll

Kee, Lansing 5, St. Mary’s, Remsen 3 (9 innings)

St. Albert 10, Alburnett 0 (5 innings)

Class 2A Semifinals @ Merchants Park in Carroll

Van Meter 4, Unity Christian, Orange City 3

Centerville 12, Camanche 11 (8 innings)

Class 3A Quarterfinals @ Duane Banks Field in Iowa City

Central DeWitt 11, Waverly-Shell Rock 1

Marion 11, ADM, Adel 2

Xavier, Cedar Rapids 18, MOC-Floyd Valley 3

Wahlert Catholic, Dubuque 4,  Winterset 1

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced Wednesday the naming of Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. The naming was approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Slater, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound tackle for the Hawkeyes from 1918-21, was the first Black student-athlete in school history to earn All-America honors. A three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Slater competed in football and track and field for the Hawkeyes. Iowa had a 7-0 Big Ten record in 1921 to claim the conference title and was named by more than one media outlet as national champion.

Slater was the first Black player inducted to the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 1951 as a member of the inaugural class. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, being elected as a member of the Centennial Class in 2020. Slater was elected to the National Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame in the 1989 inaugural class and in 1951 was one of five members named to the inaugural class of the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. As part of the 100-year celebration of Iowa football in 1989, he was named a member of Iowa’s all-time football team.

“We are proud and honored to name the Kinnick Stadium playing field as Duke Slater Field,” said Gary Barta, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair. “Much has been written about Duke’s incredible history and the boundaries he broke. With the addition of the relief statue as part of the north endzone project and his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this was a proper capstone to honor a remarkable Hawkeye. As the description on the relief statue states ‘His life in football and beyond was defined by triumph and relentless breaking of boundaries.’”

Slater joined the Iowa football program after a successful prep career at Clinton (Iowa) High School. He helped Iowa to an undefeated record in 1921, including a 10-7 victory over Knute Rockne’s Notre Dame team, which ended a 20-game Irish winning streak. In four seasons, Slater helped Iowa post a 23-6-1 record.

Slater turned pro in 1922, joining the Milwaukee Badgers. After two games, he signed with the Rock Island Independents, where he played from 1922-25. Slater completed his career with the Chicago Cardinals (1926-31).

Slater starred as a two-way tackle in the NFL for 10 seasons and was the longest tenured Black player during that era. Slater played the full 60 minutes during the historic Thanksgiving Day game in 1929 when Ernie Nevers scored a single-game record 40 points, an NFL record that still stands.

Racial bias presumably kept Slater from being named to the official NFL All-Decade Team of the 1920s. However, he was recognized as an All-Decade player of the 1920s in the book “The Pro Football Chronicle.” In total, Slater was named All-BNFL four times (1923, 1925, 1926, 1929), and second-team All-NFL by various outlets in seven of his 10 pro seasons (1923-27, 1929-30).

Slater graduated from law school at Iowa in 1928 and passed the bar that same year while still playing in the NFL. He started a practice in Chicago and became an assistant district attorney and assistant Illinois commerce commissioner. Slater was elected Chicago’s second Black judge in 1948, and in 1960 became the first Black judge to serve on the Superior Court of Chicago. He moved to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1964.

Slater Residence Hall, a dormitory located on the west side of the UI campus, is named after Slater. A relief of Slater throwing a key block in Iowa’s 1921 win over Notre Dame is featured outside the north end zone of Kinnick Stadium.

Slater was born Dec. 9, 1898, in Normal, Illinois. He attended high school in Clinton, Iowa, where he earned all-state honors at left tackle. Slater died Aug. 14, 1966, at the age of 67.

Permanent recognition of Duke Slater Field will be installed on the playing surface later this summer and recognition of Slater and former Hawkeye Alex Karras, also a member of the 2020 Centennial Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is planned during Iowa’s game against Penn State on Saturday, Oct 9.

(Radio Iowa) The Missouri Valley Football Conference says games canceled this season due to COVID will most likely result in forfeits. Conference Commissioner Patty Viverito says vaccination rates were frightening earlier this summer but have improved in recent weeks.

Viverito says their goal is to have 85 percent of players, coaches and staff vaccinated.

Viverito says currently none of the league teams are at the 85 percent level.

Viverito says there is no room in the schedule to make up games that are canceled.

Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley admits his program is lagging in its vaccination rate.

The Panthers had several players miss games and had a game canceled during their abbreviated spring season.

Farley hopes what the Panthers experienced in the spring will help motivate the players to get vaccinated.

The Panthers open September fourth at Iowa State.

(Radio Iowa) Tanner Schouten gave up four hits in six and two thirds innings of work as Unity Christian beat Clarinda 6-2 in a class 2A quarterfinal round game at the state baseball tournament in Carroll. Unity Christian coach Marlin Schoonhoven.

Eli Erwin had a two run single as part of a three run sixth inning for Unity.

Unity will play top ranked Van Meter in tonight’s 2A semifinals. Van Meter beat Davis County 9-6.