Seventh ranked Pekin opens the class A playoffs at home tonight (Friday night) against Earlham. The Panthers finished the regular season 8-0 but coach Klynt Weber says the playoffs are a new challenge.

Weber says the playoffs are about taking you game to the next level.

Earlham runs a version of the “single wing”. It is an offense Weber knows all about having played and coached at Sigourney Keota.

The 2025 Atlantic Volleyball season has ended after a Class 3A Region 4 loss to top-seeded Red Oak. The Tigers won in straight sets 25-13 in the first two and capped it off with a 25-12 third set. Freshman Reese Harlan led the way for the Trojans with nine kills followed up by Senior Adler Bruce with four.

In the first set, Red Oak jumped out to a 12-6 behind eight kills combined from Junior Keely Jones and Senior Jocelyn O’Neal. Atlantic’s defense did a nice job blocking but the three 200+ kill performers for Red Oak were just too much to handle for Atlantic in the first set.

In the second set, Atlantic got out to a 6-2 lead behind excellent communication and quick offense from Harlan and Bruce. Atlantic was able to spark some momentum after three of the nine service errors Red Oak early in the second set. As the second progressed, Red Oak began to feel a rhythm by going on two different 5-0 runs. The Trojans were down 23-10 before-back-to-back kills to cut the Tiger lead to eleven. Shortly after, Jones smacked the volleyball on the center of the Trojan side of the floor to seal the second set.

In the third, Red Oak jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead behind Jocelyn O’Neal who led all players with 17 kills in the match. Atlantic struck back with Senior Jayci Reed picking up back-to-back kills to cut the deficit to two. Later in the set, Red Oak went on another lengthy run to go ahead eight forcing a Trojan timeout. Atlantic didn’t have much of an effort after the timeout and fell 25-12 in the third set.

Atlantic’s season came to a close at 18-19 in 2025.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 10th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team shut out Michigan State, 6-0, on Thursday evening.

“We did a great job,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “Anytime you put up six goals in a half, it means you’re doing something right. We have been building and working on scoring all year. There’s people stepping up in big moments, and we saw that today. Being able to have the depth that we do will help us going forward both offensively and defensively.”

The Hawkeyes struck first with back-to-back goals from Frederique van Cleef in the first six minutes, the first assisted by Jordan Byers, the second unassisted. Iowa continued to pour it on in the first half scoring goals from four other Hawkeyes.

Shortly into the second period, Lieve van Kessel found the back of the net with an assist from van Cleef to put the Hawkeyes up, 3-0. Dionne van Aalsum collected her 22nd goal of the season at 19:31, and soon after Lexie Haig collected her first goal of the season, unassisted. Milly Short rounded out the final scoring for Iowa with a goal assisted by Tea Fortpied to secure the win.

Both teams had a scoreless second half.

The Hawkeyes outshot the Spartans 19-to-7 and had two penalty corners on the day. Mia Magnotta had one save for Iowa.

Notables  

• Lexie Haig scored her first goal of the season.
• Van Aalsum has scored at least one goal in 12-of-14 games this season.

Up Next  

The Hawkeyes host No. 13 Michigan State for senior day at Grant Field on Sunday, Oct. 26 at noon. (CT)

The Exira-EHK Football team is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2023 after winning three of their last four games. The Spartans are excited for the opportunity according to Head Coach Drew Buckholdt and the postseason berth is always meaningful for the program.

A key factor for Exira-EHK’s second half success was the quarterback change as Josten Kilworth led the offense, moving Bryce Brabham as a running back and wide receiver. Buckholdt said he thought everyone felt more comfortable after the switch.

Brabham ran for 1,052 yards and Kilworth ran for 674 yards resulting in 28 combined rushing touchdowns. That was fuel to the fire in the back half of the regular season, as the Spartans put up 50+ in two of their last three games. The recent success has improved the work Exira-EHK has put in practice as well.

Exira-EHK understands the talent from Woodbine and are prepared for the challenge.

Another week of football is special says Buckholdt.

You can catch all the action on KJAN with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 pm. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell will serve as honorary captain on Saturday when the Hawkeyes entertain Minnesota on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:40 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on CBS.

Jewell was a unanimous consensus All-American and earned the Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2017. He was named the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year in the Big Ten, and was also the recipient of the Jack Lambert Award presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus following his senior year.

The native of Decorah, Iowa, led the Hawkeyes in tackles for three straight seasons (2015-17) and ranks fourth in career tackles (436). A three-year team captain, Jewell is one of three Hawkeyes to record more than 115 tackles in three different seasons. He ranked fourth in the country in tackles per game (11.3) as a senior. In addition to the 436 tackles, Jewell amassed 28 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks, intercepted six passes, had 26 pass break-ups, forced three fumbles and recovered two fumbles.

Jewell started 43 career games, including four bowl games (2015 TaxSlayer; 2016 Rose; 2017 Outback; 2017 Pinstripe).

Following a distinguished career as a Hawkeye, Jewell was selected by Denver in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Jewell started 58 games in six seasons with the Broncos (2018-23), registering 453 tackles, 15 pass break-ups and two interceptions. He totaled 97 tackles and seven pass break-ups in 12 starts with the Carolina Panthers in 2024.

Jewell will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.

A district championship will be on the line Friday night when the Carroll Tigers host the Atlantic Trojans. After running through a gauntlet of a non-district schedule (include losses to Gilbert, Spencer, and Lewis Central), the Tigers are undefeated in the district including two shutouts over Creston and Greene County. Head coach Craig Rowedder says his team is excited for the opportunity to play is a district championship game.

Much like Atlantic, the Tigers’ offense is run heavy, and they bring an explosive back to the table.  Adam Malik has rushed for 1,131 yards and 15 touchdowns. In addition to his football IQ and athleticism, Rowedder also says he is as selfless as they come.

You also can’t forget about quarterback Camden King. Although his passing numbers aren’t astronomical (703 yards and 8 touchdowns), he does bring a run element into his game. Prior to starting at quarterback, he rotated around the field last season. However, as far as his development at quarterback, Rowedder has seen his decions improve throughout the course of the season.

Carroll and Atlantic, at least on paper, are similar teams as far as what they want to accomplish. The goal on defense will be to limit Ethan McNeal’s explosiveness, and he feels as if Malik is helping his defense prepare for the challenge.

The keys for both teams are similar. Establish the run, win the turnover battle, and limit explosive plays and Rowedder says it the same for them. You can catch all the action on KJANTV with kickoff following the Kuemper Catholic playoff game.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Germany native Mia Mack has signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Iowa tennis team, it was announced Thursday by head coach Sasha Boros.

The Löchgau, Germany, native will join the team in January and have two seasons of eligibility remaining in Iowa City. She spent her freshman season at Miami (Florida) in 2022-23 and her sophomore season at the University of San Diego in 2023-24.

“I’m thrilled for Mia to join our team,” said Boros. “She is a talented and highly experienced player with a wealth of experience and success. We are excited to help Mia reach her high goals on and off the court at the University of Iowa.  Mia will contribute and make a positive impact on our singles and doubles lineup immediately.”

During her sophomore campaign at USD, Mack won a combined 21 singles and doubles matches for the Toreros en route to second-team All-West Coast Conference honors in singles and honorable mention all-league honors in doubles.  She was ranked as high as No. 42 nationally in singles during the spring season.

Mack went 6-4 at No. 2 singles and 4-1 at No. 3 singles, which included a 3-3 record against nationally ranked opponents. In doubles, Mack went 11-8, which included seven wins at the No. 1 doubles line.

Mack won the USTA Intercollegiate Championships in the fall of 2023, cruising to the title.  She entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and didn’t drop a set until the final where she downed Texas’ Vivian Ovrootsky, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4.

Prior to making the move to the West Coast, Mack was a four-time ACC Freshman of the Week honoree at Miami.  She posted a 20-10 singles record and went 15-10 in doubles, finishing second on the team in combined winning percentage (.636), singles winning percentage (.667) and spring singles winning percentage (.708).

Mack went 17-7 during the spring season, including a 15-6 mark in dual matches and a 9-4 record in ACC play.  She had a pair of singles victories over ranked foes.  A notable win came against NC State’s Chloe Henderson (6-0, 6-2), who was the eventual NCAA runner-up.

During her first fall of collegiate tennis, Mack advanced to the quarterfinals at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships in doubles.

“To me, it’s not about being in the biggest city, but more about being in a place full of the right people that makes it feel like home,” said Mack of her future home in Iowa City. “After getting to know the coaches and teammates, there was no doubt. I am excited to become a part of the Iowa family since the culture, values and personalities aligned with mine immediately. I can’t wait to represent the HAWKEYE on my shirt very soon!”

Mack had a decorated junior career, where she reached as high as No. 850 in the WTA rankings and No. 47 in the ITA rankings, both in August 2022.  She peaked at No. 375 in the ITF Juniors rankings in January 2021.

She won two ITA Juniors doubles titles in 2020, claimed an ITF Juniors singles crown in Norway in 2020, reached the finals of a $15K ITF Tournament in Tunisia in 2021 and won five German championships, including four in doubles in her career.

The Hawkeyes will return to action Nov. 6-10 at the ITA Sectional Championships in College Station, Texas.

Sioux City native and former Olympic runner Shelby Houlihan has her eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The 32-year-old Houlihan finished 11th in the five thousand meter final at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but missed the Tokyo and Paris Olympics after a positive test for a banned substance in 2020. Houlihan says the substance likely came from tainted food.

She tried to prove it was from tainted pork, but the International Olympic Committee rejected that and handed down a four year ban.

Houlihan insisted she had not knowingly done anything illegal.

Houlihan spent 250-thousan dollars to try and prove her innocence and even battled through depression. She returned to the track this past season and finished fourth in the 5,000 meter run at the world championships.

Houlihan is a 13-time US champion.

Iowa State tight end Ben Brahmer says the Cyclones are poised for the stretch run as they get set to host 11th ranked BYU. The Cyclones are coming off their bye week with a record of 5-2.

Brahmer says the Cyclones remain confident despite back-to-back losses.

Brahmer says the BYU defensive line will be a challenge.