GRINNELL, Iowa (AP) — Division III school Grinnell College has canceled the remainder of its season because of injuries that whittled its roster to just 28 players.

The school announced Tuesday that it will forfeit its final seven games, starting with Saturday’s contest against St. Norbert College. Grinnell says it has lost 11 of its 39 players for some if not all of the season, adding that it is unwilling to compromise the health and safety of its players.

Grinnell lost its first three games by a combined score of 114-3.

The Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament got underway on Monday night with pool play to determine the semifinal match-ups on Tuesday in Sidney. The consolation and championship will then be played on Thursday night in Tabor.

Semifinals Tuesday, October 1, 2019 (@ Sidney)

Sidney vs. Stanton
East Mills vs. Griswold

Championships Thursday, October 3, 2019 (@ Fremont-Mills)

Consolation and Championship at Tabor TBD

The Creston girls and Nodaway Valley boys cross country teams took wins at the Orient-Macksburg Invitational on Monday. Creston’s Braelyn Baker won the girls individual title and Josh Baudler of Nodaway Valley was the boys winner.

Girls Team Scores

1. Creston 36
2. Nodaway Valley 77
3. Exira-EHK 105
4. East Union 128
5. West Central Valley 134

Girls Individual Top Ten

1. Braelyn Baker, Creston 21:19
2. Grace Slater, Audubon 21:53
3. Sophia Broers, Nodaway Valley 22:07
4. Paige Davis, Creston
5. Riley DeGonia, Creston
6. Hannah Thygesen, Audubon
7. Gabrielle Valencia, East Union
8. Christa Cass, Orient-Macksburg
9. Mallory Kuhns, Nodaway Valley
10. Hayleigh Vinzant, Bedford

Full results: O-MInvite2019Girls

Boys Team Scores

1. Nodaway Valley 20
2. Creston 71
3. Bedford 87
4. East Union 132
5. CAM 143
6. West Central Valley 147
7. Orient-Macksburg 160

Boys Individual Top Ten

1. Josh Baudler, Nodaway Valley 17:49
2. Louden Foster, West Central Valley 18:01
3. Toby Bower, Nodaway Valley 18:51
4. Ben Breheny, Nodaway Valley
5. Tyler Breheny, Nodaway Valley
6. Clayton Stafford, Creston
7. Doug Berg, Nodaway Valley
8. Owen Lucas, Bedford
9. Ethan Follman, CAM
10. Mason Menefee, Nodaway Valley

Full results: O-MInvite2019Boys

Kickoff times have been set for Iowa and Iowa State football games on October 12th.

Iowa’s home contest that day against Penn State will be a 6:30pm kickoff. The television coverage will be announced after games this upcoming weekend. We’ll have coverage on the Hawkeye Radio Network at 4:30pm that evening on KJAN.

Iowa State’s road game at West Virginia October 12th has been set for a 3:00pm kickoff and will be televised on ESPN.

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

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Corner Conference Tournament

Pool A
(2-0) Sidney 25-25, Essex 8-15
(2-0) Griswold 25-25, Essex 16-18
(2-0) Sidney 25-25, Griswold 13-17

Pool B
(2-0) East Mills 25-25, Stanton 17-16
(2-0) Stanton 25-25, Fremont-Mills 21-23
(2-0) East Mills 25-25, Fremont-Mills 14-21

Other Scores

(2-1) Martensdale-St Marys 21-19-15, West Central Valley 19-21-12
(2-0) West Central Valley 21-21, Clarke 9-10
(2-0) West Central Valley 21-21, Des Moines North 5-18

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

UNDATED (AP) — Hitters smashed a record 6,776 home runs in 2019, soaring past the previous high of 6,105 from two years earlier. The seismic home run spike has been attributed to changes in the baseballs. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has acknowledged the ball has less drag and is seeking more “consistent performance from the baseball,” but no changes are planned until at least after the World Series. This postseason could be the juiciest yet, bad news for pitchers like Astros ace Justin Verlander.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes resembled a pitcher without his best stuff Sunday, a fraction of an inch off on so many of his throws but hanging in there long enough to give his team a chance. Leaning on his impressive cast of cohorts, the Chiefs quarterback calmly rallied his team in the final minute Sunday, setting up Darrel Williams’ short touchdown plunge and giving Kansas City a 34-30 victory in Detroit that kept the three-time and defending AFC West champions unbeaten.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The moment the final out was made on another 100-loss season for the Kansas City Royals, fans immediately began gazing toward the future rather than lamenting the way things have been lately. There is a new owner on the way. New manager, too. And the Royals, who have been in the midst of a massive rebuilding effort after their back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014-15, are beginning to see the fruits of that labor.

UNDATED (AP) — Jon Gruden’s trio of rabble-rousers is down to one after the NFL suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict for the rest of the season for his latest illegal hit. The ouster follows Antonio Brown’s departure a month ago after a summer’s worth of drama. That leaves Richie Incognito as the only one of the three still around as he tries to put his troubled past behind him while bringing the Raiders’ one last hurrah in Oakland.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A videographer who collapsed from a heart attack in a Busch Stadium dugout is alive, thanks in part to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist. The videographer, 64-year-old Mike Flanary, was in the Chicago Cubs’ dugout Sunday before the game against the Cardinals when he collapsed. The Post-Dispatch reports that baseball writer Derrick Goold performed CPR on Flanary, who was in critical but stable condition. The stadium doctor on duty, David Tan, says Goold’s CPR probably saved Flanary’s life.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Northwestern and Nebraska have split eight games since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011 and only two of them have been decided by more than one touchdown. The last two meetings have gone to overtime. The 2013 game ended on a Hail Mary thrown by Nebraska third-string walk-on quarterback Ron Kellogg III. The Wildcats and Cornhuskers are both coming off losses entering their game in Lincoln on Saturday.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines have a chance to change the conversation. The Wolverines were humiliated at Wisconsin, giving up five touchdowns before scoring late in the lopsided game. Michigan bounced back with a feel-good win over Rutgers, but beating a team struggling so much it fired its coach isn’t going to make anyone forget what happened against the Badgers.
If Harbaugh can help the 19th-ranked Wolverines beat No. 14 Iowa on Saturday at home, however, it would be a sign that perhaps all is not lost for them this season.

“It’s just another test to show who we are,” running back Tru Wilson said Monday. “They’re all must-wins at this point.” To reach the team’s lofty goals, and at least some preseason predictions, that is probably true.
Michigan (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) started the season with what seemed like a legitimate shot to win a conference championship for the first time since 2004 to end the longest drought in school history. Some projected Harbaugh’s fifth team with the Wolverines to be contenders for their first national title since 1997.

Getting routed at Wisconsin changed what people were saying outside the program. Inside Schembechler Hall, coaches and players say their goals have not changed. “It’s a long season,” Wilson said. “It’s one loss. It’s happened to us before. It’s happened to other teams before where they’ve gone on and done great things after an early season loss. We have everything we have hoped and dreamed for still ahead of us. We still can do great things.”

The Wolverines got a boost of confidence by beating the Scarlet Knights 52-0, but Harbaugh and the players aren’t interested in celebrating the victory with tougher tasks ahead. “If you can play two really good games in a row that would be a trend in my mind,” Harbaugh said. “Three or more will become a habit so we’re trying to cement that as a goal for us. That’s where we want to be, consistently good.”

Consistently good is how Harbaugh described the Kirk Ferentz-led Hawkeyes (4-0, 1-0) while preparing to face them at the Big House. Iowa has opened with four wins for the third time in 11 seasons, and history shows the team might be in line for a big season. The last time the Hawkeyes opened 4-0 was in 2015, when they finished the regular season 12-0 before a last-second loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game.

A decade ago, Iowa started 4-0 on its way to an 11-2 finish and an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech. The Hawkeyes might have won the Big Ten that year if standout quarterback Ricky Stanzi hadn’t hurt his ankle in a home loss to Northwestern the week before a showdown at Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Iowa and backup quarterback James Vandenberg 27-24 in overtime to seal a berth in the Rose Bowl.

And this year, the Hawkeyes have Michigan’s attention with NFL-caliber players on both sides of the ball.
“It’s definitely going to be a test,” defensive back Tyler Cochran said. “This is our opportunity to show we’re better than what happened at Wisconsin and we’re going to keep trying to show that the rest of the season.”

The road doesn’t get much easier for the Wolverines with games remaining at No. 12 Penn State, against No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 25 Michigan State before closing the regular season against rival and No. 4 Ohio State at home. “Our schedule is all pretty much Top 25 teams for the remainder of the year,” defensive tackle Carlo Kemp said. “We’re going to have opportunities to play a lot of good football teams.”

Others receiving votes: Johnston 3. Sioux City East 3. Urbandale 2. Dubuque Senior 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 1. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 1.

Others receiving votes: Harlan 4.

Others receiving votes: Nevada 8. Letts Louisa-Muscatine 6. Monticello 3. Sioux Center 2.

Others receiving votes: Mount Ayr 5. Iowa City Regina 3. Troy Mills North Linn 2.

Others receiving votes: Neola Tri-Center 5. Calmar South Winneshiek 5. Lawton-Bronson 5. Moville Woodbury Central 2. Eldon Cardinal 2. Fairbank Wapsie Valley 2.

Others receiving votes: Janesville 5. Newell-Fonda 3. Lone Tree 3. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 3. HLV, Victor 3. Fremont Mills, Tabor 2. East Mills 2. Woodbine 1. Northwood-Kensett 1. <

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Defying the NCAA, California opened the way Monday for college athletes to hire agents and make money from endorsement deals with sneaker companies, soft drink makers, car dealerships and other sponsors, just like the pros.

The first-in-the-nation law, signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and set to take effect in 2023, could upend amateur sports in the U.S. and trigger a legal challenge.

Newsom and others cast it as an attempt to bring more fairness to big-money college athletics and let players share in the wealth they create for their schools. Critics have long complained that universities are getting rich off the backs of athletes — often, black athletes struggling to get by financially.

“Other college students with a talent, whether it be literature, music, or technological innovation, can monetize their skill and hard work,” the governor said. “Student athletes, however, are prohibited from being compensated while their respective colleges and universities make millions, often at great risk to athletes’ health, academics and professional careers.”

Newsom predicted other states will introduce similar legislation.

The NCAA — which had called on him to veto the bill, arguing that it would destroy the distinction between amateurs and pros and give California an unfair recruiting advantage — said it is considering its next steps. It did not elaborate.

In a statement, the NCAA said it is working to revise its rules on making money off a player’s name and likeness. But it said any changes should be made at the national level through the NCAA, not through a patchwork of state laws.

California’s law applies to students at both public and private institutions — but not community colleges — in the nation’s most populous state. While the measure covers all sports, the big money is in football and basketball.

Student athletes won’t get salaries. But under the law, they can’t be stripped of their scholarships or kicked off the team if they sign endorsement deals.

There are some limitations: Athletes can’t enter into deals that conflict with their schools’ existing contracts. For example, if your university has a contract with Nike, you can’t sign with Under Armour.

The law represents another instance of California jumping out in front of other states when it comes to social and political change. The movement to allow student athletes to profit from their labors on the court or the playing field has been simmering for years, portrayed as a matter of economic fairness and civil rights.

“A majority of these athletes, it’s no secret, are African American,” said Sen. Steven Bradford, a co-author of the bill who is black. “It’s an issue of fairness, and it’s an issue that has been long overdue.”

Newsom tweeted a video showing him signing the law during a special episode of HBO’s “The Shop: Uninterrupted” alongside NBA superstar LeBron James, one of many professional athletes who have endorsed the measure.

James, whose 14-year-old son is a closely watched basketball prospect in Los Angeles and will be 18 when the law takes effect, exulted over its signing on Instagram, saying it will “change the lives for countless athletes who deserve it!”

He added: “NCAA, you got the next move. We can solve this for everyone!”

NBA rookie Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors also welcomed the new law. Six months ago, as a player at the University of Michigan, he hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer in the second round of the NCAA tournament as millions watched on TV.

“I know for sure I would have been using my name after that Houston shot,” he said, adding that letting athletes make money on endorsements is “huge for the game.”

Before the governor signed the law, the NCAA threatened to bar California universities from competition, meaning powerhouses like the University of Southern California, UCLA, Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, could find themselves banned.

If that were to happen, California schools could form a new governing body and get schools from like-minded states to join, in a threat to the NCAA’s dominance.

But the governor, a former college baseball player, said he doubts the NCAA would kick California schools out, arguing that the state’s 40 million people and status as the world’s fifth-largest economy make it too big to lose.

The NCAA “can’t afford to do that,” he said.

Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner, the bill’s author, said it could especially help female athletes, who have limited opportunities for professional sports once they leave college.

“College is the primary time when the spotlight is on” them, Skinner said. “For women, this might be the only time they could make any money.”

NCAA rules bar players from hiring agents. The NCAA has also steadfastly refused to pay players in most cases. But a committee is studying other ways players could make money. Its report is expected in October.

The NCAA does let some athletes accept money in some instances. Tennis players can accept up to $10,000 in prize money per year, and Olympians can accept winnings from their competitions. Also, many schools pay players yearly cost-of-living stipends of $2,000 to $4,000.

“We just kind of joked every kid is going to want to go to college out here in Cali now,” Warriors forward Glenn Robinson III, who played college ball at Michigan, said of the new law.

“I think it’s time. A lot of people are waking up and starting to see how much money that these universities are making off of players,” he added. “Where I went to school, a lot of players couldn’t afford lunch.