DES MOINES, Iowa – A football classification amendment approved by the IHSAA’s Board of Control and a December vote of member schools was approved Thursday by the Iowa State Board of Education.

The proposed amendment to the Articles of Incorporation will add a socioeconomic factor to football classifications starting in 2023-24, implementing a formula for free and reduced lunch percentages and school enrollments to determine new final classification numbers.

Members of the State Board of Education addressed the proposal in the final item of their monthly meeting and voted unanimously in favor of the amendment (see below) after lengthy discussion.

“We appreciate the State Board of Education’s diligence and careful consideration of the proposal our membership has asked us to implement,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said. “This classification model is an important first step in addressing competitive equity in the sport of football.”

The IHSAA was represented at the Grimes Building by Keating, Board of Control chairperson and Denison principal Dave Wiebers, and legal counsel Brian Humke. Through its articles and 28E agreement with the Iowa Department of Education, the IHSAA must submit policies, amendments, and information through the State Board of Education.

IHSAA staff responded to numerous state board inquiries ahead of the meeting regarding the proposal, which began through a recommendation of the IHSAA classification committee and received “yes” votes from 80 percent of voting schools in December.

The classification adjustment will reduce 40 percent of a school’s free or reduced lunch (FRL) count from their annual enrollment to determine their final classification number.

“The State Board recognized the historical competitive challenges, supported by the data our staff assembled, which some of our schools have experienced,” Keating said. “The Board acknowledged the support from our member schools in this issue.”

The IHSAA will move forward with an updated football redistricting process this offseason. This will include releasing updated BEDS (9-11) numbers and compiling available FRL percentages from the Iowa Department of Education once available, developing new district and group assignments, then new schedules for the two-year cycle. Each of these will be shared as soon as they become available.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren will be stepping down from his post to become the next president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Warren has served as the Big Ten Commissioner since 2020 and recently oversaw the addition of USC and UCLA to the conference.

Warren has a lot of experience in the NFL with time spent with the Rams, Lions, and Vikings. He was the Vikings’ COO from 2015-2019.

The NFL announced on Thursday that a potential AFC Championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills would be played at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The NFL had previously decided that the potential meeting between the two teams would be at a neutral site since the Bills/Bengals game was called off when Demar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field. That game would have helped determine what team got home field advantage since the Chiefs and Bills both have 3 losses.

The Bills host the Dolphins in the Wild Card round this weekend. The Chiefs have an opening round bye after earning the top seed in the AFC.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has announced the addition of Jordan Langs as running backs coach/special teams coordinator and Hank Poteat as cornerbacks coach.

Langs’ hire is pending the completion of background checks.

Jordan Langs

Langs, who was twice named Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast Coach of the Year while serving as head coach at Indiana Wesleyan the last six years, joins the Cyclone coaching staff as running back coach and special teams coordinator.

At Indiana Wesleyan, Langs was charged with starting the program in 2016 and under his oversight it rose into an NAIA powerhouse that went 11-2 in 2022, was ranked No. 5 in the final regular season coaches poll and advanced to the NAIA FCS Semifinals. The Wildcats had 21 players earn all-conference recognition in 2022, while wide receiver Jacquez Carter earned AFCA First Team All-America honors and was MSFA Offensive Player of the Year.

On special teams, Indiana Wesleyan was seventh nationally with a 15.5 punt return average last season.

While leading the Wildcats, Langs posted an overall record of 33-15 (.688), while going 16-9 in MSFA Mideast play. He was selected to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2019 and was AFCA NAIA Region 2 Coach of the Year this season.

Prior to Indiana Wesleyan, Langs spent five seasons (2012-16) coaching at his alma mater, NCAA Division III Wheaton (Ill.). He was the defensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015 after serving as the defensive backs coach his first two seasons on the staff.

Langs, a Climax, Michigan, native, was a four-year letterwinner at defensive back and linebacker for Wheaton. He was twice named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in history/social science in 2012.

Hank Poteat

Poteat is a former Super Bowl winner and 10-year NFL veteran who spent the previous two seasons at Wisconsin coaching the cornerbacks after a successful run coaching in the Mid-American Conference.

In 2022, Poteat’s defensive unit contributed in Wisconsin finishing 10^th nationally in total defense (303.5 yards per game) and seventh with 17 interceptions.

In his first year at Wisconsin, both of the Badger’s full-time starters at cornerback, Faion Hicks and Caesar Dancy-Williams, earned All-Big Ten honors. Hicks was selected in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos while Dancy-Williams signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

Poteat arrived at Wisconsin after serving as Toledo’s cornerbacks coach from 2017-20, where he helped the Rockets win the MAC title and rank No. 22 nationally in passing efficiency defense in his first season.

Poteat was a graduate assistant at his alma mater Pittsburgh in 2013-14 and cornerbacks coach at Kentucky Christian in 2011-12.

Prior to coaching, Poteat was a standout cornerback and kick returner at Pittsburgh from 1996-99, earning first-team All-Big East honors as a junior and senior. He finished his career holding the school records for kick return yards in a season (764 in 1998) and a career (2,010).

Poteat was a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played for five teams over 10 seasons, earning a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 2004 New England Patriots.

He also played for Tampa Bay, the New York Jets and Cleveland during his professional career.

Poteat graduated from Pittsburgh in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.

(Massena, Iowa) – If you’ve ever wanted to explore the sport of ice fishing, but don’t have the knowledge or skills to give it a try, now’s your chance. The Cass County Conservation Board (CCCB) is hosting an “Intro to Ice Fishing” program, this weekend. Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee says the program will be held beginning 10-a.m. Saturday (Jan. 14, 2023), at the CCCB’s Outdoor Classroom near Massena (76977 Tucson Road).

The program will focus on ice fishing basics, such as what’s needed to get out on the ice and enjoy the outdoors. Ice safety will be the first topic of discussion.

Basic equipment, clothing and shelter will also be part of the discussion.

The CCCB will have ice rods, bait and augers available for those who don’t have them. The forecast for this weekend is calling for temperatures near 50. If the conditions allow, those attending the program will get a chance to fish on the nearly two on and-half acre pond at the Outdoor Classroom, when the program concludes. There will also be a drawing for prizes, thanks to Cappel’s Ace Hardware, in Atlantic. Micah says the program is open to everyone.

For more information, call Conservation Director Micah Lee at 712-769-2372.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released district swimming assignments for the 2023 postseason.

District meets will be contested on February 4th at 12:00 p.m. The fastest 32 individual swimmers and 24 relay teams from district competition will qualify for the state meet, which is February 10th and 11th at the University of Iowa’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City.

Atlantic will compete at the Johnston District site along with Centerville, Des Moines East, Dowling Catholic, Johnston, Lewis Central, Newton, and WDM Valley.

Tickets for 2023 district meets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 through the Tickets page on the IHSAA website. All sites will utilize digital tickets through IHSAA partner HomeTown Ticketing.

Check out all of the site assignments across the state HERE

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women’s basketball team could not hold on in a wild finish and Northern Iowa escaped with a 70-69 victory at the Knapp Center on Wednesday night, knocking the Bulldogs out of a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

UNI’s Maya McDermott dropped in a runner with 4 seconds left to give the Panthers their first victory in Des Moines since Jan. 24, 2016, ending Drake’s five-game winning streak in the series. The Bulldogs got a timeout with eight-tenths of a second remaining and inbounded the ball to Katie Dinnebier, but Grace Boffeli blocked her shot at the buzzer.

Poor shooting dogged the Bulldogs (8-5, 3-2) from the start, but they managed to take a 57-50 lead into the final quarter because of sharp free throw shooting. But the Panthers (9-5, 4-1) clawed back and made two big shots at the end to win it as the lead changed hands four times in the last 22 seconds.

Drake, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, falls to 8-5 including a 3-2 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. UNI improved to 9-5 on the season with the win.

The Iowa Hawkeyes bid for their third straight win on Thursday night by hosting Michigan. Wolverine center Hunter Dickinson is one of the top players in the Big Ten. He averages more than 18 and a half points and eight rebounds per game.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. Wolverine freshman forward Jett Howard averages more than 14 points per contest. He is the son of Wolverine coach Juwan Howard.

Iowa sophomore Payton Sandfort broke out of his shooting slump with 22 points in a Sunday win at Rutgers. McCaffery says it was only a matter of time.

Iowa is 2-3 in the Big Ten. Michigan is 3-1.

The 12th ranked Iowa Hawkeye women shot a sizzling 59 percent in a 93-64 win over Northwestern.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. Caitlin Clark had 20 points and added 14 assists. Freshman Hannah Stuelke was a big lift off the bench with 17 points and nine rebounds. Bluder called it a consistent effort.

Iowa is now 5-1 in the Big Ten.