The Atlantic Trojans dropped their road opener against the Glenwood Rams 81-45 on Friday night.  The Trojan offense struggled to keep up with the Rams, while Glenwood took advantage of nearly every opportunity they were given. Atlantic hung tough for the first quarter, ending the frame only down by eight. However, the Rams exploded for 22 points in each of the next quarters to pull away. Meanwhile, Glenwood defended the interior well, and even when Atlantic got opportunities, they couldn’t get them to fall. Overall, it was a rough night for the Trojans.

The Trojans played relatively well in the first quarter. Atlantic went back and forth with the Rams for the first half of the frame. Gavin McLaren led the way, putting up six points, including a corner three. However, at this point, the offense went dry as and Glenwood was able to start to build a lead.  Despite the momentum swinging, Atlantic was able to keep the lead from getting out of hand. However, that changed in the second quarter. Evan Stanislav added nine points to his seven from the first quarter. Meanwhile, Colin Steele added eight, which included a pair of threes as Glenwood put up 22 points in the second. Despite the rough frame, Atlantic was able to end it on a solid note. After Hunter Nelson knocked down his first field goal, the Trojans forced a turnover and fed Shelton Mualia, who put in a layup as time expired. However, the Trojans still headed to the locker room down 38-16.

The Trojans fared little better in the second half. Although Atlantic saw a slight uptick in offense, Glenwood continued on its pace. Stanislav added four field goals in the third to finish as the game’s leading scorer with 24. He was one of three Rams to finish with double-digit points. For the Trojans, McLaren led the way with 14 points, which included six in the second half. Jesen was right there with him, putting up six to finish the game with 10. However, the Trojans were never able to put together a consistent offensive attack. Glenwood defended the paint extremely well throughout, and while Atlantic hit a pair of threes in the second half, it was never a reliable option as the Rams pulled away for an 81-45 win.

Now 0-2, the Trojans will be back in action next Tuesday as they take on Clarinda. Atlantic will remain in the friendly confines of Atlantic until after the holiday break. Tuesday’s game against Clarinda is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

The Audubon Boys Basketball team lost 67-47 Friday night in Treynor after a hard-fought battle that the Cardinals were able to pull away from. Audubon traveled south for a Western Iowa Conference matchup in Treynor taking on a Cardinal team that has a historic path of success in their boys’ basketball program. It was a game that was a lot closer than the score depicted. From an even first quarter, to a two-point halftime spread the Cardinals eventually began to pull away leading to the 20-point victory. The Wheelers continued to go neck and neck with the Cardinals and even lead by as many as ten in the first half with big help from Jorgen Nowatzke and Aiden Kjergaard who combined for 17 of the 26 first half Audubon points. In the second half, Treynor forced many Audubon turnovers and limit the Wheeler drives to the basket. Treynor was able to capitalize off of the hot outside shooting from the bench while leaning on their core scorers to get the job done.

Leading Treynor scorer Senior Guard Alec Lovely had Treynor’s first five points of the ballgame, eventually beginning the game ahead 8-2. Audubon seeming a little flustered from the jump didn’t panic and were able to punch back with a pair of threes from Nowatzke and Kjergaard to end the quarter on a 6-0 run and tie the game at eight. The Wheelers carried that momentum from the three-point line into the second quarter. Nowatzke had confidence to drive to the bucket and finish hard-nosed layups four different times in the second quarter. A play the Cardinal defense didn’t have much of an answer for. Audubon also had the ability to get to the free throw line and cause moderate foul trouble for Treynor. It was Alec Lovely again coming up clutch for Treynor when they had their backs against the wall in the second quarter by knocking down his second and third three-pointers of the night. Treynor went on a run to end the first half and topping it off to take the lead 28-26 with another three from Sophomore Kalob Lovely.

When the second half began, Treynor came out of the locker room firing. Junior Aidan Keller and Alec Lovely hit a pair of threes within the first two minutes of the quarter. The Cardinals improved their ability to get the ball down low to their big guys in the third as well resulting in a few easy buckets. Audubon had just ten points in the third compared to the 18 they had in the second to trail 47-36 after three.

In the fourth, Treynor was getting points from everyone especially their bench players. Kalob Lovely and Aiden Keller had a combined eight bench points in the fourth along with Ethan Hill’s first four points of the game. Fouls were getting more and more common as the fourth quarter grew older. Treynor outlasted Audubon in a 67-47 final.

Despite the loss, Head Coach Darran Miller had positive takeaways.

Nowatzke’s explosiveness is a key contributor according to Miller.

Miller says, despite the results, the improvement is very visible.

Audubon returns to action Monday in a home game against Greene County.

AMES, Iowa – Jimmy Rogers, who guided Washington State to a bowl game in his first season on the Palouse after leading South Dakota State to the 2023 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national championship, has been selected as the 34^th head football coach in Iowa State history, Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.

“Jimmy Rodgers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach,” Pollard said. “He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.

“Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State,” he added. “He is a proven winner who has demonstrated throughout his career that he will fit our culture.”

Rogers, who agreed to a six-year contract with Iowa State, joins the Cyclones from Washington State University, where he guided the Cougars to a 6-6 record in his lone season as head coach on the Palouse. Just the fourth of the Cougars’ 35 head football coaches to lead WSU to a bowl game in their first season on the sideline in Pullman, three of the bowl-bound Cougars’ six losses came at the hands of teams ranked in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s penultimate rankings—24-21 at No. 6 Ole Miss, 22-20 at No. 17 Virginia and 24-20 at No. 25 James Madison. All-told, Rogers owns a 33-9 (.786) three-year head coaching record, which includes a 27-3 (.900) mark in two seasons at South Dakota State.

The Hamilton, Arizona, native was named Washington State’s head coach on December 28, 2024, after a highly successful 12-year run at perennial Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse South Dakota State, where he led the Jackrabbits to the 2023 FCS championship and the 2024 FCS semifinals.

“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.

“From the administration, to the alumni and current student-athletes, this University has everything needed to compete at the highest level in college football,” he added. “I am honored to be given this opportunity and responsibility and cannot wait to get started!.”

Rogers and his wife, Haley, a native of Michell, S.D., have two children, a daughter, Reese, and son, Trace.

Jimmy Rogers’ Head Coaching Record

Year                 School                                     Record             Conference/Finish             Postseason

2023                 South Dakota State           15-0                                 8-0/1^st                               FCS Champions

2024                 South Dakota State           12-3                               7-1/T-1^st                            FCS Semifinals

2025                 Washington State                6-6                                0-0                                      Bowl TBA

TOTALS              3 Seasons                       33-9 (.786)                       15-1 (.938)      

Jimmy Rogers’ Coaching Experience

2025                   Head Coach                                                                                                                            Washington State

2023-24             Head Coach                                                                                                                            South Dakota State

2022                   Defensive Coordinator                                                                                                       South Dakota State

2019-21             Co-Defensive Coordinator/Asst. Head Coach/Linebackers                         South Dakota State

2013-18             Assistant Coach/Linebackers                                                                                      South Dakota State

2011-12             Graduate Assistant Coach                                                                                              Florida Atlantic

2010-11             Graduate Assistant Coach                                                                                               South Dakota State

GIRLS 

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Harlan – 39 vs Shenandoah – 38

Non-Conference 

Bedford – 58 vs Murray – 38

West Monona – 56 vs Woodbine – 48

East Mills – 38 vs Lenox – 30

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 46 vs Woodward-Granger – 30

Essex – 35 vs Heartland Christian – 20

IKM-Manning – 57 vs Panorama – 53

Southeast Warren – 58 vs Melcher-Dallas – 23

Perry – 38 vs Ogden – 27

BOYS

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Harlan – 68 vs Shenandoah – 42

Non-Conference 

Madrid – 62 vs Creston – 58

Bedford – 60 vs Murray – 26

Woodbine – 61 vs West Monona – 45

Lenox – 54 vs East Mills – 46

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 69 vs Woodward-Granger – 46

Heartland Christian – 44 vs Essex – 40

IKM-Manning – 73 vs Panorama – 47

Southeast Warren – 74 vs Melcher-Dallas – 25

The stage is set for a top 10 clash in West Lafayette, Saturday when 10th ranked Iowa State visits top ranked Purdue. Both teams are 8-0. The Cyclones are coming off a record breaking 132-68 win over Alcorn State while the Boilermakers opened Big Ten play with an 81-65 victory at Rutgers.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. It is Iowa State’s first road game of the season.

Junior forward Milan Momcilovic says the Cyclones look forward to the challenge.

Iowa coach Ben McCollum says the Hawkeyes need to become more consistent as the schedule gets tougher. Iowa struggled on offense and on the glass in Tuesday night’s 71-52 loss at seventh ranked Michigan State. Their Big Ten home opener is Saturday against Maryland.

The Hawkeyes are in a stretch that will find them visit 10th ranked Iowa State next week against McCollum is not concerned about fatigue.

Saturday’s game will be the conference opener for Maryland. The Terrapins are 6-3 under first year coach Buzz Williams after Tuesday night’s victory over Wagner.

The UNI takes a 7-1 record into Saturday night’s game at home against Wichita State. The Panthers are looking to take advantage of the home court as four of their next six games are in the McLeod Center.

That’s Panther coach Ben Jacobson. The Panthers lost at Wichita State 79-73 a year ago.

Wichita State is 5-4 after a Tuesday night win over Mount Marty.

Grand View football coach E.J. Peterson has been keeping an eye on the forecast. There is a chance of snow on Saturday when the top ranked and defending champion Vikings host Lindsey Wilson of Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA playoffs. Heavy snow was not a problem last week as the Vikings crushed Saint Francis of Indiana 62-20 in their playoff opener.

The formula for Grand View in posting an 11-0 record has been run the ball and stop the run. The Vikings averaged 212 yards on the ground per game and give up only 80.

This will be the fifth playoff meeting between the two teams with Grand View winning three of the first four. The Blue Raiders are 10-1 and ranked seventh.

The Upper Iowa football team will close out a banner season on Saturday by playing Hillsdale College in the Albanese Candy Bowl in Hobart, Indiana. The Peacocks are 8-3, the most wins for the program since 1964, and narrowly missed a bid to the Division II national playoffs.

That’s Upper Iowa coach Jason Hoskins, who says he is thrilled with the chance to prepare for one more game.

Hoskins has turned a program around that finished 3-8 two years ago.

Hoskins says Hillsdale will provide a physical test for his team.