The 23rd ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will play 14th ranked Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on New Years Eve. It will be the Hawkeyes’ seventh appearance in the game formerly known as the Outback Bowl.

That’s Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who says, as of right now, he knows of no Hawkeye players who plan to opt out of the bowl game to enter the transfer portal or prepare for the NFL Draft.

Ferentz says schools opting out of bowl games is the latest consequence of a college football landscape that includes super conferences and an expanded playoff.

Iowa State and Kansas State of the Big 12 declined bowl bids and Notre Dame opted out of bowl consideration after failing to land a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ferentz says schools opting out of bowl games may become even more common down the road.

The Hawkeyes finished the regular season 8-4. Vanderbilt is 10-2.  We’ll have the game live December 31st on KJAN with pre-game at 9:00 am.

The 10th ranked Iowa State women shot a sizzling 63 percent and beat Northern Illinois 105-52 in Ames. The Cyclones move to 10-0.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. Junior center Audi Crooks led an efficient effort on offense with 30 points.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39. KCCI says JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM. In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” the racing body said in a statement. “Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

AMES, Iowa- AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University has notified the Big 12 Conference that the Cyclone football team will not be participating in a bowl game, school officials announced today. In a press release, officials with ISU announced members of the athletics administrative team and the previous coaching staff met with the players this morning and had a robust discussion about the team’s ability to play in a postseason bowl game. After that discussion, the players voted not to play in a postseason game due to the lack of healthy players to safely practice and play.

(Radio Iowa) – The man who’s led Iowa State’s football team for the past decade is leaving — and I-S-U has already hired his replacement. Matt Campbell met with players and coaches Friday night to tell them he’s leaving to become Penn State’s head coach. Iowa State’s new coach is 38-year-old Jimmy Rogers. Rogers led South Dakota State to the F-C-S national championship in 2023 and had a 27-and-three record in two seasons as the Jackrabbits’ head coach. He’s been head coach at Washington State this season.

I-S-U Athletics Director Jamie Pollard says Rogers is “a rising star” and “proven winner” in college athletics and has been on Pollard’s short-list ever since he met him the first time. Pollard says during that first visit, Rogers said he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State. Rogers has signed a six-year contract with Iowa State.

Rogers says Iowa State has had one of the nation’s top football programs for the last decade and he looks forward to building upon that upward trajectory. Rogers played linebacker for South Dakota State from 2006 through 2008 and joined the team’s coaching staff a few couple of years later. Rogers is the second coach to leave Washington State for the Iowa State job. Jim Walden left Washington State in 1986 and coached the Cyclones for eight seasons.

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Glenwood – 81 vs Atlantic – 43

Kuemper Catholic – 91 vs Denison-Schleswig – 26

St. Albert – 57 vs Clarinda – 46

Lewis Central – 66 vs Red Oak – 30

Western Iowa Conference 

Treynor – 67 vs Audubon – 47

IKM-Manning – 64 vs Riverside – 46

Underwood – 76 vs AHSTW – 41

Missouri Valley – 77 vs Logan-Magnolia – 58

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 83 vs Sidney – 23

Stanton – 53 vs Essex – 23

East Mills – 79 vs Fremont-Mills – 49

Rolling Valley Conference 

Boyer Valley – 75 vs Exira-EHK – 33

Ar-We-Va – 57 vs Glidden-Ralston – 44

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 77 vs Paton-Churdan – 25

West Central Activities Conference 

Woodward-Granger – 61 vs ACGC – 53

Earlham – 67 vs Pleasantville – 56

Van Meter – 64 vs Interstate-35 – 58

Madrid – 58 vs Panorama – 50

West Central Valley – 44 vs Ogden – 38

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley – 79 vs Central Decatur – 44

Mount Ayr – 40 vs Martensdale-St. Marys – 38

Lenox – 62 vs Wayne – 31

Southeast Warren – 83 vs East Union – 55

Missouri River Conference 

Abraham Lincoln – 88 vs Sioux City West – 65

Sioux City East – 67 vs Bishop Heelan Catholic – 65

Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 64 vs Le Mars – 54

Sioux City North – 77 vs Thomas Jefferson – 71 (2OT)

Non-Conference 

Griswold – 48 vs Heartland Christian – 42

Dallas Center-Grimes – 62 vs Des Moines Christian – 49

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Atlantic – 43 vs Glenwood – 39

St. Albert – 47 vs Clarinda – 40

Lewis Central – 46 vs Red Oak – 22

Kuemper Catholic – 48 vs Denison-Schleswig – 24

Western Iowa Conference 

Riverside – 60 vs IKM-Manning – 29

Underwood – 44 vs AHSTW – 42

Missouri Valley – 56 vs Logan-Magnolia – 26

Rolling Valley Conference 

Exira-EHK-Audubon – 63 vs Boyer Valley – 26

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 60 vs Paton-Churdan – 25

Glidden-Ralston – 51 vs Ar-We-Va – 18

West Central Activities Conference 

ACGC – 62 vs Woodward-Granger – 48

Madrid – 40 vs Panorama – 32

Earlham – 48 vs Pleasantville – 41

Van Meter – 65 vs Interstate-35 – 33

West Central Valley – 38 vs Ogden – 16

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 48 vs Sidney – 43

Essex – 29 vs Stanton – 25

East Mills – 51 vs Fremont-Mills – 46

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley – 56 vs Central Decatur – 38

Mount Ayr – 61 vs Martensdale-St. Marys – 37

Wayne – 52 vs Lenox – 35

Southeast Warren – 51 vs East Union – 27

Missouri River Conference 

Abraham Lincoln – 80 vs Sioux City West – 35

Sioux City North – 63 vs Thomas Jefferson – 17

Bishop Heelan Catholic – 77 vs Sioux City East – 46

Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 64 vs Le Mars – 56

Non-Conference 

Griswold – 42 vs Heartland Christian – 7

Dallas Center-Grimes – 50 vs Des Moines Christian – 40

For the second time on the young season, the Atlantic Trojans followed up a loss with a win. Atlantic showcased the hallmark of a good team: finding a way to win despite not playing particularly well. The first half was near disastrous for the Trojans as they managed just a single field turnover. Again struggling with turnovers, Atlantic trailed by as many as 11. Much like they did against St. Albert on Monday, they found a way to stick around; however, this time they took over the game. The Trojans outscored the Rams 35-22 in the second half to complete the comeback, taking the game 43-39 to pick up their second win of the season.

The first half was well below expectations. The Trojans hit just one shot from the floor (courtesy of Peyton McLaren) in the opening frame and scored a measly five points. Again, the Trojans struggled to handle the press and turned the ball over numerous times throughout the first half. The upside was that the Atlantic defense was also able to limit Glenwood. They managed a mere seven points in large part due to a pair of field goals from Maggie McChesney. Atlantic was practically shut out in the second frame. The team managed just three points all via charity stripe. On the other end, the Rams didn’t get much more, but they didn’t need much more. Maggie Smith and Kelsey Hughes each hit a three as the Trojans it the break down by nine.

Looking to turn things around, the Trojans continued to sputter early. Glenwood was able to extend its lead to 11 while Atlantic continued to struggle on offense. However, midway through the third quarter, the light switch flipped on. The Trojans became the aggressor and started turning the ball over on a regular basis. By the end of the third, they had cut the deficit to four, and the momentum had flipped. It didn’t take long into the fourth for Atlantic to take the lead. Mere seconds in, Zoey Kirchoff drained three to cut the lead to one. Then, after the Trojans forced a turnover, Kirchoff drained another from the same spot to give Atlantic the lead. Although McChesney put up 7 of her game-leading 20 points in the fourth quarter, the Trojans did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night. Kirchoff’s two threes helped her to a team-leading 12 points, while Peyton McLaren’s two field goals in the third quarter helped tie that mark. Despite a McChesney three making it a one-possession game in the final minute, the Trojan defense clamped down to escape Glenwood with a 43-39 win. Head coach Dan Vargasion continues to be proud of the way his team handles adversity despite the poor start.

Throughout the night, the Glenwood students were involved in the game, providing a difficult environment. However, when it mattered most, Kirchoff came through with the biggest play of the game.

A hallmark of a good team is finding ways to win, and the Trojans did just that. Although it was great to get the win, the Trojans know they have to be better.

Now 2-2, the Trojans will remain at home until after the winter break. They’ll kick off the homestand on Tuesday with Clarinda. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm.

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.