Jeff Johnson

Iowa City High’s Ben Kueter has been named the 2022 Gazette area prep football player of the year. He’s an Iowa commit, for both football and wrestling. The Gazette’s coach of the year is Mount Vernon’s Lance Pedersen, who led his Mustangs to the Class 3A state championship game.

Alex Pirus played in the National Hockey League for the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings in the 1970s. After his playing career, he found his calling as a chaplain for Hockey Ministries International. He conducts bi-weekly services for those interested Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players and personnel.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s boys’ basketball team returned a pair of all-state guards this season. But an 82-37 win Tuesday night over Marion proved these Cougars have a lot more players to go with Kenzie Reed and Colby Dolphin.

Noah Johnson transferred from Linn-Mar and scored a game-high 19 points in Washington’s 58-33 season-opening win Monday night over Mount Pleasant. The Warriors’ four other starters have played together for multiple years.

The Iowa Heartlanders won a pair of overtime games over the weekend over the Cincinnati Cyclones, the top team record wise in the ECHL. Both wins were 4-3, including Sunday afternoon when defenseman Matt Murphy scored in OT on a breakaway.

Here is a quick look at each of the conferences involving Gazette-area boys’ basketball teams. And our predicted winner for each.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s boys’ basketball team qualified for last year’s state tournament, upending Waukee Northwest in the first round before falling to champion Ames in the semifinals. With the dynamic guard court of Kenzie Reed and Colby Dolphin back, the Cougars have high expectations for 2022-23.

13 area all-state selections return from last season

Longtime West Branch teacher and coach Butch Pedersen was recently diagnosed with blood cancer myelodysplastic syndrome. The West Branch Lions Club is conducting a bone marrow donor drive December 7 at the high school in the hopes of finding a match for Pedersen and others as part of their treatment.

Dylan Hryckowian has six goals and eight assists in 14 games this season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRIders. His older brother, Justin, played for the club in 2019-20 and is having a great sophomore season for Northeastern University.

The Iowa Heartlanders have dug themselves an early season hole. Which made a tough 4-3 shootout loss Sunday afternoon to Kalamazoo at Xtream Arena even tougher.

Central Lyon/George-Little Rock racked up a time-of-possession advantage of 36 minutes to 12, converting two drives of nine-plus minutes into 10 points that pushed it past Williamsburg, 10-6, Friday morning in the Class 2A state championship football game.

Mo Ibrahim tore his Achilles tendon in Minnesota’s first game last season. He rehabbed, decided to return to the Gophers for a sixth season and is setting all sorts of school rushing records.

There has no more consistent football winner in the 2000s than Williamsburg. The Raiders have qualified 15 straight seasons for the playoffs, advanced to championship games now three times. But they have yet to win it all. Williamsburg gets its chance to change all that Friday morning when it plays Central Lyon/George-Little Rock in the Class 2A final.

Which seven Iowa high school football teams will leave the UNI-Dome with state championship trophies? The Prep Football Huddle podcast has picks for all seven championship games and breakdowns of the Gazette-area games.