Jeff Johnson

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza transferred to the University of Indiana this season from the University of California. He has become a national darling after leading the Hoosiers to a blowout win last week of Illinois. Mendoza has thrown five touchdown passes each in back-to-back weeks and even had a football card made of him this week.

The Gazette sports writers Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson and K.J. Pilcher talk about Week 4 results in Iowa High School Football and the upcoming Week 5 matchups

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football and contributors expound on the intricacies of high school football. See how much Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Scott Unash ground they cover in 4 Downs

Iowa City West graduate Ben Pizzimenti has signed a contract to attend training camp with the Iowa Heartlanders, the ECHL hockey club has announced. Pizzimenti played high school hockey in the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders program and collegiately at NCAA Division III (non-scholarship) Concordia University in Wisconsin.

Elkader Central won its high school football game Friday night at Lansing Kee, 36-28, a game that was delayed twice by weather and lightning. The Warriors are 4-0, surpassing last season’s win total. The school did not even have a varsity team in 2022 because of low number of participants.

Waukee Northwest scored on its first two offensive drives and went on to beat Cedar Rapids Prairie, 45-10, Friday night at John Wall Field. Northwest is Class 5A’s top-ranked football team.

Kyle Rohrer scored with 7:37 remaining to give the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders a 3-2 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers in the United States Hockey League regular-season opener for both teams Friday afternoon at the USHL’s Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.

Relief pitcher Nick Trabacchi of the Cedar Rapids Kernels is a recipient of the 2025 Harmon Killebrew Award, it was announced Thursday. A player at each of the parent Minnesota Twins’ minor league affiliates is honored each season for outstanding community service.

The two words you heard most when asking around for a scouting report on the 2025-26 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were “speed” and “depth.” The club begins the United States Hockey League regular season Friday against Des Moines at the league’s annual Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis started five games as a red-shirt freshman for the University of Minnesota in 2022 and then the entire 2023 season. But the Gophers brought in a touted quarterback from the transfer portal that offseason, and Kaliakmanis ended up moving on to Rutgers, where he has become one of the best QBs in the Big Ten Conference.

The Gazette sports writers Jeff Linder, KJ Pilcher and Jeff Johnson discuss results from Week 3 and upcoming matchups in Week 4 of Iowa High School Football on the Triple Option Podcast presented by The Gazette.

The West Michigan Whitecaps had the best overall record in minor league baseball after the regular season. The Caps won all four playoff games, including 3-1 Tuesday night over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium to win the 2025 Midwest League championship. West Michigan finished 96-39 overall, playoffs included.

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football and contributors bloviate on the world of high school football. See how much Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Scott Unash ground they cover in 4 Downs.

He is a preferred walk-on at this point, but Cedar Rapids Prairie senior tight end/defensive lineman David Fason hopes to eventually secure a scholarship to the University of Iowa. Regardless he committed Tuesday to play football for the Hawkeyes.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels led the West Michigan Whitecaps, 3-0, after three innings of Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series on Sunday afternoon in Comstock Park, Mich. But the Whitecaps, who have an overall record of 95-39 (best in the minors) scored the final five runs to pull out a 5-3 win.