Jeff Johnson

All classes have opened the Iowa high school football season. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their thoughts on topics related to the start of the season.

The Independence football team is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A. The Mustangs found themselves trailing a good North Fayette Valley club late in the first half Friday night, but a late second-quarter touchdown and big second half lifted the Mustangs to a convincing 42-14 win.

Lance Pedersen’s first game as head football coach at Clear Creek Amana was a successful one, as his Clippers dominated the second half en route to a 28-3 win Friday night at Marion.

Brock Spack is the all-time winningest head football coach at Illinois State. Prior to that, he was a longtime defensive coordinator at Purdue. In short, he knows Iowa about as well as anyone. The teams play their season openers Saturday morning at Kinnick Stadium.

The Gazette’s Prep Football Huddle podcast returns for the 2024 Iowa high school football season. This week, a look at the first-year head coaches. Who will have the most success this season? Plus, games to watch in Week 1, Iowa Valley’s wild Week 0 win over BGM and answers to listener questions.

The Marion Wolves football team was the first team out of the Class 3A state playoffs last season and in 2022. They are determined not to let that happen again in 2024.

This is Week 1 of the high school football season in the state of Iowa. It’s also the hottest week weather wise of the summer. New heat stress protocol guidelines for athletes from the Iowa High School Athletic Association has teams scrambling to figure out if and when they can get outside for practices.

Senior quarterback Brent Yonkovic accounted for over 3,000 of his West Delaware football team’s 4,000 offensive yards last season. Potent as a runner and passer, he and the Hawks have soaring aspirations in 2024.

Kaden Wetjen is a former Williamsburg prep who found a niche as a kickoff returner last season for the Iowa football team. Can he help the Hawkeyes’ wide receiver group out this season as well?

Connor Colby was forced into playing time before he was ready because of attrition on the Iowa football team’s offensive line. Then he was forced into playing tackle, a position he shouldn’t have been playing. As he enters his senior season, the former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep has settled in at right guard and could be in for a productive season.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have qualified for the Midwest League/High-A Central playoffs 10 straight seasons, every season the Kernels have been affiliated with the Minnesota Twins. That streak is in jeopardy, with a tell-tale two-week road trip to Ohio on the docket for C.R.

Sophomore John Nestor looks to be in line for some heavy playing time this season as a defensive back this season for the University of Iowa football team. His parents moved from the Chicago suburbs to West Branch a couple of months ago to be near their oldest son and so dad John Sr. could be a head prep football coach for the first time.

Here is your bi-weekly update on players in affiliated professional baseball (major and minor leagues) from the Gazette area and University of Iowa.

Kyle Hess and Nick Lucky grew up playing on the same youth baseball teams in Pennsylvania. They went their separate ways for college but are together again, this time in affiliated professional ball with the Cedar Rapids Kernels

To say it’s been a meteoric rise this season through the Minnesota Twins system for pitcher Zebby Matthews is a massive understatement. He was with the Cedar Rapids Kernels for the first month of this season, got moved up to Double-A, then Triple-A and made his major league debut Tuesday night at home against the Kansas City Royals, getting the win.