Jeff Johnson

A closer look at Iowa’s 13-10 win Saturday night over Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium. Max Llewellyn’s strip sack led to Drew Stevens’ game-winning field goal as the Hawkeyes rallied to win Heroes Game.

Defenseman Jules Boscq of the Iowa Heartlanders had a pair of goals in his team’s overtime loss Sunday to Bloomington. Those were the first two of his pro career in North America. The 22-year-old from France appears to have a bright future.

The Iowa Heartlanders and Bloomington Bison have played each other seven times so far in the early portion of the ECHL season. Sunday’s 3-2 Bloomington win in overtime was the third of six consecutive games between the teams.

Bethel University got two touchdowns each from quarterback Cooper Drews and running back Aaron Ellingson and eked past Coe, 31-26, in a NCAA Division III playoff football first-round game Saturday at St. Paul, Minn.

Coe College senior football running back Trenton Barnes is from Madison, Ind., in the very southern part of the state. He answered a recruiting e-mail from Coe head coach Tyler Staker his senior year of high school and ended up coming to Cedar Rapids for college. He became the American Rivers Conference’s leading rusher this season.

Tai Felton began to emerge as a wide receiver last season for the Maryland Terrapins. Despite interest from other schools, he decided to remain at the school for his senior season and is the Big Ten Conference’s leading pass catcher.

For the first time since 1977, there are no Gazette-area teams in the Iowa high school state football championships. But the Prep Football Huddle is making picks for all seven of this week’s games anyway.

Matthew Sop of the Iowa Heartlanders is tied for second in the ECHL in points a dozen or so games into the season. The 21-year-old rookie forward is living away from home for the first time, spending his entire career playing junior in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontari.

Southeast Polk scored 24 points in the second half and edged Iowa City Liberty, 38-35, in a thrilling Class 5A state football playoff semifinal Friday night at the UNI-Dome

Sutton Koller and Dallas Miller are perfect examples of why this Iowa City Liberty football team has had a great season that includes playing in Friday night’s Class 5A state playoff semifinal against three-time defending champion Southeast Polk. Already offensive stalwarts, they were asked to play defense this season, too.

We discuss last week’s Iowa high school football state quarterfinal results, preview some noteworthy semifinal matchups and pick the champions in all seven classes on this episode of the Prep Football Huddle.

Head football coaches in Class 5A, District 6 selected Iowa City West senior quarterback Jack Wallace as the district’s Most Valuable Player. Scott Chandler and his assistants at Iowa City Liberty is the Coaching Staff of the Year.

The NCAA Division I Council last week voted to allow players from the three Canadian Hockey League major junior leagues to play college hockey, beginning next season. They had been ineligible for American college hockey previously because they receive financial stipends. How this new ruling affects the United States Hockey League, of which the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a member, is anyone’s guess at this point.

The Mount Vernon football team fell behind Algona, 22-0, in the first half of its Class 3A state football playoff quarterfinal Friday night. But the Mustangs hung around and scored late for a 31-28 victory.

The Coe College football team had one more chance Saturday to impress the committee that will select the NCAA Division III football playoff field. It did so, pasting Simpson, 47-10, in its regular-season finale at Clark Field. The Kohawks have an upcoming bye and will have to wait a week to see if they’re in the field of 40.