Jeff Johnson

The Prep Football Huddle podcast discusses teams with big tests in Week 7, looks back at what happened in Week 6, updates the rankings and playoff picture and plays another game of “Who’s Got More?” on this week’s episode.

What are the most notable games this week? Is Williamsburg’s offense or Maquoketa Valley’s defense more impressive? Plus, the best bounce-back teams and how to add to Friday night excitement. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their insights on these Iowa high school football topics.

In the first edition of Corridor Cross Checks for the 2024-25 hockey season, we take a look at the upcoming ECHL season for the Iowa Heartlanders and Week 3 of the United States Hockey League season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

A closer look at Iowa’s 35-7 loss Saturday to Ohio State at Ohio Stadium. The third-ranked Buckeyes owned the second half to pull away from a tight game at halftime.

With NIL exploding and a lawsuit filed to possibly allow major junior players in Canada the chance to play college hockey, how that all could affect the United States Hockey League is a burgeoning topic of discussion.

Iowa City Liberty is Class 5A’s eighth-ranked football team but played without Sutton Koller, its top touchdown scorer, Friday night against Cedar Rapids Washington. Other guys stepped up in his absence and allowed the Lightning to rally in the second half for a 27-22 victory.

Mount Mercy University announced Friday it will begin a varsity football program in the 2026 season. The school constructed a large athletics facility near campus in 2017 that included a football stadium. The stadium’s goal posts have always pointed away from the field, so as not to interfere with the other sports played there.

The Iowa football defense faces a very difficult task Saturday afternoon in an Ohio State team that is averaging over 48 points and 500 yards per game. That includes trying to slow down a pair of all-conference running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. OSU players will receive $20 million in NIL money this season, with “roughly 10 players” receiving at least $1 million.

The Prep Football Huddle podcast reviews the notable games from Week 5 of the Iowa high school football season and the updated Gazette statewide rankings. Plus, a look at the Class 5A RPI system and a trivia game of “Who’s Got More?”

What teams have been pleasant surprises? Which Iowa City high school quarterback would you choose? Conversions vs. extra points and the best media accommodations. We also introduce reader questions. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their insights on these Iowa high school football topics.

MFL MarMac football coach Dan Anderson didn’t have anyone on his team’s roster who had ever played quarterback, other than an incoming freshman. So he brought in a quarterback tutor in the spring and conducted a tryout that senior Carter Stoddard won. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 110 yards in the team’s 28-13 win Friday night over Sumner-Fredericksburg, improving the Bulldogs to 4-1.

There were 38 points scored in a wild and wacky fourth quarter Friday night at Kingston Stadium between Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Logan Barton provided the final three, a 25-yard field goal with just over three seconds left that lifted the Warriors to a 30-27 win.

Winger Loa Milfors came over to North America and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders this past January from his native Sweden. It was a tough adjustment but he made it and seems in line for a productive second season in the United States Hockey League.

Iowa City West senior Jack Wallace threw a pick-6 on his very first pass as a starting varsity quarterback three years ago as a freshman. That was just a blip, as Wallace broke West’s school record for most career passing yards last week.

A wild Iowa high schoool football Week 4 saw another No. 1-ranked Class 5A team fall, a two-point conversion decide one rivalry game and a failed two-point conversion determine another. We break it all down on the Prep Football Huddle podcast.