Jeff Johnson

North Linn’s football team lost starting quarterback Tate Haughenbury to mononucleosis at the end of the regular season. But the Lynx still have won two playoff games, including 28-14, Friday night over Mason City Newman. North Linn is in the quarterfinals for the second time in school history.

Waukee Northwest played the toughest schedule in Class 5A this football season, which made its 5-4 record deceiving. The Wolves brushed past Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a playoff first-rounder Friday night at Kingston Stadium.

Defenseman Bryce Montgomery is a sixth-round 2021 draft pick of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. He played two-plus seasons of major junior hockey in Canada, but decided his best bet this season was to leave and come to the United States Hockey League and play, specifically the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Who got a promising draw? Who got the “Group of Death”? We break down the Iowa high school football playoffs Round of 16 pairings on this week’s Prep Football Huddle podcast.

Northwestern’s football team seemed to get a bump offensively last week with sophomore Brendan Sullivan taking over at quarterback.

Butch Pedersen has led his West Branch football team to a 9-0 record and Class 1A’s playoff Round of 16. Lance Pedersen has led Mount Vernon to a 9-0 record and Class 3A’s playoff Round of 16. It’s the first time father and son finished the regular season unbeaten in their established head coaching careers. But the unprecedented success has come as Butch battles cancer.

Iowa City Liberty’s Class 5A top-ranked volleyball team couldn’t officially begin to make amends for an upset first-round state tournament loss last season until it got to the state tourney this season. That was accomplished Tuesday night with a straight-sets win over Cedar Rapids Prairie in a regional final.

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football staff poses and answers questions about the playoffs: Surprise team to reach the UNI-Dome? Will anyone run the table?

The regular seasons for both the Iowa Heartlanders and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have begun. Here is a look at how things are going for the two hockey clubs that represent the Corridor.

Linn-Mar’s football team got three touchdown runs from Carter Henderson and beat Cedar Rapids Prairie, 28-13, Friday night at John Wall Field to assure itself a Class 5A playoff berth. Prairie also is in.

Forward Zaccharya Wisdom had four goals and eight points in his first seven games of this United States Hockey League season. His second season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders is off to a flying start.

Cedar Rapids Xavier senior football linebacker Thomas Sundell led the Saints in tackles last season and is tops again this season, with more than double the stops of the next-highest Saint. His success has been predicated on playing physical and watching a lot of game film.

Former Cedar Rapids RoughRiders defenseman Riese Zmolek made his professional hockey debut last season, spending the majority of his time in the ECHL with the Iowa Heartlanders. He hopes that experience helps he and his team in year two.

Ohio State lured Jim Knowles away from Oklahoma State by giving him a three-year contract that pays him $1.9 million a year to be its defensive coordinator. The Buckeyes have been vastly improved on that side of the football.

Week 9 of Iowa high school football is the last week of the regular season for some (5A, 4A, 3A), the first round of the playoffs for others (2A, 1A, A, 8-Player). This episode of the Prep Football Huddle podcast breaks it all down.