Jeff Linder

Solon takes over the top spot in Class 3A in this week’s Gazette football poll. West Des Moines Dowling is the new No. 1 in 5A.

Ruben Galvan’s first mission as Solon volleyball coach is to enhance the chemistry. The Spartans finished second to Cedar Rapids Xavier at the Warrior Invitational on Saturday.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s football team “had errors in all three phases of the game” and dropped a 35-20 decision to Pleasant Valley to fall to 0-2.

A three-time 1A individual state cross country champion at Calamus-Wheatland, Steines won her Tipton debut by nearly a minute at the Bob Brown Invitational.

A dozen of the top Gazette-area Iowa high school football games to watch in Week 2.

The Prep Football Huddle podcast reviews Week 1 of the Iowa high school football season with takeaways including a young Cedar Rapids Xavier team’s potential, Clear Creek Amana’s new era, Class 5A rankings upheaval and more.

5 Gazette-area stars of the Iowa high school volleyball season’s first week, including Beckman Coach Todd Troutman.

Area volleyball Super Ten through matches played Sept. 3: Mount Vernon and Cedar Rapids Xavier remain the top two teams; West Delaware and Cedar Rapids Prairie make big jumps.

Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Libby Fandel crossed the 1,000-kill threshold for her career, knocking down 17 Tuesday night as Class 4A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier topped 5A No. 7 Iowa City Liberty in a four-set MVC Mississippi Division volleyball match at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

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 Gazette’s post-Week 1 Iowa high school football poll: West Des Moines Valley, West Lyon and Grundy Center are newly top-ranked teams in 5A, 2A and 1A.

Pella’s Marissa Ferebee ran 17:23, then Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman (15:15) prevailed in a star-studded boys race as elite runners burned up the course at the Prairie Invitational cross country meet.

Class 4A seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier ground out a 14-7 victory over No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock. The Saints held the Go-Hawks to 18 yards in the fourth quarter, 63 in the second half.

Catching up with six WNBA players with Iowa ties, through games played Thursday.

Injuries put the brakes on Linn-Mar last season after a 2-0 start. All of those injuries were a supreme bummer at the time. But it did push other guys into the lineup, ready or not, and that could trigger the Lions into a formidable unit this fall.