K.J. Pilcher

Iowa City High started the season as the preseason No. 1. The Little Hawks faced a tough early schedule that dropped them to No. 5. This week, they climbed two spots to third in Class 4A.

The Big Ten Conference released conference dual opponents Monday. The Hawkeyes will host rival Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in conference duals. They will travel to Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue.

Benton Community visits Marion in a Wamac Conference clash. Sigourney comes to North Linn for a battle of ranked Class 1A teams, Dyersville Beckman heads to Cascade in one of Iowa’s top high school baseball rivalries and more games to watch in Week 5.

Brayden Mayer changed his approach to be more like a pitcher than a thrower. He pitched six scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Cedar Rapids Xavier on Friday night at Bob Erusha Field. The Saints won the opener, 6-1, for the split.

Hawkeye Wrestling Club member and University of Iowa three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee earned a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He will compete for a spot to represent Team USA at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Benton won 26 games each of the last two summers and is working on its third straight winning season. It would be the longest streak since five in a row from 2012-16.

Cedar Rapids Washington’s Jane Petersen and Preston Haefner combined to shoot 71 and placed second at the Class 2A state co-ed golf meet Tuesday at Cedar Pointe Golf Course in Boone.

Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Michael Day juggled the tennis postseason with the start of baseball. He helped the Hawks boys’ tennis team finish second at state and contributed to their 15-0 start in baseball.

Marion is a work in progress, according to head coach Steve Fish. The Wolves are 7-2 and lead the Wamac Conference East Division. They are third in the latest Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association poll.

Division leads are at stake in the Mississippi Valley Conference. Another big Upper Iowa Conference matchup occurs. Tri-Rivers Conference has a battled between division leaders and Dyersville Beckman visits the Quad Cities. Here is a look at some notable games this week.

Iowa City West senior Declan Bunn has developed into a leader on and off the field. He contributed to the Trojans’ 11-7 win over Iowa City Regina in the Fight With Flash Foundation Crosstown Classic on Saturday at Solon Recreation and Nature Area Baseball Field.

Sigourney opened with a 5-0 record this season, coming off the school’s first state baseball tournament appearance in 2024. Starmont posts sweep of No. 3 North Linn. Four unbeaten Gazette-area teams remain.

Luther announced Tuesday that it will move from the American Rivers Conference to Midwest Conference for the 2026-27 academic year.

Cedar Rapids Prairie won its first eight games and climbed to fourth in Class 4A, six spots better than the preseason poll. Iowa City High, Marion, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Clear Creek Amana and North Linn are among other area ranked teams.

Iowa All-American Michael Caliendo went 8-1 and defeated Stanford’s Daniel Cardenas in a best-of-3 series for the 74-kilogram U23 men’s freestyle national title Sunday at Geneva, Ohio. Herrera won the 125-kg crown.