K.J. Pilcher

Girls filed into wrestling rooms across Iowa on Monday for the start of the varsity season. They have done that decades, however, this was the start of their own season. This is uncharted territory for the IGHSAU’s celebrated “Iowa Girl.”

Not only was Coe’s 37-31 win over Central an important game in the American Rivers Conference standings, but it fell on the same day Coe dedicated the scoreboard in former coach Steve Staker’s name with a halftime ceremony of family and supporters on the field.

Makelle Taylor rushed for 335 yards and backup quarterback Will Phillips stepped in to throw four touchdown passes in Cedar Rapids Prairie’s 50-28 victory over No. 8 Linn-Mar in a Class 5A first-round playoff football game Friday night, avenging the regular-season finale loss.

Williamsburg senior Carson Huedepohl worked his way back from knee injuries and was quickly asked to move from tailback to quarterback, a position he hadn’t played at the varsity level. His passion for football helped him ace the tests of ligament tears and role changes.

Spencer Lee will return. The particulars are still to be determined. Iowa’s two-time Hodge Trophy winner said he would wrestle every match if he could, despite recovering from surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament tears in both knees at the start of the year.

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.

A look at 11 Gazette area Round of 16 games in the Iowa high school football playoffs.

University of Iowa announced Wednesday that season tickets for the 2022-23 college wrestling season have been sold out. This marks the second straight year it has occurred.

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?

Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Prairie will face off two times in as many weeks, opening the first round of the Class 5A playoffs next Friday at John Wall Field. The Iowa High School Athletic Association released Round of 16 pairings for all classes Saturday.

No. 10 Alburnett overcame a double-digit deficit with four touchdowns in the second quarter, including three Mason Neighbor touchdown passes, to take the lead for good and defeat Bellevue, 38-27, in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

Cornell College’s new Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center includes a larger weight room and cardio area with better and more diverse equipment, a turf area for agility training, new training rooms to treat student-athletes, an expanded lobby that is flooded with natural light and trophy cases to highlight the school’s history and improved locker rooms and offices.

Linn-Mar running back Carter Henderson missed the first two games of the season and slowly increased his workload the next two weeks. He has regained his form, surpassing the 100-yard mark and scoring at least once in each of No. 9 Linn-Mar’s last four games.

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.

Doug Schwab can picture the payoff the Panthers’ effort could yield. The product might be one of most experienced and deepest teams in his 12 seasons as UNI wrestling head coach.