High school baseball umpire and freelance writer. Spent 23 years in sports journalism, including 11 at the Quad-City Times. Contact: mcoss35
@gmail
.com
College football in our state:
FBS: Iowa (8-3) & Iowa State (7-4) will be going to a bowl
FCS: UNI (8-4) will be in playoffs, a possible top 8 seed
D-III: Wartburg (10-1) and Central (10-1) advance to Round of 16
NAIA: Grand View (12-0) and Morningside (11-0) in quarterfinals
Words are difficult to find this morning. Steve Batterson, a sports reporter at the Quad-City Times for 38+ years, died Tuesday afternoon. He was a consummate pro, a workhorse, a great teammate and such a kind-hearted man. He loved his job and did it very well. Rest easy, Batts.
Assuming Clark goes to the Fever, Indiana's first home game is May 16. You would have Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark against the Liberty's Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. That might generate some interest.
Longtime IHSAA referee/umpire Paul Keitel has passed away after battling lymphoma. Deepest condolences to his family. Paul was an incredible man and one of the most respected officials around.
Waukee coach Justin Ohl was emotional afterward in North Scott allowing injured Noah Hart to start the game with two points. North Scott coach Shamus Budde suggested the idea before tip. "Incredibly classy by Shamus. That speaks volumes to the type of program he has."
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I witnessed a remarkable act of class and sportsmanship Friday at the boys' state tournament. Shamus Budde and North Scott showed the best of high school athletics. My column |
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Joe Wieskamp's career numbers:
* Points -- 2,376 (26.1 ppg.)
* Rebounds -- 908 (10 rpg.)
* Double-doubles -- 46
* Tallied double figures in 88 of 91 games, including his last 62.
* Career FG% -- 53.4%
* Career FT% -- 80%
* Career 3PT -- 37%
* Team's record -- 53-39
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Freshman Luke Wieskamp scores career-high 20 for Muscatine tonight.
His brother, Joe, scores 13 for the Spurs, his highest output of his young NBA career.
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What pressure? Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark splits the fairway in front of hundreds of spectators at the first hole in pro am at the JDC.
Assumption coach Matt Fitzpatrick forked over about $400 out of his own pocket tonight to pay for Assumption students to get into the game: "It was the best investment Iโve ever made in my life," he said.
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Final:
#9
North Scott 30,
#2
Harlan 6
North Scott (9-1) is the Iowa Class 3A state champion for 2020. First title in program history.
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#HungryHobo11
Joe Wieskamp scores 29 points and grabs 10 rebounds in his final high school game. He finishes his illustrious career with 2,376 points, sixth on Iowa's all-time scoring list.
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Umpires are wearing blue wrist bands with initials "PK" on them for Paul Keitel. Longtime umpire is battling lymphoma. Paul, from DeWitt, is great guy and terrific umpire. All the best to him.
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Muscatine's Joe Wieskamp is the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year in boys basketball for the second consecutive year. He joins Harrison Barnes as a 2-time winner in Iowa.
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Folks, that will do it. It was a terrific three days at Drake Stadium.
Been overwhelmed by all the messages and well-wishes the past few weeks. Thank you!
It has been an incredible honor and thrill to cover preps in this state. I'll have a farewell column in the morning.
Championship teams, tremendous individual performances and feel-good stories away from the playing field and court, the past 11 years provided plenty of fulfillment.
Thank you, Q-C.
Gotta be happy for Jake Gervase. Kid has endured a lot. To get the pass break up on the last play of his Hawkeye career to seal the Outback Bowl win is fitting.
Today's soapbox: As someone who is a huge proponent of prep sports and value it has beyond results, I'm concerned about its future. We're losing too many good coaches who were in it for the right reasons. There are various factors for them getting out, but trend is disturbing.
It was 20 years ago this week I walked into a Creston newsroom to start my journalism career. The industry has changed significantly, but thankful for my colleagues and the terrific coaches, athletes and administrators I've crossed paths with in that time. Been truly blessed.
In chatting with several ADs this afternoon, there is optimism we'll have high school baseball and softball this summer in Iowa. A lot of logistics need to be sorted out. One AD said: "If we can get 20 games in, that's a win."
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Just a travesty Central DeWitt's Shawn Gilbert was not selected by coaches to play in IBCA Senior All-Star game.
* Likely 3A first team all-state
* MAC player of year
* Avg. 24 ppg., 10 rpg.
* Led team to 20 wins & state runner-up finish
* 3A all-tournament captain
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The Quad-Cities' Salute to Sports Female Athlete of the Year is North Scott's Grace Boffeli (
@boffeli_grace
). The UNI basketball recruit is the second girl from North Scott to claim the honor, the other was Jenni Fitzgerald in 1986.
Karli Rucker's college career came to a close tonight with UNI's 62-55 loss to Drake in the WNIT.
The North Scott grad closes a great five-year run in Cedar Falls:
* 4 time all-MVC
* 159 career games
* 1,869 points
* 512 assists
* 470 rebounds
* 191 3-pointers
Our second female athlete of the year finalist is North Scott's Grace Boffeli (
@boffeli_grace
). The UNI hoops recruit and first team all-stater compiled 28.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in propelling North Scott to an undefeated season and second straight 4A state title.
Former Bettendorf and Iowa standout Nicholas Baer is back with the Hawkeyes as a graduate assistant. "There is no better representative of everything we stand for than Nicholas Baer," Fran McCaffery said.
Final:
#1
Pleasant Valley 14
#3
Johnston 5
Pleasant Valley (37-4) wins its first state championship in baseball. First 4A title for the MAC in baseball in 34 years.
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Happy wedding day to
@emclem2
and
@MWieskamp05
... They've been together longer than these images from their playing days at Muscatine. Enjoy your special day.
Quite a 2020-21 school year for PV boys athletics:
XC: State qualifier
Golf: State runner-up
Football: State semifinalist
Basketball: State qualifier
Swimming: Ninth at state
Tennis: Third at state
Soccer: State champion
Baseball: State champion
MAC will send record five teams to state -- Assumption, North Scott, Bettendorf, Muscatine and PV. Those five outscored regional final opponents 50-6 last two nights.
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BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: North Scott football. The Lancers beat four top-eight teams in succession in the playoffs to claim their first state title in program history
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Good perspective from North Scott coach Kevin Tippet tonight:
โ(COVID-19) has put a lot of things in perspective for me, so every Friday we get to play, I promise myself and our kids are going to have fun, win or lose. You donโt know if youโll have a shot at it next week."
Our third Quad-City Times Male Athlete of the Year finalist is North Scott's Zach Petersen. Iowa State football recruit is a first team all-state defensive end and Iowa Class 3A state wrestling placewinner.
@zpetersen22
Our first Quad-City Times male athlete of the year finalist is Bettendorf senior DJ Carton (
@djcarton
). The Ohio State signee was co-Mr. Basketball in Iowa and the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. The five-star recruit averaged almost 25 points per game.
Hello, Atlanta.
Next stop? Augusta National Golf Club. Excited to attend The Masters for the first time tomorrow, a bucket list trip. Azaleas. Pimento cheese sandwiches. Sunshine (hopefully). And some guy named Tiger teeing it up.
This stuff can't be happening. One of the biggest priorities for the IHSAA/IHSSN in the ensuing months is getting this mess sorted out. The NBC Sports Chicago deal, I believe, expires this summer. Product needs to be visible (free of charge) to all corners of the state.
I have mediacom, have NBC Chicago, paid $10 to watch the first round.. now am โblacked outโ from semifinals on my computer or mobile devices.. ๐๐๐๐
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Heartbreaking. Was a team captain and standout runner at Pleasant Valley.
Very articulate in our conversations. Deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
The UNI cross country / track and field family is mourning the loss of former Panther distance runner Ian Kaffenberger. Ian was a wonderful person who cared deeply for his friends and family. He will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know him.
Our ninth Quad-City Times male athlete of the year finalist is North Scott senior Collin Lewis (
@NSHSActivities
). Lewis was North Scott's leading tackler and a first team all-district linebacker. On the mat, he was a Class 3A state champion with a team-high 46 wins.
North Scott's senior class:
Freshmen: 21-5, 4A state title
Sophomores: 20-3
Juniors: 22-3, 4A state title
Seniors: 26-0, 4A state title
---
89 wins, 11 losses, 3 state titles
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Davenport Southeast Little League is Williamsport bound. Southeast outlasts Webb City, Mo. 4-3 in seven innings.
SELL will make its second trip to the World Series, first since 1975.
Five Iowa senior high school boys basketball players are McDonald's All-American nominees -- Joe Wieskamp (Muscatine), A.J. Green (Cedar Falls), Matt Mims (Xavier), Garrett Sturtz (Newton) & Elijah Hazekamp (Heelan).
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I get you want to recognize best kids on all-conference teams and all are deserving, but to not have one defensive specialist or libero on an eight-player 1st team isn't good look for MAC.
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After almost 38 years and 15,000 bylines at the Quad-City Times, tonight will be
@Dox5
final assignment as a full-time staff member before heading off into retirement.
He'll be covering Pleasant Valley & Assumption boys basketball at Assumption.
Thanks, Dox.
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Our fifth Quad-City Times female athlete of the year finalist is Assumption senior Carly King (
@carlykinggg
). The Duke track and field commit is an 11-time state medalist, past 100-meter champion at Drake, a first team all-state soccer player and a starter on the volleyball team.
Pleasant Valley has just one senior from this team, but it is a big one in second baseman Carli Spelhaug. Five-year starter, all-stater multiple years, all-tournament team captain twice and off to Iowa State. She'll go down as one of the best to wear the PV jersey.
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If Durant's Nolan DeLong plays baseball this summer, he'll end up being a six-sport varsity athlete this school year. Never seen that in all my years of doing this.
Fall: Football
Winter: Basketball, wrestling
Spring: Track & field, golf
Summer: Baseball
Quite incredible.
1st team all-MAC:
Sean Peeters (Assumption)
Ty Anderson (NS)
Sam Kilburg (NS)
Jayden Houston (North)
Quincy Wiseman (North)
Emarion Ellis (Central)
Kaiden Phillips (Central)
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PREP FOOTBALL:
Makhi Wilson's father was deployed in Germany for the past seven months. Lieutenant Col. Kentrell Wilson returned home Friday to surprise his son and watched him run for 107 yards and a touchdown as PV raced past Bettendorf.
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Max Holy hit a league-best .561 this summer for Clinton. The most impressive stat? Never struck out in 79 plate appearances this summer (57 official ABs, 17 walks, 4 HBP, 1 sacrifice fly).
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Our 10th male athlete of the year finalist is North Scott's Ty Anderson (
@tytananderson
). An all-stater in football and basketball, he helped the Lancers reach the state quarterfinals in both sports. The UNI basketball signee averaged 18.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Quite a decade for talent in Q-C for boys hoops. Here would be my 12-man roster:
N. Baer (Bett)
D. Billups (Moline)
T. Buchanan (UT)
W. Carius (PV)
C. Carr (RI)
D. Carton (Bett)
T. Hall (RI)
E. Happ (Rockridge)
C. Randle (RI)
I. Rivera (Gen)
Cortez Seales (NS)
J. Wieskamp (Musc)
Davenport Southeast Little League team wins its second straight elimination game at Midwest Regional in Indiana, beating North Dakota 11-3.
Southeast is one of three teams remaining and one victory from Williamsport and Little League World Series. Plays again Friday.
Last night, I cover a wrestler competing with two broken bones in his hand. Tonight, I'm watching a girl play on a torn ACL. These kids are much tougher than me.
The biggest news today from the IHSAA? Iowa high school football teams can schedule teams out of state. Alleman-Assumption? Rock Island-Bettendorf? Moline-PV? All those matchups can happen now.
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State baseball (sidebar):
Derek Stecklein isn't even 30 years old, but in three seasons he has taken Pleasant Valley baseball from middle of the conference pack to the top of Iowa Class 4A
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