Iowa
Kasson-Mantorville's Joey Kennedy makes his University of Iowa dream a reality
KASSON — Joseph Kennedy fell in love with the University of Iowa a bit more than two years ago.
A high school sophomore then, his brother Patrick was enjoying his second year in Iowa City and Joey began to see why Patrick made the decision he did.
Yet, at the time, Joey, the youngest of six children, thought his eventually going there was just a dream.
Monday, Kennedy officially turned fantasy into reality, committing to wrestle for Iowa, one of the top programs in the country.
“I’ve always seen myself going there,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t really fully believe it, then I started to believe a little more and more every day. Now I’m here.”
That belief started to take shape last year when Kennedy staked himself as one of the best in the state in his weight class. He went on to capture a Section 1, Class 2A title before placing second at 145 pounds in the Class 2A state tournament, falling to three-time state champion and current North Carolina State freshman Koy Buesgens. Then, in the summer, Kennedy stayed with his brother Patrick for about a month in Iowa City. There were times when it felt like Kennedy was already part of the squad, getting to train with his brother and experience the college life a little bit.
“I just don’t see anywhere else beating Iowa City. You have everything you want,” Kennedy said. “You can live close right next to Carver(-Hawkeye Arena), where you can throw baseball in the training area. If you want to get out of the city, drive 10 minutes and you’re out in the country. You walk out of the training room, you have your free fuel station with everything you need. Everything’s efficient to the max down there.”
Of course, it was great to spend extra time with his older brother, who is currently ranked No. 9 in Division I at 174. As good as he is on the mat, Patrick seems to be just as good in the kitchen — another aspect Joey made sure to enjoy during his stay.
“Patrick is the best cook in the family,” Kennedy said. “All of us are pretty good in our own ways, but Patrick is the best.”
Many more of Patrick’s meals are on the horizon for Joey. And of course, being around him a little more is a positive, but at the same time, the younger brother is focusing on becoming known as more than Patrick’s brother.
“Yes, wrestling with my brother’s a plus, but I also want to wrestle and be myself down there,” Kennedy said. “I want to be my own thing.”
That is something Kennedy has battled with during his own prep career. The pressure that comes with being the younger sibling of a four-time state champion can be a lot.
“I think every little brother that has an older brother who’s known as being really good goes through the same thing and same process of chasing that older brother’s dynasty or they’re the prodigy,” Kennedy said. “But really, you’re still your own person. My brothers talk to me about that. I still have a long way to go to before I’m done, too. I look at that as upside. But I kind of stopped caring, in a good way, not in a bad way, in a good way that Patrick is my brother. I just stopped caring about that and focused way more on me. And once I did that, it was no longer an issue. It took care of itself, really went away.”
Now Joey will leave his own legacy behind at K-M. He has his sights set on making it back to another Class 2A individual title match and he’s currently ranked by The Guillotine as the third-best 152-pounder.
He will be remembered fondly for his ability to work with the youth as well — something that was apparent in K-M’s annual youth camp right before the season.
“That was the funnest thing, watching (Joey) work with the kids,” K-M coach Ryan Hill said. “You get some crazy kids out, that were in the classroom way too long all day. They needed to burn off some energy and, you know, watching him get on them. And I had to tell Joey afterwards, hey, you know those kids. You were yelling at to quiet down, I was like, that was you man. It’s been a lot of fun watching him grow up. I think last year you saw the results of it.”
“I just want to prove to be a good example for the program,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy has been able to do just that. Now he has a chance to do it at the highest of levels next year.
Alex VandenHouten / Post Bulletin file photo
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa City police are asking the public’s help identifying persons of interest connected to a vandalism investigation.
Police said a business was vandalized in the alley behind the 200 block of East Washington Street on Sunday at 2:35 a.m.
Investigators would like to speak with the persons of interest pictured. Police ask anyone who recognizes these individuals to contact them.
Anyone with information or security camera footage of the incident should contact the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-5275. Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Spring commencement arrives at Iowa State this weekend, with a whole new generation of Cyclones set to get their diplomas and move on to the next things in their lives.
The options and choices will set their path for, potentially, the years and decades ahead.
Which got me thinking about the choices and circumstances of this school year that came for Iowa State athletics. There were no shortages of inflection points at which, it seems, programs and an entire athletics department pivoted to new directions.
Let’s explore.
What if Iowa State had hired Taylor Mouser as head football coach?
This seems to be the most discussed “Sliding Doors” moment for Iowa State football fans regarding head coach Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State. And with good reason. It’s the most obvious, could have had the most immediate impact on the program and would have been largely seen as a continuation of the most successful run in school history.
Would promoting the Iowa State offensive coordinator, though, have been the right move?
If you assume a best-case scenario in which some of the star Cyclone players on offense – think Rocco Becht, Ben Brahmer, Carson Hansen, etc. – stay at Iowa State and a bulk of the coaching staff does as well, there are still likely defections that weaken the roster. Nothing like we saw back in December, but, still, there would be holes – and Campbell’s shoes – to fill by a first-time head coach taking over for a legend.
The calculation, as I see it, has to be – does the Year 1 continuity and relative stability gained by hiring Mouser provide for better long-term results than hiring Jimmy Rogers, who has the benefit of head-coaching experience?
It certainly would have made the fan base feel better back in December, but would it have positioned Iowa State to have better results in 2027 and beyond?
The roster almost certainly would have been “better” in 2026 if Iowa State retained Mouser, but would that have created a more solid foundation for the future or just delayed decay?
This “What If” becomes a lot less intricate and interesting if Rogers just wins a ton this fall and going forward.
What if Penn State had been able to hire Kalani Sitake as its football coach?
I think this is the most interesting question on the list.
By reports, Penn State was on the verge of hiring Sitake from BYU when the Cougars’ boosters – led by the Crumbl Cookie fortune – banded together to put together a financial package to keep Sitake in Provo.
What if they hadn’t, though?
Sitake goes to Penn State, and Dec. 5, 2025, is an uneventful day in Iowa State history rather than one of its most feverish.
But … what happens a few weeks later when Sherrone Moore is fired at Michigan?
Rather than plucking 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham from Utah/forced retirement, do the Wolverines try to make a Michigan Man out of an Ohioan? Does Campbell inherit the seat of Bo Schembechler?
And, for the sake of this thought exercise, if Campbell did move to Ann Arbor, does the timing of that decision change athletics director Jamie Pollard’s options and calculus about Iowa State’s opening? Is Jimmy Rogers still available? Or would he have taken a different opening or opted not to leave Pullman at that later date? Is Mouser the answer in this scenario?
Or is the Buckeye State distaste for the state Up North too much and Campbell returns for Year 11 at Iowa State?
Addy Brown on what went wrong in Iowa State’s loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Addy Brown talks about her team’s struggles in a loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
What if Addy Brown doesn’t get hurt?
Iowa State women’s basketball was 14-0 on Jan. 4 when it played Baylor in Waco, and the season felt sure to realize the potential that was clear before it started with one of coach Bill Fennelly’s best rosters.
The Cyclones, though, returned home with their first loss and with Addy Brown sidelined with a back injury.
Four more losses in a row followed, and when Brown returned to the floor after six weeks, the Cyclones’ season was floundering.
They salvaged an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round exit gave way to a roster collapse with nine players – including Brown and superstar Audi Crooks – leaving via the transfer portal, putting Fennelly’s tenure and future under fire.
If Brown doesn’t get hurt – or just isn’t out as long – does that change the trajectory of the season? The offseason? And what the eventual end of Fennelly’s Iowa State career looks like?
What if Joshua Jefferson doesn’t roll his ankle?
The most recent “What If” I think is also the most straightforward.
If Jefferson’s ankle doesn’t roll in the early minutes of Iowa State’s first-round NCAA Tournament blowout win over Tennessee State, I think the Cyclones get a long second weekend in Chicago, but the Final Four drought probably remains intact.
Jefferson’s rebounding and offensive impact are, I think, enough to give the Cyclones the edge against Tennessee, but Michigan, the Cyclones’ would-be Elite Eight opponent, was just a juggernaut.
I’m not sure even a full-strength Iowa State team would have had more than a puncher’s chance. The Wolverines were just one of the best college basketball teams we’ve seen over the last few decades.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
One of the top Iowa high school football prospects in the state has made his college decision official.
Iowa City Regina High School senior-to-be Tate Wallace has announced he has verbally committed to the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference. Wallace picked the Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck over a finalists Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
Wallace narrowed down his list of schools to six at the end of April before making his final decision.
Iowa City Regina Football Standout Tate Wallace Ranked As No. 2 Overall Prospect In Iowa High School Football
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker is considered the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for high school football, and is the No. 21 linebacker in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wallace is No. 2 in Iowa high school football, No. 29 at linebacker and No. 359 for the Class of 2027.
Along With Minnesota, Tate Wallace Currently Holds Offers From Schools Such As Arizona, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Iowa State
Wallace currently holds 16 total offers including from the previously mentioned Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kansas State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, UNLV, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
As a junior, Wallace registered almost 50 tackles on defense, with 29 of them being counted as solo stops. He had 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, as Iowa City Regina advanced to the state championship game of the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Championships.
Future Minnesota Golden Gopher Has Been Key Two-Way Starter For Regals
Wallace also hauled in 40 passes for 611 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns on offense for the Regals. As a two-way player for Iowa City Regina during his sophomore season, Wallace had 27.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, adding 51 receptions for 752 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in March, Wallace announced seven spring visits to Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State and Arizona State. He also visited Tennessee this past fall, taking in an SEC contest with the Volunteers.
Along with his success on the football field, Wallace helped lead the Regals to the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament this past winter. He earned High School on SI all-state honors in the process.
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