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Meet the nominees for Press-Citizen’s Athletes of the Week, Aug. 26-Sept. 1

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Meet the nominees for Press-Citizen’s Athletes of the Week, Aug. 26-Sept. 1


Week 1 of Iowa high school football is in the books, and it didn’t disappoint. Let’s not forget about cross country and volleyball that brought all of the action this past week.

Here are the nominees for the Iowa City Press-Citizen’s high school Athletes of the Week for Aug. 26-Sept. 1. Press-Citizen.com readers vote to decide this week’s winners. Voting closes at 8 p.m. on Thursday. 

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name:

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Boys

Landon Bell, Jr., Iowa City Liberty

The Friday night lights weren’t too bright for Bell, who made plays on both sides of the ball in Iowa City Liberty’s win over Iowa City West in Week 1.

The third-year playmaker totaled 12 tackles and an interception. He also caught a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Butali Butali, Sr., Iowa City West

Despite falling short to Iowa City Liberty in Week 1, Butali was still a workhorse on the ground for Iowa City West.

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He rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.

Owen Drapeaux, Sr., Iowa City Liberty

It was the Owen Drapeaux show during Liberty’s 56-45 win over Iowa City West on Aug. 29.

Drapeaux rushed for 171 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns. His showing helped the Lightning earn their first win over the Trojans in program history.

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Eddie Johnson, Sr., Solon

Johnson answered the call during Solon’s 33-7 win over Assumption in Week 1.

The fourth year running back rushed for 120 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. He led the Spartans with 9.2 yards per carry.

Tate Wallace, Soph., Regina Catholic

Wallace made a statement in the air in Week 1 against West Liberty.

The second-year Regal snatched six receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown in Regina’s 42-28 win over the Comets.

Girls

Sophia Austen, Soph., Iowa City West

Austen made her mark for the Iowa City West volleyball team during its first win of the season against No. 8 Dubuque Senior on Thursday.

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According to Varsity Bound, Austen totaled 10 kills, seven digs and two aces in a sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-17) over the Rams.

Sydney Dee, Sr. Solon

Dee helped the Solon girls cross country team clinch a first-place team title at the Anomosa Meet on Saturday by placing third individually.

She completed the 5-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 16.8 seconds.

Kaitlin Loria, Soph. Iowa City High

Loria helped lead Iowa City High volleyball to its third win of the season in a 2-0 victory (21-18, 21-14) over Council Bluffs Lincoln on Thursday.

The second-year Little Hawk totaled a team-high seven kills in the win. The Little Hawks swept the Johnston Quad, earning wins over Council Bluffs Lincoln, Marion and Johnston.

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Averie Lower, Jr., Clear Creek Amana

Lower played a big role in CCA’s tournament win at Grinnell Community Senior High School on Saturday.

According to Varsity Bound, Lower earned 12 kills and 11 digs. The Clippers earned wins over Urbandale, Washington, Dallas Center-Grimes and Carlisle before topping Grinnell in the championship match. They improved to 5-1 on the season.

Kinley Mai, Fresh., Solon

Mai also contributed to Solon’s team title victory at the Anomosa cross country meet on Saturday.

Individually, she placed fourth behind Dee with a time of 21 minutes, 16.8 seconds in the 5-kilometer race.

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

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Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan

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Iowa State football lands 2027 3-star linebacker commit Keaton Wollan


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After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.

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He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.

According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.

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Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.

Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments

As of April 21

  • Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
  • Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
  • Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
  • Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
  • Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
  • Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.





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Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster

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Iowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster


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Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.

Here’s what to know.

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When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?

The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.

What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?

During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.

Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

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Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe


An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.

Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.

On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.

Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.

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The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.

Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.

The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.

Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.

As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.

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Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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