Iowa
Assumption knocks off No. 1 Denver to claim 12th Iowa girls state soccer championship
Dru Dorsey on Assumption’s 1A girls state soccer championship
Assumption forward and Cincinnati recruit Dru Dorsey talks the Knights’ 2-0 win over Denver in the 1A girls state soccer championship game.
AMES — Dru Dorsey had to give Davenport Assumption girls soccer coach Elizabeth Maus a huge hug after the Class 1A girls state soccer championship game between the Knights and No. 1 Denver on June 7.
Assumption just won its record 12th state championship with a 2-0 victory over the Cyclones. But it was the Knights’ first title since 2021, when Dorsey and her classmates were in eighth grade.
“I always felt like we had let her down, even though we knew that we didn’t,” Dorsey said. “Coming in my freshman year and (we) started a losing streak instead of continuing the winning streak. I was just really happy we could win it back for her.”
Dorsey scored one goal and assisted on the other during the championship game.
It took the Knights just five minutes and 21 seconds to get on the board
Dorsey connected with freshman Ruby Stevens with a cross from near the right corner of the field. Stevens got the ball near the far post and connected with the ball, sending it into the net for a quick score.
“I thought Ruby did absolutely amazing,” Dorsey said. “You never know how freshmen are going to do with the pressure. It’s a big field, you know, you get to play at Iowa State, so it was huge. I think that’s what set the momentum for the game.”
But Denver was not phased by the early deficit.
The Cyclones outplayed the Knights for much of the first half. Addyson Shepard had two crosses in the first half, going just over Assumption keeper Alyssa O’Neal on the first attempt. On the second cross, she found midfielder Kenzie Snyder, who went a little high with her shot attempt.
Shepard had another chance with nine minutes left in the half, but O’Neal came out to knock the ball away and the Cyclones’ follow-up attempt went high once again.
In the second half, Denver struggled on offense. Assumption, led by 1A all-tournament captain Camryn Menke and defender Maddi Tolle, contained Shepard over the final 40 minutes.
“They kind of played us three back with their two sixes in the front and it was kind of to eliminate balls to Addy,” said Denver coach Derek Krebsbach. “She’s really dangerous when she’s on the ball, so they did a good job of taking her out.”
With the Knight midfield and defense turning it up a couple of notches in the second half, Dorsey was able to put Denver away less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Dorsey got a ball near the 18-yard box and fired a shot that went into the far corner of the net to give her team an all-important two-goal cushion.
“I just kicked it, and it found the corner,” Dorsey said. “It started raining, so you never know what’s going to happen. It’ll slide through a few people, so I mean, you’ve just got to be ready.”
Assumption controlled the tempo of the game the rest of the way to end its three-year state championship drought.
“This moment is absolutely incredible,” Dorsey said. “I can’t even explain it. Doing this as a senior with all of them — it’s amazing.”
Assumption finished the season at 15-4-1.
Denver ended its campaign with a 21-1-1 record. It was the second year in a row the Cyclones suffered a 2-0 loss in the title game, falling to Nevada by the same score in 2024.
“It hurts,” Krebsbach said. “I’m still really proud of the girls. We could’ve, after last year, said ‘Well, we’re not going to be up for it again,’ and whatnot. Well, we were up for it. We made a run at it again and we played hard today.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
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.
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.
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.
Avoiding common car crashes
Discover the common causes of car crashes and learn how to avoid them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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