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Go Iowa Awesome – Iowa Kicker Aaron Blom Charged With Underage Sports Wagering

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Go Iowa Awesome  –  Iowa Kicker Aaron Blom Charged With Underage Sports Wagering


The investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) into sports wagering among student-athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State continues to generate news — and criminal charges for current and former Iowa players. A day after we learned that former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen is facing criminal charges related to sports wagering, we now know that current Iowa football player Aaron Blom is also facing criminal charges as part of the sports wagering investigation.

Like Christensen, Blom is accused of making illegal underage bets using the DraftKings app. Also like Christensen, Blom involved his mother in the “scheme” to hide his identity when placing the bets. He faces the same tampering with records charge as Christensen, which is an aggravated misdemeanor under the state of Iowa criminal code. It carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail or up to two years in prison if Blom is convicted.

The complaint accuses Christensen of placing 170 mobile/online sports bets through a DraftKings account, totaling over $4400. Approximately eight of the wagers were placed on sporting events involving the Iowa Hawkeyes, including betting the under on total points in the 2021 Iowa-Iowa State game. (Blom did not play in that game.)

In the complaint Blom’s mother confirmed that she knew that the DraftKings account was registered in her name and that her son used it to place wagers with her knowledge and consent. The complaint also states that Blom was “transparent” with agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation about his online wagering activity.

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The complaint alleges that Blom placed the bets between 1/28/21 and 2/22/22. During that period of time Blom was a member of the Iowa football program. Under current NCAA rules, Blom (like Christensen) would be permanently ineligible to compete in college athletics if the NCAA rules that he placed bets on University of Iowa sporting events.

Blom, who is still listed on the current Iowa football roster, did not play in 2020 or 2021 but did see action in two games in 2022. He went 1/2 on field goal attempts in Iowa’s season-opener against South Dakota State. He also played in Iowa’s game against Iowa State the next week, going 0/1 on field goal tries, but converting his only extra point try. He did not see any other game action in 2022, as Drew Stevens took over as Iowa’s placekicker for the remainder of the season.

Blom is one of three current/former Iowa student-athletes to be charged as part of the IRGC’s investigation into sports wagering at Iowa and Iowa State. Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen was also charged and on Wednesday it emerged that former Iowa basketball player Ahron Ulis (who transferred to Nebraska after the 2022-23 season) is also facing charges as part of the investigation.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation released a statement on Wednesday regarding the charges.

“The investigation is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges. No further information can be released at this time.”

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So far charges have only been filed against Blom, Christensen, and Ulis (among Iowa players), but it’s a certainty that those aren’t the only names involved. (We know that Noah Shannon is one of the players involved in the investigation.) It’s worth noting that, to date, all of the charged athletes have been charged with placing bets on games involving their respective schools, which would likely be the most serious infractions involved in this investigation — it certainly has the most significant punishment in terms of NCAA rules (permanent loss of eligibility).

It’s very conceivable that other players could face lesser charges as a result of the investigation if they placed illegal bets, but did not wager on any games involving Iowa (or Iowa State, if they were Cyclone student-athletes). Also, the current information around Blom and Christensen (and Ulis) concerns only the criminal charges they are facing for violating Iowa law. Any sanctions from the NCAA will be determined at a later date.

We’ll continue to provide updates on this story as more information emerges.



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Rosemount H.S. Marching Band wins at Iowa competition

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Rosemount H.S. Marching Band wins at Iowa competition


The Rosemount High School Marching Band is celebrating a big victory from a competition earlier this fall. In late September they took home the Class AAA Championship trophy at the Bands of America regional competition in Waukee, Iowa. Members of the band joined the FOX 9 Morning News to talk about the win and share how they are getting ready for another big competition this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.



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Iowa high school football scores for Week 7

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Iowa high school football scores for Week 7


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(This story was updated to add new information)

It’s Week 7 of the Iowa high school football season. Check out our list of IHSAA scores from Friday night’s action.

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Stream Iowa HS football on the NFHS Network

Scores are listed in alphabetical order by winning team

IHSAA scores from Week 7 of Iowa high school football season

Friday’s games:

  • Ankeny Centennial 45, Des Moines Roosevelt 3
  • Bedford 77, Lamoni 0
  • Benton 38, Grinnell 7
  • Bettendorf 48, Davenport Central 0
  • Cedar Falls 38, Dubuque Senior 0
  • Cedar Rapids Kennedy 45, Dubuque Hempstead 14
  • Cedar Rapids Prairie 56, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 7
  • Cedar Rapids Xavier 35, Oskaloosa 0
  • Central City 64, Lone Tree 8
  • Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 23, Western Christian 7
  • Clarinda 47, Chariton 7
  • Columbus 48, Van Buren County 7
  • Creston 70, Knoxville 0
  • Crestwood 28, New Hampton 27
  • Davenport Assumption 34, Washington 6
  • Decorah 57, Marion 14
  • Dike-New Hartford 42, Aplington-Parkersburg 0
  • Don Bosco 62, Turkey Valley 0
  • Dowling Catholic 49, Urbandale 28
  • Dyersville Beckman 28, Iowa City Regina 15
  • East Mills 50, Exira-EHK 44
  • East Union 64, Murray 36
  • Easton Valley 61, Midland 21
  • Edgewood-Colesburg 84, Calamus-Wheatland 31
  • Emmetsburg 64, Eagle Grove 0
  • Fremont-Mills 40, CAM 28
  • Fort Dodge 55, Storm Lake 26
  • Fort Dodge St. Edmond 43, Colo-Nesco 6
  • Glenwood 20, Dallas Center-Grimes 17
  • Glidden-Ralston 48, Coon Rapids-Bayard 6
  • GMG 52, Meskwaki Settlement 0
  • Greene County 10, Southeast Valley 7
  • Harlan 24, Nevada 21
  • Highland 41, Louisa-Muscatine 6
  • Hinton 19, OABCIG 13
  • Humboldt 21, Algona 20
  • IKM-Manning 13, Southwest Valley 6
  • Iowa City Liberty 28, Ankeny 20
  • Jesup 35, Iowa Falls-Alden 6
  • Johnston 56, Council Bluffs Lincoln 7
  • Lenox 55, Southeast Warren 8
  • Lewis Central 28, Winterset 24
  • Linn-Mar 55, Davenport West 6
  • Logan-Magnolia 14, Council Bluffs St. Albert 10
  • Maquoketa Valley 35, North Linn 16
  • Marshalltown 26, Ames 21
  • Mediapolis 49, Davis County 20
  • MMCRU 41, Westwood 18
  • MOC-Floyd Valley 35, Sioux Center 14
  • Mount Vernon 56, Fort Madison 7
  • North Butler 22, Nashua-Plainfield 0
  • North Fayette Valley won by forfeit over Oelwein
  • North Iowa 46, Harris-Lake Park 40
  • North Polk 22, Indianola 21
  • Okoboji 49, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 21
  • Osage 42, Waukon 6
  • Pekin 57, Wapello 0
  • Pleasant Valley 42, Muscatine 7
  • Remsen St. Mary’s 46, Woodbine 30
  • Riceville 57, Waterloo Christian 0
  • Ridge View 22, West Sioux 7
  • Riverside 41, Earlham 6
  • Roland-Story 28, Des Moines Christian 21
  • Saint Ansgar 53, West Fork 0
  • Sergeant Bluff-Luton 21, Carroll 0
  • Sibley-Ocheyedan 48, HMS 14
  • Sidney 62, Stanton-Essex 20
  • Sigourney-Keota 62, Colfax-Mingo 26
  • South Central Calhoun 41, Panorama 12
  • South Hardin 34, Hudson 21
  • Southeast Polk 31, Waukee 28
  • Spencer 41, Sioux City West 0
  • Spirit Lake 49, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 6
  • Sumner-Fredericksburg 54, Central Springs 12
  • Treynor 36, Shenandoah 6
  • Tri-Center 34, Woodbury Central 8
  • Underwood 41, Missouri Valley 6
  • Van Meter 54, Centerville 0
  • Wapsie Valley 46, BCLUW 0
  • Wayne 30, Central Decatur 6
  • Webster City 42, Charles City 21
  • West Hancock 60, Lake Mills 6
  • West Lyon 50, Sheldon 0
  • Wilton 39, West Branch 20
  • Winfield-Mt. Union 68, Mormon Trail 8

Thursday’s games:

  • Le Mars 44, Fort Dodge 37
  • Pella 42, D.M. Hoover 10
  • S.C North 37, D.M. East 0



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Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington

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Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington


The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off of a 35-7 thumping at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and while a loss to Ohio State was expected, it was how Iowa lost that has Hawkeyes fans livid.

Iowa’s offense was absolutely lifeless, Cade McNamara looked lost and head coach Kirk Ferentz did not seem to have any answers.

Not only that, but Ferentz doubled down on McNamara remaining the starter after the game, saying that the quarterback actually showed improvement.

That’s why Ferentz’s reputation may actually be on the line when the Hawkeyes face the Washington Huskies this Saturday.

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Iowa is just 3-2 on the season, as it also lost to the Iowa State Cyclones back in Week 2. A loss to Washington would drop the Hawkeyes to .500, and it would add more fuel to the “fire Ferentz” discussion that has been smoldering.

The Huskies are a new addition to the Big Ten and just beat the Michigan Wolverines, and while Michigan has not been as good as expected, Washington is no joke.

However, make no mistake: Iowa needs to beat these guys.

Here is the thing: barring a catastrophic remainder of the 2024 campaign at Iowa City, the Hawkeyes aren’t canning Ferentz. The man is under contract through 2029 on a hefty salary. It isn’t happening.

But Ferentz’s reputation is a different story.

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The 69-year-old has been at the helm for Iowa since 1999 and is highly respected by the fans, but patience is running thin.

Last year, the Hawkeyes played three ranked opponents and lost by a total score of 92-0. They also just got destroyed by Ohio State. The Iowa fan base is tired with being second-best, and at this point, that is all Ferentz has offered them.

Sure, Iowa does not have the cachet or prestige of schools like Ohio State, Michigan or Alabama. It typically won’t land the very best recruits as a result. But the Hawkeyes’ inability to even put together respectable offenses over the years does reflect poorly on Ferentz, who is the longest-tenured coach in the country.

And Iowa fans are sick of it.

The Hawkeyes absolutely need to beat the Huskies this Saturday. Iowa should be better than Washington, and at some point, the Hawkeyes are going to have to display that they can consistently beat good teams.

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Is all of the Ferentz criticism deserved? No, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of it is completely unfounded.

Ferentz can provide some nice pushback to all of the naysayers with a Week 7 win over Washington. Or, he can give fans more reason to complain with a loss.



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