Iowa
Iowa football lands commitment from FCS Freshman All-American receiver
Video: Kirk Ferentz reacts to Iowa’s ReliaQuest Bowl win over Vanderbilt
Kirk Ferentz meets with media after Iowa football’s 34-27 win over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
IOWA CITY — Furman transfer receiver Evan James has committed to Iowa football, he announced Jan. 11.
James, who is listed at 6-feet and 175 pounds, will come to the Hawkeyes with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
James, a 3-star prospect in the 2025 high school recruiting class, had a standout true freshman season at Furman. In nine appearances, James accumulated 65 receptions for 796 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 72 yards and one touchdown.
James was named an FCS 1st team Freshman All-American by Phil Steele.
James hauled in at least five catches in each of his nine appearances last season and went over 100 yards three times. James had a career-high 10 receptions against Campbell. He had a career-high 146 yards receiving against Chattanooga, which included a 61-yard catch.
James is the second FCS first-team Freshman All-American receiver that Iowa football has landed this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes also got a commitment from UT Rio Grande Valley receiver Tony Diaz. The addition of Diaz, who held offers from Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia Tech and others, was a major recruiting win for the Hawkeyes. Diaz hauled in 68 receptions for 875 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season.
The Hawkeyes are seeing the departure of some serious contributions from their 2025 receiver room. Three of the team’s top five leaders in receiving yards during the 2025 season are moving on: Jacob Gill, Sam Phillips and Kaden Wetjen. Not to mention Seth Anderson, who was tied for second on the team lead in receiving touchdowns last season with two.
On top of that, there’s a level of uncertainty regarding what Iowa’s quarterback play is going to look like in the post-Mark Gronowski era.
But there are some pieces to inspire some hope.
The Hawkeyes have done commendable work in the transfer portal to bolster the receiver room, getting a pair of productive players at a position of need. What makes it even sweeter is that they each have three seasons of eligibility remaining, giving them time to grow and develop in the program.
Reece Vander Zee is the most prominent name that can return to the wide receiver room in 2026. Dayton Howard and KJ Parker were rotational guys in 2025 and could take a step forward next season.
The tight end room appears loaded — with the return of Addison Ostrenga, Iowa’s 2025 leading receiver DJ Vonnahme and Thomas Meyer — but the Hawkeyes still need reinforcements on the outside to get the passing game where it needs to be.
The Hawkeyes will look to sustain momentum on the offensive side of the ball in coordinator Tim Lester’s third season with the program.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa
Iowa High School Girls State Soccer Champions Crowned In Thrilling Finishes
Three incredible games took place Saturday on the final day of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Soccer Tournament.
The event concluded from the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa, battling severe weather that rolled through the area during the tournament.
Waukee Northwest captured the Class 3A title, North Polk won gold in Class 2A and Hudson was crowned the Class 1A champions.
Here are recaps from the championship games of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Soccer Tournament.
Class 3A Final: Waukee Northwest 2, West Des Moines Valley 1
Two first half goals by Cora Sundet off assists from Natalie Elliott were enough to carry Waukee Northwest to the Class 3A championship over West Des Moines Valley, 2-1.
Sundet found the back of the net in the 29th minute to make it 1-0 off a pass from Elliott, as the two connected just 73 seconds later to make it 2-0. The Tigers would get on the board just over two minutes later when Bryn Kenworthy scored.
Waukee Northwest concluded the season unbeaten, going 13-0-3. Elliott was named the captain of the all-tournament team, as teammates Grace Hummel, Izzy Simonini and Grace Thomason joined her.
From West Des Moines Valley, Sabrina Rogers and Olivia Rotich made the team. Ankeny Centennial’s Josie Ehlinger, Evie Boyle and Kayle Pezzetti, along with Linn-Mar’s Dreya Kern and Bettendorf’s Alivia Snow completed the squad.
Class 2A Final: North Polk 1, North Scott 0
A Madelyn Cory goal in the fifth minute was all that North Polk needed to take home the Class 2A championship, besting North Scott, 1-0.
Cory scored off an assist from Addison Finn, as the Comet defense silenced the Lancers for the rest of the match.
Earning captain status of the all-tournament team was Blythe Knight of North Polk, as Campbell Schulz, Finn and Cory joined her. North Scott’s Reese Barnett, Paige Coon and Camryn Jones also made the team.
Norwalk’s Pearl Brown and Olivia Welch, along with Rylee Renz from Dallas Center-Grimes and Anaka Ott of Waverly-Shell Rock rounded out the all-tournament squad.
Class 1A Final: Hudson 1, Denver 0
Regulation and two overtime sessions were not enough to determine the Class 1A state championship between Hudson and Denver.
But on penalty kicks, it was all Hudson, as they made four to secure the title.
Gia Baldiviezo, Taylor Davis, Charlee Austin and Taylor Junker were all successful, as Denver’s loan made penalty kick came from Bailey Mullihan.
Baldiviezo was the all-tournament team captain, with Taylor Davis and Callie Stickfort joining her. From Denver, Grace Mullihan and Addyson Shepard made the team.
Council Bluffs St. Albert’s Elanor Coughlin and Ellie Larmie, Emma Haan and Shelby Arkulari of Aplington-Parkersburg, Addy Oetker of Des Moines Christian and Stella Sornson of Treynor completed the team.
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Iowa
Eastern Iowa EMS crews train on motorcycle crash response
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Eastern Iowa EMS crews received specialized training Saturday on how to treat motorcyclists after a crash.
Course instructor Frank Prowant teaches the course, called Two-Wheel Trauma through nonprofit ABATE of Iowa, because EMS providers typically receive no specific training in motorcycle trauma.
“The motorcyclist is the one taking all the impact of an accident, all the force. There’s no airbags, no steering wheel that’s preventing further injury to them,” Prowant said.
Two-Wheel Trauma has been teaching first responders since 1986.
Prowant said ridership has grown over the years, and so have the crashes.
“We’ve went from just motorcycles to now we’re seeing e-bikes. We’re seeing electric scooters. We’re seeing all kinds of different motorcycles that are out there. And a lot of different injuries,” Prowant said.
Another instructor, Dick “Slider” Gilmore, said Iowa’s large riding community makes the training critical.
He said the Dubuque area draws heavy riding traffic.
“With the Mississippi River and all the cool places. We’re all drawn to this in the summertime. So, this area is maybe more important than most other places in Iowa because it’s where we gravitate to on our bikes,” Gilmore said.
Organizers plan to make the Dubuque training an annual event.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Out of the spotlight, democracy keeps working for betterment | Opinion
The basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith.
FIFA World Cup host cities lay out security plans ahead of matches
Host cities ramp up security and anti-human trafficking efforts ahead of FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S.
The news has felt best to avoid lately. It ranges from “discouraging” to “somehow real life, not the Onion.” And political news is the worst. Washington seems to be drawing from the movie “Idiocracy.” The Iowa Statehouse is no better. More voting restrictions. Less access to healthcare. Required propaganda at the University of Iowa. Another year of failing our schools and our youth. State finances aptly described as “a time bomb.”
These hot messes are real. They are also not the whole story. They are the sexy topics that stir controversy, satisfy donors, and get views. But underneath all the bold type, a shocking amount of work is happening with bipartisan support and following the “regular [legislative] order” that produces good decisions.
To give you a break from the daily doomscroll, here are some good things that happened this session. They remind us that the system can work outside big money and wedge issues.
Let’s start with slavery, euphemistically referred to as “human trafficking” these days. It’s second only to drug dealing in scale, but it’s rarely in the news. Iowa probably has a few hundred people enslaved at any given time. This year, Iowa passed several different bills addressing trafficking. Commercial drivers and child-protective services will be trained to recognize it. Victims now have a bill of rights and will be treated as victims, not as prostitutes, and Iowa is funding services for them. Prosecuting traffickers will be easier, and conviction will have more serious consequences. These are significant improvements.
There are bright spots on civics and government, too. Despite going backward on voting, the Legislature significantly improved our open records and open meetings laws. These changes include much-needed modernization, such as requiring notices to be online and not just on a physical bulletin board. They also crack down on bad-faith practices that have been used to block requests, such as unreasonable fees or labeling reporters as “vexatious requesters.” This is a win for Iowans.
Iowa also moved to shore up our citizens’ lamentable lack of civics knowledge, recognizing a Civics Seal of Excellence for high school graduates and reasonable requirements for graduates of Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to have a basic understanding of America’s history and government. (Their requirements of the UI were not reasonable, but that is a topic for another time.) If only they had funded their mandates.
There are even rays of sunshine amid the gloom of reproductive rights and healthcare laws; minors can now consent to their own care before, during, and after giving birth, and miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are clearly separated from abortions.
This session had numerous other, solidly positive bills, from modest water quality improvements to making animal torture a felony. The unifying theme among these bills is that they are either boring or address indefensible problems. No one campaigns in favor of nitrate-necessitated water rationing or animal torture. Elected officials want Iowans to know how the government works. Even some anti-choice politicians recognize the need for miscarriage care.
Unfortunately, this practicality breaks down in the face of partisan dogma and wealthy donors. More unfortunately, those partisan issues backed by wealthy donors are often the biggest issues of the day, and Iowa Republicans outdid themselves this year in passing inept and/or vindictive bills to campaign on.
But they aren’t the whole story, and it’s important to focus on the good things, too. They show that the basic machinery of democracy, for all its flaws, can still produce good decisions when used in good faith. It also reminds us that even the people passing the most atrocious, politicized bills aren’t always puppy-kicking cartoon villains. They’re often just people without the moral fiber to resist perverse incentives. And that understanding frames the challenge for us and those we elect in November: how do we change the system so that decency and good work matter more than wealthy donors and partisanship?
Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa City and write at www.ourlibertiesweprize.com. And biannual time changes must be abolished.
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