College football delivers surprises every year. Those surprises can be good or bad.

It can come in the form of an upset that no one saw coming, or in the form of a team that either positively surprises or outright disappoints.

As the 2024 season approaches, the general consensus surrounding the Iowa Hawkeyes seems to be fringe top-25 team. Most aren’t expecting Iowa to challenge Ohio State or Oregon for the Big Ten championship, but analysts expect the Hawkeyes to be one of the Big Ten’s better teams.

One national pundit that appears higher on Iowa than some others is Phil Steele. In his annual college football preview magazine, Phil Steele tabbed Iowa as one of his top surprise teams. Iowa came in at No. 7 on Phil Steele’s surprise teams list.

Here’s what Phil Steele had to say about why Iowa was his No. 7 surprise team:

Kirk Ferentz always gets the most out of his teams. Last year with no passing threat after QB McNamara went down, he once again did it with special teams and a dominating defense. This year while the offense will not be overwhelming, QB McNamara is back and they have a capable backup in Brendan Sullivan who led Northwestern to an improbable season and bowl win over Utah.

The offensive line is the best in years. The special teams remains solid. Phil Parker almost always has a top 10 defense, but this year his top four players turned down the NFL and he has eight starters back with my No. 1 LBs and No. 5 Des in the country.

They do face Ohio State on the road but could be favored in their other 11 games. They say defense wins championships and that will make them dangerous if they make the playoffs, especially with a now capable offense. – Phil Steele.

Iowa does bring back plenty of talent defensively. Linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson combine to form what is Phil Steele’s top linebackers unit in America.

Behind those two, Iowa features a secondary that includes Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte, Xavier Nwankpa, Jermari Harris and Deshaun Lee. The Hawkeyes have Deontae Craig and Yahya Black returning along their defensive line, too.

Offensively, new offensive coordinator Tim Lester can provide a breath of fresh air for the Hawkeyes. Plus, it’s important to remember what Phil Steele touched on.

Iowa was without starting quarterback Cade McNamara for the bulk of last season and McNamara probably wasn’t fully healthy when he did appear in five games either.

McNamara will have star tight end Luke Lachey, junior wide receivers Kaleb Brown and Seth Anderson and running backs Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson back in the fold as key offensive skill weapons.

If the Iowa offensive line turns a corner, then Phil Steele could be right on the money with a Big Ten and national sleeper. Phil Steele also included Iowa as his No. 7 surprise team entering the 2023 season.

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Class 4A No. 3 Iowa City High welcomes No. 4 Johnston; Solon heads to Wahlert in a possible substate final preview; Marion and Liberty prep for postseason; districts and substates in full effect

By the end of the week, all four classes will be competing in the postseason. Class 1A and 2A will continue district play Tuesday and Saturday. Some intriguing matchups close the regular season with 3A and 4A substates begin Friday.

MONDAY: JOHNSTON AT IOWA CITY HIGH

City High hosts the two-time defending state champions at Mercer Park. The Little Hawks are ranked third in Class 4A, while the Dragons are No. 4. Both are No. 1 substate seeds. City High has qualified for the last two state tournaments, but the Dragons have created a dynasty. They have qualified for the state tournament the last eight seasons, reaching the championship game the last five years and six of the last seven. Johnston won titles in 2023, 2022, 2020 and 2017. The Dragons are 30-5. Adam Kayko leads the way for Johnston, tallying 40 hits and driving in 34 runs. Cole Kinman is batting .400 with a .525 on-base percentage. Adrian Broadus, Mitch Naig and Cade Ogden have 5 wins apiece. Ogden has a 1.03 earned-run average and 38 strikeouts in 34 innings, while Broadus has 48 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA in 38 innings. City High can match Johnston shutdown pitching, posting a 1.77 team ERA. Talon Young and Jaxton Schroeder are the top Little Hawks hurlers. Schroeder is 6-0 with a 1.22 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Young is 4-2 with a 1.51 ERA. City High has a deep staff to make a postseason run and this game will mirror a postseason atmosphere. A key will be whether the City High offense can scratch out some run support.

MONDAY: SOLON AT DUBUQUE WAHLERT

The Spartans take on the Golden Eagles in a top-10 meeting at McAleece Park and Recreation Complex in Dubuque. Wahlert is ranked third and Solon is No. 8 in 3A. This could be a prelude to a 3A substate 4 final next week. The Golden Eagles are the top-seed and open the postseason against Maquoketa. Solon plays Vinton-Shellsburg in the first round. The substate also includes contenders Mount Vernon, West Delaware, Clear Creek Amana and Williamsburg, which moves up a class after a 2A state appearance last year. Wahlert (29-8) has been one of the hottest teams, beating Dyersville Beckman and sweeping Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Linn-Mar during a current eight-game win streak. Solon (26-10) has won five straight as well. Brett White ranks among the state leaders in home runs with 11. He also has 36 RBIs and .389 average. Vince Steinbrech leads Solon with a 7-0 record and 47 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings.

TUESDAY: CLASS 1A AND 2A DISTRICT SEMIFINALS

District semifinals are slated for Tuesday in Class 1A and 2A. Single-game sites will be held in 1A. Among the Gazette-area hosts are South Winneshiek, Lansing Kee, North Linn, East Buchanan, Sigourney and Hillcrest Academy in Kalona. South Winn (21-9) hosts Dunkerton (9-11) and are the loan 2023 state qualifier in the field. If the Warriors advance, they will face the winner of Turkey Valley (11-15-1) and Kee Hawks in the 1A District 8 finals. South Winn swept all six regular-season games against Kee and Turkey Valley this year. Belle Plaine (11-10) plays at East Buchanan (14-8) in 1A D10. Both won one-run, eight-inning games to advance.

In 2A, district doubleheaders will be held at the same site. Defending state champion and No. 5 Dyersville Beckman (17-10) hosts Monticello (12-11). The Blazers and Panthers split a doubleheader July 3. The winner will face the winner between Cascade (12-12) and Iowa City Regina (14-18). Jesup (17-9) travels to Alburnett (24-11) for one of the top 2A semifinal matchups. The J-Hawks’ Jack Miller and Pirates’ Karson Rose are among the leaders for both teams. At Monona, MFL MarMac (23-7) hosts Denver (5-19) and Waukon (11-17) takes on Starmont (16-8). Anamosa (18-9) hosts Winfield-Mount Union (9-11) after Mid-Prairie (19-9) faces Mediapolis (20-7).

WEDNESDAY: MARION AT IOWA CITY LIBERTY

A good postseason tune-up game for both teams. Marion is 28-4 and is ranked second in 3A. Iowa City Liberty owns a 23-13 record and is No. 4 in the 4A poll. Both are No. 1 seeds in their respective substate bracket. The Wolves have reached state in five of the last seven seasons, winning the 3A title in 2021. The Lightning have reached the 4A state tournament the last two years, qualifying in 2023, which was the first season under Coach Uby Martinez. Liberty has won three of four meetings with Marion, including a 10-5 win a year ago. Liberty’s Mason Waterbury has been phenomenal, recording nine wins with a 0.14 ERA and striking out 53 in 51 innings. Ryan Schmierer leads the Lightning with 47 hits and 22 RBIs. Marion doesn’t have a superstar but finds success in the collective. The Wolves average 10 runs a game but only give up 2.7 per contest. Isaiah Scott has 45 hits and Trey Franck has 35 RBIs for Marion.

FRIDAY: CLASS 3A AND 4A FIRST ROUND SUBSTATE

The two biggest classes will begin the postseason Friday. In 4A, Kennedy, City High, Linn-Mar and Liberty are all No. 1 seeds. The Cougars host Waterloo West. The Little Hawks open against Clinton. The Lions have Cedar Rapids Jefferson and the Lightning welcome Waterloo East. Cedar Rapids Prairie hosts Iowa City West. Cedar Rapids Washington travels to Southeast Polk.

In 3A, two-time defending state champion Western Dubuque is top-seeded and hosts Charles City with the winner taking on Independence or Decorah in next week’s semifinals. Marion is the No. 1 seed in 3A Substate 6 and opens with South Tama. Cedar Rapids Xavier hosts Nevada with the winner advancing to play the Wolves or Trojans in the semifinal. Benton Community will also start the postseason at home, facing Gilbert.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com

We must collectively protect children. And even if you don’t have children, speak up because it will affect our workforce and economy for years and years to come.

• Dr. Padget Skogman is a pediatrician in Cedar Rapids.

This spring, our surgeon general recommended that we mandate a warning label on social media platforms cautioning of the detrimental effects to mental health of our children. Evidence demands that we open our eyes and become aware of the cost of social media and smartphones to them.

I am a pediatrician, born and raised Iowa farm girl, mother of three daughters and graduate of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine in 2014. I have witnessed the erosion of our children’s development from smartphones and social media. They are inhibiting their social-emotional growth by robbing them of necessary socialization and development, which affects, but also extends far beyond, mental health, encompassing social awkwardness, reduced self-confidence, increased sedentary time, fragmented attention and disrupted learning, addiction, and social withdrawal. As a community, we must adopt new norms around social media and smartphones to reduce the cancerous risk they pose to our children.

Facebook became mainstream in 2006, and smartphones ubiquitous around 2012 and 2013. Not by accident, anxiety and depression in teens rose by 50% from 2010 to 2019, leading to a national mental health crisis. Loneliness and friendlessness began to surge in 2012, and, academically, U.S. scores for reading and math began to decline for the first time since the 1950s.  Recent data shows teens spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media per day with YouTube and TikTok leading the charge.

Please note that none of these hours include the screen time associated with school or homework.

The harms extend further with lost hours of sleep, exercise, socialization, and reading. Social media and gaming involve abnormally heavy and sustained activation of dopamine neurons and reward pathways, which means that, over time, the brain adapts to these high levels and then experience withdrawal without them, inducing anxiety, insomnia, and intense irritability, predisposing these children to addiction. Simultaneously, rates of pediatric obesity and pediatric type 2 diabetes also continue to rise, with Americans averaging 93.7% of their time indoors throughout the year. 

While this correlation isn’t 100% causation, it certainly gives me pause, and explains what I’ve observed in my own pediatric practice.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Well, my child is safe, then, because I haven’t allowed them to have a smartphone yet.” Kudos, but have you factored in that greater than 85% of the children they hang out with are on their phones? Even if your child isn’t on a phone, if at their cafeteria table majority of kids are staring at one, your child’s experience is altered. This is why adoption of community norms and school policies is paramount. We must collectively protect them. And even if you don’t have children, speak up because it will affect our workforce and economy for years and years to come.

Until recently, I’ve felt completely overwhelmed with how to stop or at least slow this proverbial “train crash” aside from educating everyone I encounter. Recently Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, published “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” with these four suggested norms, and I feel empowered to ensure that everyone in our community and state is aware of them. These are an excellent staring place to evoke a strong change for our children. I strongly recommend that all parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and schools adopt these immediately:

1. No smartphones before high school.
2. No social media before age 16.
3. Phone-free schools – place in locked location for the entire school day.
4. More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world.

Please implement them and talk to your school district and community about them, not just for your child or my girls, but for the future of our world.

Dr. Padget Skogman is a pediatrician in Cedar Rapids.