Iowa

Iowa State Football Star Lands With Bengals in 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Published

2 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Iowa State Football Star Lands With Bengals in 2026 NFL Mock Draft

The Iowa State Football program has been hard at work during spring practices with a new regime taking over following the departure of Matt Campbell. While a lot of the former head coaches’ players will be playing at other schools in 2026, one key player is hoping to hear his name called in the NFL Draft.

It was a bit of an up-and-down season for the Cyclones, who had a nice winning streak to start the year, but followed it with a four-game losing streak. Some of the inconsistencies were related to injuries with key players being out on the defensive side of the ball.

This was a unit that was expected to be a bit better than they were in 2026, but the secondary got completely decimated over the course of the year. This had a bit of a ripple effect on the rest of the team, even along their defensive front. However, one player was still able to put together a strong campaign despite all of the teammates around him being out, and now he will be hoping to be drafted into the NFL.

ESPN NFL Draft experts recently predicted what the first three rounds would look like, and for Iowa State star Domonique Orange, they had him going to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 72nd overall pick.

Orange Makes Sense for Bengals

Iowa State defensive lineman Dom Orange | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After another year of failing to make the playoffs, Cincinnati undoubtedly has some work to do to get back to where they want to be. It wasn’t long ago that this team was in the Super Bowl, and Joe Burrow looked like he could be a main rival of Patrick Mahomes for years to come.

However, injuries to Burrow the last couple of years have resulted in some of the struggles for the team, but they have also seen their defense really go in the wrong direction. With a top quarterback and two excellent receivers making a ton of money, the Bengals have had to save in other areas, and the defensive side of the ball is one of them.

Drafting well is an easy way to save money and improve, and landing a player like Orange could be a good start for the Bengals. The talented defensive tackle was one of the best interior defensive linemen in the Big 12, and he should be able to come into the NFL and contribute right away. Due to the position not being a primary one, getting a potential contributor in the third round would be some excellent value for the Bengals.

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Iowa

Top Returning Iowa High School Boys Tennis Players

Published

14 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Top Returning Iowa High School Boys Tennis Players

The weather might still not be great, but the high school boys’ tennis season has started in Iowa.

Over the years, some high-level players have competed in Iowa, and this year is no different.

Defending Class 1A state champion Charlie LeGrand of Cedar Rapids Xavier is back, as are runners-up Easton Moon from North Polk and Dylan Schulte of Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Here is a look at some of the top players in Iowa high school boys tennis. Stats are from those on the official Bound website.

Iowa High School Boys Tennis Top Returning Players

Charlie LeGrand, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Senior

LeGrand returns off a state-title junior season that saw him finish 14-3 overall.

Easton Moon, North Polk, Senior

Moon lost just once last year, falling to Charlie LeGrand of Cedar Rapids Xavier in the 1A final. He was 29-1 overall winning nearly 300 games.

Dylan Schulte, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Sophomore

The 2A runner-up to his brother, Anthony Schulte, Dylan Schulte went a perfect 17-0 competing at No. 2 for the Hawks as a freshman.

Noah Narmi, Council Bluffs St. Albert, Senior

Narmi had a strong junior season, going 21-7 overall and competing at the state tournament in 1A.

Parker Stroh, Columbus Catholic, Junior

In 20 matches last year, Stroh lost just two, going 33-6 overall in sets played while reaching the state singles tournament.

Lucas Persson, North Scott, Senior

Persson finished with a perfect 17-0 record in the regular season, dropping just two sets in 32 played. He was a qualifier for the 2A state singles tournament.

Jonathan Pyatak, Chariton, Junior

As a sophomore, Pyatak was tough to beat, compiling a mark of 16-4 overall at No. 1.

Tyler Grote, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Senior

Grote enters his senior season off a 15-2 campaign last spring that saw him reach the state tournament in 1A.

Leif Lundberg, Clear Lake, Senior

Like Grote, Lundberg went 15-2 competing at the No. 1 spot for the Lions, while also qualifying for state.

Garrett Bauermeister, Linn-Mar, Senior

Bauermeister went 30-6 in sets played at the top spot, finishing with a 15-2 record and a spot at the 2A state tournament.

William Feagler, Iowa City High, Sophomore

The talented second-year player had a big freshman season, going 15-1 at No. 2 and qualifying for state.

Karthik Ganesh, Pleasant Valley, Senior

Competing at the No. 2 spot in the order, Ganesh went 14-2 last season, losing just three sets.

Joseph Wright, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Senior

Wright forms a strong 1-2 punch with Grote, as he was 14-1 with just one lost set last year at the second spot.

Aadil Patel, Johnston, Sophomore

The Dragons are always tough, and Patel looks to keep that true this year after putting together a 13-3 mark at No. 2 that saw himq qualify for state singles.

Joshua Dcruz, Pleasant Valley, Junior

Unbeaten is unbeaten, and that’s what Dcruz was at No. 3 last year, going 16-0 without losing a set.

Caleb Rasmussen, Marshalltown, Senior

Another unbeaten player at No. 3 last spring was Rasmussen, as he went 12-0 and lost just one set all year.

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Iowa

Iowa man found guilty in 1989 cold case murder of his girlfriend

Published

1 day ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Iowa man found guilty in 1989 cold case murder of his girlfriend

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — A Council Bluffs man is convicted of killing his girlfriend, nearly four decades after she disppeared.

Barbara Lenz was last seen in Woodbine on Saturday, May 6, 1989.

On Tuesday, it only took a jury less than four hours to convict Robert Davis, now 62, of second-degree murder.

Davis was arrested and charged with murder last year. Online court documents say Davis assaulted and choked Lenz several times during their two-year relationship.

A criminal complaint says Lenz told other people she was in fear of Davis and trying to leave him.

This was the first arrest and now first conviction for a case that the newly formed Iowa Cold Case Unit has helped investigate. It was an initiative pushed by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.

“No one should get away with murder. Barbara Lenz’s family has been waiting nearly 37 years for justice,” said Attorney General Bird. “Today, after long last, they have it. Robert Davis will spend the rest of his life in prison. I am deeply grateful to Cold Case Prosecutor Scott Brown and Harrison County Attorney Sarah Delanty and her office for their hard work in securing this conviction. And thank you again to the investigators in our Iowa Cold Case Unit, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa State Patrol, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Woodbine Police Department who worked hard and never gave up on Barbara’s case.”

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2026.

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Iowa

Northeastern Iowa man sentenced to 120 years in prison for child sexual abuse

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Northeastern Iowa man sentenced to 120 years in prison for child sexual abuse

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – A Waterville man was sentenced to 120 years in prison Tuesday after authorities say he potentially committed more than 100 acts of sexual abuse.

54-year-old Jonathon Hilleshiem was convicted of four counts of second-degree sexual abuse, lascivious acts with a child, and sexual exploitation of a minor – possess depiction of a minor in sex act.

Hilleshiem was initially charged with four counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and one count of lascivious acts with a child in July 2025.

In August 2025, police executed search warrants and additionally charged Hilleshiem with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – possess depiction of a minor in sex act.

As part of the investigation, the child spoke to authorities about the abuse.

A criminal complaint shows authorities believe there may be more than 100 acts of sexual abuse that occurred between 2014 and 2020.

Hilleshiem was also sentenced to lifetime supervision by the Iowa Department of Corrections and must register as a sex offender.

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