SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A former Iowa high school football star is getting a second chance at college football.

West Sioux alum Hunter Dekkers has enrolled at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs and is on the roster for the Reivers football team.

After setting Iowa high school records for passing yards and touchdowns, and leading the Falcons to state titles in 2017 and 2018, Dekkers went to Iowa State as a highly touted recruit. Following two years as Brock Purdy’s backup he became the Cyclones starter in 2022, throwing for more than 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

However, in August of 2023, Dekkers was charged in relation to the state’s investigation into sports betting amongst college athletes. He stepped away from the program, took a plea deal in September, and had his eligibility revoked by the NCAA.

Dekkers trained in Sioux Falls while taking online courses and will be eligible to play for the Reivers’ football program next season. Iowa Western is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association and is coming off their third national championship last season.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa track and field opened the 22nd-annual Musco Twilight with the three personal bests in the hammer throw at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track on Friday afternoon.

Sophomores Sean Smith and Austin Busch stood out in the men’s hammer throw, claiming the top two spots and moving up Iowa’s all-time lists with personal bests. Smith, a native of Webster, New York, came within two-tenths of a meter of the school record on his fifth attempt, throwing 67.78 meters (222’ 4”). In his final attempt from the circle, Busch launched the hammer a lifetime-best 65.22 meters  (213’ 11”) and received a large roar from the Hawkeye faithful.

In the women’s hammer throw, senior Alivia Bauer fired a lifetime best for the top collegiate finish. Bauer’s 56.64 meter (185’ 10”) toss improves upon her seventh all-time standing in Iowa program history. 

Senior Jamie Kofron placed third with a 52.33 meter (171’ 8”) throw.

QUOTING THROWS COACH RAY ROBINSON
“We had a really good day. We knew all week in training that Sean Smith and Austin Busch were ready to go. We are making the last push towards championship season. We manipulated their weight room activity and manipulated their ball set in the hammer to get them geared up for that. Today was a sneak peak. Sean had some much bigger fouls. Austin took awhile to get going, but he is still really young in just his second season throwing the hammer. To have the number two and five marks of all time at Iowa from a freshman and a sophomore is pretty impressive. Those two guys are going to get a lot better. It was exciting. It was a fun atmosphere.

“Jamie Kofron finished with a really nice throw in round six. I was proud to see that for her. Alivia Bauer getting the collegiate win was huge. She had a PR and her best collegiate series ever, by far. Much bigger throws are on the horizon for her. We are excited for where the group is at and are excited for tomorrow.”

UP NEXT
Iowa hosts the Musco Twilight on April 20 at Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City, Iowa. 

HAWKEYE RESULTS

Men’s Hammer Throw
1. Sean Smith – 67.78 meters (222’ 4”), PR + 2nd at Iowa
2. Austin Busch – 65.22 meters (213’ 11”), PR + 5th at Iowa
10. Walker Whalen – 51.32 meters (168’4”)

Women’s Hammer Throw (Collegiate Standings)
1. Alivia Bauer – 56.64 meters (185’ 10”), PR + 7th at Iowa
3. Jamie Kofron – 52.33 meters (171’ 8”)

A southeast Iowa lawmaker estimates up to half a million dollars could be saved in his county’s budget due to the wide-ranging tax bill up for debate in the legislature today.

One section in the bill gets rid of a law that dates back to Iowa’s horse and buggy days. It requires Lee County to maintain two courthouses — one in Fort Madison and one in Keokuk. Representative Martin Graber, who’s from Fort Madison, knows the history.

“Originally the county seat was in Fort Madison and the courthouse was there and the people in the southern part of the county said: ‘Hey, we want something,’ so the original act of 1848 established one in Keokuk and they were happy,” Graber said. “They wanted to make sure that somebody who needed to file a court action in Keokuk didn’t have to go to Fort Madison to do it.”

The Lee County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution asking legislators to repeal the 1848 law, so the board has authority to close one of the courthouses. Graber said the county offices are in Fort Madison, but that courthouse is likely to be closed because the one in Keokuk is larger and has enough space to accommodate trials. Graber described it as a positive budget move for Lee County taxpayers.

“In Fort Madison there’s the courthouse itself. Across the street they own a house. They have to have a sheriff’s deputy present — all of this ongoing stuff,” Graber said. “What I’ve been told is it probably approaches half a million dollars a year because they’re aging buildings, they have to do maintenance on them.”

The courthouse in Fort Madison was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. “There’s somebody somewhere who’s going to want to buy that piece of property,” Graber said. “It’s a tremendous old building. I mean just great architecture, big pillars and I can’t hardly believe there isn’t going to be some business or venue that’s going to want to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to turn this into a restaurant or a speakeasy or whatever it may be.”

Fort Madison was originally a U.S. Army post and the site of a battle in the War of 1812. It’s named for James Madison, the 4th president of the United States. The City of Keokuk is named for Chief Keokuk of the Sauk tribe. There’s also a Keokuk County, about a hundred miles northwest of the City of Keokuk.