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Meet the nominees for Press-Citizen’s Athletes of the Week, Aug. 26-Sept. 1

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Meet the nominees for Press-Citizen’s Athletes of the Week, Aug. 26-Sept. 1


Week 1 of Iowa high school football is in the books, and it didn’t disappoint. Let’s not forget about cross country and volleyball that brought all of the action this past week.

Here are the nominees for the Iowa City Press-Citizen’s high school Athletes of the Week for Aug. 26-Sept. 1. Press-Citizen.com readers vote to decide this week’s winners. Voting closes at 8 p.m. on Thursday. 

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name:

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Boys

Landon Bell, Jr., Iowa City Liberty

The Friday night lights weren’t too bright for Bell, who made plays on both sides of the ball in Iowa City Liberty’s win over Iowa City West in Week 1.

The third-year playmaker totaled 12 tackles and an interception. He also caught a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Butali Butali, Sr., Iowa City West

Despite falling short to Iowa City Liberty in Week 1, Butali was still a workhorse on the ground for Iowa City West.

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He rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.

Owen Drapeaux, Sr., Iowa City Liberty

It was the Owen Drapeaux show during Liberty’s 56-45 win over Iowa City West on Aug. 29.

Drapeaux rushed for 171 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns. His showing helped the Lightning earn their first win over the Trojans in program history.

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Eddie Johnson, Sr., Solon

Johnson answered the call during Solon’s 33-7 win over Assumption in Week 1.

The fourth year running back rushed for 120 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. He led the Spartans with 9.2 yards per carry.

Tate Wallace, Soph., Regina Catholic

Wallace made a statement in the air in Week 1 against West Liberty.

The second-year Regal snatched six receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown in Regina’s 42-28 win over the Comets.

Girls

Sophia Austen, Soph., Iowa City West

Austen made her mark for the Iowa City West volleyball team during its first win of the season against No. 8 Dubuque Senior on Thursday.

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According to Varsity Bound, Austen totaled 10 kills, seven digs and two aces in a sweep (25-19, 25-15, 25-17) over the Rams.

Sydney Dee, Sr. Solon

Dee helped the Solon girls cross country team clinch a first-place team title at the Anomosa Meet on Saturday by placing third individually.

She completed the 5-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 16.8 seconds.

Kaitlin Loria, Soph. Iowa City High

Loria helped lead Iowa City High volleyball to its third win of the season in a 2-0 victory (21-18, 21-14) over Council Bluffs Lincoln on Thursday.

The second-year Little Hawk totaled a team-high seven kills in the win. The Little Hawks swept the Johnston Quad, earning wins over Council Bluffs Lincoln, Marion and Johnston.

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Averie Lower, Jr., Clear Creek Amana

Lower played a big role in CCA’s tournament win at Grinnell Community Senior High School on Saturday.

According to Varsity Bound, Lower earned 12 kills and 11 digs. The Clippers earned wins over Urbandale, Washington, Dallas Center-Grimes and Carlisle before topping Grinnell in the championship match. They improved to 5-1 on the season.

Kinley Mai, Fresh., Solon

Mai also contributed to Solon’s team title victory at the Anomosa cross country meet on Saturday.

Individually, she placed fourth behind Dee with a time of 21 minutes, 16.8 seconds in the 5-kilometer race.

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

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Iowa

Iowa baseball defeats Rutgers, punches Big Ten Tournament semis ticket

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Iowa baseball defeats Rutgers, punches Big Ten Tournament semis ticket


In Iowa baseball’s (33-20-1, 21-9 Big Ten) first game in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament vs. Rutgers (29-28, 15-15) Wednesday night from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., the No. 3-seeded Hawkeyes defeated the No. 10-seeded Scarlet Knights by a score of 4-3 to win the Pool C grouping and clinch a semifinal appearance on Saturday.

Cade Obermueller started on the mound for the Hawkeyes, where he threw a stellar seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and one base-on-balls with 10 strikeouts. Three additional pitchers would see action for Iowa, including Brant Hogue, who picked up a stressful save after allowing Rutgers to pull within one run.

In total, the Hawkeyes’ pitching staff would combine for 13 strikeouts, while allowing three base-on-balls and three earned runs on nine Rutgers hits.

As for the offense, Iowa would record 10 hits, with Miles Risley leading the Hawkeyes with one RBI on 3-of-4 from the plate. Caleb Wulf (2-4) and Kellen Strohmeyer (1-3) also contributed one RBI each. While Gable Mitchell did not record an RBI, he still batted a productive 3-for-5 at the dish.

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Although the Hawkeyes’ win secured them a spot in the semifinals, they will still play their second game of pool play tomorrow vs. No. 6-seed Indiana (31-25, 16-14) from Omaha.

Tomorrow’s game against the Hoosiers, initially scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, has now been rescheduled for 9 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field on the Big Ten Network. In addition to the telecast, fans can listen to the action through the Hawkeyes Radio Network alongside play-by-play voice John Leo and color analyst John Evans.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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Iowa

Kim Reynolds announces new child care initiatives after lawmakers fail to pass her bill

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Kim Reynolds announces new child care initiatives after lawmakers fail to pass her bill


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  • A new grant program announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds would provide preschools and child care centers with $300,000 over three years to offer all-day care for 4-year-olds.
  • Reynolds also proposed a new fund to solicit donations from businesses to boost child care workers’ wages. And she extended a pilot making child care workers eligible for child care assistance funds.
  • Reynolds proposed similar initiatives in a bill that failed to pass the Iowa Legislature this year.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is launching a new grant program for preschools and child care centers to partner and provide all-day care for 4-year-olds and boost Iowa’s child care workforce.

The move comes after state lawmakers ended the 2025 Iowa legislative session without passing Reynolds’ proposal to add similar programs to state law.

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Reynolds announced a range of child care-focused steps in a May 20 news release. They include:

  • Creating a new continuum of care grant program to provide grants of $300,000 over three years to preschools and licensed child care providers to offer all-day care for 4-year-olds.
  • Establishing a Statewide Child Care Solutions Fund that matches donations from businesses to boost child care workers’ wages.
  • And extending a pilot program that makes child care workers eligible for state child care assistance funding, even if they exceed the program’s income limits.

“When individuals, businesses and government all work together to solve a problem, Iowans benefit. Nowhere is this more evident than in child care,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Programs like the Child Care Assistance pilot and the Statewide Solutions Fund will continue to increase our child care workforce and capacity. And the Early Childhood Continuum of Care grant will help give working parents what they need — a full day continuum of care for their children.”

Several of the initiatives Reynolds announced Tuesday were in her bill to incentivize partnerships between preschools and child care providers. The legislation passed the Iowa Senate April 23, but it never received a vote in the House.

Democrats had criticized the bill for redirecting existing funding that went to Early Childhood Iowa programs instead of providing new money for child care and preschool programs.

Grants would incentivize preschool and child care partnerships for all-day care

The continuum of care grants will be available to licensed child care centers and participants in Iowa’s statewide voluntary preschool program.

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The grants are worth up to $100,000 per year for three years.

An online request for proposal page said “the source of funding is a combination of state and federal funding sources.”

“This first-of-its-kind grant opportunity supports partnerships between high-quality preschool and child care programs, providing a full day of care that meets the needs of children and working families,” Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said in a statement. “We know that about 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by age 5, and Iowa’s new Continuum of Care grant will expand family access to high-quality early childhood options that lay the foundation for learner success in school and beyond.”

Statewide fund seeks donations to boost child care workers’ wages

Reynolds is seeking donations from businesses and individuals for a new Statewide Child Care Solutions Fund, which would provide money to hire new child care workers.

The program would build on a 2024 pilot program that created regional child care solutions funds in several counties around the state.

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Reynolds cited a study by the Common Sense Institute of Iowa that examined the pilot program and determined a statewide fund could add 11,000 new child care slots around the state, create 8,000 jobs around Iowa and allow 5,000 more women to enter the workforce.

Restricted donations would go towards the local fund in the area specified by the donor while the state will provide a 2-to-1 match for unrestricted donations.

A spokesperson for Reynolds could not immediately answer questions about the cost of the state match or how it would be funded.

Reynolds extends pilot program letting child care workers access child care assistance

Reynolds will also extend a pilot program begun in 2023 that makes all child care workers eligible for child care assistance, regardless of their income level, to try to keep more child care workers in the workforce.

Iowa’s child care assistance program subsidizes the cost of child care for low-income families.

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The pilot program currently serves 900 families and 1,500 children, according to the state’s news release.

A spokesperson for Reynolds did not immediately answer questions about how Reynolds would fund the extension of the pilot program.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.





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Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig rules out run for governor, will run to keep seat

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Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig rules out run for governor, will run to keep seat


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Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced he will seek reelection in 2026, officially forgoing a campaign for governor.

Naig, a Republican, had been among those considering a run to replace outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds after she made a surprise announcement in April that she would not run for another term.

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According to a release, Naig “decided there’s still work to be done growing our state and economy as Secretary of Agriculture.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Iowa as we work to advance an Iowa First agenda that puts farmers, families, and freedom at the center of our future,” Naig said in a statement. “We have made tremendous progress over the past few years, but there remains important work ahead and we’re not done yet —building markets for Iowa products, defending our livestock industry, accelerating soil and water conservation efforts, and making sure rural Iowa thrives for future generations.”

According to the release, a formal campaign launch will occur at a later date.

Naig was first elected to his position in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Before running for his current role, he was deputy agriculture secretary in 2013 and an agriculture industry lobbyist.  

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He said in an April 16 statement that people had encouraged him to consider a gubernatorial bid, and he said that he and his family were “thoughtfully discussing that possibility and keeping all options on the table.”

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.



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