Iowa
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
5 people wounded in shooting near University of Iowa campus, including 3 students
Five people were shot and injured at an Iowa City pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus overnight, police said Sunday. Students from the university were among the injured, according to school officials.
The Iowa City Police Department responded to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m. early Sunday, the department said in a news release. Arriving officers heard gunfire.
Multiple victims were hospitalized, police said. Police confirmed to CBS News that one person was in critical condition, while the other four victims are stable.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson said in a statement that three students were among those shot. None of the victims has been publicly identified.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they are seeking information about five “persons of interest associated with this shooting.” The university also shared the request for information.
The pedestrian mall was closed for several hours and reopened Sunday afternoon.
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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Iowa
Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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