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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One of the top Iowa high school football prospects in the state has made his college decision official.
Iowa City Regina High School senior-to-be Tate Wallace has announced he has verbally committed to the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference. Wallace picked the Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck over a finalists Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
Wallace narrowed down his list of schools to six at the end of April before making his final decision.
Iowa City Regina Football Standout Tate Wallace Ranked As No. 2 Overall Prospect In Iowa High School Football
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker is considered the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for high school football, and is the No. 21 linebacker in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wallace is No. 2 in Iowa high school football, No. 29 at linebacker and No. 359 for the Class of 2027.
Along With Minnesota, Tate Wallace Currently Holds Offers From Schools Such As Arizona, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Iowa State
Wallace currently holds 16 total offers including from the previously mentioned Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kansas State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, UNLV, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
As a junior, Wallace registered almost 50 tackles on defense, with 29 of them being counted as solo stops. He had 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, as Iowa City Regina advanced to the state championship game of the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Championships.
Future Minnesota Golden Gopher Has Been Key Two-Way Starter For Regals
Wallace also hauled in 40 passes for 611 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns on offense for the Regals. As a two-way player for Iowa City Regina during his sophomore season, Wallace had 27.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, adding 51 receptions for 752 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in March, Wallace announced seven spring visits to Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State and Arizona State. He also visited Tennessee this past fall, taking in an SEC contest with the Volunteers.
Along with his success on the football field, Wallace helped lead the Regals to the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament this past winter. He earned High School on SI all-state honors in the process.
Follow
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — Volunteers broke ground Saturday for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity’s 16th Woman Build, honoring a retired University of Iowa nursing professor.
Liz Swanson, a retired nursing professor, was chosen as this year’s honoree for her decades of impact. The Women Build program focuses on including women in every step of home construction.
While the home is built in Swanson’s honor, it will go to a fellow nurse and mother of three. The family applied through the affordable housing program.
Swanson said she’s proud to be part of a project that directly connects to her nursing legacy.
“It’s very special to have the unique opportunity to help the nurse who is working nights,” Swanson said.
Swanson said stable housing gives families the security to plan for the future.
“It means security for families. We talked briefly to the children and they said, ‘we’re gonna have our own bedroom,’” Swanson said.
Volunteers are set to begin work on the home in August. Those interested in volunteering can find more information here.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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