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This week's recruiting updates: Cole Kestel, Brody Clubb, Payton Wardell, Lane Gerard, and Connor Kamerman.

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Q&A with Dallas Center-Grimes defensive back Cole Kestel​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would want to play football if I played in college, but to be quite honest I don’t know if that’s what I want to do.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have had a couple brief conversations with Drake, Central, and Luther.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I wouldn’t say that any colleges are really recruiting me hard.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any game day trips and I don't plan on doing so in the near future at least.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“See above.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My favorite college growing up was Iowa State and still is.”


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Q&A with Clear Creek-Amana defensive end Brody Clubb​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, it’s my goal to play football at a high level and have a career in the NFL after.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I got camp invites last summer from Notre Dame, Kansas, Princeton, Dartmouth and Penn but could only go to Notre Dame out of those.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I’ve been to Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou and Notre Dame. This year I’ve been to Iowa, Iowa State and Western Illinois so far. I have plans to go to Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou, UNI and am trying to finalize a few others yet before basketball starts. There are a few that I’d like to go to, like NDSU, that are too far away for game day trips so I’ll try to go there in the spring or summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My family are big Iowa fans. I grew up going to game days with my parents.”


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Q&A with Carroll linebacker Payton Wardell​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Right now I'm still debating if I want to play sports in college but if I did it would definitely be for football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have been recruiting me at the moment, but hopefully that day will come.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“N/A.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Iowa is my favorite college and always has been.”


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Q&A with Davenport Assumption running back Lane Gerard​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’ve been thinking a lot about playing a sport in college lately and I’m just not sure if it’s the right path for me yet.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have really been recruiting me yet, I’ve received camp invites and stuff like that, but no offers or visits.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“None.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“No.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve really liked Clemson for a while.”


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Q&A with Sioux Center linebacker Connor Kamerman​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I love the sport of football so it'd definitely be an amazing opportunity to play it at the college level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I've talked with the coach from Gustavus Adolphus. I've also been reached out to by Wisconsin-Platteville and William Jewell.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I'd say Gustavus Adolphus. I've had the opportunity to talk to the LB coach multiple times and he's an amazing guy.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I've only made one college visit so far to South Dakota State University.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I'm actually going on a Gustavus game day visit on October 1st and I'm really excited for it.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“The Iowa Hawkeyes have always been my favorite college to watch growing up.”


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Find out what some of the top players in the state are saying about sports now!


Q&A with Dallas Center-Grimes defensive back Cole Kestel
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Starting off 0-4 is obviously not where we want to be to start the season off, but I’m confident with district play starting this week that we will be able to get things turned around and get our season back on track.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I have been happy with my performance up to this point but we are only halfway through the season. I know that how I’ve played up to this point doesn’t matter anymore, and with district play starting up, the team’s performance is really the only thing that I care about.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think that our team has played well, our record says otherwise, but I can assure you we are not an 0-4 team, we have played great competition up to this point and that has prepared us well for what is ahead of us.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“The main thing that our team can improve on is playing a full football game. And what I mean by that is that we have played all 4 quarters of a game well. Early in the season we didn’t play well in the first quarter and played great the rest of the game. And last game we played a great first half and didn’t do too well in the second. I’m excited to see if we can finally piece together a full game this week against Winterset.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Playing a full 4 quarters and playing them well. We have had a lot of leaders on our team go down and the guys that are filling those spots are playing very well, the challenge is can we all keep playing well together.”

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Q&A with Clear Creek-Amana defensive end Brody Clubb
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“It’s been good. We lost a lot of talent with the seniors but have been working hard and a lot of players have stepped up to fill in the gaps. We all like playing for Coach Haddy and under the environment he creates.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Yes and no. I always think that I can do better and always ask questions if I come out so that I can go back in and fix anything that I got beat on before. I know my coaches think they ask a lot of me to play both ways and not get much of a break but I love it. There’s nothing I’d rather do than be on the field impacting the game with my teammates.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we’ve just started to find our groove and will only go up from here.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Wrapping up and finishing tackles. Limiting mental mistakes and pre-snap penalties.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Being physical. Running the ball. Not giving up big plays on defense.”

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Q&A with Carroll linebacker Payton Wardell
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far this season has been off to the right start. We have good team chemistry and we all work hard. We’re headed into district play 3-1. We play BH/RV this Friday at home, and we are hoping for the win.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Sort of, I believe I can play a lot better. I’m not satisfied yet, but by the end of the season I hope to be. There is still a lot of football to be played.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel my team has done a great job but there’s still way more to be accomplished going into district play. We have some good athletes on the team such as Reece Ziegmann, Cooper Ludwig, Jack White, and Colton Wieland are just a few amongst many. Reece is a sophomore who is incredibly fast and has put up good numbers this season.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I believe that we can improve our ability to fight adversity. Even though we had many kids who were sick, I believe we would have fought harder against Gilbert.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Some keys for our team being successful – first, our self-discipline. We must keep staying focused on our tasks and make sure everyone does their job. Another key to our success is our hustle. We need to keep putting effort into every play even at practice. The last key to our success is teamwork. Football is a team sport, it’s not just the starters that matter. We wouldn’t be able to get a full live scrimmage if it wasn’t for our scout team.”

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Q&A with Davenport Assumption running back Lane Gerard
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“It’s been great, it’s felt really long because of our week 0 game. We had to be perfect earlier than most other teams.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I’ve been pretty happy after some games and pretty disappointed after others, I just need to be more consistent.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we’ve played well, we’ve just had really tough competition.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I think we can all work on being more consistent. We’ll have one really good drive then give up a big play on the next one.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“I think our keys to winning moving forward are not giving up big plays and working on getting first downs rather than trying to make a huge gain every play.”

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Q&A with Sioux Center linebacker Connor Kamerman
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Football has been a great experience so far. I feel like I've learned so much from all the amazing coaches we have. This team is awesome to be around and I see them all as a family.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I mean 1-3 isn't a record you want but this team has a lot of grit and determination. I'm happy with how I'm continuing to improve thanks to Coach VR and Coach Penning. I have high expectations for myself but I feel like I'm doing a good job so far. The job is not finished though and there are still ways I can get better.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel like our team has played with a lot of heart. We've made our mistakes but I'm also proud of how we've bounced back from them too. I'm pleased with how we continue to improve each and every week and always push each other in practice while still having fun.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“The defense just needs to get off the field faster and our coaches have emphasized it to us recently. I feel like our defense has been good this year but the faster we can get the other team off the field and put it in our offense's hands the better.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Confidence is definitely a big key for this team. Our Coach talks about feeding your Alpha dog. Believing in yourself and your abilities to make plays out on the field.”

..............................................

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Football has been a great experience so far. I feel like I've learned so much from all the amazing coaches we have. This team is awesome to be around and I see them all as a family.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I mean 1-3 isn't a record you want but this team has a lot of grit and determination. I'm happy with how I'm continuing to improve thanks to Coach VR and Coach Penning. I have high expectations for myself but I feel like I'm doing a good job so far. The job is not finished though and there are still ways I can get better.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel like our team has played with a lot of heart. We've made our mistakes but I'm also proud of how we've bounced back from them too. I'm pleased with how we continue to improve each and every week and always push each other in practice while still having fun.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“The defense just needs to get off the field faster and our coaches have emphasized it to us recently. I feel like our defense has been good this year but the faster we can get the other team off the field and put it in our offense's hands the better.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Confidence is definitely a big key for this team. Our Coach talks about feeding your Alpha dog. Believing in yourself and your abilities to make plays out on the field.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I love the sport of football so it'd definitely be an amazing opportunity to play it at the college level.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I've talked with the coach from Gustavus Adolphus. I've also been reached out to by Wisconsin-Platteville and William Jewell.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I'd say Gustavus Adolphus. I've had the opportunity to talk to the LB coach multiple times and he's an amazing guy.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I've only made one college visit so far to South Dakota State University.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I'm actually going on a Gustavus game day visit on October 1st and I'm really excited for it.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“The Iowa Hawkeyes have always been my favorite college to watch growing up.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“It’s been great, it’s felt really long because of our week 0 game. We had to be perfect earlier than most other teams.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I’ve been pretty happy after some games and pretty disappointed after others, I just need to be more consistent.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we’ve played well, we’ve just had really tough competition.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I think we can all work on being more consistent. We’ll have one really good drive then give up a big play on the next one.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“I think our keys to winning moving forward are not giving up big plays and working on getting first downs rather than trying to make a huge gain every play.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I’ve been thinking a lot about playing a sport in college lately and I’m just not sure if it’s the right path for me yet.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have really been recruiting me yet, I’ve received camp invites and stuff like that, but no offers or visits.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“None.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“No.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“I’ve really liked Clemson for a while.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far this season has been off to the right start. We have good team chemistry and we all work hard. We’re headed into district play 3-1. We play BH/RV this Friday at home, and we are hoping for the win.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Sort of, I believe I can play a lot better. I’m not satisfied yet, but by the end of the season I hope to be. There is still a lot of football to be played.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I feel my team has done a great job but there’s still way more to be accomplished going into district play. We have some good athletes on the team such as Reece Ziegmann, Cooper Ludwig, Jack White, and Colton Wieland are just a few amongst many. Reece is a sophomore who is incredibly fast and has put up good numbers this season.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I believe that we can improve our ability to fight adversity. Even though we had many kids who were sick, I believe we would have fought harder against Gilbert.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Some keys for our team being successful – first, our self-discipline. We must keep staying focused on our tasks and make sure everyone does their job. Another key to our success is our hustle. We need to keep putting effort into every play even at practice. The last key to our success is teamwork. Football is a team sport, it’s not just the starters that matter. We wouldn’t be able to get a full live scrimmage if it wasn’t for our scout team.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Right now I'm still debating if I want to play sports in college but if I did it would definitely be for football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“No colleges have been recruiting me at the moment, but hopefully that day will come.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“N/A.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Iowa is my favorite college and always has been.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“It’s been good. We lost a lot of talent with the seniors but have been working hard and a lot of players have stepped up to fill in the gaps. We all like playing for Coach Haddy and under the environment he creates.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Yes and no. I always think that I can do better and always ask questions if I come out so that I can go back in and fix anything that I got beat on before. I know my coaches think they ask a lot of me to play both ways and not get much of a break but I love it. There’s nothing I’d rather do than be on the field impacting the game with my teammates.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we’ve just started to find our groove and will only go up from here.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Wrapping up and finishing tackles. Limiting mental mistakes and pre-snap penalties.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Being physical. Running the ball. Not giving up big plays on defense.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes, it’s my goal to play football at a high level and have a career in the NFL after.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I got camp invites last summer from Notre Dame, Kansas, Princeton, Dartmouth and Penn but could only go to Notre Dame out of those.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“I’ve been to Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou and Notre Dame. This year I’ve been to Iowa, Iowa State and Western Illinois so far. I have plans to go to Wisconsin, Nebraska, Mizzou, UNI and am trying to finalize a few others yet before basketball starts. There are a few that I’d like to go to, like NDSU, that are too far away for game day trips so I’ll try to go there in the spring or summer.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My family are big Iowa fans. I grew up going to game days with my parents.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Starting off 0-4 is obviously not where we want to be to start the season off, but I’m confident with district play starting this week that we will be able to get things turned around and get our season back on track.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I have been happy with my performance up to this point but we are only halfway through the season. I know that how I’ve played up to this point doesn’t matter anymore, and with district play starting up, the team’s performance is really the only thing that I care about.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think that our team has played well, our record says otherwise, but I can assure you we are not an 0-4 team, we have played great competition up to this point and that has prepared us well for what is ahead of us.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“The main thing that our team can improve on is playing a full football game. And what I mean by that is that we have played all 4 quarters of a game well. Early in the season we didn’t play well in the first quarter and played great the rest of the game. And last game we played a great first half and didn’t do too well in the second. I’m excited to see if we can finally piece together a full game this week against Winterset.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Playing a full 4 quarters and playing them well. We have had a lot of leaders on our team go down and the guys that are filling those spots are playing very well, the challenge is can we all keep playing well together.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I would want to play football if I played in college, but to be quite honest I don’t know if that’s what I want to do.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“I have had a couple brief conversations with Drake, Central, and Luther.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I wouldn’t say that any colleges are really recruiting me hard.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any game day trips and I don't plan on doing so in the near future at least.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“See above.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“My favorite college growing up was Iowa State and still is.”

Most of you appreciate this iron-clad armored info, so I wanted to share.

The feel around the program right now isn’t the warm and fuzzies. After this week’s obvious forthcoming loss to Tennessee, we can anticipate Coach Killy throwing his staff and players under the bus… or off a hydraulic lift for lack of a better term.

Simply can’t be trusted.

That’s all I’ve got today. We didn’t have long, he was headed to a speaking engagement.

Beat the red neck hicks

He quit

No way in hell am I falling for that sh!t again

Get 'em O Dub!

A&M vs Bama: I don’t buy the Saban “wanting revenge” for last year angle. Bama wins but the 24.5 pt margin seems aggressive given no Young.
IA vs IL: Hawks have won 8 straight vs the hapless Illini but this year’s 4-1 IL team looks a little better.
AU vs GA : over before half….sorry goobs
TN vs LSU : going with the Vols in this one
Ole Miss vs Vandy: going with the Doors……just kidding 😏

Lmfao

GameDay is much less cringy when you're not waiting for the hosts to cover for Lee Corso when he goes full Joe Biden.

I assume with all of the school closings that job openings are going to possibly be delayed or not happen at all, but has anyone heard of any potential girls basketball openings in eastern Iowa?

Districts are really taking shape now with just a couple of weeks left in the regular season. Here’s a look at some solid games in week 7:

Regina at West Branch
MFL MarMac at Cascade
Denver at Dike-New Hartford
Durant at Mediapolis
Sumner-Fredericksburg at Beckman
Kuemper at Treynor
Woodward-Granger at SSC

*Anyone want to take a try at predicting each district top 4?

Smart move - one of his first!

The UN is an absolutely worthless organization.

“China is a current member of the Human Rights Council (😳 let that soak in) and voted against discussion of the issue. Kazakhstan also voted against the resolution despite ethnic Kazakhs being one of the primary victims of the genocide. The Muslim nations on the Council, save for Somalia, also opposed discussing the topic even though the vast majority of the targets of the genocide are fellow Muslims.”

“Most of the serial human rights abusers on the Human Rights Council voted against the discussion, paramount among them China itself. Cuba, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Eritrea, and Pakistan voted against the resolution. Notably, the world’s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, also voted for defend China.”

“The abstention list included Argentina and Mexico, both under leftist regimes. Brazil, currently under self-proclaimed conservative but pro-China President Jair Bolsonaro, failed to vote on discussing the genocide. India, the country to most recently engage in military conflict with China, also abstained. Of particular note is the abstention of Ukraine, currently being invaded by China’s closest major power ally, Russia.