By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Fall sports for ACGC and Panorama are right around the corner. ACGC football and volleyball, and Panorama volleyball are participating in scrimmages, and Panorama plays a week 0 game later tonight. And, by next week, the cross country programs for both schools join the party. With each new sports season comes a new sports guide from Big Green Umbrella Media. I’ve interviewed every head coach in each of these programs across the two schools to find out what to expect from all the teams.

Panorama

Panorama football is heading in a new direction after being led by Charlie Lake the last few seasons. The Panthers experienced back to back 1-7 seasons and have now pivoted to Jim Demers. Demers is in the Buena Vista Hall of Fame for his performances in football and basketball. He has 20 years of football coaching experience under his belt and is ready to bring Panorama football into prominence.

The volleyball team is also under new leadership with Mollie Lint stepping down and Angela Mincy taking her place. The volleyball program saw several years of steady improvement under Lint. The team had won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons for the first time. Mincy has been an assistant for the past five years and brings plenty of experience as an AAU coach as well. She will look to continue the program on its current trajectory.

There is no coaching change for the two cross country programs, however, as the indomitable Greg Thompson steers the ships for another year. The boys and girls did not qualify for state as team or qualify any individuals for the state meet. That is a rarity under Thompson, but it looks like it will be short lived. The boys return several solid runners, and he says all made great strides throughout last season. For the girls, two-time all-state runner Kylie Rochholz is back to full health for her senior season with several solid runners joining her on a team that narrowly missed the state meet without Rochholz last year.

ACGC

Perhaps the biggest offseason news for any of these programs was the departure of ACGC football coach Cody Matthewson. Matthewson led the program for eight years, including three straight 10-1 seasons the last three years. In his place comes Will Shull, who had been an assistant for the last two seasons. Shull will be a familiar face for the players and the staff that remains largely intact. He says he doesn’t plan on changing too much with the program. If your team won 30 games in the last three years, would you? I wouldn’t either. It will be interesting to see how the Chargers and Shull handle the transition.

ACGC volleyball has also had a solid program for the last decade and then some. The girls were led by Caley Vaughan last season, who took them from a 20-11 season to 24-12. That’s just one win shy of the team’s all-time best record of 25-7 set back in 2013-2014. The Chargers did graduate some solid players from last season, but their star hitter Stella Largent returns for her senior year. Largent’s 514 kills were the fourth most in the state last season. Before that, her 443 were eighth most in the state. Even as a freshman, she led the Chargers with 317 kills (92^nd best in the state). A total of 730 kills led the entire state last season. Could Largent reach those heights this season? We will soon see.

ACGC cross country will also have a new head coach with Gabe Soda. Soda was an assistant coach at Madrid last year and was also the head junior high track coach. He has only been out of college for two years, but his personal running experience rivals most. Soda’s list of accomplishments as a runner at Cornell College is long. He will aim to translate that success to a Charger program that could use a jolt. The boys have an excellent runner in Preston Kent, who is coming off of a successful track and field season, and the girls have another excellent runner in Cadence Petersen. Both qualified for the state meet last year.

New coaches, returning stars and high expectations make this a fall sports season worth watching. From the football fields to the volleyball courts and cross-country courses, ACGC and Panorama have plenty of storylines to follow. The season is here, and the formal action is about to begin.

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Thanks to research by Quinn Douglass, a local radio broadcaster for KQWC Radio and friend of mine, I now have access to historical football records for all of the teams within the West Central Activities Conference. Check it out HERE. Not only are the records for all of these programs here (dating back to 1992), but there is statistical data for nearly every single Iowa high school.

Let’s start with the ones you are likely the most interested in: Panorama and ACGC. Panorama’s all-time record since 1992 is 162-153. Their best season came in 2011 with a 10-1 record, district championship and playoff qualifier. As this column goes out, I’ll be interviewing Jim Demers, the new head football coach for the Panthers who will look to steer the ship back in the right direction after back-to-back 1-7 seasons.

ACGC, as most of you know, only became a school in 2016. The football program went winless in its inaugural season. Since then, the tide has very much turned for the Chargers. As of now, ACGC’s all-time record is 60-39 with three straight 10-1 seasons. Those campaigns were led by Cody Matthewson, who has since left for Van Meter. I interviewed new head coach, Will Shull, who has been an assistant under Matthewson recently. He hopes to continue the success the program has been having in recent years.

Before there was ACGC, there was Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center. Guthrie Center’s all-time record sits at 138-96. The best season was a 13-0 state championship winning campaign in 1996. Adair-Casey nearly has the best all-time win-loss ratio of any team in the conference with their record of 179-72. That includes back-to-back state championships in 2000 and 2001. Their 10-0 state-title-winning team is arguable their best. In terms of wins, AC was 12-1 in 2013 but did not win the big one.

Outside of those hometown team’s, this document is still fantastic. I looked up my alma mater, Des Moines Lincoln, as well. The school’s all-time record is 131-177. Not great, I know.

Two more fun tabs to look at are the 70% wins tab and the all-time wins leaders tab. With the requirements of playing at least 300 games and being active in 2025, West Lyon leads all high schools with an 84.51 winning percentage at a record of 333-61. I can’t even get those type of records on video games.

Naturally, West Lyon tops the chart for the most wins as well. Maybe I should make the trek out there and see one of their games. Or just wait for the state tournament and see them there, since it seems like an inevitability. Rounding out the top five for most wins is Harlan Community, 329 wins; Solon, 327 wins; Valley, West Des Moines, 321 wins; and Dowling Catholic, 320 wins.

I hope you enjoy that spreadsheet as much as I do. Feel free to reach out with interesting bits you find on it, or comments, suggestions and story ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

We are in a dead zone for major league sports at the moment. The NFL hasn’t quite started although preseason games will be happening soon. The MLB is just past its All-Star break and trade deadline with a ways to go before the playoffs start. The NBA and NHL lay dormant, waiting for the cold weather to emerge to get their seasons underway. So, what is there to talk about?

I have been enjoying the tweets from the fairly new account, “20 Years Ago Sports.” Or @20YearsAgoSport on Twitter. (I refuse to call it X.) The purpose of the account is straightforward: They post highlights and news that was relevant to the day 20 years ago. Coincidently, for me, a 28 year old, the highlights and news that are posted re the stuff I was seeing when I was first getting into sports.

Here’s a funny one from yesterday. Competitive eater Kobayashi set a new world record, eating 58 Johnsonville Bratwursts in 10 minutes. Some of you might recognize that name. Others might recognize the man who finished in second: Joey Chestnut. Chestnut would win his first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest championship the following year in 2007. Since then, he has won 18 in total. Chestnut and Kobayashi dogged it out in a Netflix special in 2024, “Unfinished Beef.” Chestnut would win and set a world record for eating 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Kobayashi finished a distant second at 66. That beef may be settled, but their stomachs aren’t. 

Another gem the account posts frequently is the SportsCenter top ten plays of the day. When I was a kid, I would watch SportsCenter almost every morning, getting up to date on the scores, highlights and storylines from around the country. The best part was the SC Top Ten. Some of the names in those highlights are becoming eligible for their respective Hall of Fames. One name, however, is still playing basketball at the highest level: LeBron James. Evergreen. These clips take me back to what ESPN once was before it divulged into the personality driven, hot take and gambling culture that dominates its airwaves today.

Something even better than the top ten plays? When SportsCenter would treat us to either the Not Top Ten, or the Hardly The Usual Top Ten. Cartwheels. Lawnmower races. Guys tripping. Groundcrew failures. It made for a good laugh.

Another favorite of mine the account posted was one of the old “this is SportsCenter” commercials. ESPN would showcase the world of sport like all of the country’s best athletes worked in cubicles. This one in particular featured the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.

It’s a fun blast from the past for people like me. There is something about the nostalgia and ability to reminisce on days gone by. I think that is reflected in our popular Yester Year section we post in each Times Vedette. People like to look upon the past. Like the great Andy Bernard from “The Office” said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The state baseball and softball tournaments conclude today, officially marking the end of summer high school sports. In its place come summer camps for these high-school-aged, or younger, athletes to hone their skills. A recent change in Iowa law now also allows eighth graders to participate in more high school sports.

Summer camps

As for the Panthers, they have already had a few summer camps wrap up. Activities Director Bruce Dahlhauser tells me that their track and field camp for grades 3-6 had 34 campers in early June. A boys basketball shooting clinic that wrapped up in late June for grades 3-8 had 21 participants, and a girls basketball youth camp in late June had a great turnout of 53 campers for grades 3-8.

Camps still to come this summer for Panorama are a volleyball youth camp for grades 3-6 from Aug. 7-9, and a boys basketball youth camp for grades 3-8 Aug. 10-13.

As for the Chargers, their girls basketball camp was also in the books, finishing up in early June with 58 campers. The boys basketball camp also wrapped in mid-July with roughly 30 campers. The wrestling program hosted 29 wrestlers in early July as well.

Eighth graders in high school sports

What at first seemed like a free-for-all to allow any eighth grader to sign up for a high school sport with the signing into law of House File 2591 now appears to be relatively minor. No pun intended.

Basically, school districts, nonpublic schools, or charter schools still need to adopt a policy allowing it. “The state opened the door, but local schools still hold the key.” Well put by WHO13.

This door being opened, though, does bring up a lot of questions. Dahlhauser responded to my inquiry on how the Panthers are planning to address this change. He says the door is open, and they are keeping it open, but not without a multi-step criteria and approval process that they will use on a case-by-case basis.

The criteria for consideration, summarized, is that the student-athlete must be physically capable of safely competing, must possess the skill level, and the head coach will evaluate if the student-athlete provides a meaningful benefit to the program while also considering his or her long-term athletic development. Also, eighth graders may be considered when necessary to establish or maintain a second-level of competition, like junior varsity. Consideration will be given on the impact of both the middle school and high school programs as it refers to roster size, competitive opportunities and overall development.

There is also a five-step approval process, involving a physical, head coach evaluation, meeting with parent/guardian, activities director review, and the superintendent having the final say.

Panorama’s process looks about as thorough as one could be. Meanwhile, I do still have some questions.

How many high school records could end up being shattered because athletes have another year of eligibility? There may not be many eighth graders dominating the gridiron or basketball court, but the question remains.

Will kids be incentivized to transfer schools more often with the chance of playing in high school a year earlier? We’ve already seen an increase in kids transferring to other schools to play in what they (or their parents) perceive to be better programs. Could the same happen for the sake of early playing time? The law seems to address this for high schoolers, changing the waiting period for a student transferring from 90 days to 140 days.

Time will tell if this a change for the better or for the worse or for not much change at all. It certainly has the potential to benefit both eighth graders who are in need of a better challenge and high school teams needing to fill out rosters.

How do you feel about the change? Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The IHSAA baseball and IGHSAU softball tournaments have their participants set across all classes. Starting on July 20 and running through 24, baseball will be played at Carroll for 1A and 2A and in Cedar Rapids for 3A and 4A. A stream of the games can be watched HERE. As for softball, all games will be played in Fort Dodge, also from July 20-24. Championship games will be streamed on Iowa PBS.

When I was in high school, if you wanted to watch the state tournament, you either needed cable or show up and buy a ticket. Now, across all sports, streaming coverage has made watching the best young athletes easier. I’m not much of a baseball or softball watcher, but I’ll be sure to tune in this year. This is how the brackets have lined up across the two sports.

Baseball

1A:

• No. 1 Coon Rapids Bayard vs. No. 8 Moravia
• No. 4 Remsen St. Marys vs. No. 5 North Linn
• No. 3 Newman Catholic vs. No. 6 Ankeny Christian
• No. 2 South Winneshiek vs. No. 7 Burlington Notre Dame

2A:

• No. 1 Pleasantville vs. No. 8 Ridge View
• No. 4 Cascade vs. No. 5 Beckman Catholic
• No. 3 West Lyon vs. No. 6 Unity Christian
• No. 2 Roland-Story vs. No. 7 Durant

3A:

• No. 1 Wahlert Catholic vs. No. 8 Knoxville
• No. 4 North Polk vs. No. 5 Western Dubuque
• No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 6 MOC-Floyd Valley
• No. 2 Carlise vs. No. 7 Assumption

4A:

• No. 1 Sioux City East vs. No. 8 Iowa City Liberty
• No. 4 Johnston vs. No. 5 Pleasant Valley
• No. 3 Waukee vs. No. 6 Valley
• No. 2 Indianola vs. No. 7 Southeast Polk

Softball

1A:

• No. 1 Exira-EHK-Audubon vs. No. 8 Edgewood-Colesburg
• No. 4 West Monona vs. No. 5 Southeast Warren
• No. 3 St. Edmond vs. No. 6 Remsen St. Mary’s
• No. 2 Clarksville vs. No. 7 North Butler

2A:

• No. 1 Grand View Christian vs. No. 8 Cardinal
• No. 4 Regina Catholic vs. No. 5 Hinton
• No. 3 Wapsie Valley vs. No. 6 Logan-Magnolia
• No. 2 Durant vs. No. 7 Ridge View

3A:

• No. 1 Williamsburg vs. No. 8 West Liberty
• No. 4 Mount Vernon vs. No. 5 PCM
• No. 3 Albia vs. No. 6 Van Meter
• No. 2 Wahlert Catholic vs. West Delaware

4A:

• No. 1 ADM vs. No. 8 Burlington
• No. 4 Western Dubuque vs. No. 5 Winterset
• No. 3 Fort Dodge vs. No. 6 Clear Creek Amana
• No. 2 Carlisle vs. No. 7 North Polk

5A:

• No. 1 Waukee Northwest vs. No. 8 Pleasant Valley
• No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes vs. No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy
• No. 3 Valley vs. No. 6 Southeast Polk
• No. 2 Ankeny Centennial vs. No. 7 Dowling Catholic

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.