By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Football season is right around the corner for ACGC and Panorama, the rest of Iowa’s high schools, and the college football programs. The NFL preseason is already underway. Football players returning to the gridiron symbolizes the end of summer as we head into the fall months. As disappointing as that may be, football season is a great consolation prize.

With the 2025 season coming up soon, I decided to take a look at the stat leaders from ACGC and Panorama’s programs from 2024 and some of the leaders from across the state as well. Keep in mind, many of these players graduated. 

Panorama

*Passing yards: Gavin Lindstrom, 337

(Panorama used three QBs equally throughout the season, bringing down the number of yards for one player)

• Passing TDs: Cruz Crandall, three
• Rushing yards: AJ Draper, 410
• Rushing TDs: AJ Draper, 5
• Receiving yards: Reed Draper, 300
• Receptions: Brayden Meinecke, 32
• Receiving TDs: TIE, Reed Draper, Brayden Meinecke, Latyn Ashworth, Connor Love and Blake Schwartz, 1
• Total tackles: Landon Kirtley, 44.5
• Solo tackles: Landon Kirtley, 26
• Sacks: TIE, Joel Cooper, Brayden Meinecke, Reed Draper, Cole Carstens and Landon Kirtley, one
• Tackles for loss: Brayden Meinecke, five
• Interceptions: Latyn Ashworth, five

ACGC

• Passing yards: Jathan South, 449
• Passing TDs: Jathan South, 7
• Rushing yards: Mike Fuller, 1,288
• Rushing TDs: Jathan South, 21
• Receiving yards: Joe Crawford, 279
• Receptions: Joe Crawford, 15
• Receiving TDs: Joe Crawford, 4
• Total tackles: 70.5
• Solo tackles: 49
• Sacks: TIE, Jack Sheeder, Mike Fuller, 2.5
• Tackles for loss: Brexton Schneider, 12
• Interceptions: Jathan South, 3

The stat leaders for these are with the players from 8-player football removed, as their stats can be inflated compared to traditional 11 vs. 11 football.

Across Iowa

• Passing yards: AJ Harder, Tri-Center, 2,882
• Passing TDs: Caden Lundt, Spirit Lake, 39
• Rushing yards: Carter Kunze, Tri-Center, 2,487
• Rushing TDs: Carter Kunze, Tri-Center, 39
• Receiving yards: Dylan Stecker, Spirit Lake, 1,223
• Receptions: Keenan Kilburg, Bellevue, 100
• Receiving TDs: Rayce Heitman, Williamsburg, 20
• Total tackles: Jackson Wacha, Ballard, 130
• Solo tackles: Jackson Wacha, Ballard, 106
• Sacks: Kael Riniker, Mount Vernon, 15
• Tackles for loss: Nathan Beitz, 30.5
• Interceptions: Jordan Dusenberry, 8

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

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

With summer sports in the rearview, and still a few weeks until fall sports get started, I have had the chance to run a little wild with this column. Soon enough, this column will be back to focusing on Panorama and ACGC. Until then, here are my thoughts on Iowa State University’s football team and Head Coach Matt Campbell.

I have fond memories of Iowa State sports growing up. Not a lot of them are about winning. Even though I am on the younger side, it is easy for me to remember a time when ISU was on the losing side of just about every sport. Sure, there was the odd upset and special moment here and there. But, for the most part, watching ISU was less about the product on the field and more about enjoying the company around you.

My earliest Cyclone football memory is of Todd Blythe’s one-handed grab in the back of the endzone to help defeat Toledo in triple overtime, 45-43. See the highlight HERE at 2:53. I was lucky enough to see this in person. Young me was convinced that Blythe was the greatest wide receiver ever and that ISU had a great football team. I was wrong on both accounts, but I was hooked for life.

That was 2006, and Iowa State went 4-8 that year. Paul Rhodes took over soon after. You might remember his “I am so proud, to be your football coach,” speech after ISU upset then No. 2 Oklahoma State, blowing up the BCS. It was an all-time moment. ISU is incredible at creating moments, but, as I said, not creating winning seasons. ISU went 6-7 that year, losing its bowl game.

A few years later, Matt Campbell steps in. The start was rough, 3-9 overall. What followed were back-to-back 8-5 seasons and a Liberty Bowl win. In 2020, despite a season strained by the pandemic, Iowa State made its first NY6 bowl game, the Fiesta Bowl, beating Oregon. In just a few short years, Campbell had turned ISU into a team where a bowl game appearance — not even a win, just an appearance — was seen as a major accomplishment.

Last season was easily the most successful in modern times, and, arguably, in the team history. The Cyclones won 11 games and the Pop Tarts Bowl against Miami, who had No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback. It was an absolute shootout from start to finish, 42-41. A great moment. And, also, a great win.

That, to me, has been the biggest difference between Campbell and the other ISU coaches I have seen in my lifetime. The staff he has been able to keep, develop or hire continues to bring results. He finds diamond-in-the rough recruits and has started to attract more blue-chip prospects. He also helps get them into the NFL. And, most importantly, his teams win. Campbell’s 64 wins are the most in program history — one of the many records he has broken while being head coach

Coach Campbell’s coaching success has his name in the rumor mill every offseason, whether it be to join one of college football’s big dogs or the NFL. Nevertheless, Campbell stays put. He recently signed an extension to the tune of $5 million a year that will keep him in Ames until 2032. While $5 million is a good of reason to stay anywhere, Campbell can earn it, and plenty more, at bigger programs. He even took a pay cut during COVID so other sports programs did not have to experience cuts to their coaching staffs.

This reminds me of another college football coach in the state: Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz, quite frankly, is boring. His style of play. The teams’ colors. His press conferences. All of it. Boring. But Ferentz wins games, develops pro-talent, and he sticks around. If Campbell stays at ISU as long as Ferentz has at Iowa, the tide will eventually shift away from the Hawkeyes being the more recognizable football school in this state.

I’m not an ISU donor, but if I was, I would be asking Jamie Pollard if there is a plan to build a Matt Campbell statue in the works sometime soon.

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

By Cyote Williams

A few weeks back, I wrote about the influence that broadcasting deals and media rights have had on college sports. Although it was brief, I hoped to get my point across. Big money was affecting the essence of collegiate sports. In the professional sporting world, I see a different threat to the integrity of the game — legalized sports gambling. 

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional. Without diving in too deep, the ruling cleared the way for states to legalize sports gambling. Soon after, in 2019, sports gambling was legalized in Iowa when Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 617. 

Early on, the only way to gamble on sports in Iowa was via DraftKings, one of the largest sportsbooks in the country, and to drive to the Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson and sign up in person. I did this — gleefully — with a friend. I lost money that night; my friend made money. It was all in good fun. 

This is where the fun stops. The ease of access to these apps is just a few clicks away on smartphones. Not only that, but these sportsbooks also now have a stranglehold on professional sports leagues and continue to grow their influence. It is nearly impossible to watch a sports broadcast, whether it be a game or talk show, and not be bombarded by advertisements from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM or any of the other rapidly growing sportsbooks. ESPN even has its own sportsbook.

A story on the Sports Business Journal by Bill King says that as of January 2025, U.S sportsbooks have a combined 87 sponsorship deals with teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. 

With sports betting becoming legal and losing much of its stigma, athletes are getting caught up in the mix at a concerning rate. You certainly remember several Iowa and Iowa State athletes getting in trouble for an illegal betting scandal in 2023. I wrote in Civic Skinny for CITYVIEW that “the 17 players involved made slightly more than 10,000 wagers, and between the 12 athletes who had their money wagered listed in the complaints, more than $84,000 in bets were placed.”

Yes, $84,000. By college students! That’s a few tuitions and then some. The problems don’t stop there, though, as professional leagues have been dealing with their fair share of headaches. Just recently, NBA player Jontay Porter was given a lifetime ban for gambling on himself and telling others to do the same. Fellow player Malik Beasley is currently under investigation for the same reason. 

Bleacher Report put together a summary of five incidents the MLB has dealt with since 2024 alone, which includes its biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, and his translator. Five players were suspended in June 2024; an umpire was fired in February 2025 amid a gambling probe. And now, two players have been placed on leave thanks to a gambling probe, one of which is Emmanuel Clase, one of the best closing pitchers in the sport. 

These teams and leagues continue to enrich themselves thanks to the sportsbook dollars but turn around and frown at their players for participating. If gambling on the sport by the players harms the integrity of the game, why should these franchises be allowed to promote them? Why should the “worldwide leader” in sports journalism be allowed to open its own sportsbook and bombard its audience with spreads, lines, player totals and more? Rules for thee but not for me, as the saying goes. 

Without a doubt, plenty of blame falls on the players involved in this. It is well known that if you are a professional athlete, making millions of dollars, gambling should be the last thing on your mind. However, the people who are paying them are taking the money made from gambling. It’s like if alcoholics anonymous was sponsored by Jack Daniels. It’s like if the Iowa DOT were sponsored by NASCAR. How can you expect one thing of your players, but promote the opposite at the same time? 

Is my throwing $10 down on the Iowa State vs. Kansas State game going to completely upend the sporting world as we know it? Probably not. But when you set this double standard between franchises/leagues and their players, you’re begging for trouble.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The state tournaments for Iowa high school baseball and softball are in full swing (see what I did there?), and they have been packed full of highlight plays. Click the links in the summaries to see what has been scattered across social media. One even made the top 10 best plays on ESPN’s SportsCenter this week.

Baseball

1A:

No. 4 seed Martensdale-St Marys will face No. 3 seed Saint Ansgar tonight, July 25, at 5 p.m. MSM snuck past No. 5 Kee in the first round, 2-0, and dominated No. 8 Hillcrest Academy, 18-8. That was a rough result for Hillcrest, which was fresh off of a massive upset of No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s. Saint Ansgar beat No. 3 Logan-Magnolia, 3-1, and then No. 7 East Buchanan, 8-5. We were almost treated to a matchup of the lowest seeds in this bracket, but these two teams will show why they made it to the final.

2A:

No. 6 Chariton defeated West Central Activities Conference No. 3 seed Van Meter in stunning fashion in the first round, 8-7 in extra innings, thanks to an incredible play at the plate. Watch that highlight HERE. Van Meter fans will feel cheated by the call; Chariton fans will rejoice. What say you? Let me know at cyote@dmcityview.com. Chariton’s run would end there at the hands of No. 2 Pleasantville, 3-1. They will meet No. 4 Unity Christian, which upset No. 1 Underwood to make the final. That game is tonight, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.

3A:

We have a battle of the top seeds on our hands in 3A with No. 1 Wahlert Catholic set to face No. 2 Pella today, July 25, at noon. Wahlert beat No. 8 Boone, 3-1, then handled No. 5 Saydel, 10-0, to make the final. Pella made quick work of No. 7 Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 12-5. Pella made it to the final over No. 3 Bishop Heelan thanks to a wild throw from the catcher to third base after a dropped pitch. Watch that HERE.

4A:

No. 8 Bettendorf made its first state tournament appearance in 23 years thanks to late game heroics with a two RBI walk-double, captured in one of the best sports recordings I may have ever seen. The Bulldogs dog pile at second base, while the Dubuque Hempstead player looks away. Absolute cinema. The Cinderella run didn’t end there. Bettendorf upset No. 1 Sioux City East in the first round, 2-1, then pulled off another upset over No. 4 Waukee Northwest, 5-3. They will have to get through No. 3 Iowa City High at 3:30 p.m. today, July 25, to finish their story.

Softball

1A:

We have another showdown between top seeds with No. 1 Wayne and No. 2 Clarksville set to battle on July 25 at 7:30 p.m. Wayne has lost two games all season and defeated No. 8 Highland, 7-4, and No. 4 Riverside, 7-3 to make the final. Clarksville defeated No. 7 Newman Catholic, 5-4, and breezed past St. Edmond, 11-3 to advance.

2A:

There’s little surprise here as to which one of the state final participants is. No. 1. Van Meter defeated No. 8 East Marshall, 11-3, and squeaked out a win over No. 5 West Fork, 5-4, to return to the final. They will face No. 3 West Lyon, which beat No. 6 Cascade in a 10-8 shootout, and upset No. 2 Louisa-Muscatine, 9-5 to challenge the perennial powerhouse that is Van Meter softball, today, July 25 at 5 p.m.

3A:

No. 1 seed Wahlert Catholic is in the finals against No. 2 Williamsburg today, July 25, at 2:30 p.m., but it was the No. 4 seed PCM that stole the headlines. Despite losing to Wahlert Catholic in the semifinals, PCM centerfielder made one of the best catches you’ll ever see. It made it all the way to No. 2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 best plays. It was captured in higher quality by Owen Siebring HERE.

4A:

Pella is showing Bettendorf the blueprint on how to win a state title while being an underdog. No. 8 Pella won the 4A championship against No. 3 North Polk on July 24. The Dutch upset both No. 1 Xavier, 5-1, and No. 5 ADM, 2-1, to make it to the final, all with a 24-12 record. Sometimes teams just get hot at the right time. North Polk etched past No. 6 Western Dubuque, 9-7, and then handled No. 7 North Scott, 11-3, to make the final.

5A:

It was business as usual in 5A with the top two seeds battling it out for the state title on July 24. In the end, No. 1 Waukee Northwest defeated No. 2 Linn-Mar for the state title in a defensive battle, 1-0. Waukee Northwest defeated No. 8 Dowling, 4-0, and then dominated No. 4 Ankeny Centennial, 11-3, to reach the final. On the other side of the bracket, Linn-Mar beat No. 7 Pleasant Valley, 5-1, and No. 6 Cedar Falls, 8-0, to make the final.

Reach out with comments, complaints or story ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Taitn Gray drafted

Dallas Center-Grimes had its star player, Taitn Gray, drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round of the 2025 MLB draft. The Mustangs fell in the final round of substate to Council Bluffs Lewis Central, 3-1, but I have a feeling Gray and DCG are still feeling quite good about seeing the young talent get closer to one of the best individual accomplishments — making it to the pros.

The catcher was committed to play college ball at Oregon, but KCCI reported that his family said he will sign the professional contract and bypass college baseball. MLB.com has the value of his pick listed at $920,000.

Gray had an excellent season at DCG, although, surprisingly, he did not lead his team in hits. His 34 were actually third-highest on the team, behind two teammates who both had 40. Gray was fourth on the team in doubles, with seven, and tied for first on the team in triples, with three. Where Gray, and other potential future big leaguers separate themselves, are the homers and the walks. Gray led his team in homeruns by far with 12. The next closest teammate had five. As for walks, Gray took his base 31 times last season, 12 more than the next closest teammate. His batting averages also stand out with a .479 average, .636 on-base percentage, 1.169 slugging percentage and a 1.805 on-base plus slugging. As Brad Pitt famously said in the movie “Moneyball,” he gets on base.

Stat leaders across Iowa

Looking at Gray’s numbers got me thinking about who the stat leaders are in the state of Iowa with the state tournament right around the corner. Here are some I found interesting:

Batting average: Garrett Luett, junior at Underwood, .619

Home runs: Kamden Jorgensen, junior at Sayden, 14

RBIs: Jax Theeler, senior at Sioux City East, 58

Stolen bases: Gabe Funk, senior at Lenox, 56

ERA: Gavin Spaur, junior at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 0.00

(I took some liberties with choosing Spaur to represent this category. In total, there were six pitchers who posted a 0.00 ERA, but Spaur by far had the most innings pitched at 52.2.)

Wins: TIE. Jordan Cota, senior at Kee; Lance Ludens, senior at Mediapolis, 11

Saves: Deacon Kucera, junior at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, eight.

Strikeouts: Garrett Luett, junior at Underwood, 122

Did you notice the same thing I did? A junior at Underwood, Garrett Luett, led the state in batting average AND strikeouts? That almost seems too good to be true. Luett also led the state in on-base percentage (.743) and slugging percentage (1.190). He did all of that and struck out only one time all season. Those are video game numbers for a junior in high school. I think I have a guess as to who might get drafted next in a years’ time.

Reach out with any comments, concerns, complaints or story ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Stat leaders

Panorama and ACGC’s baseball and softball seasons have officially ended. All four of the squads experienced ups and downs throughout the season. With the seasons over, here is a look at the team leaders in a few important stat categories, according to Bound.

Panorama baseball

Hits: 21, Cruz Crandall

RBIs: 9, tie between Joel Cooper and Mason Meinecke

Batting average: .352, Parker Cary

Slugging percentage: .419, Cruz Crandall

Stolen bases: 11, Cruz Crandall

Strikeouts: 40, Bryce Dawes

ERA: 3.52, Bryce Dawes

Panorama softball

Hits: 41, Lexi Galvan

HRs: 6, Bridgete White

RBIs: 28, Bridgete White

Batting average: .461, Lexi Galvan

Slugging percentage: .809, Lexi Galvan

Stolen bases: 16, Emma Walker

Strikeouts: 55, tie between Lexi Galvan and Andrea Knode

ERA: 7.03, Lexi Galvan

ACGC baseball

Hits: 30, Tommy Skram

HRs: 1, Jackson Pfrang

RBIs: 21, Noah Kading

Batting average: .417, Tommy Skram

Slugging percentage: .500, Tommy Skram

Stolen bases: 28, Tommy Skram

Strikeouts: 43, Noah Kading

ERA: .318, Noah Kading

ACGC softball

Hits: 20, Karli Kautzky

RBIs: 6, Jacie Baker

Batting average: .318, Belle Fagan

Slugging percentage: .323, Karli Kautzky

Stolen bases: 5, Karli Kautzky

Strikeouts: 20, Camdyn Richter

ERA: 9.53, Camdyn Richter

Jordan Carstens

In response to my last column about professional athletes from ACGC and Panorama high schools, Panorama Activities Director Greg Thompson told me I should look into Jordan Carstens. What a great tip that was.

Carstens was born in Carroll and attended high school at Panorama where he was a standout defensive tackle. In his time as a Panther, he was named third-team All-State by The Des Moines Register. Carstens would walk-on at Iowa State University to play for the Cyclones from 1999-2003. By his sophomore season, Carstens became a staple on the cardinal and gold’s defense. He had 71 tackles and was named to the Big 12 Conference third-team. The Panorama graduate had his best season as a junior when he recorded 97 tackles, 13 tackles for losses and six sacks. He was named All Big 12 second-team. He finished his career at ISU with 306 tackles, 23 for losses and 10 sacks. During his time at ISU, he was also named to several all-academic teams. Carstens would go undrafted but would land with the Carolina Panthers from 2004-2006. He played in 29 games and had 50 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Carstens would retire to kidney-related health problems. Click HERE and scroll to slide two to see Carstens in action for the Carolina Panthers.

If you know of any other standout athletes from Panorama or ACGC who made it to the professional leagues, or were program standouts, feel to reach out to me at cyote@dmcityview.com.