By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Volleyball stat leaders

Two weeks ago, I shared the stat leaders for varying statistics across all the classes in Iowa. I took last week off as I was in Traverse City, Michigan. Apparently, it is the cherry capital of the world. Also, they really drive home that it’s “TRA-verse,” and not “TRUH-verse.” I bought some cherry-flavored BBQ sauce and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Now, onto the important stuff:

5A

• Kills: Cambel Drapeau, Dubuque Senior, 401
• Assists: Brynn Bakula, Cedar Falls, 851
• Digs: Gracie Knock, Prairie, 473
• Blocks: Heather Hingst, Prairie, 121
• Aces: Lily Garrison, Ottumwa, 59
• Successful serves: Mackenzie Urbanek, Cedar Falls, 242

4A

• Kills: Rachel Borwick, Nevada, 420
• Assists: Gwen Farley, Dallas Center-Grimes, 904
• Digs: Lucy Simpson, Spencer, 525
• Blocks: Dara Mollet, Bishop Heelan, 113
• Aces: Julia Schlarbaum, Clear Creek Amana, 72
• Successful serves: Sydney Schroeder, Burlington, 415

3A

• Kills: Lauren LeClere, West Delaware, 442
• Assists: Emily Sebeniecher, Red Oak, 895
• Digs: Jayden Mueller, Central Lee, 557
• Blocks: Deidra Doeden, Cherokee Washington, 94
• Aces: Mariesa Gibbs, Waukon, 70
• Successful serves: Natalie Mensen, West Delaware, 451

2A

• Kills: Reese Naeve, Regina Catholic, 641
• (ACGC’s Stella Largent is second, with 500)
• Assists: Channing Johnson, Denver, 1017
• Digs: Addison Bollier, Regina Catholic, 718
• Blocks: Caitlyn Schneider, Union Community, 119
• Aces: Addison Rubendall, 75
• Successful serves: Lexie Benham, Denver, 440

1A

• Kills: Aubree Shields, Mount Ayr, 538
• Assists: Delaney Toneff, Dunkerton, 867
• Digs: Natalie Schroeder, Calamus-Wheatland, 600
• Blocks: Taylor Kipp, Dunkerton, 135
• Aces: Addison Hochstetler, North Tama, 98
• Successful serves: Daisy Fettkether, Dunkerton, 440

Roundball Rock

Basketball season for Panorama and ACGC is right around the corner. Despite the fact that the ball hitting the hardwood truly signals the end of warm weather, it is still one of my favorite sports to play and watch.

NBA basketball is already underway. Moving past the fact that a player, former player and current head coach were all arrested yesterday as part of a gambling investigation, which is apparently tied to the mafia, the start of the season has gone swimmingly. The first game of the season was a double OT thriller between the Houston Rockets and last year’s champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NBA fans have bemoaned the presentation and coverage of the sport over the past several years. ESPN has become opinion heavy, and clicks oriented, and it bled into its basketball coverage. At least on one network, the coverage is changing — for the better. A new media rights deal has the NBA being broadcasted on a variety of different channels and streaming services. One of those channels? NBC.

Opening night tipped off on NBC on Tuesday night for the first time since 2002. With it came a basketball-centered, positive, opinion-lacking, peacock laser shooting, Roundball Rock playing intro, flooding fans with nostalgia. It’s worth the watch. The league arguably has more talent right now than ever before, and it deserves positive, inviting and enjoyable coverage. And, anytime Roundball Rock gets played is a good time. “SNL” and Tim Robinson did a great skit on it a few years ago; it’s also worth the watch.

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

Stat leaders

While checking out some of the team leaders in stats across both of ACGC and Panorama’s respective teams, I was curious who the pack leaders are across the state in some of the major categories as we begin to approach the postseason. Stats do not always translate to a high ranking on the recruiting boards, so I wanted to see which prospects across Iowa are receiving the most hype. This week is for football, and I plan to do the same thing with volleyball next week.

5A:

• Total TDs: Mack Heitland, Waukee Northwest, 23
• Passing TDs: Mack Heitland, Waukee Northwest, 21
• Rushing TDs: TIE
• Jaden Montgomery, Dubuque Hempstead, 12
• Javaris Morgan, Ankeny Centennial, 12
• Receiving TDs: TIE
• Ethan Headings, Iowa City West, 10
• Jordon Green, Waukee Northwest, 10
• Passing yards: Mack Heitland, Waukee Northwest, 1,563
• Rushing yards: Daniel Larmie, Ankeny, 937
• Receiving yards: Ethan Headings, Iowa City West, 913
• Tackles: Connor Stolpe, Dallas Center-Grimes, 66
• Sacks: Melakhi Hickey, Waterloo West, 7.5
• INTs: TIE
• La’Marious Clark, Ankeny, 4
• Josh Grete, Ankeny, 4

4A:

• Total TDs: Hudson Shull, ADM, 22
• Passing TDs: TIE
• Cash Parks, Xavier, 18
• Jami Sitzmann, Le Mars, 18
• Rushing TDs: Keshawn Wyldon, Burlington, 15
• Receiving TDs: Tycen Augustine, Le Mars, 10
• Passing yards: Cameron Boyd, Storm Lake, 1,465
• Rushing yards: Keshawn Wyldon, Burlington, 1,005
• Receiving yards: David William, Storm Lake, 813
• Tackles: Nick Milburn, Newton, 71
• Sacks: Drake Buthe, Glenwood, 5.5
• INTs: Rex Rhamy, Pella, 5

3A:

• Total TDs: Hudson Krukow, Central DeWitt, 23
• Passing TDs: Hudson Krukow, Central DeWitt, 18
• Rushing TDs: Kasen Thompson, Bishop Heelan, 15
• Receiving TDs: TIE
• Victor Ward, Charles City, 7
• Cade Olderding, Iowa Falls-Alden, 7
• Brady Meadows, Central DeWitt, 7
• Jameson Gregoire, Central DeWitt, 7
• Maddox Kelley, Solon, 7
• Passing yards: Hudson Krukow, Central DeWitt, 1,530
• Rushing yards: Dylan Maasdam, MOC-Floyd Valley, 913
• Receiving yards: Kurt Joy, Keokuk, 537
• Tackles: Jack Bellamy, Winterset, 72
• Sacks: TIE
• Damion Nowman, Saydel, 7.5
• Isaiah Lange, Mount Pleasant, 7.5
• INTs: TIE
• Grant Whitcomb, Bishop Heelen,4
• Brody Schumacher, Wahlert Catholic, 4
• Jace Bellamy, Winterset, 4
• Tyson Spargur, Saydel, 4

2A:

• Total TDs: Quinn Street, Osage, 26
• Passing TDs: TIE
• Brock Bading, Kuemper Catholic, 21
• Cal Bonifas, Bellevue, 21
• Rushing TDs: TIE
• Kyzer Arnold, Chariton, 13
• Laken Caves, Alburnett, 13
• Quinn Street, Osage, 13
• Makoa Kaleponi, Centerville, 13
• Receiving TDs: Keenan Kilburg, Bellevue, 12
• Passing yards: Cal Bonifas, Bellevue, 1.887
• Rushing yards: Jayden Nanthan, West Burlington Notre Dame, 1,021
• Receiving yards: Keenan Kilburg, Bellevue, 1,022
• Tackles: Jacob Langley, 82.5
• Sacks: Kade Spotts, OABCIG, 7
• INTs: TIE
• Gabe Brisker, Wilton, 5
• Chase Wagaman, PCM, 5
• Griffin Seydel, West Branch, 5

1A:

• Total TDs: TIE Garrett Luett, Underwood, 20
• Mick Hoffman, Cascade, 20
• Passing TDs: Mick Hoffman, Cascade, 20
• Rushing TDs: Evan Hildring, West Lyon, 12
• Receiving TDs: Brody Otting, Cascade, 10
• Passing yards: Mick Hoffman, Cascade, 1,489
• Rushing yards: Wyatt Gelder, South Hamilton, 878
• Receiving yards: Zach Nelson, Tri-Center, 746
• Tackles: Zane Mullenix, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 78.5
• Sacks: Carson Mueggenberg, Ogden, 7.5
• INTs: Drew Greve, Regina Catholic, 5

A:

• Total TDs: Beau Burns, BGM, 36
• Passing TDs: Blake Wiggins, West Sioux, 17
• Rushing TDs: Beau Burns, BGM, 26
• Receiving TDs: TIE
• Justyn Faulkner, Wapello, 7
• Brody Hamilton, Central Decatur, 7
• Passing yards: Asher Norman, Central Decatur, 1,527
• Rushing yards: Jaxon Gordon, Riverside, 1,605
• Receiving yards: Brody Hamilton, Central Decatur, 703
• Tackles: Brady Abbas, AGWSR, 55
• Sacks: Caleb Puderbaugh, Martensdale-St Marys, 8.5
• INTs: TIE
• Cole Jeppesen, Riverside, 5
• Tyler Gaunt, Midland, 5

8-player:

• Total TDs: Nolan Kriegel, Iowa Valley, 38
• Passing TDs: TIE
• Teagan Hanson, GTRA, 24
• Keagan Lee, Easton Valley, 24
• Rushing TDs: Nolan Kriegel, Iowa Valley, 26
• Receiving TDs: Eli Dee, Baxter, 15
• Passing yards: Teagan Hanson, GTRA, 1,602
• Rushing yards: Jamison Ewing, Southeast Warren, 1,299
• Receiving yards: Callan Messerich, Easton Valley, 822
• Tackles: Andrew Hofmann, North Iowa, 73.5
• Sacks: JW Linkenhoker, Fremont-Mills, 8
• INTs: Chase Klatt, Calamus-Wheatland, 8

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

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Homecoming vs. senior night

With Panorama wrapping up its homecoming festivities last week, and ACGC celebrating its own homecoming tonight, it got me thinking back to my high school days.

As I’ve stated before, I was a basketball and soccer player. I did play a year of football my sophomore year when I was the kicker and punter, but I try to forget those days. Despite routinely hitting 40-plus yard field goals in practice, my head coach only let me kick one field goal all season. Guess what happened? It was blocked. It was hardly a field goal kick at all, really. The defense was in the backfield quickly. I basically kicked the ball into some kid’s legs. My seventh-grade civics teacher was on the chain gang that game and was laughing hysterically when I got back to the sideline. Thanks, Mr. Tarin.

That’s not really the point of this column, but it is funny. What it made me think of was that I never participated in a true homecoming game. For basketball and soccer, the big deal for us was senior night. Win for the seniors and make sure their last home game is one to remember. I’m curious — which ones did you value more during your playing days. Homecoming, or senior night? Send me a message and let me know at cyote@dmcityview.com.

Baseball in October

The MLB playoffs kicked off this week, and boy has it been filled with drama. The season is certainly long — 162 games. But, for a season that seems to go on forever, America’s pastime has a way of cranking up the entertainment when the do-or-die games come around in October.

The Detroit Tigers nearly collapsed out of the playoffs after leading their division for most of the season and had a 16-game lead over the Guardians as recent as a month ago. Yesterday, however, the Tigers pulled out the win and advance to face the No. 2 seed Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are fresh off their first division title since 2001, the year Ichiro Suzuki won the MVP.

My personal favorite team, the No. 5 seed Boston Red Sox, has had one of the wonkiest seasons I can remember. This team floundered early in the season and traded one of the best players in baseball, Rafael Devers, to the Giants, for a minimal return. This enraged me and most every other Red Sox fan. Fast forward to October — the Red Sox made the playoffs, and the Giants missed out. This led up to the most iconic rivalry in baseball, Red Sox vs. Yankees, coming to a head in the playoffs. The No. 4 seed Yankees had a magnificent collapse in the World Series last season, and the Red Sox are back in the post season for the first time since 2021. Boston’s ace, Garrett Crochet, threw an eight-inning, 117 pitch, 11 Ks gem to win game one. The Yankees took game two. And, sadly, last night, the Yankees got the best of my Sox. They will face the No. 1 seed Blue Jays.

Many of you reading this are likely Chicago Cubs fans (or White Sox, Twins or Royals fans, ouch) and have been enjoying a majority of the season. Pete Crow-Armstrong showcased his baserunning and defensive abilities as an Iowa Cub for most of last season and played like an MVP for a good chunk of this year. The Cubs won yesterday to advance to face the No. 1 seed, and overall best team in baseball, Milwaukee Brewers. It was not done without controversy, though. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts (former Red Sox, tough day for me all around) was on the receiving end of an awful strike call in the ninth inning. What the video does not show is Bogaerts arguing with the umpire over another call on the pitch before. Anyway you shake it, it’s a tough way for your season to close out. The Padres certainly made their feelings known to the officiating crew.

Oh, and the No. 3 Dodgers made quick work of the No. 6 seed Reds. But none of that was too exciting. They will face the No. 2 seed Phillies.

With all that said, I’m excited to see the rest of the MLB playoffs pan out. Reach out with comments, complaints or story ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

I was checking the most recent volleyball rankings posted by the IGHSAU earlier this week, mainly because I had a feeling the 13-4 ACGC team would have a chance to sneak into the top 15 soon. Then, I noticed something odd. It’s something I’ve seen before, but this one was too big to be ignored.

In 2A, at the top of the rankings, No. 1 Denver is 29-0. That’s impressive. The No. 2 team? Hinton, at 9-0. That’s a difference of 20 games. By this time of year, most teams have played 20-30 games. Then you have No. 13 Emmetsburg at 10-3. That’s closer to ACGC’s 17 games played. Why is there such a large gap between the number of games played between teams?

Looking here at home, Panorama’s schedule has also been on the lighter side, only playing 10 games thus far. Granted, the Panthers will play three more this week and have a tournament scheduled next week — but that’s still a big gap. In the metro area, Des Moines North has only played four games this season. Sure, they have six tournaments scheduled between now and the end of the season, but four games?

According to the IGHSAU website, “Teams may play 14 dates at each level of play (ninth grade, junior varsity, varsity). No junior varsity teams are allowed in varsity tournaments. No jamborees allowed. A maximum of six matches per team per day.”

I take that to mean there is a maximum number of games a team can play but not a minimum. I asked Panorama AD Bruce Dahlhauser, and he said that there is no minimum number of games a team must play and that teams can schedule as few games as they wish. On the flip side, if a team scheduled 14 tournament dates and played six games at each, that school could play 84 games in a season not counting the postseason. This also does not count the three scrimmages that are allowed each season.

Now, of course, that many games would be ridiculous, just as it would be ridiculous to play zero games in a season. But, it begs the question of which direction is better. Play more games and potentially gain more experience but risk the chance of wearing down and picking up injuries? Or play fewer games and stay fresh for the post season?

I decided to check out how many games each of the state championship teams in Iowa played last season to get an idea.

• 1A: Ankeny Christian (40-5) 50 games
• 2A: Denver (47-3) 50 games
• 3A: Mount Vernon (45-4) 49 games
• 4A: Bishop Heelan (44-3) 47 games
• 5A: Pleasant Valley (35-2) 37 games

Even at the state championship level, there was a difference of 10 games played. Making a deep playoff run would lend itself to more games played, and that appears to be what the coaches prefer. I simply found it interesting and thought you might, too. Let’s all hope ACGC and Panorama hit those numbers this season as well.

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

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

ACGC football keeps racking up the points

The ACGC football team has been rolling so far this season, just as they did the last three. There was some preseason worry that the ACGC offense may suffer without star QB Jathan South under center. But, under Coach Matthewson (recently named Best Guthrie County Coach), the Chargers have once again found a way to consistently get into the endzone.

This season is not just one guy finding the end zone either (not to detract from Mike Fuller’s 14 TDs a season ago). Through three games, the ACGC offense has spread the wealth, and there is plenty to go around.

So far this season, ACGC has scored 40 points once and 54 points twice. In those three games, nine Chargers have scored touchdowns. Joe Crawford is the leader of the rushing attack from ACGC with 365 yards and six TDs. Besides Crawford, four other Chargers have more than one TD: Angel Martinez, Andrew Baumert, Brexton Scheider and Thomas Skram (two rushing, one passing). Ryder Cline, Lane Stringer and Jack Sheeder all have one score each. Oh, and don’t forget Kinnick Froehlich, who scored on a pick six, turning defense into offense. If ACGC is able to keep this production up, it will be scary for the rest of class A.

Oswald breaks records

Coon Rapids-Bayard football player Caden Oswald produced a truly dominant performance against Exira-EHK last Friday. While 8 player football lends itself to wild scorelines, sometimes you just have to tip your cap at a performance. Oswald, a junior, carried the ball 21 times for 391 yards and eight TDs in the 64-62 win for his side. The 391 yards and eight TDs are both school records. 

Handling a loss

The Panorama community has been dealing with the heartbreaking loss of student Savannah Matthias. The response from the community has been nothing short of incredible with photos of teachers wearing pink in remembrance, and the football team encouraging fans to join its players in wearing pink against West Central Valley tonight, Sept. 19.

It’s tragic that any school district, friends or family members would have to endure something as sad as a life lost too soon. It’s something that struck my own former high school during my years there, and after. If you are struggling with the loss, I encourage you to reach out to counselors, mental health professionals or loved ones during this time.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie Center. It will take place at the pavilion on top of the hill.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Best of Guthrie County

The Best of Guthrie County event was held on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Guthrie County Events Center to great success. As someone who has now attended two Best of Des Moines events, I can already see the similarities building. There are of course, differences, too. The hometown feel of the event was clear, and the hugs, handshakes and celebrations shared throughout the night showed me that this should be a well-attended and enjoyed event for years to come.

If you saw a man walking around in a white button up with a camera that was so heavy, for seemingly no reason, straining his neck, attempting to take candid photos, you saw me. One person was not too shy to say hello, and that was Chris Arganbright. She complimented my column, and I chose not to correct her on how to pronounce my name. It was great. Plenty of people call me coyote these days — several of my friends have called me that for years. It’s starting to make me think I should have gone by that since the beginning. It’s certainly a lot cooler than “Cody.”

I also chatted with Betty Cooper and Mark Reno, the wonderful photographers who capture ACGC and Panorama sports. I already had a great appreciation for how quality their work is, and after taking photos for several hours for the first time in a long time, I have yet another lens to view their incredible work through. I’ll need some tips from the both of them for next time, as a few of my photos turned out blurry.

A final congrats to all the winners and runners-up at the 2025 Best of Guthrie County event, and good luck to all next year.

Pablo Torre

The name above belongs to who I believe is single handedly bringing back the essence of what sports journalism can and should be. On his podcast/show, “Pablo Torre Finds Out (PTFO),” Torre has been breaking news and grabbing scoops over the past few months. If you are a fan of investigative journalism, his show is worth a watch or a listen.

Torre has often leaned toward the sillier side of investigation including Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game (and that he intentionally missed free throws to win fans free chicken), the “Holy Grails” of NFL secrets, and Bill Belichicks ongoing saga with his 24-year-old girlfriend and how it might be affecting his coaching at the University of North Carolina. The latter prompted a response from one of sports medias biggest voices, and massive Boston sports fan, Bill Simmons.

“I’ve never seen anybody dine on a stupider story for a week and a half while pretending you’re a journalist,” Simmons said on one of his podcasts.

Torre would go on Simmons’ podcast to hash out their differences. Neither were too bothered, and it was an enjoyable listen. That was in early June. Since then, Torre has been on one of the greatest hot-streaks by any journalist, period. He discovered an NBA twitter fan account that was deeply entrenched in one of the league’s ongoing betting scandals. He nearly took down the entire hierarchy of the NFL players’ union and potentially exposed several owners of colluding to secure owner-friendly contracts with their players. Just last week, Torre broke a story about how the Clippers allegedly circumvented the salary cap by helping land star player Kawhi Leonard a $28 million deal with Aspiration, a sustainability-focused financial technology company.

For a guy who won a Peabody award for his journalism last year and has been serving more scoops this summer than the Casey Creamery, I would say Torre is doing a great job pretending to be a journalist.

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