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.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Professional athletes from Guthrie County

Who are the greatest athletes from Guthrie County to make it to the professional level of their respective sports? I found three in my quick research. Here are the names and what they were able to accomplish:

Elvin Hutchinson. Hutchinson was born in Guthrie Center in 1912. He attended school in Red Oak and played football at Whittier College in California. He was the quarterback there and was nicknamed the “Red Oak Express.” I love a good nickname. Hutchinson went on to play in the NFL for the Detroit Lions as a halfback in 1939. He also spent a few years playing in the Coast Professional Football League. After his time as a professional athlete, Hutchinson joined the United States Navy in 1942.

Merv Krakau. Krakau was born in Jefferson but attended Guthrie Center High School where he excelled in football. He played at Iowa State University as a defensive end and racked up many awards in the process. He was named third-team All-American, first-team All-Big Eight, and was inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. Krakau played six seasons in the NFL from 1973 to 1978 for the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots and in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits.

Kip Janvrin. As a newcomer to the area, I first heard Janvrin’s name while covering Panorama track and field, as one of the meets is named after him. I now see why. Janvrin was born in Guthrie Center and is a native of Panora. He graduated from Simpson College in 1988 after winning three NCAA Division III titles in the decathlon and won individual titles in the pole vault and 400-meter hurdles. His success at the international level is extensive. Janvrin won the decathlon at the 1989 Olympic Festival, placed fourth at 1998 and 1999 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and won the championship in 2001. Locally, Janvrin won the decathlon a record 15 times at the Drake Relays and has been inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. And this is just a short list of Janvrin’s accomplishments.

Of course, most of you know these names and their many accomplishments, but what folks did I miss? Let me know of other prominent athletes from Guthrie County, and I will profile them here as well. They do not have to be professional athletes. Former program standouts are welcome, too. Just shoot me a message at cyote@dmcityview.com.

Iowa native Kadyn Proctor rated best offensive lineman

Player overall ratings have begun to trickle out with the anticipated release of EA Sports NCAA College Football 26 coming soon. Iowa native Kadyn Proctor’s overall rating was revealed as a 94, the highest of any offensive lineman. The former five-star recruit out of Southeast Polk High School has caused headaches for Hawkeye fans over the years. Proctor originally committed to play at Iowa but then flipped to Alabama. Then, in January of 2024, he transferred back to Iowa. But then, Proctor again flipped and transferred back to Alabama before ever hitting the field at Kinnick Stadium. It is a whirlwind story for one of the country’s top linemen and certainly a future NFL player.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Baseball and softball

ACGC and Panorama baseball and softball fans were treated to some great action at their respective diamonds this week. Early in the week, Panorama softball overcame a six-run deficit to defeat West Central Valley. “These girls stayed mentally tough and kept pushing forward and never faltered,” Head Coach Ismael Galvan said.

That sounds like a recipe for success. Panorama baseball fans were able to see their team get back into the win column thanks to some excellent pitching via state golfer Parker Cary, who struck out nine batters.

ACGC baseball fans must have been pleased to get a win over nearby conference rival Panorama thanks to a complete game shutout pitched by Noah Kading. Charger softball fans had the delight of watching a back-and-forth classic against, again, nearby conference rival Panorama. Lead changes and ties were abundant in the contest with the Chargers ending up on top.

The NBA’s Achilles’ heel

NBA fans were treated less gracefully over the past week. Game seven of the NBA finals was on Sunday, June 22. The Thunder came out on top, 103-91, for its first championship since moving from Seattle. Unfortunately, what was gearing up to be an all-time finish to one of the best finals of the past 20 years will forever have a mark.

Tyrese Halliburton was shooting the lights and silencing a raucous Thunder crowd early in the game. In just seven minutes of action, the former Cyclone scored nine points, all threes. Soon after his early outburst, Halliburton stunned fans in the arena and those watching at home when he tore his Achilles tendon — a brutal injury which will almost certainly keep the star point guard out all of next season and potentially some of the season after that. This may be the first time that, when I think of an NBA final, I will remember the team that lost first. We will never know how that game might have finished had Halliburton not been injured.

It is bad enough that the peak of NBA basketball had to marred by such an event, but what might be even worse is the NBA’s growing Achilles tendon injury problem. Statistics show that, between 1990 and 2023, there were 45 Achilles tendon tears, an average of 1.36 per season, but never more than three in a single season. In this year’s playoffs alone, there were three — and seven total throughout this season.

Video analysis of all seven of these injuries showed it happened during a “false step,” a reactive movement athletes use to accelerate quickly. If you have ever played or watched basketball, this type of movement happens constantly throughout games.

Theories have swirled around the rise of this injury, the most popular being that the players are simply overworked. Much has been said about the workload on today’s players. The game moves faster, and, in turn, the players move more.

Some say the players back in the day were just tougher. I say they were just slower. The game moves at an incredibly higher pace than it did 10 years ago, let alone 20 or 30 years ago. Don’t believe me? View any one of these most recent finals games side by side with any of the finals games from the 1990s. The difference is stark.

In my opinion, athletes need to stop specializing sports at such a young age. It was much more common for athletes to play multiple sports throughout the year, as you see at ACGC and Panorama. This keeps wear and tear on specific movements and body parts down while strengthening others. Many of today’s NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB players have been playing one sport since they were in grade school. And, simply put, they have to. The competition level is simply too high for them to focus on other sports if they want to become a professional athlete. Science needs to catch up to these athletes soon, or it will continue to haunt our professional leagues. The NBA and its Achilles tendon injuries, the MLB and Tommy John surgery, the NFL and CTE, and the NHL… well, hockey rinks are just too darn cold.

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

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Offseason workouts

I often check up on the social media accounts of ACGC and Panorama to see what the schools are up to. One thing I have noticed lately are the sports camps and offseason workouts the programs have been hosting. I have many incredible memories from attending similar summer camps while I was in middle school and high school.

One instance that I remember well, which is also forever documented, was an offseason soccer workout I did while attending Lincoln High School. ACGC basketball fans likely made the trip to the school’s Roundhouse two years ago for a substate game. These workouts took place on the tennis courts nearby.

Unfortunately, for me, The Des Moines Register showed up to the workout to snap a few photos. Click HERE if you want to see them. You will not have to scroll far to see the less-than-stellar photo the reporter took of me. I am now well past the feelings of embarrassment I felt when I first saw these photos. Now they are just a funny memory — and hopefully an afternoon laugh for you.

Over the years, I attended several YMCA day camps and Iowa State and Drake basketball camps. These camps were the most fun I had in a given summer. I even made friends who I still speak with to this day. I rubbed shoulders and received advice from future NBA players like Georges Niang, Monte Morris, Naz Long and Drake legend Adam Emmenecker. Emmenecker never made it to the NBA, but his namesake is honored by a food challenge at the Des Moines Jethro’s, once featured by “Man vs. Food.” I have a signed shirt by him hidden somewhere in my parents’ house. I still have not tried the sandwich, though.

I’m sure the Panorama and ACGC athletes have had a great time at these camps as they enjoy their time away from school. But, if someone shows up with a camera, try not to make the face I made.

College world series

If you are a fan of baseball or softball and have not yet tuned into the College World Series, you should start. Admittedly, I am not a huge baseball follower, but the wildly entertaining tournament is a breeding ground for the next major baseball stars — and some great times.

The tournament takes place just a short drive away in Omaha, Nebraska. The city has hosted the tourney since 1950. I’ve been to Omaha for three of the last four MCWS. A friend of mine has a birthday that coincides with the championship weekend. At the same time as the baseball tournament, a massive beer garden takes shape just a block away from the stadium. Massive screens show the games on TV, tequila or rum buckets are served for $20, food trucks line the back, and once the games end, musical performances take over the stage.

I only attended a game for the first time last weekend. It felt weird being in Omaha at this time and not purchasing several rum buckets but instead being inside the stadium and actually watching baseball. The game was good. A few beverages and good friends made it even better. We sat in right field, trading “LEFT FIELD SUCKS” chants with the left field fans who returned with “RIGHT FIELD SUCKS” chants.

If you get the chance to attend one of these games, I highly recommend it. If you are 21 or older, make it a point to grab a Jello shot at Rocco’s nearby, too. The local sports bar hosts a Jello shot challenge every year between the competing teams. The proceeds from every shot sold goes to the Food Banks for all eight teams and Omaha metro food banks. In 2024, they raised $145,477. LSU normally dominates this challenge when they are in town. The running counter says Tiger fans have bought more than 25,000 shots. Arkansas is second with 8,713. These totals are slightly inflated, as shots can also be purchased online. Follow along for shot madness at www.x.com/CWSShotBoard. Game one of the finals is between No. 13 Coastal Carolina and No. 6 LSU and is on Saturday, June 21, if you’re interested in that, too.

Reach out with your thoughts, comments and ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com.