2021 was quite the year in sports in the No Coast Network listening area.  There were two state high school champions in boys’ basketball: Pella in Class 3A and Montezuma in Class 1A.  And Montezuma’s girls reached the State 1A tournament for the fourth consecutive year….making it to the semifinals.

William Penn’s men’s basketball team continued its tradition of excellence by winning both the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament titles.  The Statesmen got to the NAIA national tournament, but lost in the round of 16.

At the State High School Wrestling meet, Grinnell’s Kamrin Steveson was runner-up at 285 pounds in Class 2A, with teammate Landon Kirby finishing sixth at 160.  Oskaloosa’s Leland Evans was sixth in Class 3A at 145 pounds; Carter Anderson of Albia was fourth in 2A at 106 pounds.

Women’s wrestling was introduced at William Penn University….and the Statesmen had a conference champion in Mami Selemani in the 123 pound division.

In track and field, Pella won the State Boys’ Class 3A championship, with Kody Huisman of the Dutch winning the shot put and Pella’s four by 400 meter relay team also finishing first.  Oskaloosa’s girls’ track team had two champions to brag about: Sophia Dykstra for winning the discus at the Drake Relays and Faith DeRonde for winning the discus at the Class 3A State meet.

Oskaloosa’s boys and Sigourney’s girls both made it to their respective State golf meets this past spring. And Oskaloosa’s girls’ tennis team won the Little Hawkeye Conference championship.

Over the summer, Oskaloosa and Sigourney both made it to the State Softball tournament in Fort Dodge….with the Indians and Savages both losing in the opening round.  Osky’s Faith DeRonde was chosen to the Class 4A first team All-State softball team…..with Maleah Walker on the second team and Olivia Gordon on the third team.

Oskaloosa High’s softball field was given a new name: Jay Harms Field, in honor of the Indians’ long-time coach.

It was a good summer for Ottumwa baseball.  The Bulldogs made it to the State 4A tournament, while Ottumwa hosted the national Babe Ruth 14 year old World Series.

Switching to football, Sigourney-Keota reached the quarterfinals in the Class 1A playoffs….while Montezuma reached the second round in 8-man football.

Oskaloosa’s volleyball team advanced to the State Class 4A tournament…but while the Indians lost their first game in five sets to Waverly-Shell Rock, Osky’s Faith DeRonde set a state tournament record with 40 kills in that game.  That won’t be the last we see of DeRonde on the volleyball court; she signed a national letter of intent to play at Iowa State next fall.

And William Penn’s men’s soccer team won its first ever game at the NAIA national tournament.

By JOHN DENTON

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — When Iowa State and Clemson meet in Wednesday’s Cheez-It Bowl, it’ll be out with the old for the Cyclones and in with the new for Tigers.

Iowa State, a disappointing 7-5 after starting the season ranked No. 7, will say goodbye to 17 players who have made at least 21 starts under head coach Matt Campbell. The group includes record-setting running back Breece Hall, who is planning to attend the game but won’t play as he prepares for the NFL draft.

Clemson similarly fell short of expectations after opening the season at No. 3 and seeing a six-year streak of reaching the College Football Playoff come to an end. For the Tigers, Brandon Streeter will make his debut in the Cheez-It Bowl as the Tigers offensive coordinator, while co-defensive coordinators Wes Goodwin and Mickey Conn will call the shots on the other side of the ball.

Tigers’ long-time defensive and offensive coordinators Brent Venables and Tony Elliott — key cogs in Clemson’s runs to national titles in 2016 and ’18 — left for head coaching jobs with Oklahoma and Virginia, respectively.

Tigers’ head coach Dabo Swinney called his decision to promote from within a “no-brainer.”

The Tigers’ 2021 struggles were somewhat washed away by a stirring five-game winning streak to close the season.

“Having that comfort level of being around the people that I’m around and then them having trust in me gives me a lot of confidence,” said Streeter, a former Clemson quarterback who has been on the coaching staff since 2014. “I’ve just got to do the best I possibly can. I’m excited about attacking the opportunity.”

Streeter previously called plays for the Tigers in the 2020 College Football Playoff after Elliot contracted COVID-19 and had to miss Clemson’s 44-28 loss to Ohio State. The Tigers’ offense mostly sputtered that game, and many of those same struggles carried over into this season.

Sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei battled consistency issues, playing most of this season with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. But the QB said his familiarity with Streeter has smoothed out the transition to a new coordinator.

“Coach Streeter is the exact same person he was when he recruited me, when he was my quarterback coach, and when he was the passing game coordinator. Now, as offensive coordinator, he’s the exact same person,” Uiagalelei said. “Nothing has changed. I’m just excited for the new opportunity to work with Coach Streeter.”

PURDY GOOD QUARTERBACK

Uiagalelei may still be trying to find his footing as Clemson’s quarterback, but Iowa State senior Brock Purdy has already cemented his legacy as the most successful signal-caller in school history.

In addition to being 30-16 as a starter with seven fourth-quarter comeback victories, Purdy enters his final college game with 11,966 passing yards with 80 career touchdowns.

“I’m trying to enjoy all the relationships and moments with my teammates this whole week being here,” said Purdy, whose 73.1% completion percentage this season ranked fourth in the nation. “It’s been special. It’s definitely going to be sad when the fourth quarter ends and that’s my last time in cardinal and gold.”

DEFENSIVE EXPERIENCE

Iowa State thrived in defensive coordinator Jon Heacock’s 3-3-5 defensive alignment primarily because of the experience on that side of the ball. Four seniors — Mike Rose, Enyi Uwazurike, Greg Eisworth and Anthony Johnson — have at least 41 starts, while four other seniors started for at least two seasons. That group helped the Cyclones rank 10th nationally in total defense.

“It’s bittersweet; it’s been a big part of my life being here,” said Eisworth, who was third on the team in tackles. “But some of us are ready for that next step, whatever that next step is. Everybody’s mature enough to take that next step and ready to go blossom.”

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By TIM REYNOLDS

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — They are trying to have as many fun events as they can at the Orange Bowl for Georgia and Michigan, as always taking advantage of the tropical lifestyle that the Miami area has to offer. Dinner cruises. Beach days. Water toys.

It’s just like normal.

Or, more accurately, the new normal.

College Football Playoff week is here with a pair of semifinal games on Friday: Alabama vs. Cincinnati at the Cotton Bowl followed by Georgia vs. Michigan at the Orange Bowl. For the second consecutive season, college football is going to try to get across the finish line amid a raging pandemic, with numbers soaring all over the country and some other bowl games getting canceled after teams determined they simply aren’t healthy enough to play.

“The key is just to make sure that we put every protocol in place that focuses on their health and safety,” said Jack Seiler, the president and chairman of the Orange Bowl Committee. “We’ve been able to do that. We’re just focusing on the health and safety of the players and making sure we have an incredible game on Friday night.”

The people facilitating the games in both areas — the Orange Bowl in South Florida, the Cotton Bowl in North Texas — are doing all they can to ensure the four teams are healthy and able to play. Staffs are constantly reminded about all the best practices that have become part of everyday life since March 2020, such as mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing.

The calendars for all four teams have been pared down a bit. Media sessions are virtual, and events where in pre-pandemic times there might have been some fan interaction are basically nonexistent.

“We’ve got to constantly remind ourselves we’re here for a reason,” Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said. “This is purely a business trip. We’re afforded the luxury of being in Miami in such a great hotel and have all the hospitality around us, but it doesn’t matter if we’re playing this game in Ann Arbor, Athens or Miami, we’re here for a reason, and the College Football Playoffs is that reason.”

Gattis played in the Orange Bowl for Wake Forest 15 years ago. It was a big game, but not one that was sending the winner into the national championship game so he thinks players understand why they might have to curb the fun and frolic a bit this week.

And yes, it seems that understanding does exist.

“It’s getting really crazy out here,” Georgia safety Chris Smith said, when asked about virus numbers rising just about everywhere. “They’re just reiterating the fact that you need to be safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, stuff like that, to make sure we don’t have a breakout or anything like that.”

Bowl games tend to have some sort of element of community involvement, and the Cotton Bowl is no exception. Alabama and Cincinnati were both assigned a hospital to visit in an effort to boost spirits for patients.

This week, those visits are happening virtually. Just in case.

“I think that everybody’s ability to stay focused on the task and manage their business the right way and do everything that they can from a protocol standpoint to not put themselves at risk so that they can stay safe,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

Teams are also acutely aware that an outbreak right now would all but doom their title chances. If a team has an outbreak and cannot play Friday in their semifinal game, its opponent — assuming that team has enough players available — gets a bye to the national title game Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. A handful of games in the NBA, NHL and NFL have been postponed in recent weeks, but the CFP schedule doesn’t allow for that.

“You’ve worked so hard to provide yourself this opportunity,” Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said, discussing his message to players right now. “The last thing we need to do is compromise that by doing something out of character.”

And no plan is perfect. No anti-virus plan is completely unbeatable. All the Crimson Tide, Bearcats, Wolverines and Bulldogs can do is make smart decisions and hope for the best.

“We’ve never lost sight of the fact that health and safety is important, and bringing people back together is important,” Seiler said. “When the lights go on Friday night, on New Year’s Eve, tens of millions of people are going to go, ‘Wow, that college football game was done right.’”

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