Tyus Mason Races for Whopping 285 Yards To Set Up Valley's 2nd-Round Playoff Game Against Sioux City East. Paper's Editorial Page Writers Will Likely Say the Tigers Poured It On. If So, Those Folks Can Screw Themselves

West Des Moines Valley ran for 496 yards

and quarterback Connor LaGrone passed

for four touchdowns in a 69-13 class 4-A

football victory Monday night over Sioux 

City North at Valley Stadium.

Ron Maly says he supposes the clowns in the Des Moines Register's editorial pages will say the Tigers poured it on. Maly says screw the editorial page people.

Valley’s Tyus Mason pulled off one big

play after another as he scored the only 

touchdown of the first quarter on a 1-yard

run. 

He added a 61-yard touchdown

reception and a 23-yard rushing score in 

the second quarter. 

Mason finished with 285 yards rushing on 14 carries and 98 yards receiving on three catches.

North got on the board in the second quarter when Robert Neustrom hauled in a 25-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Tillo, but Valley had the 41-7 lead at halftime.

Tillo, who had thrown for more than 400 yards the previous two games, was held to 211 yards passing and two touchdowns. He ran for 15 yards on five rushes.

The Stars’ other score came on a 2-yard TD reception by Faris Najdawi in the third quarter.

LaGrone threw for 173 yards and Trevor Bell had 112 yards rushing.

The Stars turned the ball over four times in the game while Valley lost a fumble.

North concluded the season with a 4-6 record while sixth-ranked Valley (8-2) will host East in the second round on Monday. 

The two teams played last Friday with Valley getting the 42-7 victory. East beat Johnston, 28-7, Wednesday night to advance.

WDM Valley 69, North 13

North 0 7 6 0 -- 13

Valley 7 34 14 14 -- 69

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

V: Tyus Mason 1 run (Britton Hiskey kick), 5:40

Second Quarter

V: Drew Gray 4 run (Hiskey kick) 10:53

V: Mason 61 pass from Connor LaGrone (Hiskey kick) 9:12

V: Gray 3 run (Hiskey kick) 5:39

V: Mason 23 pass from LaGrone (kick failed) 3:32

N: Robert Neustrom 25 pass from Dan Tillo (Kevin Perez kick) 2:18

V: Anthony Holmes 35 pass from LaGrone (Hiskey kick) 2:00

Third Quarter

V: Gray 24 pass from LaGrone (Hiskey kick) 10:50

V: Gray 1 run (Hiskey kick) 5:45

N: Faris Najdawi 2 pass from Tillo (kick failed) :23

Fourth Quarter

V: Michael Christiansen 29 run (Hiskey kick) 9:48

V: Trevor Bell 4 run (Hiskey Kick) :04

Team Statistics

SCN WDMV

First downs 12 27

Rushes-yards 11-43 43-496

Passing yards 211 173

Passing 18-44-2 8-11-0

Total plays-yards 55-254 54-669

Penalties-yards 4-19 4-57

Punts 5-43 0-0

Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-1

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: North – Xavier Scarlett 6-28, Dan Tillo 5-15. Valley – Tyus Mason 14-285, Trevor Bell 14-112, Drew Gray 7-43, Michael Christiansen 1-29, Dominique Dafney 1-15, Austin Turner 3-14, Taylen Alexander 1-2, Connor LaGrone 2-(-4).

PASSING: North – Tillo 18-44-2 211; Valley – LaGrone 8-10-4 173, Alexander 0-1 0

RECEIVING: North – Robert Neustron 3-49, Carlos Elizalde 3-47, Deontre Dean 2-44, Corey Schoennher 5-37, Faris Najdawi 4-36, Noah Popken 1-(-2); Valley – Tyus Mason 3-98, Anthony Holmes 2-30, Drew Gray 1-24, Blake Salsbury 1-12, Dominique Dafney 1-9.

-- The Sioux City Journal contributed to this report.

Hey, What Did You Expect, a Final Four Team Or Something?

 Drake senior Seth VanDees of Bettendorf was named an honorable mention selection to the 2013-13 Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball preseason team, the league announced at its tipoff event Wednesday.

 The 6-11 center averaged 9.5 points and 4.8 points per game last season in his return to the court following a year off due to injury. He is one of two returning starters, along with senior guard Richard Carter (Detroit, Mich.), on the roster for head coach Ray Giacoletti’s first season at the helm of the Bulldogs.

 The Valley also released its annual preseason poll in which the Bulldogs were picked 10th in the 10- team league. Final Four participant Wichita State was the unanimous preseason favorite, followed by Indiana State and Northern Iowa in poll as voted on by the league’s league sports information directors, media, and coaches.

 The Bulldogs get the 2013-14 season under way Sunday with an exhibition game against Central College at 2:05 p.m. in the Knapp Center. The regular season begins in earnest the following week with the season opener at Illinois at Chicago on Nov. 9.

 ValleyPreseason Poll

School (First-Place Votes) - Total

1. Wichita State (40) - 400

2. Indiana State - 352

3. Northern Iowa - 318

4. Missouri State - 258

5. Bradley - 244

6. Evansville - 186

7. Illinois State - 139

8. Southern Illinois - 123

9. Loyola - 95

10. Drake - 85

 Preseason Team

Ron Baker, Wichita State, So., G

Cleanthony Early, Wichita State, Sr., F

Desmar Jackson, Southern Illinois, Sr., G

Walt Lemon, Jr., Bradley, Sr., G

Marcus Marshall, Missouri State, So., G

Jake Odum, Indiana State, Sr., G

Seth Tuttle, UNI, Jr., F

 Honorable Mention 

Manny Arop, Indiana State, Sr., G/F

Tyshon Pickett, Bradley, Sr., F

Seth VanDeest, Drake, Sr., C

--Ty Patton, Drake sports information

UNI Women Picked 3rd, Drake 4th

Drake's women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference's  preseason poll, the conference office announced Wednesday prior to the start of the league’s tipoff event on the campus of league newcomer Loyola of Chicago.

A year removed from having one of the youngest rosters in the conference, second-year Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk has nine players back with significant experience. Seven of the nine returnees started at least nine games for the Bulldogs.

Indiana State, which  received 26 out of 40 first-place votes and 378 total points, was  tabbed as the preseason favorite by the league's coaches, sports information directors and reporters.. Wichita State, which captured its first-ever regular season and Valley tournament championships in 2012-13, is second with 13 first-place votes and 360 points. Northern Iowa garnered 259 points for third place in front of the Bulldogs, who tallied 221 points.

Drake junior guard Kyndal Clark was named to the Valley's  preseason all-conference team. Clark averaged a team-leading 14.6 points per game last season and was named to the all-MVC second team and all-defensive team. Alex Harden of Wichita State, Simone Law of Loyola, Cartaesha Macklin of Southern Illinois and Anna Munn of Indiana State round out the preseason all-conference squad. Harden is tabbed the preseason Player of the Year.

Bulldog fans will have the opportunity to check out the 2013-14 Drake squad when it hosts its lone exhibition game Friday against Dubuque at 7:05 p.m. The Bulldogs open regular season action one week later when former MVC-rival Creighton visits the Knapp Center  Nov. 8 at 7:05 p.m.

--John Meyer, Drake sports information

For Sale At a Book Store Or Web Page Near You

The second updated edition of Ron Maly's best-selling book, Tales from the Iowa Hawkeyes Sideline, is now available at Amazon, www.amazon.com/Tales-Iowa-Hawkeyes-Sideline-Collection/dp/1613213387, Barnes & Noble.com, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tales-from-the-iowa-hawkeyes-sideline-ron-maly/1115409291?ean=9781613213384,  eBay, www.ebay.com/ctg/Tales-Iowa-Hawkeyes-Sideline-Collection-Greatest-Hawkeyes-Stories-Ever-Told-Ron-Maly-2013-Hardcover-/150604712,  Barnes & Noble and other leading book stores everywhere. The book, originally published in 2003, chronicles the proud football tradition at the University of Iowa.  Ron had just as much fun writing the third edition of the book as he did the first two, both of which were best-sellers. You will enjoy reading about such high-profile Hawkeyes as 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick, Alex Karras, Randy Duncan and Bill Reichardt, plus coaches Howard Jones, Dr. Eddie Anderson, Forest Evashevski, Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz. Questions? Contact Ron Maly on Facebook or at ronmalybook@juno.com

Idiotic

By RON MALY

On one of my other websites, I point out another reason for the circulation freefall at the paper. There was some garbage on page 2 of the Sunday opinion section this week that was critical of the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Valley High

School of West Des Moines because of the Tigers' recent 88-0 football victory over Thomas Jefferson of Council Bluffs. All of my kids are Valley graduates, and I have grandchildren there now. I have a grandson who is a member of the Tigers' outstanding football team. I have no time for the idiotic "thistle" aimed at Valley because of its superior football facilities and its 2013 team. For years, a strange resentment and jealousy of Valley and its academic and athletic facilities has existed at the paper--to the point where coverage of the Tigers' games has consisted of one or two paragraphs, even when the team has been winning state championships under coach Gary Swenson. In my opinion, Valley is the best high school in the state and one of the best in the midwest. No one at the school should have to apologize for an 88-0 football victory. Instead of pointing thistles at Valley, the paper should be wondering what the hell is wrong with the football programs inside the city of Des Moines. The Des Moines schools are so bad in football that I think it's a waste of time for Valley, Dowling and the other suburban teams to play them. Here's some of what I wrote in the column on the other website:  "What the paper should be more concerned about than 88-0 high school scores is what to do with programs in its own backyard. By that, I mean the lousy football being played at Des Moines schools such as North, Lincoln, Hoover, East and Roosevelt. Those programs are embarrassing. The best football in the state is being played in the suburbs--at Dowling, Valley, Southeast Polk, Urbandale and Johnston. I'd rather see a league made up of those schools, along with Ames and Indianola. As far as I'm concerned, you can forget the teams in Council Bluffs and Sioux City." By the way, I hope Valley wins tonight's class 4-A playoff game, 88-0, and that no one on either team is injured.

Roy Says It

Roy Of Ruthven writes to me about Iowa's victory over Northwestern: 

"Ronnie, football has always been, and always will be, a game of momentum AND emotion, adrenalin etc.!  (Blocking, tackling, coaching yada yada yada!) We fans may have been too complacent on our old derrieres for sixty regulation minutes, but my oh my, when it came to over time we all sure as hell woke up – might have been the loudest I have ever heard the crowd in legendary, historic!:) Kinnick Stadium. (Sure, we coulda, shoulda, woulda in regulation but, especially with this team, a W is a W is a W ...Maybe we  end up in a lower tier bowl yet! Especially if they ever learn to play FOUR quarters...in the same game!:)  Sure glad we stayed until the end!  Don't ever give up, or something like that!!!"

--Roy Of Ruthven

[RON MALY'S COMMENT--You said it, Roy].

Keeping My iPad Mini Battery Charged

By RON MALY

My neighbor Al, the health nut, rang the doorbell at 8 o'clock this morning. 

I was wearing just my boxer shorts at that time of day, of course. 

"You got a cup of Dark Roast?" Al asked.  

"It's that kind of morning, I guess," I said to Al.  

"Yeah," he answered, "I've already been to Hy-Vee to read the morning paper, but that was worthless." 

"Why was it worthless, Al?" I asked. 

"Because I wanted to see who Valley plays in the first round of the high school playoffs, and there wasn't anything in the paper about it," Al explained. "No playoff matchups at all." 

"Does that surprise you?" I asked. "They've got early deadlines down there now, you know."

"No, I didn't know that," Al said. "All I know is that I drove all the way to Sioux City last night to see Valley pulverize Sioux City East, 42-7, and I expected to be able to find out who the Tigers are matched up against in the playoffs Wednesday night." 

"They play Sioux City North at Valley Stadium," I told Al. "I saw it on my iPad mini this morning, courtesy of the KMA in Shenandoah website. The way the pairings look to me, Valley would play Johnston in the second round, Ames in the next round and Dowling after that." 

"Don't assume too much," Al said. 

"I'm not," I said. "All I'm assuming is that Valley is playing its best football of the season right now, and if they can keep it up, I think they can make it to the UNI-Dome for at least the semifinal round." 

"We'll see," said Al, a longtime Valley fan. "Keep the battery to your iPad mini charged up."

88-0 No Doubt Even Embarrassed Ol' Thomas Jefferson Himself

My son drove his family to Council Bluffs last night, and kept me updated via his cell phone and mine with how Valley's football team was

Thomas Jefferson

doing in its game against Thomas Jefferson High School of Council Bluffs. I couldn't believe it when he said the Tigers were ahead, 67-0, at halftime. And I was virtually speechless when I heard that the final score was 88-0. Hey, that was an embarrassment to even old Thomas Jefferson himself. Or at least the memory of ol' Thomas. Eighty-eight to zip! I'm wondering if it isn't time for those folks at the Council Bluffs schools to quit kidding themselves into thinking their athletic teams can compete against the squads from suburban Des Moines. Indeed, I'm wondering how long the schools from Des Moines will want to keep playing the Dowlings, Valleys, Waukees, Johnstons, Urbandales and Southeast Polks of the world. Frankly, Hoover, North, Roosevelt and East can no longer hang in there on the football field with the heavily-populated suburbs in sports and a lot of other things. I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would think about all of this. Thomas Jefferson, the man. Not the school.

Future Hawkeye Football Schedules

The Big Ten office announced the conference football schedules for the 2018 and 2019 seasons today, as approved by the Big Ten Directors of Athletics. The schedules continue to include nine conference games, as Iowa will host four Big Ten games in 2018 and five league games in 2019.

Along with playing the six members of the West Division in both seasons, Iowa will meet East Division opponents Indiana, Maryland and Penn State in 2018 and Rutgers, Michigan and Penn State in 2019.

Beginning next season, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin will represent the West Division.

Iowa’s home slate in 2018 includes home trophy games against Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy, Sept. 22) and Nebraska (Heroes Game, Nov. 23).  Iowa and the Cornhuskers will continue to play on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, in both 2018 and 2019.  Additional home conference games include Maryland (Oct. 20) and Northwestern (Nov. 10).

The Iowa road schedule in 2018 includes games at Minnesota (Oct. 6), Indiana (Oct. 13), Penn State (Oct. 27), Purdue (Nov. 3) and Illinois (Nov. 17).

The Hawkeyes get an early jump on conference play in 2019, as Iowa hosts Rutgers on Sept. 7, the second weekend of the season.  Iowa resumes Big Ten play at Michigan on Oct. 5.  Additional home games are against Penn State (Oct. 12), Purdue (Oct. 19), Minnesota (Nov. 16) and Illinois (Nov. 23).

Iowa closes the 2019 regular season with the Heroes Game at Nebraska on Friday, Nov. 29.  Iowa also travels to Northwestern (Oct. 26) and Wisconsin (Nov. 9).

Iowa will announce its 2018 and 2019 non-conference schedules when all opponents and dates are finalized.

Here are Iowa’s Big Ten football schedules for both 2018 and 2019:

2018

Sept. 22      Wisconsin*

Oct. 6         at Minnesota*

Oct. 13       at Indiana

Oct. 20       Maryland

Oct. 27       at Penn State

Nov. 3        at Purdue*

Nov. 10      Northwestern*

Nov. 17      at Illinois*

Nov. 23      Nebraska*

2019

Sept. 7        Rutgers

Oct. 5         at Michigan

Oct. 12       Penn State

Oct. 19       Purdue*

Oct. 26       at Northwestern*

Nov. 9        at Wisconsin*

Nov. 16      Minnesota*

Nov. 23      Illinois*

Nov. 29      at Nebraska*

* - - Divisional game

--Steve Roe, Iowa sorts information.

By the way, I'm thoroughly unimpressed with the sadsack list of candidates I've seen for the Chicago Cubs' managerial job. I mean, A. J. Hinch? You've got to be kidding me. Even though Hinch is an Iowa native, the mention of his name sounds like Mike Quade all over again. Or Dale Sveum. I say that even though Hinch was born in Waverly and spent the first 8 years of his life in Nashua. If this is the best Theo Epstein can do, send him packing.

The people at Drake tell me that Paul Doerrfeld will be Larry Cotlar's new sidekick on the radio broadcasts of the Bulldogs' basketball games. Good for Doerrfeld and good for Drake. I remember covering the guy when he played at Iowa State. I wish him well.

Memo

Hold up on ordering those bowl tickets.

By the Way, No Thanks [Again] On Dusty Baker, Who Has Been Fired by the Reds. I Saw Enough Of His Act the First Time He Managed the Cubs

Nobody has brought up these names yet for the Cubs' managing job, so I will. How about Bob Brenly? Or Tony LaRussa. Both are winners.

Coaches in every sport know this: If your team isn't good enough to win games, you always look better to your fans by saying the officials gave you a screwing.

Thief At Ames Took $80 Heart Monitor from Iowa Locker Room

Story by Scott Dochterman, photo of Jacobson Building by Brian Ray, Cedar Rapids Gazette

Iowa State police have zeroed in on a suspect involved with a locker room heist during the Iowa-Iowa State football game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

However, the agency declined to reveal specifics about the person or people involved in the Sept. 14 incident.

“We continue to follow leads,” said captain Darin Van Ryswyk, an investigator with the Iowa State Department of Public Safety. “We’re still working on the case. There is still movement in it. But I can’t give you any details or it will mess up the case.”

According to documents Iowa State provided the Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act, the items stolen from Iowa’s locker room include seven iPhones, an $80 heart monitor, $55 in cash from three different people, an American Express credit card and an Iowa driver’s license. The total losses are estimated at $2,235.

Iowa State redacted the victims’ names from the report before providing it to the Gazette. The athletic department has offered to reimburse Iowa’s players and coach for the theft “if the person(s) responsible are not identified,” according to a Sept. 16 news release. Private security firm Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC) has provided security to Iowa State athletics events since 2011.

Just minutes after the game concluded, police were called to the Iowa locker room located in the Olsen Building. ISU police initially responded to Iowa’s locker room and were joined by law enforcement officials from the Iowa State Patrol, Story County Sheriff’s Department and Ames Police Department.

The following day, Iowa’s director of football operations, Paul Federici, in an email thanked Van Ryswyk and Iowa state trooper Durk Pearston for their assistance. But Federici let it known that he had contacted future Iowa State football opponents about the situation.

“I have recommended to Oklahoma State, Texas Christian University, University of Texas, and Kansas University to take every security measure necessary when they each travel to ames [sic] later this fall,” Federici wrote.

Iowa State plays host to Texas on Thursday night in the Cyclones’ first home game since the theft. Iowa State’s athletics department has made modest security changes in preparation for the team’s remaining home games.

“We added an additional security staffer to the locker room corridors with the responsibility to check-in all personnel entering the locker rooms when not occupied by visiting team staff,” wrote Steve Malchow, ISU’s senior associate athletics director for communications, in an email to The Gazette. “The doors from the hallways entering visiting team and officials locker room areas will be required to be locked at all times it is not occupied. That includes halftime and pregame.

“Prior to this incident, we had made plans to install additional security cameras within our facilities. We will follow through with that plan, but I don’t have a timeline.”