Monticello
Monticello, IA · LATEST NEWS
KCRG.com
cedar-rapids.org
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Taj Manning and Tre Singleton's tenacity fuel No. 18 Iowa State's 83-57 win over Southern Miss
AMES — Iowa State forward Taj Manning is unlikely to fill up the stat sheet enough to participate in many postgame news conference’s this season. But that didn’t stop him from earning a strong special mention from his head coach, T.J. Otzelberger, after his trademark tenacity put a firm stamp on the No. 18 Cyclones’ 83-57 win over Southern Miss in Friday’s home season opener. “The guy (who) will be the most unheralded, (who’s) probably been the most winning player is Taj Manning,” Otzelberger said after Manning swatted away a career-high four blocks before a crowd of 13,920 at Hilton Coliseum. “He makes play after play defensively, at the rim, in rotation, guarding the basketball. His minutes are gonna continue to elevate. It’s real hard to keep him off the floor and it’s not always gonna show up with the points, but defensively, he really gives us an indignity and we’re gonna continue to lean into that.” That’s at least partly because this ISU team (1-1) is still trying to forge that identity. It always stems from stern defense, forcing live ball turnovers, and hoarding rebounds, and Otzelberger said his talented, but largely new group of players are a “work
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Solon takes down West Delaware to advance to IHSAA football seminfals
Solon is headed back to the UNI-Dome. The Spartans earned a 23-14 win over West Delaware in the Class 3A Iowa high school football state quarterfinals to stay undefeated and advance to next week's state semifinals. The start of the game looked like every other Solon game this season. Maddox Kelley scored on the first play from scrimmage, taking a 67-yard punt return to the house to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead 19 seconds in. West Delaware answered with a 79-yard scoring strike on third-and-14 to tie it 7-7. After the two teams traded empty posessions, Kelley found Kaden Hoeper on a screen to retake the lead 14-7. The Hawks went 90 yards to tie the game on their first possession out of halftime behind running back Wyatt Johnson. Solon would then get down to the West Delaware 5-yard line, but a false start pushed them back, and they settled for a Collin Mckie 20-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead. A big fourth-and-5 stop from Solon's defense changed the momentum of the game. Solon bled the clock and, as the Hawks' defense least expected it, Kelley found James Thomsen wide open for a touchdown to seal the