Tuesday October 22nd Local Sports

MASON CITY — Both of NIACC’s basketball teams are ranked in the top ten nationally as they’ll start their seasons next week:

== The NIACC women are ranked ninth after an appearance in the Division II national tournament last season. Lady Trojans coach Todd Ciochetto says only two sophomores return to this year’s squad but a talented group of freshmen are ready to step up and make another run for the national tournament.

Ciochetto says one of the leaders in scrimmage games so far has been freshman Sierra Morrow of Minneapolis.

Ciochetto says they’ll continue with their high tempo style of play.

NIACC will play an exhibition against Minnesota West Community and Technical College at the NIACC gym tonight starting at 7 o’clock. They’ll open up the regular season at the Dale Howard Classic in Iowa Falls on November 1st and 2nd against the Grand View JV and Bryant & Stratton College of Wisconsin.

== The NIACC men’s basketball team is ranked sixth in the pre-season Division II poll after going 25-5 last season and advancing to the Region XI title game for the first time in over 20 years. NIACC coach Mark Mohl says there’s a number of key players back from last year’s team.

Mohl says experience with guards will be a big key this season.

Mohl expects another tough conference race, with defending national champion Kirkwood ranked first and DMACC ranked 16th in the pre-season poll.

NIACC will open the regular season at the Dale Howard Classic in Iowa Falls November 1st and 2nd against Hibbing Community College and Bryant & Stratton College.

MASON CITY — The NIACC wrestlers are getting ready to kick off their season next month. Coach Steve Kelly says he has most of his wrestlers back that scored points in last season’s national tournament.

Kelly believes the team’s strength is in the middle weights, but his lineup won’t be completely solidified until the second half of the season.

285-pounder Zach Santee from Plymouth finished fifth in the national tournament after going 14-13 with two pins and a major decision. Santee says he learned a lot in his freshman year and hopes to use that to his advantage this season.

NIACC opens the season November 6th with a conference dual at Ellsworth. NIACC will have home duals against Iowa Western on November 20th, Ellsworth on January 29th and Iowa Lakes on February 5th, and will host the Kaye Young Open on January 4th.

DES MOINES — Radio Iowa sports broadcasters high school football poll

Class 4A
1. WDM Valley (8-0), LW #1 vs DSM North
2. Dowling Catholic (7-1), LW #2 @ Sioux City North
3. Cedar Falls (8-0), LW #3 vs CR Prairie
4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (7-1), LW #4 vs Burlington (Thurs)
5. Ankeny Centennial (7-1), LW #5 @ Sioux City West (Thurs)
6. Southeast Polk (6-2), LW #6 @ DSM Roosevelt
7. Bettendorf (6-2), LW #7 vs Davenport Central
8. Ankeny (5-3), LW #8 vs Sioux City East
9. Waukee (5-3), LW #9 @ Johnston
10.Linn-Mar (Marion) (6-2), LW (X) vs Pleasant Valley

Class 3A
1. Western Dubuque (8-0), LW #1 vs Maquoketa
2. Solon (8-0), LW #2 @ Fairfield
3. Cedar Rapids Xavier (7-1), LW #3 vs Marion
4. Dallas Center-Grimes (7-1), LW #4 vs Carroll
5. North Scott (7-1), LW #5 @ Davenport Assumption (Thurs)
6. Lewis Central (7-1), LW #6 @ ADM (Adel)
7. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (7-1), LW #7 vs Storm Lake
8. Independence (8-0), LW #8 vs Decorah
9. Norwalk (7-1), LW #9 @ Gilbert
10.Pella (6-2), LW (X) @ Grinnell

Class 2A
1. Waukon (8-0), LW #1 @ North Fayette Valley
2. Clear Lake (8-0), LW #2 vs #8 Iowa Falls-Alden
3. Algona (8-0), LW #3 vs Southeast Valley
4. Greene County (8-0), LW #4 @ #5 OABCIG
5. OABCIG (8-0), LW #6 vs #4 Greene County
6. Waterloo Columbus (7-1), LW #7 @ Monticello
7. Benton (7-1), LW #8 @ Vinton-Shellsburg
8. Iowa Falls-Alden (6-2), LW (X) @ #2 Clear Lake
9. Des Moines Christian (7-1), LW #5 vs Saydel
10.Williamsburg (5-3), LW (X) vs Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Class 1A
1. Dike-New Hartford (8-0), LW #1 vs #8 Iowa City Regina
2. Van Meter (8-0), LW #2 vs Clarinda
3. West Branch (8-0), LW #3 vs Dyersville Beckman
4. Western Christian (8-0), LW #4 @ #7 West Lyon
5. South Central Calhoun (8-0), LW #5 vs Pocahontas Area
6. West Sioux (7-1), LW #6 @ Emmetsburg
7. West Lyon (7-1), LW #7 vs #4 Western Christian
8. Iowa City Regina (7-1), LW #8 @ #1 Dike-New Hartford
9. Treynor (8-0), LW #9 vs Cherokee
10.Sigourney-Keota (8-0), LW #10 vs Mediapolis

Class A
1. West Hancock (8-0), LW #1 vs Blemond-Klemme
2. Saint Ansgar (8-0), LW #2 @ Central Springs
3. North Tama (8-0), LW #3 vs BCLUW
4. MFL MarMac (8-0), LW #5 @ Alburnett
5. Grundy Center (7-1), LW #4 @ Wapsie Valley
6. Earlham (7-1), LW #6 vs Nodaway Valley
7. Woodbury Central (7-1), LW #8 @ West Monona
8. Edgewood-Colesburg (6-2), LW #7 vs Clayton Ridge
9. BGM (Brooklyn) (7-1), LW #9 @ Cardinal (Eldon)
10.South O’Brien (7-1), LW #10 @ Hinton

Eight-man
1. Don Bosco (8-0), LW #1 vs Riceville
2. Turkey Valley (8-0), LW #2 @ Central Elkader
3. Remsen St. Mary’s (8-0), LW #3 @ Siouxland Christian
4. Audubon (8-1), LW #4 vs #8 CAM
5. Coon Rapids-Bayard (7-1), LW #7 @ Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton
6. Harris-Lake Park (7-1), LW #8 @ Kingsley-Pierson
7. Easton Valley (7-1), LW #5 vs West Central (Maynard)
8. CAM (7-1), LW #6 @ #4 Audubon
9. Fremont-Mills (5-1), LW (X) @ Stanton-Essex
10.Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-2), LW (X) @ Colo-Nesco

AMES — Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says it is too early to make comparisons between freshman running back Breece Hall and former Cyclone standout David Montgomery. Hall had his second straight big game and tallied 183 yards of rushing in a 34-24 win at Texas Tech.