Jeff Johnson

In this week’s edition, we crunched the numbers in games between Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams in the United States Hockey League. The East is dominating them.

Cael LaFrentz was a first-team all-state boys’ basketball player last season for the Decorah Vikings. The 6-foot-10 senior center averaged nearly 30 points per game. The son of area legend and 10-year NBA player Raef LaFrentz is still growing into his body and game, which makes the future for him enticing. Not to mention this season.

Here are 15 players who should make an impact this boys’ basketball season from the Gazette area. The list includes nine guys who were all-staters last season by the Iowa Professional Sports Writers Association.

Iowa City Liberty quarterback Reece Rettig has been named the Class 5A football player of the year by the Iowa Football Coaches Association. There are 45 players from The Gazette area that are first-team players in their respective classes.

Hawke Huff was better known last hockey season for being more of a defensive defenseman. Acquired in a trade from Sioux Falls, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders second-year guy has added much more offense to his game this USHL season.

Drew Stevens hit a 44-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Iowa Hawkeyes a 20-17 win Saturday over Michigan State at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa scored 17 points in the fourth quarter for the come-from-behind victory.

The streak continues. West Des Moines Dowling uses an overpowering running game to beat Iowa City Liberty, 27-10, Friday night in the Class 5A state championship football game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. A suburban Des Moines school has won the last 16 biggest-school titles.

Carter Hoffmann rushed for 207 yards and scored three first-half touchdowns as Cedar Rapids Xavier beat Pella, 31-6, Thursday night in the Class 4A state championship game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. It’s the fifth state football title for the school.

The 3ICE professional hockey league announced Thursday it will play its fourth season at Xtream Arena in Coralville this summer. The league is played like NHL overtime: three players per side and a goaltender. Former NHL legends such as Grant Fuhr and Ray Bourque coach teams in the league.

Michigan State’s football team is on a seven-game losing streak going into Saturday afternoon’s game at Kinnick Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Second-year head coach Jonathan Smith is under fire for a lack of success. On top of everything else, the program was given three years of probation by the NCAA last week.

Gazette sports writers Jeff Johnson Jeff Linder and K.J. Pilcher discuss Iowa High School Football championship games on the Triple Option Podcast November 19, 2025

Iowa City Regina plays West Lyon in Friday afternoon’s Class 1A state football championship game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. There are 14 seniors on this Regals roster, a class that couldn’t win a game when they were in middle school.

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association released an open letter to fans last week that gave its side of ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between it and the ECHL. The PHPA said it is seeking proper rest for its players, increased salaries and renumeration for corporate and jersey auctions.

Yet another heartbreaking loss Saturday afternoon for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team. Iowa built a 21-7 first-half lead, led at halftime, 21-10, but didn’t score in the second half and fell to Southern California, 26-21.

The Iowa City Liberty football team put together three 80-yard scoring drives, had more than a two-to-one advantage in time of possession and beat Waukee Northwest, 31-15, in a Friday night Class 5A Iowa playoff football semifinal. Liberty is the first school not from a Des Moines suburban school to make it to a biggest-school class championship game since 2018.