Tri-Center Tournament @ Neola:

The Red Oak Tigers picked up five more wins in taking the Tri-Center volleyball tournament title on Saturday. The Tigers took care of Stanton in the final 28-26 and 25-15.  Glenwood and Tri-Center fell in the semifinals.

Sharon Semler Invitational @ Council Bluffs/Thomas Jefferson:

Sergeant Bluff-Luton defeated St. Albert in the final to capture the Sharon Semler Invitational, hosted by Thomas Jefferson High School on Saturday. LeMars and Missouri Valley were semifinalists in the 8-team tournament.

Final: (2-0) Sergeant Bluff-Luton def. St. Albert 21-13, 21-19

Semifinals: (2-1) Sergeant Bluff-Luton def. LeMars 21-19, 16-21, 15-11; (2-0) St. Albert def. Missouri Valley 21-19, 21-19.

Consolation Semifinals: (2-1) Denison-Schleswig def. Thomas Jefferson 21-15, 13-21, 15-13; (2-1) Shenandoah def. Exira/EHK 11-21, 21-17, 15-11.

Consolation Final: (2-0) Denison-Schleswig def. Shenandoah 21-18, 22-20.

Other scores from around the area:

(2-0) Harlan 21-21, Pella 11-17; (2-0) Harlan 25-25, Pella 15-8

(2-0) Urbandale 21-24, Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 10-22

(2-0) Western Christian 25-25, Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 16-19

(games that were postponed from Friday due to bad weather):

A-H-S-T, Avoca 49, Riverside, Oakland 13

Clarinda 33, Red Oak 13

Harlan 34, Creston-Orient-Macksburg 7

Westwood, Sloan 16, Logan-Magnolia 14

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake quarterback Andy Rice had a career day, accounting for four touchdowns to rally the Bulldogs past Jacksonville 27-17 Saturday. Down 17-13 in the fourth quarter, Rice led Drake (2-3, 1-1 Pioneer League) on a 79-yard scoring drive, capped by his 2-yard rushing TD to put the Bulldogs up 20-17. Jacksonville missed a 41-yard field goal before Rice answered again, this time connecting with Lee Snell for a 32-yard TD to make it 27-17.

Rice rushed for a 1-yard score, and threw a 26-yard TD to Michael Hudson to give the Bulldogs a 13-0 first quarter lead. Rice was 17 of 26 for 241 yards. Jacksonville (2-4, 1-2) had back-to-back touchdown drives in the third quarter, highlighted by a Steven Hughes 77-yard TD pass to Andrew Robustelli to put the Dolphins ahead 17-13. Hughes was 21 of 38 for 269 yards in Des Moines.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Sam Ojuri ran for 96 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as North Dakota State rallied back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to prevail 24-23 over Northern Iowa on Saturday. With three minutes to play, Ojuri took the handoff, shuffled right and burst through a gap up the middle, breaking two tackles on his way to the 19-yard game-winning touchdown.

The Bison (5-0, 2-0 Missouri Valley) cut the lead to 23-17 earlier in the fourth quarter. Going for it on fourth-and-6 from the Panthers 11, Brock Jensen threw a line drive to Zach Vraa crossing the middle of the end zone. David Johnson had 142 yards on 12 carries for the Panthers (4-1, 0-1) but injured his hip in the third quarter on Northern Iowa’s last scoring drive. Though able to return, he was still in pain and stayed on the sideline for most of the remaining plays in Fargo.

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 Conference has publicly reprimanded Iowa State coach Paul Rhodes and Texas receiver Mike Davis. The conference reprimanded the two on Saturday following Texas’ 31-30 win at Iowa State two days earlier.

Rhoads complained about a ruling concerning a near-fumble by Texas’ Johnathan Gray late in the game. Iowa State’s Jeremiah George grabbed the ball and began running the other way, but officials awarded Texas possession. The Longhorns scored the winning points on the next play.

Rhoads says his view “showed a guy who was not down and our guy with the football.” Davis’ reprimand came after he illegally hit Iowa State defensive back Mike Broomfield in the knees on a third-quarter play. Davis was penalized for a personal foul. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says Davis broke a rule “prohibiting physically abusive acts toward an opponent’s team members during a contest.”

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Francisco Liriano didn’t think he was going to play baseball this year when he broke his right arm goofing off with his kids last Christmas.  Fast forward 10 months and the left-hander has become the de facto ace for the surging Pittsburgh Pirates. Liriano will start Game 3 of the NL division series against St. Louis on Sunday, seeking to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Liriano is 9-1 at home this year, including seven superb innings in Pittsburgh’s 6-2 win over Cincinnati in the wild-card game on Tuesday. The Cardinals counter with 25-year-old Joe Kelly, who will make his first postseason start. Kelly went 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in four starts this year against Pittsburgh.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Connor Cook threw for a career-high 277 yards and two touchdowns and Michigan State opened Big Ten play with a 26-14 win over Iowa on Saturday. Darqueze Dennard had a pair of interceptions for the Spartans (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who held the Hawkeyes (4-2, 1-1) scoreless in the second half.

Cook put Michigan State ahead to stay with a 37-yard TD pass to Bennie Fowler early in the third quarter. Freshman Michael Geiger added three field goals in the second half for the Spartans, who held Iowa to 23 yards rushing.

Mark Weisman ran for just nine yards on seven carries for the Hawkeyes, who lost for the first time since its season opener.

An on-air recording of the Sports w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson (technical issues – I apologize for the poor quality sound)

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With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson…

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The Iowa Hawkeyes look for a 2-0 start to the Big Ten race when they host Michigan State later this (Saturday) morning. As well as the Iowa defense has played in a 4-1 start the Spartan defense has been even better. Michigan State has announced that Connor Cook will start at quarterback. He started the Spartans loss at Notre Dame.

If Iowa has an advantage it may be at quarterback where sophomore Jake Rudock continues to make progress. Michigan state is 3-1, 0-0 in the Big 10.  Iowa has beaten Michigan State twice in double overtime since 2007. The Spartans are 10th in the nation in defense, and they’re the only team allowing less than 20-yards per game. Iowa is 7th in yards allowed. The Hawkeyes are converting on 52.5-percent of their third down chances

Pre-game coverage begins at 9-a.m., on KJAN, with the kick-off at Kinnick Stadium at 11.