AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s fall softball slate will be in full swing this weekend when the Cyclones host the Big Four Classic in Ames. The Big Four features Iowa’s D1 programs (Iowa State, Drake, UNI and Iowa) facing off against each other.

All four teams will be in action this weekend at the Cyclone Softball Complex, beginning with Iowa State and Drake on Friday night. UNI and Iowa will also play on Friday night; however, their game will be in Cedar Falls before arriving in Ames for the weekend.

Drake and UNI get Saturday started with an 11 a.m. matchup before the Cyclones and Hawkeyes face off at 2 p.m.

Sunday will again feature a doubleheader as Drake and Iowa begin play at 11 a.m. while Iowa State and UNI follow at 2 p.m.

Iowa State defeated all three programs this past spring, taking down UNI in Cedar Falls twice, defeating Iowa in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series and run-ruling Drake in early May.

All matchups are available to attend free of charge.

Weekend Schedule
Friday (9/29)
Drake vs. Iowa State – 4 p.m.
Saturday (9/30)
UNI vs. Drake – 11 a.m.
Iowa vs. Iowa State – 2 p.m.
Sunday (10/1)
Drake vs. Iowa – 11 a.m.
UNI vs. Iowa State – 2 p.m.

*The italicized schools are the designated home team.

Former University of Iowa offensive lineman Robert Gallery will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes host Michigan State on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:37 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally on NBC.

Gallery started all 12 games at left tackle as a sophomore in 2001, on a Hawkeye team that won seven games and won the Alamo Bowl with a 19-16 victory over Texas Tech.

As a junior in 2002, Gallery started all 13 games at left tackle and was named a first-team All-Big Ten honoree. He protected the blind side for quarterback Brad Banks, who passed for an impressive 2,573 yards and 26 touchdowns as the Davey O’Brien winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up. Gallery also opened holes for running backs Fred Russell and Jermelle Lewis, who combined for 1,937 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The team went 11-2, winning the most games in program history and claimed Iowa’s first Big Ten title in 12 years. The Hawkeyes appeared in the Orange Bowl and notched a No. 8 final AP ranking.

During senior season, Gallery again earned first-team Big Ten laurels, adding the Outland Trophy and unanimous first-team All-America honors to his résumé. He led Iowa to another double-digit-win season (10-3) and was named co-captain and co-MVP for the season while also earning Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. Iowa concluded the season with a 37-17 victory against Florida in the Outback Bowl and again finished No. 8 in the final AP Poll, the first back-to-back top 10 finishes for Iowa since the 1950s.

A three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Gallery also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for three consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, and he was added to Iowa’s America Needs Farmers Wall of Honor at Kinnick Stadium in 2015, recognizing student-athletes for their tenacity, work ethic and exemplifying the character of American farmers.

Drafted second overall by Oakland in the 2004 NFL Draft, Gallery played 104 career games with the Raiders (2004-10) and Seahawks (2011), starting all but one contest.

Gallery, whose No. 78 will be added to the Ring of Honor this weekend, will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.

The University of Iowa Police Department is urging Hawkeye fans to be aware of common ticket scams and use official ticketing platforms as the season progresses.

Most scams reported so far this season have occurred through social media websites and instant messaging platforms.

The excitement of football season should never come at the cost of your hard-earned money and safety. Keep these tips in mind when securing tickets to avoid getting scammed:

• Buy from official sources. Purchase your tickets from the university’s official ticket office, or this year’s official ticketing partner, SeatGeek. Every ticket sold on SeatGeek for Iowa Football home games is verified and trusted, and all tickets sold are backed by SeatGeek’s Buyer Guarantee.
• Be wary of social media sales. Avoid buying tickets from people you don’t know on social media websites or messaging apps. Scammers often create fake profiles on these platforms using fraudulent photos to advertise available tickets that do not exist.
• Spot the signs of a scam. Scammers typically tell you to pay in a specific way. They may insist you buy gift cards, wire money, use cryptocurrency, or request payment in other ways than through a bank or credit card account (such as Venmo or Zelle). They also typically pressure you to act fast before you have time to think about their request and suspect something fishy.
• Check ticket prices. If you aren’t buying from an official source, research the average price for a ticket to the game you’d like to attend. If a seller is offering a ticket price that’s too good to be true, it probably is.
• Don’t share sensitive information with strangers. Never share a photo of your student ID, driver’s license, or payment cards with a stranger, even if it’s to “verify” your identity. It could be used to steal your identity or perpetuate a scam using your name and likeness.
• Meet in person and pay securely. Arrange to meet in a public place to exchange tickets and payment. This reduces the risk of getting scammed online. Bring a friend along for added security or consider making the exchange near a local law enforcement agency.
• Report suspected scams. If you believe you may be a victim of a ticketing scam, you are strongly encouraged to report the crime to the University of Iowa Police Department by calling (319)-335-5022.

The Griswold Tigers football team and coach Seth Lembke have not had the season that they had planned for. The Tigers have dealt with the injury bug this season and with their tough schedule the Tigers fell to 0-5 after last Friday nights home loss to Stanton/Essex 70-46. The Tigers had a good game plan to start the game and trailed by just 2 points going into halftime. After the break the Vikings made some adjustments to open the scoring up and the rout was on coach Lembke said his team didn’t match the Viking intensity.

The Tigers are a young team with no seniors this year, so Coach Lembke is looking to finish this year with momentum and take that into next season as well.

This Friday the Griswold Tigers travel to East Mills to battle the Wolverines on their homecoming night and Coach Lembke knows the difficulty for being the opposing team on homecoming night

For the Tigers to get that first win of the season Coach Lembke says it all comes down to one main key for his kids to execute

The Tigers will kick off at 7:00pm Friday night at East Mills Wolverines. Listen to the full interview with Coach Lembke below.

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Iowa players say they have moved on from Penn State and are focused on Saturday’s home game against Michigan State. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 31-0 loss to the Nittany Lions that coach Kirk Ferentz called a thorough beating.

That’s defensive end Joe Evans who says the Hawkeyes need to regroup in a hurry.

The Hawkeyes host the Spartans under the lights in their annual Blackout game. Center Logan Jones.

Iowa receiver Nico Ragaini says the Hawkeyes have flushed the Penn State game.

Harlon Barnett says he is adjusting to his new role as head coach at Michigan State. The former assistant was elevated to interim coach after Mel Tucker was fired. The Spartans take a 2-2 record into Kinnick Stadium Saturday night to play Iowa.

The Spartans are coming off back-to-back lopsided losses at home and this will be their first road game of the season.

Barnett says handling the atmosphere in Kinnick Stadium will be a key.

Barnett says the Hawkeyes are much better than what they showed in the loss at Penn State.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht says the Cyclones are more confident as they get ready to visit 14th ranked Oklahoma. After struggling in losses to Iowa and Ohio the offense registered 34 points in a win over Oklahoma State.

The challenge is much tougher this week against a Sooner defense that is giving up less than nine points per game.

The Oklahoma defense is vastly improved this season and Becht says much of the reason is this is year number two with Brent Venables as head coach.

A key this week will be handling the noise in Memorial Stadium.

Iowa State is only averaging 83 yards of rushing per game but sophomore running back Eli Sanders feels the ground game is improving. He had 58 yards in the win over Oklahoma State.

Sanders says Becht continues to make progress each week.

Sanders on the challenge the Sooner defense provides.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables expects another close game when the 14th ranked Sooners host Iowa State Saturday. The last three meetings in Memorial Stadium have gone to the wire. The Cyclones won in 2017 and dropped heartbreakers in 2019 and 2021.

Venables says the Cyclones have set the standard for defense in the Big-12.

Venables calls the Cyclones an improving team.

Golfer of the Week

Herman Sekne, Purdue

Sr. – Oslo, Norway – IMG Academy (Fla.)

• Won his fourth career tournament, setting a new school record with a 54-hole total of 197 (-16) to win by four shots and lead the Boilermakers to the team title at the Windon Memorial
• Carded rounds of 64, 68, and 65 to finish nearly six strokes below the course average of 70.70 for the week, beating his previous school record by three shots and the tournament record by eight
• Recorded 53 of 54 holes at or below par, including 15 birdies and his last 43 holes bogey free, to tie for the second-lowest score in Big Ten history
• The Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns his eighth career Golfer of the Week honor and his first of the season
• Last Purdue Golfer of the Week: Herman Sekne (April 19, 2023)

2023-24 Big Ten Men’s Golfers of the Week

Sept. 7: Hunter Thomson, Jr., MICH

Sept. 14: Max Herendeen, Fr., ILL/Mac McClear, Gr., IOWA

Sept. 20: Daniel Aas, Sr., WIS

Sept. 27: Herman Sekne, Sr., PUR

The East Mills Wolverines football team hasn’t had the season that they had hoped for. The Wolverines have battled injuries and facing a tough schedule has them currently in a four-game losing streak after falling last Friday night at home to Fremont-Mills 55-22. The Knights dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and Wolverines head coach Kevin Schafer said that his offense didn’t have the time to do what they wanted to

A bright spot for this Wolverines team has been junior Jackson Embree Jr. who is the team’s leading receiver and leading tackler. Coach Schafer has been impressed with the versatility by the junior so far.

Coach Schafer believes his team can get back into the win column this week as his East Mills team takes on Griswold at home, but Coach knows to get a win his defense is going to have to make a few stops and make some momentum type plays.

East Mills will kick off their homecoming game Friday night at 7:00pm as they host the 0-5 Griswold Tigers. Listen to the full interview with Coach Schafer below.

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