ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – The Denver Broncos will be without their top two tight ends and their leading tackler for their game at Kansas City on Christmas night (a game you can hear on KJAN beginning at 6-p.m. Sunday, with the kick-off at 7-p.m.). The Broncos (8-6) could see their playoff hopes evaporate with another loss to the Chiefs (10-4). They’ve only won 3 of 19 December games in Kansas City.

Winning there will be harder without safety T.J. Ward, who leads Denver with 87 tackles, and tight ends A.J. Derby and Virgil Green. All have concussions. Rookies Will Parks and Justin Simmons will replace Ward. The Broncos are down to Jeff Heuerman at tight end and are considering promoting another from their practice squad.

Defensive end Derek Wolfe is questionable after missing practice all week with a neck injury and illness.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Mount Pleasant 70, Harlan 63

IWCOA Class 1-A Dual Team Rankings, 12/20/2016

School Record through 12/17/16             Overall Ranking

Lisbon 14-3                                                      1

Don Bosco, Gilbertville 11-3                       2

Sibley-Ocheyedan 9-0                                  3

Missouri Valley 10-1                                     4

Logan-Magnolia 12-1                                    5

Lake Mills 11-2                                               6

Westwood, Sloan 13-0                                 7

Wapsie Valley, Fairbank 9-1                        8

Dike-New Hartford 5-0                                 9

Sigourney 9-0                                                 10

MFL MarMac 9-2                                           11

Maquoketa Valley, Delhi 15-2                    12

Central Springs 7-1                                        13

Southeast Warren, Liberty Center 4-2     14

Alburnett 4-6                                                  15

North Linn, Troy Mills 8-3                            16

IWCOA Class 2-A Dual Team Rankings, 12/20/2016

School Record through 12/17/16             Overall Ranking

New Hampton 5-0                                         1

Solon 8-1                                                          2

Atlantic 7-0                                                      3

Creston 5-1                                                     4

Assumption, Davenport 9-4                        5T

Washington 16-0                                           5T

Sergeant Bluff-Luton 6-1                             7

Crestwood, Cresco 9-4                                 8

Denver 6-0                                                      9

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 6-0                         10

Mount Vernon 4-2                                        11

West Liberty 7-0                                            12

Spirit Lake Park 5-3                                       13

South Tama County, Tama 8-1                   14

Central Lyon George Little Rock 7-0         15

Webster City 6-3 16

IWCOA Class 3-A Dual Team Rankings, 12/20/2016

School Record through 12/16/17              Overall Ranking

Valley, West Des Moines 8-1                      1

Southeast Polk 6-0                                        2

Fort Dodge 4-0                                               3

North Scott, Eldridge 10-1                           4

Waverly-Shell Rock 12-2                              5

Epworth, Western Dubuque 14-4             6

Indianola 8-2                                                   7

Johnston 3-0                                                   8

Prairie, Cedar Rapids 8-3                             9

Dubuque, Hempstead 10-2                         10

Glenwood 6-1                                                 11

Waukee 10-3                                                  12

Dowling Catholic, WDM 4-4                        13

Linn-Mar, Marion 9-2                                   14

Ankeny Centennial 8-3                                 15

Iowa City, City High 6-4                                16

Iowa City, West 5-5                                       17

Norwalk 8-0                                                    18

Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 3-2                         19

Cedar Rapids Jefferson 3-2                          20T

Clinton 2-2                                                       20T

Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson 4-1        22T

Mount Pleasant 7-1                                      22T

Ankeny 5-3                                                      24

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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When Iowa plays Florida in the January 2 Outback Bowl the Hawkeyes will be in search of their first bowl victory since the 2010 Insight Bowl. Coach Kirk Ferentz says a post season victory was one of the goals for the senior class.

The Hawkeyes take a three game winning streak into their fifth appearance in the Outback Bowl since 2003.

Ferentz says a bowl victory was one of three goals the seniors set for this season.

Former Miami head coach Randy Shannon will direct Florida’s defense in the Outback Bowl. Former Gator defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is the new head coach at Temple. Shannon had been coaching the linebackers.

That’s Florida coach Jim McElwain who says no decision has been made about a permanent defensive coordinator.

(Radio Iowa/Learfield Sports)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – Madison Weekly had 20 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, Hannah Schonhardt had her second double-double of the season and Northern Iowa beat Number 24 Kansas State 67-59 Thursday night.

Schonhardt had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Mikaela Morgan hit three 3s and added 11 points and Ellie Herzberg scored 10 for Northern Iowa, which made 13 3s and shot 41 percent from behind the arc – both season highs.

Kansas State’s Karyla Middlebrook hit 4 of 4 free throws to spark a 9-1 run that made it 43-all when Kindred Wesemann hit a 3-pointer with 6:51 to play. Weekly answered with a 3 and the Panthers (7-4) led the rest of the way. Shaelyn Martin’s 3-pointer pulled the Wildcats within one with 4:39 remaining, but another 3 by Weekly sparked a 15-7 run that made it 61-52 when Megan Maahs hit a 3, moments after blocking a shot on the other end, with 59 seconds left.

Middlebrook had a career-high 19 points and tied her career best with six assists for Kansas State (10-2), which has lost two of three after starting the season 9-0.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Billy Wampler hit eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 27 points and Drake snapped an eight game losing streak with a 101-69 win over Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night. Wampler’s eight 3s were the second most in school history for a single game, one shy of the school record. It was the first time the Bulldogs topped the 100-point barrier since 2013.

Reed Trimmer hit three 3-pointers to finish with 15 points for Drake (2-10). Overall the Bulldogs shot 52.9 percent, hit 17 total 3s, and dished out 27 team assists for its 36 field goals. Rashaan Surles had 21 points to lead Mississippi Valley State (0-13), which has been on the road the entire month of December and hasn’t played at home since a Nov. 22 tilt with UMass-Lowell.

A Graham Woodward jumper for Drake pushed the lead past 20, and two T.J. Thomas free throws made it 85-55 with 7:10 left.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Peter Jok scored 17 points and Iowa throttled Delaware State 89-57 on Thursday night. Ahmad Wagner scored 12 points and Isaiah Moss added 10 for the Hawkeyes (8-5). Iowa went on a 21-1 run in the first half and outscored the Hornets 21-0 in fastbreak points. The Hawkeyes had a season-high 12 steals and scored 33 points off turnovers.

The only stressful moment for Iowa came with 6 ½ minutes left in the first half when Jok went down with a hip injury — silencing the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But Jok, the Big Ten’s top scorer, returned to start the second half. He scored seven points in four minutes before heading to bench for good.

Devin Morgan scored 24 points to lead Delaware State (3-11). The Hornets shot just 24 percent from the floor. They missed 17 straight field goals during the first half, going nearly 12 minutes between buckets.

A-H-S-T-W, Avoca 84, Underwood 60

Ar-We-Va, Westside 70, Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 53

Fremont Mills, Tabor 72, Sidney 50

Logan-Magnolia 65, Missouri Valley 38

St. Albert, Council Bluffs 84, Atlantic 62

Stanton 65, Clarinda Academy 45

Treynor 76, Griswold 31

Tri-Center, Neola 66, Riverside, Oakland 46

Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln 42, Omaha Central, Neb. 26

East Mills 56, South Page, College Springs -Clarinda 21

Logan-Magnolia 61, Missouri Valley 34

OA-BCIG 51, Alta/Aurelia 49

Sidney 51, Fremont Mills, Tabor 36

St. Albert, Council Bluffs 68, Atlantic 33

Treynor 62, Griswold 28

Underwood 59, A-H-S-T-W, Avoca 40

The St. Albert Saintes ran away in the second quarter from the Atlantic Trojans and never looked back in a 68-33 win in Girls hoops on Thursday night at Atlantic High School.  St. Albert led 15-5 at the end of the first quarter and after the Trojans cut it to 4 early in the second before the Saintes pulled away to a 35-16 halftime lead. The Saintes seemed to have a good answer for every positive step that the Trojans took throughout the night.

Turnovers plagued Atlantic from the onset and Head Coach Kelly Juhl was frustrated with the multitude of unforced errors.

Another issue for Atlantic in their 1-3-1 defense was guarding the opposite block and St. Albert took advantage of the opportunity to get passes down their for easy buckets.  Coach Juhl said they worked on that exact issue all week but just didn’t execute well.

St Albert was led by Sydney McLaren with 15 points and Bailey White had 13.  The Saintes improve to 7-2 heading into the Christmas break and will next travel to Kuemper Catholic on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Atlantic was led in scoring by Bayleee Newell with 10 points that all came in the first half.  The Trojans remain winless at 0-8 and Coach Kelly Juhl hopes the holiday break will do them some good.

Atlantic’s next game is January 3rd at home against Harlan.