GRR: Iowa
Iowa State held off University of Iowa 18-10 in a tense Heart of America conference game Saturday.
The Cyclones secured an early 15-0 lead but after that was under a lot of pressure from Iowa. Seeing one player get two yellow cards, and thus being shorthanded throughout the second half, didn’t help.
The University of Kansas put in a very impressive 34-0 shutout of Iowa this past weekend and the Jayhawks are in excellent position in the Heart of America DIAA Conference.
Former SE Polk HS star Deion Mikesell, the top player in Iowa's 7s season last year, will start at wing for the USA U20s Saturday evening in Austin against Canada.
For the second consecutive year, the Iowa Youth Rugby Association (IAYRA) has increased its girls league’s membership by more than 50%. The high school competition has added three new 7s teams – Lincoln, Roosevelt, Boone – and 60 new players to the fall season.
Kelsie McDowell has enjoyed an exciting 2015 thus far. First, the Southeast Polk girls high school coach was named head coach of Simpson College’s first women’s rugby program. Second, Simpson College qualified for the NSCRO 7s national championship last May and represented the region in West Point, N.Y.