Aplington-Parkersburg One Year After the Murder of Its Head Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

One year ago today, Aplington-Parkersburg head football coach Ed Thomas was murdered by his former player Mark Becker.

Today, KCRG's Jeff Linder takes a look at how the town is healing with the help of former Falcon player Alex Pollock, who at the age of 26 is now in charge of the Falcon tradition.

Aplington-Parkersburg Names New Head Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

One day after a judge sentenced Mark Becker to life in prison for the murder of Ed Thomas, Aplington-Parkersburg named one of his former players as the Falcons new head football coach.

Alex Pollock, a 2002 Aplington-Parkersburg graduate, played under Thomas and won a state title in 2001. Last season Al Kearns and Jon Wiegmann were co-coaches after Thomas was murder in June.

Kerns has retired, and Wiegmann will continue as the team's defensive coordinator.

The Des Moines Register reports that Pollock will carry-on the tradition established by Thomas

Becker Found Guilty of Murder in Killing of Aplington-Parkersburg Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

It took 25 hours, but the jury handed down a guilty verdict Tuesday in Mark Becker's murder trial.

Becker, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the murder of Aplington-Parkersburg head football coach Ed Thomas, will get the verdict automatically appealed because the first-degree murder is a Class A felony with a mandatory life prison sentence.

Below is video from Becker's mother after the verdict was read.

Joan Becker said, "Ed Thomas was a victim of a victim."

Still No Verdict in Becker Murder Trial

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

The jury in the Mark Becker murder trial was sent home after six-and-a-half hours of deliberating on Monday. No verdict was reached.

Jurors will return tomorrow morning to continue debating the fate of Becker, who is charged with first degree murder in the killing of Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas.

Jurors at a Stalemate in Becker Murder Trial

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

Deliberations have ended for the day in the murder trial of Mark Becker, who is charged with murdering Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas last year.

Judge Stephen P. Carroll sent the jurors home for the day after he received a note from them stating they were "at a stalemate" and "wanted to go home and sleep on their decision". Deliberations will resume tomorrow morning at 9 A.M.

Becker has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

So what happens if the jury remains deadlocked?

Grant Shulte of the Des Moines Register looks at that question here.

Jury Deliberations Set to Begin in Murder Trial of Aplington-Parkersburg Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

Closing arguments have wrapped-up in the Mark Becker murder trial, and the jury should begin deciding his fate this afternoon.

Becker is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Aplington-Parkersburg head football coach Ed Thomas. Becker has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Defense Presents Its Case in Ed Thomas Murder Trial

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

Mark Becker's mother took the stand Wednesday in the murder trial of Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas.

Radio Iowa reports that Joan Becker testified that her son Mark has several violent episodes prior to his violent rampage last June. Becker has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Snow Delays Trial of Man Accused of Killing Aplington-Parkersburg HS Football Coach

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle

A midwest snow storm caused a one-day delay in the trial of Mark Becker, who is charged with the murder of Ed Thomas, the former head football coach of the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons.

Becker is accused of murdering his former footballl coach in June of 2009. USA Today has more background on the tragedy that impacted everyone in the town of 1,900.

Aplington-Parkersburg Players Begin Practice with Thoughts of Coach Thomas

by Jeff Fisher
Iowa High School Football Huddle
Hopes are always high on the first day of the season, however, the first day of practice in Parkersburg Monday didn't have the usual air of excitement. The Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons took to the practice field without their leader...head coach Ed Thomas, who was allegedly murdered by a former player at the end of June.



ESPN has just announced that it will broadcast the Falcons season-opener against Dike-New Hartford on August 28.

To read about the first day of practice in the tiny town, click here to read a story from USA Today. Click here for the Des Moines Register story. I think the best written piece on the tragedy was the cover story in Sports Illustrated at the beginning of July. Click here to read that moving story.

Iowa High School Football Scoreboard - Quarterfinals

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The magical season for Aplington-Parkersburg came to a close Friday night, two wins short of the Falcons' goal of a state championship. The Falcons, who have been the darlings of Iowa football since a tornado devasted the community last spring, lost their first game of the season Friday night in the Class 1-A quarterfinals. A-P lost to third-seeded Emmetsburg 14-6. Click here for a game story.

Iowa High School Football Scores
Friday, November 7, 2008

Quarterfinals

Class 4-A
No. 1 W.D.M. Valley 32, No. 7 W.D.M. Dowling Catholic 27 Click here for game story
No. 5 Ankeny 35, Ames 21 Click here for game story
No. 6 Cedar Falls 43, Cedar Rapids Xavier 6
No. 4 Cedar Rapids Washington 48, No. 2 Bettendorf 27

Class 3-A
No. 1 Sioux City Heelan 38, No. 2 Harlan 21
No. 3 Clear Lake 27, No. 9 Carroll 12
No. 7 Decorah 21, Crestwood (Cresco) 7
No. 5 Pella 19, No. 4 Mount Pleasant 5

Class 2-A
Tonight's Quarterfinals
No. 2 Central Lyon/George Little Rock 28, Okoboji (Milford) 7
No. 4 IKM/Manning 25, Missouri Valley 0
No. 3 Roland-Story 17, Sumner-Fredericksburg 0
No. 1 Solon 52, No. 5 Mid-Prairie (Wellman) 27

Class 1-A
No. 4 West Lyon 28, No. 2 Council Bluffs St. Albert 21
Prairie Valley (Gowrie) 28, No. 6 Pella Christian 14
No. 3 Emmetsburg 14, No. 1 Aplington-Parkersburg 6
West Branch 39, Maquoketa Valley (Delhi) 6 Click here for game story

Class A
No. 2 Southern Cal (Lake City) 21, Alta 6
No. 5 Madrid 42, No. 3 AHST (Avoca) 27
No. 6 Northwood-Kensett 28, No. 4 East Buchanan 10
No. 1 North Tama 19, No. 9 HLV (Victor) 0

Eight-Player
No. 4 Armstrong-Ringsted 49, No. 2 North Sentral Kossuth 14
No. 1 Stanton 42, Coon Rapids-Bayard 17
No. 5 CWL (Corwith) 42, No. 6 Janesville 0
No. 7 Lenox 32, No. 10 East Union 6

Aplington-Parkersburg, Iowa on Toyota's "The Line of Scrimmage

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

During halftime of Sunday Night's NFL Bears-Eagles game on NBC, Toyota's The Line of Scrimmage will focus on the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons, who are playing the 2008 season just three months after a tornado destroyed their high school and football field. The tornado knocked down 220 homes and 22 businesses and killed eight people.

In it's home opener on September 5, A-P showed the world why Toyota chose the Falcons as one of eight of America's "Gutsiest Teams" with a 53-20 win over State Center. After Friday night's 42-14 win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the Falcons are a perfect 5-0 this season. The Falcons have outscored their opponents 241-106 with two games over 50 points and one over 60.

A-P plays in Iowa's 1A classification and is known as the small school that can. With only about 250 students and about 2,000 people in town, the Falcons have landed four players (Casey Wiegmann, Chiefs; Brad Meester, Jaguars; Jason DeVries, Lions; Aaron Kampman, Packers) in the NFL since 1988.

Click here for more on that story from a 2004 story on ESPN.com.

Click here for a story on the devasting May 25th tornado.

Below is the first part of the two :45 documentary style video clips that will be aired tonight.