Sam and Ben Kueter:

This sibling duo bleeds black and gold. As children, Sam and Ben Kueter were die-hard Iowa football  fans. 

“We were watching the Hawkeyes growing up, and now that my brother is a future hawk, it is even more special”, Sam Kueter explains. 

Senior Ben Kueter announced his commitment to play at Iowa for football and wrestling last year via Instagram. 

“Ben works so hard. He’s at every workout no matter if he’s injured or sick. He’s doing his job and focusing on the end goal,” Sam Kueter says. 

Sam Kueter, a multisport junior athlete, has played football alongside Ben since they were kids. 

“Having Sam as a teammate this past season has been really fun, we push each other a lot in practice and during games”, Ben recalls. 

Opening the season at Kinnick Stadium this year, Sam remembers a time Ben pushed him during the game agianst Liberty.

“We were sitting on the sidelines, I was dog tired and feeling like I had to throw up. Ben came up behind me on the bench, grabbed me and said “You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got one more thing to do”. So, I went out on the field and both of my calves cramped up immediately, I dropped to the ground and was screaming that I couldn’t move. Ben ended up carrying me off the field, and picked up my pads. He told me, “If you don’t snap out of it right now, you’re not getting a ride home.”

Looking ahead, Sam will finish off his football career next year as a senior, and is excited to watch his older brother compete at Iowa. Heading into his final wrestling season now as a world champsion wrestler, Ben hopes to win a fourth consecutive state championship and continue his undefeated streak. 

Mia and Tessa Driscoll:

It’s this pair’s first and last season together. Mia and Tessa Driscoll grew up in Illnois, and transferred to City High in 2019.  . Now playing together at the varsity level, Mia Driscoll recalls their early stages playing basketball.

“I started playing in elementary school for a club team. Tess would always come along and watch our practices and eventually she started practicing with us.” 

Tessa Driscoll remembers that watching Mia  “made me want to try it” and began practicing more often. Now starting varsity with her sister, Mia Driscoll comments on Tessa’s growth in the sport.

“I’ve seen her play at all levels. So I think that it’s been really cool to watch her progress from just my little sister shooting around at a side hoop to a teammate at the varsity level.” 

In the pre-season, Mia Driscoll was named a player to watch by the Gazette. Being the captain of the team, her influence doesn’t go unnoticed by her sister. “She’s the best leader I’ve ever seen. In any sport. She picks everyone up after they make a mistake and she’s most vocal on the court at all times. You’ll never not know she’s there.” Tess explains. 

Going forward in the season, Mia Driscoll explains her excitement to finish off her senior year of basketball alongside her sister. 

“It’s really special, especially for my senior year, just getting that one year of overlap [with Tess]. I think that we have a really unique bond that comes so naturally to us. So I think that that helps us a lot on the court just emotionally but also physically.”

Truman and Lucy Thompson:

Truman and Lucy Thompson began running at an early age. Now watching each other find success in the sport in high school, Truman Thompson comments on his experience watching his younger sister compete. 

“It makes me really happy to see that she’s taking track seriously, and that she’s really excited about it. Both of our parents were really big runners, and I remember doing 5k’s together as kids.” 

When asked about what inspired him to take track seriously, Truman recalls his personal growth. 

“I honestly just find it very enjoyable, it’s really easy to monitor growth compared to other sports, because the time determines everything. It all about the effort that you put into the sport that will make you better”. 

Although Lucy Thompson may not have found running as enjoyable as her brother did as a child, going out for cross country was a no brainer in middle school. 

“I actually didn’t like running as much when I was younger, but I knew I was going to do cross country in middle school. I feel like I put too much pressure on myself to compete my freshman year, and so it wasn’t as fun. Sophomore year was very different because of COVID, and this past year I liked it a lot better because I didn’t pressure myself.” 

Truman will begin competing at the collegiate level next year, just recently announcing his commitment to the University of Montana.

 Lucy plans to continue cross country during her senior year, and looks forward to watching Truman run in college. 

Iris and Ani Wedemeyer:

Iris and Ani Wedemeyer competed in differing sports as kids. Now in high school, the sisters have come together in track as two of City High’s fastest female runners. Sophomore Ani Wedemeyer had a late introduction to track and field, competing in gymnastics as a child. 

“I didn’t start running until seventh grade and Iris has been running since fourth grade. I did gymnastics for a long time. She’s helped me grow as a runner a lot, and has given me really good advice”, Ani said. 

Iris remembers Ani’s early stages in track, and comments on memories from last year’s season, competing together at the varstiy level for the first time at City High. 

“We’re at different levels of our journey, I’m close to graduating and she still has a couple of years left in the program. It’s fun to see her experience those same things I did and grow in her own way”, Iris said. 

Ani and Iris shared the top spots of the 400 meter dash on the team in the 2021-2022 season, both earning  times under 60 seconds. Ani was also the best 100 meter dasher, with a PR time of 12.79 as a freshman. In addition, both siblings competed in the 4×4 relay throughout the season, and eventually helping their team to a time under 4 minutes, moving up to #1 in the state last year. 

Heading into their final year competing together, Ani shares what it means to have Iris as a teammate.

“I think it’s really special to have my sister, competing with her makes me feel a lot more comfortable”.