BOONE, Iowa – Next week’s semifinal football games at the UNI-Dome will mark the debut of the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s new broadcast initiative to expand coverage alongside television and streaming partners.
As announced in August, IHSAA will provide free streaming through its website and have games appearing across multiple platforms through arrangements with Gray Media, Marquee Sports Network, Mediacom, and Nexstar.
Production and on-air personnel have been contracted by IHSAA, with Cedar Falls Channel 15 managing all 14 semifinals broadcasts from the UNI-Dome. Biographical information on play-by-play commentators and analysts can be found below.
Affiliate listings and coverage maps are available through the IHSAA’s How To Watch page.
Viewers seeking over the air (OTA) channels via Gray Media and Nexstar should check their local listings. OTA options include:
- Gray Media: KCRG, Cedar Rapids; KSFY, Sioux Falls (SD); KTIV, Sioux City; KTTC/KXLT, Mason City/Rochester (MN); KWQC, Davenport; KYOU, Ottumwa; WOWT, Omaha (NE); North Star Sports Network (MN).
- Nexstar: WHO, Des Moines
Viewers subscribing to over the top (OTT), select cable and satellite packages may also view games via Marquee Sports Network and Mediacom’s MC22. Both platforms offers coverage maps and channel finders for viewers in Iowa and beyond.
The 2025 IHSAA Football Semifinals presented by Iowa Farm Bureau will kickoff on Wednesday, Nov. 12 and run through Saturday, Nov. 15 in Cedar Falls.
Video from this week’s quarterfinals will continue as it has throughout the postseason lead-up with options to watch across NFHS Network, the IHSAA’s State Showcase, and other approved Video Access programs.
State finals, set for Nov. 20-21, will appear on Iowa PBS and its associated channels and platforms.
broadcaster bios
- Kevin Bowman, analyst: A Maquoketa graduate, Bowman returned to his hometown and began his teaching and coaching career for the Cardinals. A graduate of Grand View (BA) and Western Illinois (MA), he taught English for 15 years before spending 18 years as an administrator. Bowman coached football for 33 years, including 15 years as head coach. Besides football, Bowman coached wrestling, track and field, baseball and golf and has worked with Fellowship of Christian Athletes for the past 15 years.
- Shawn Kenney, play-by-play: Kenney, a Council Bluffs native and current Perry resident, is beginning his 14th year with ESPN. He is a regular play-by-play voice for college football, basketball, wrestling, track and field, and softball for the television network. Kenney is also the lead play-by-play voice for international wrestling having covered Continental, Olympic Qualifier, and World Championships in 14 different countries, and just returned from working his ninth World Championship broadcast in Croatia. He has been a part of Raccoon Valley Radio in Perry since 1999 (Go Bluejays!).
- Jeremiah Longnecker, play-by-play: While teaching at Cedar Falls High School, Longnecker coached a number of sports, including football for 30 years. He has play-by-play experience in several sports while working part-time for KCNZ radio in Cedar Falls, and has called just about every sport as part of Channel 15’s coverage of Cedar Falls athletics over the past 30 years.
- Trevor Maeder, play-by-play: Maeder is a lifelong Iowan and proud representative of KMA Radio in Shenandoah. His passion is showcasing high school sports across various formats. Outside of that, Maeder is a sports nerd, dog lover, husband and soon-to-be dad.
- Kevin Miller, analyst: Miller served as an educator for 28 years and also coached football for 25 years. He spent 19 seasons coaching at Solon before retiring in 2020 to watch his son play college football. He currently works as a performance coach at Cottingham & Butler in Dubuque.
- Keith Murphy, play-by-play: Murphy has spent 35 years as a television sports director in Central Iowa. The host of SoundOff for 30 years and co-host of Murph & Andy Show for 17, Murphy has been the lead play-by-play for WHO 13’s Football Friday PrimeTime for the last five years.
- Tom Petersen, analyst: Petersen has spent 29 years as a teacher, working the last 22 years as activities director, and he coached football for 18 years. His Eight-Player teams advanced to the state semifinals in 2012 and state finals in 2013. He still coaches various activities, teaches physical education, and serves as AD at Exira-EHK.
- Justin Surrency, analyst: Surrency works as a weekday morning news anchor on WHO 13 News Today in Iowa in Des Moines. He arrived in Iowa as a student-athlete playing football at the University of Northern Iowa. After some stops in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, he found a passion for storytelling that led him back Iowa and his current roles.
- Jon Swisher, play-by-play: A native of Anamosa with a variety of experience from playing, public address announcing, coaching, officiating, and broadcasting in the sports of football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. Swisher is the sports director of KMCH Radio in Manchester. He also assists the Iowa Hawkeye Radio Network as a football spotter, in-game scoreboard anchor, softball play-by-play, and as a fill-in play-by-play voice for both men’s and women’s basketball.
- Brad Wells, play-by-play: Wells is a play-by-play announcer with more than 25 years experience at the college level. He has worked NCAA football, basketball, track and field, softball and volleyball broadcasts. Events covered include numerous championship events for the Missouri Valley Conference, the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam basketball tournament, and the Drake Relays as trackside reporter on CBS Sports Network. Wells is a Fonda native who won two IHSAA state basketball championships at Newell-Fonda, and was the Bernie Saggau Award recipient of his high school. He has announced IGHSAU state championship basketball and softball games on Iowa PBS since 2015.
- Brett Williams, analyst: A native of Cedar Falls who has coached multiple sports at Cedar Falls since 2002. Williams has served as baseball head coach since 2020. Alongside coaching, he has taught in Cedar Falls Community School District for the last nine years and has been a registered wrestling official for more than 10 years. Williams has been a commentator with Channel 15 for the last seven years, broadcasting Cedar Falls sports locally. He has a strong passion for Iowa high school sports and the impact they have on the youth in the state of Iowa.