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PLEASANT HILL — Never mind that it was simply a softball game to raise money for the Iowa chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The competitive side of Cade McNamara was fully on display.
“We’re not playing football, but there will definitely be similar feelings,” the Hawkeye quarterback said ahead of Sunday’s charity softball game put together by Iowa’s Swarm Collective and Iowa State’s We Will Collective.
McNamara dived for a ball going down the third base line. He even went well into defensive-back-turned-shortstop Quinn Schulte’s part of the infield to try to field a grounder. (Before any Hawkeye fans fret, he said beforehand he has been fully cleared and is “in a place where I want to be.”)
Sunday’s game was “for the kids,” McNamara noted, but “oh, we want to win.”
That competitiveness translated to the scoreboard, as Iowa’s charity team — composed of football players, with women’s basketball player Hannah Stuelke serving as “team captain” — eased past their Iowa State counterparts, 11-3.
Tight end Addison Ostrenga, a former Iowa baseball recruiting target, hit three home runs. Defensive back Xavier Nwankpa hit two homers — one off the scoreboard in left field and the other off the adjacent video board — in his return to Southeast Polk.
Much more importantly, the event raised funds for the Iowa chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The organization has not yet released the total dollar amount raised from Sunday’s event, but about 600 people were in attendance.
Along with admission (starting at $25 for adults and $10 for youth), Make-A-Wish received proceeds from auction items, pregame autograph fees and concessions. (Fareway donated the concession items.) Last year’s event raised more than $100,000, and that was in Humboldt — a much less populous area than the Des Moines suburbs.
“It’s such a great cause,” Iowa tight end Luke Lachey said before the event. “I remember growing up and watching videos of athletes making kids, their wish come true.”
Lachey specifically remembers a video of late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant taking part in Make-A-Wish. Now, it’s Lachey doing it instead of Bryant although the always-humble tight end is “not really thinking about it like that.”
“We have a great opportunity to come out and make some people happy,” Lachey said.
Cade McNamara has ‘loved’ Tim Lester’s offensive scheme
In non-charity-softball news, McNamara was optimistic about his health status almost nine months after last year’s season-ending knee injury.
“We’re really close to camp now,” McNamara said. “The football and the conditioning and everything’s ramping up, and my body has been handling it very well. So I’m in a place where I want to be, and it’s just about maintaining that.”
The sixth-year senior quarterback also was optimistic about new offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s scheme, which has drawn comparisons to the Green Bay Packers’ system.
“I’ve loved it, honestly,” McNamara said.
He believes Lester’s heavy use of motion before the snap and during the snap — an element that was abundantly clear during Iowa’s spring open practice — can give Iowa a “huge advantage.”
“All it shows me is more information about the defense,” McNamara said. “If we’re able to attack some different leverages and catch the defense on their toes, I think it’s all great.”
McNamara was limited in what he could physically do during spring practices, so fall camp will be a critical time for him to run the offense.
“We’re starting from scratch, so it’s been a pretty big learning curve for everyone,” McNamara said. “But I think everyone’s handled it really well.”
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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