The younger brother of slain Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts decided to play in his high school football team's season opener Friday, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third in an emotional victory, The Des Moines Register reported.

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Scott Tibbetts, a senior at Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom High School, started at quarterback against Lisbon, three days after his sister's body was found in a rural cornfield. He led the Bears to a 35-24 victory and sealed the win by recovering a late onside kick, the Register reported.

Players on the Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom squad wore "MT" patches on their uniforms and decals on their helmets, KCRG reported. Scott Tibbetts pointed skyward after throwing his first touchdown pass, which gave the Bears a 14-6 lead.

Mollie Tibbetts, 20, a student at the University of Iowa, disappeared July 18 while jogging in Brooklyn, Iowa. The suspect in her murder, Cristhain Rivera, a 24-year-old Mexico native, led police to Tibbetts' body Tuesday, according to an arrest affidavit. Rivera has been charged with first-degree murder.

Funeral services for Mollie Tibbetts will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the high school gymnasium, according to her obituary listing provided on the Smith Funeral Home & Cremation Service website.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com