First off, congratulations to both our Metro area's state champions that were crowned last Saturday at the girls state soccer championships in Muscatine.

Kennedy had an improbable path to its Class 3A title, knocking off the top three rated teams on three successive days, including previously unbeaten and top-ranked Ankeny 2-1 in the final.

And Xavier made it seven straight banners as it upended North Scott 3-1 in the 2A championship game.

The Saints' seventh straight championship plays a big part in today's discussion. With their seventh straight state championship, the Saints set a new mark for consecutive championships by an Iowa girls sports team. In the 86-year history of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, no team - no matter the sport - had ever won seven straight titles. And next year the Saints appear to have the makings of another strong squad led by all-tournament captain Kayla Armstrong, who returns for her senior year. And there are others back.

With Xavier's title on Saturday, I started thinking about streaks in high school sports. It occurred to me that the top three streaks in high school athletics in the state reside right here in the Metro area.

Of course, the Xavier girls own one of those marks with their seventh straight soccer title.

The other two? Let's take a look at them right now.

The second streak of note that lives right here in the Metro area is the streak currently owned by the Linn-Mar boys basketball program. The Lions have been to nine straight state tournaments, breaking the old mark they shared with another Metro school, Regis.

Think about it, two complete four-year classes of students, plus the start of a third, have gone through Linn-Mar and have all been to the state tournament. Simply remarkable. That feat is much more impressive than the football streaks that are on the boards right now because of the fact that so many football teams qualify for state playoffs in this day and age.

The final streak that the Metro area is proud to own is simply "the granddaddy of all streaks." That is the district championship streak for the Washington boys swimming program. The Warriors have won 49 straight district swimming titles, a streak dating back to 1964. It has extended through two Hall of Fame coaches, and a third with current coach Chris Cruise.

Most remarkably, this streak has included several generations of family members that have taken part in winning efforts over the years for the Warriors. In a word, remarkable. Some day the streak may come to a close, but I don't think any other program in any sports will come anywhere close.

All these streaks are evidence that we have great talent in our Metro area.

(Scott Unash is the sports and program director at KGYM-AM 1600 (FM 106.3). He is a six-time winner of the Iowa Broadcast News Association play-by-play Announcer of the Year Award. Scott and Mark Dukes co-host the Gym Class weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600 and FM-106.3)