Metro Sports Report

Would Iowa put Schulte at tight end?

When Bryce Schulte attended the University of Iowa football camp this past summer, he was not auditioning for the Hawkeyes as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the state.

Schulte went to the camp as a tight end, even though he has never played the position in his life.

"That was the first time putting my hand on the ground. It was fun," said Schulte, who is a star quarterback for the Xavier Saints and a versatile athlete.

"The tight end coach (LeVar Woods) is really good at what he does. It was fun being physical with other kids at the camp and going up against them one-on-one. And it was fun catching balls, too, because I'm not used to that either."

From all accounts, Schulte performed very well as a tight end as a blocker and receiver at the UI camp. And if he doesn't get any offers to play quarterback at a major college, he'd gladly accept a chance to change positions if a major college would give him a chance.

"I would go for tight end," he said without hesitation. "Play as high as I can. I would play any position for my team, basically. I want to play Division I and that would be pretty cool."

Schulte has the size and athletic ability to play tight end at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. In addition to playing football at Xavier, he's an all-conference baseball player and was a key reserve on the Xavier basketball team that captured the Class 3A state title last winter.

No. 8 Eagles reach regional finals

The Kirkwood Eagles are the undefeated conference champions this year and the No. 1 seed for the regional volleyball tournament, but now they'll be hitting the road in pursuit of a spot in the national meet.

In some sports in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, the No. 1 seed gets to host all of its events in regional competition. Volleyball is a different animal and Kirkwood Coach Jill Williams is not sure why.

"I can't explain it to you, because I don't understand it myself," she remarked Wednesday night.

Kirkwood swept Southeastern, 25-14, 25-19, 25-8, at Johnson Hall in a match that pitted the No. 1 seed against the No. 8 seed from the ICCAC.

But instead of playing for the regional title at home, the eighth-ranked Eagles (31-8) will face 16th-ranked DMACC (23-12) in what figures to be a nearly empty gym at Southwestern Community College in Creston this Saturday at noon.

Those are the conference and regional rules, so the Eagles will be making a three-hour trip to Creston to play for the regional title while DMACC will have a much shorter trip from its home in Boone.

The regional champion will claim a berth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Charlestown, W.Va., on Nov. 17-19 and that's the only thing that matters now.

Forsyth could be finished as L-M coach

There are growing signs that these could be the final days for Bob Forsyth as the head football coach at Linn-Mar High School.

Three sources have told the Metro Sports Report that Forsyth will be vacating the position following a year of turmoil in the football program.

Forsyth has not responded to an e-mail from the Metro Sports Report regarding his status with the Lions. Neither has Dr. Quintin Shepherd, the Linn-Mar superintendent of schools.

Forsyth has compiled a 51-39 record in nine seasons at Linn-Mar, including a 3-6 mark this year, with five trips to the playoffs.

Five Linn-Mar families filed formal complaints about the football program with the school district following the 2015 season, charging that assistant coach Matt Casebolt bullied and harassed their sons and called people "show queers" if they participated in football and show choir. Two families claimed Casebolt physically abused their sons in weight-room incidents.

The families blamed Forsyth for enabling Casebolt's behavior with their sons. They also blamed Linn-Mar athletic director Scott Mahmens (now retired) and Linn-Mar Principal Jeff Gustason for not taking effective action to correct the alleged problems.

The Linn-Mar school district conducted an in-house investigation last winter and concluded there was not "sufficient evidence" to substantiate the charges. Mahmens and Gustason helped run the investigation, even though they were two of the accused.

At least 15 other families stepped forward with their own complaints, similar in nature to the original complaints from the five families who contacted the school district.

Young Saints roll to state volleyball

Austin Filer does not show a lot of emotion during Xavier volleyball matches, but the first-year head coach had to battle back some tears after the young Saints earned a spot in the Class 4A state tournament Monday night with another impressive performance.

Filer sat alone on the Xavier bench while his players celebrated on the floor at Ron Thillen Gymnasium, his face a little flushed and some moisture around the eyes.

The sixth-ranked Saints swept eighth-ranked Clinton, 25-11, 25-12, 25-22, to claim the fifth trip to the state tournament in school history and the first since 2012.

"It's been a great season," Filer said after collecting his thoughts. "It's great to know that it's not over, but it's always fun to hit goals. I'm really, really proud of my group tonight."

Xavier (31-9) will face Marion (34-9) in the quarterfinals of the state tournament next Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 at noon and the finals are Friday, Nov. 11 at 12:15 p.m.

Filer inherited a club that finished with a 15-22 record last season and completely turned things around despite having only two seniors on the varsity.

"It's a great feeling to have, just knowing that our team put everything out there and gave everything we have," said Charlotte Richards, the kills leader for the Saints as a junior. "Knowing that we're going to state now is a great feeling that I'll never forget."