Metro Sports Report

Prairie bowlers win Spotlight Award

All of the stars on the Cedar Rapids Prairie bowling team are the winners of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

The Hawks are enjoying a terrific season and are favored to win the Class 3A state title at Plaza Lanes in Des Moines on Wednesday.

Prairie has compiled a perfect 11-0 record this season and the Hawks boast the highest scoring average in the state at 2,931.8 pins per match.

The Hawks blew away the competition at the state qualifier meet in Marshalltown last Tuesday with a marvelous performance by the entire team with a score of 3,270.

Supporters defend Linn-Mar football program

Members of the Linn-Mar football community have rallied in defense of the program.

The Metro Sports Report posted a story (CLICK HERE FOR STORY) Thursday night regarding allegations that have been made by unhappy Linn-Mar families against the football program and against members of the coaching staff, specifically assistant coach Matt Casebolt and head coach Bob Forsyth.

The article brought forth a considerable amount of comment in the community, including responses from former players who say they had a favorable experience with the football team.

The unhappy families claim their sons have suffered verbal, mental, emotional and physical abuse while participating in the football program and weight training program at Linn-Mar High School. Five families filed complaints with the school district, but at least 20 families share common grievances and have banded together as a group in an effort to remedy their concerns.

The Linn-Mar school district has dismissed the formal complaints filed by families following an in-house investigation, but those families are in the process of filing a formal complaint with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners about Casebolt, Forsyth and Linn-Mar administrators.

Perfection! Hartzler snares 160 crown

DES MOINES - Shea Hartzler owes Linn-Mar Coach Doug Streicher a debt of gratitude for helping him win the Class 3A state wrestling title Saturday night.

He owes Streicher's wife, Terri, a big thank-you as well.

"Second grade, I had Mrs. Streicher as a teacher," Hartzler related Saturday night after winning his title. "I think it was during the parent-teacher conference, she encouraged my parents to sign me up for wrestling."

A star was born.

Hartzler blanked Jacob Carlson of Mason City, 5-0, in the 160-pound finals before a sellout crowd at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Coach Streicher beamed with pride as Hartzler spoke with reporters and the veteran coach got a big kick out of Hartzler saluting his wife.

Surprising Cougars steal the show

DES MOINES - The Cedar Rapids Kennedy wrestling team surprised a lot of people at the Class 3A state wrestling tournament in Des Moines this week.

They even surprised themselves.

The Cougars surged into a tie for fourth place in the team standings Saturday following the consolation finals at Wells Fargo Arena with just a five-man team.

The Cougars have fared better than all the other Metro teams in the tournament and they've fared better than all the other Mississippi Valley Conference clubs in the tournament.

Nobody saw it coming.

"We turned a lot of heads today," said Nolan Hromidko, who placed third at 126 pounds. "I was surprised myself, actually, when I looked at the standings today, but that's what hard work and determination gets you."