Metro Sports Report

Stecker hired the right guy in White

Aaron Stecker could have scoured the entire state for a bright, successful football coach with a sparkling record to become the new coach at Kennedy High School two years ago when Tim Lewis decided to step away from the job.

Instead, Stecker elected to promote Kennedy defensive coordinator Brian White to the top spot, declaring that Kennedy football was not broken and there was no reason to seek an outside cure.

There might have been a few second-guessers last year when White lost his first six games as head coach, but that's a distant memory now with the third-ranked Cougars playing for the Class 4A state title Friday night.

Kennedy (13-0) meets top-ranked Dowling (12-0) in the championship game Friday at 7:06 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Stecker jokingly admits he might have gotten lucky when he picked White for the job, but he knew White and was confident he had the right guy.

"After you've known Brian for awhile, you understand how passionate he is about everything he does," said Stecker, who also hired him as the boys track coach a few years ago and was familiar with his work as a teacher in the classroom.

Hobbs nets 28 as Coe tops Cornell

Aleena Hobbs is one of those rare college basketball players who can play just about any position on the floor and do it well.

She proved it Tuesday night.

Hobbs spent most of her time at power forward Tuesday and finished with a double-double as Coe topped Cornell, 70-59, at Eby Fieldhouse to give Nate Oakland a victory in his first game as head coach.

Hobbs, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Cedar Rapids Washington, scored a career-best 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Kohawks begin their season on a positive note.

Hobbs is also an effective player in the backcourt or on the wings, but the Kohawks needed her close to the basket against the Rams. She made 10 of 13 shots from the field, hit 7 of 10 free throws, dished out two assists, collected one steal and nailed her only 3-pointer.

"She's just so versatile," Oakland said. "She's able to do a lot of things on the interior and on the perimeter. You just have to pick your poison with her."

Hobbs averaged better than 13 points for Coe last year as a freshman. She more than doubled that in her first game as a sophomore.

No. 11 Coe wrestlers nip Central

The 11th-ranked Coe wrestling team trimmed No. 25 Central, 19-18, in an Iowa Conference meet Thursday night at Eby Fieldhouse.

The match score was actually tied, 18-18, but the Kohawks were awarded an extra team point on the second criteria for breaking a tie (points scored during the match).

Farai Sewara, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation in Division III, posted a 5-3 decision at 165 pounds. Ryan Harrington, who is ranked No. 2 at 174, collected a 13-6 verdict at 174.

Shedeck sparks Kohawks past Rams

Marshall Shedeck spent most of last season on the bench for the Coe College basketball team as an understudy to an all-conference performer and produced very modest numbers.

What a difference a year has made.

Shedeck made his first start Tuesday night and stuffed the stat sheet as the Kohawks defeated Cornell, 80-65, at Eby Fieldhouse for their eighth straight victory over the Rams.

Shedeck, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Oxford Junction, finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists as Coe began the season in style. He had a big steal and crowd-pleasing dunk to give the Kohawks a 68-57 lead with 3:43 left to help keep the pesky Rams at bay.

Shedeck averaged only 3.8 minutes per game last season as an understudy behind JT Vonderhaar, who was one of the top players in the Iowa Conference during his career. Vonderhaar graduated and Shedeck has moved smoothly into the starting lineup.