Metro Sports Report

No.6 KCC women fall to No.2 team

The Kirkwood women's basketball team bumped off a top-5 opponent in the Kirkwood Classic Friday night, but the Eagles were not able to do it again Saturday night.

The sixth-ranked Eagles lost to No. 2 Illinois Central, 76-64, in the final game of the two-day tournament at Johnson Hall Saturday.

Kirkwood defeated No. 5 Parkland, 72-50, Friday night in the first round of the tournament and finished the competitive event with an even split.

Emma Heisler popped in seven 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead Illinois Central against the Eagles Saturday afternoon with an uncanny display of marksmanship.

Knock has Kennedy blood in his veins

Kyle Knock is not much of a dancer.

The Kennedy High School football team dances the Hokey Pokey in the locker room after victories, but maybe his heart's not into it.

Knock, 36, played football at Kennedy and is now the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, but he also played football at Iowa State and is a loyal Cyclone.

The Hokey Pokey is Hayden Fry's old dance at the University of Iowa, so it's a little strange to peek into the Kennedy locker room and seeing Knock going through the paces with the Cougars.

"You put your left leg in, You put your right leg in and you shake it all about," the Cougars sing happily.

Knock looks a little sheepish during his gyrations.

"It's hard on me," he confessed last Friday, laughing and shaking his head after Kennedy beat Washington in the playoffs. "It's hard on me, but the kids love it."

Metro preps sign with favorite colleges

Iowa, Arizona State, Cal-Berkeley.

Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Western Michigan.

Mount Mercy, Upper Iowa, Indiana State.

Those were just some of the schools that expected to receive signatures Wednesday from dozens of high school seniors in the Metro area who plan to continue their athletic careers in college.

The fall signing period for national letters-of-intent began Wednesday and there was plenty of activity at Metro schools.

Linn-Mar honored six college-bound athletes in the media center after school Wednesday as Jordan Bohannon (Iowa basketball), Amber Decker (Iowa track), AJ Geers (Penn wrestling), Stephanie Jenks (Cal-Berkeley track and cross country), Amanda Ollinger (Iowa basketball) and Jared Printy (Western Michigan basketball) signed their national letters.

Cougars fall flat against Cedar Falls

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy volleyball team picked the wrong time to have a flat performance Tuesday afternoon.

The Cougars lost their first two games against Cedar Falls and were not able to fully recover in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers in the opening round of the Class 5A tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Cedar Falls grabbed the first two games, 25-22 and 25-20, to take command. Kennedy rallied for a 25-16 victory in Game 3, but Cedar Falls rolled to a 25-20 verdict in Game 4 for the match.

Kennedy and Cedar Falls met four times this season and the Tigers finished with a 3-1 edge. Kennedy swept the Tigers in a Mississippi Valley Conference match on its way to winning the league crown, but Tuesday's match belonged to Cedar Falls.