Metro Sports Report

Brizard wins Metro Spotlight Award

Serena Brizard of Linn-Mar is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Brizard, a freshman, helped the Linn-Mar swimming team win the Muscatine Invitational on Saturday.

Brizard captured the 200 individual medley in 2:25.62 and claimed the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.11. She also swam on the victorious 400 freestyle relay.

Eivins wins Metro Spotlight Award

Jared Eivins of Cedar Rapids Jefferson is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Eivins a senior quarterback, rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two TDs Friday night when the J-Hawks defeated Cedar Rapids Prairie, 55-37, in a Class 4A football game at John Wall Field.

Eivins carried the ball 24 times for 102 yards and scored touchdowns from 2, 7 and 3 yards.

Kernels gaining momentum for playoffs

Jake Mauer has a young family waiting for him in Minnesota, but the Midwest League playoffs start Wednesday and the Kernels skipper hopes to stay with his baseball "family" in Cedar Rapids for as long as possible and take a shot at the title.

"To me it's whether I get home in a week or two weeks or three weeks. It doesn't really matter," said Mauer, who has been in Cedar Rapids since early April.

The Kernels clipped Clinton, 3-1, Sunday before 3,065 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium for their third straight victory to gain a little momentum for the playoffs.

The Kernels will host Clinton in the final game of the regular season Monday at noon, then they'll host Quad Cities in the first game of the best-of-3 playoffs Wednesday night.

Cedar Rapids struggled in August with a 12-16 record for the month, including a four-game losing streak from Aug. 14-18 and a five-game skid from Aug. 25-29, but Mauer thinks his club has found its legs again heading into the postseason tournament.

"That's what you hope, that you start playing better," he said. "We weren't too good two weeks ago. We had a tough stretch. For 10 in a row, we were bad.

Linn-Mar wins Wash volleyball title

Youth was served Saturday at the Warrior Volleyball Invitational at Washington High School.

With a number of Metro schools re-stocking their rosters this year with underclassmen, for the most part they acquitted themselves quite well in an 11-team tournament that featured five teams ranked in the top 10 of their class.

Linn-Mar, one of the least experienced of all with just one starting senior, claimed the championship by winning five of its six matches.

Ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, the Lions coasted over Class 3A second-ranked Union, 21-10 and 21-13, in the afternoon final. They also defeated the Knights in three sets in the morning session.

Linn-Mar’s only loss of the day was a 21-13, 21-10 setback to Class 5A powerhouse Johnston in pool play, and that was without the services of 5-foot-11 freshman right side hitter Megan Renner.