Metro Sports Report

Serbousek wins Metro Spotlight Award

Mackenzie Serbousek of Cedar Rapids Prairie is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Serbousek, a senior, is a star player for the Prairie soccer team, which is ranked 10th in Class 3A with a 12-3 record for Coach Dave Kea.

Lions take 2nd at state doubles

Denied of their long-time dream of winning a state doubles championship together, Linn-Mar seniors Tim Paulson and Trevor McCann are down but far from out.

Losing the Class 2A tournament final in three sets Saturday after winning the first set over the No. 1 seeded duo from Fort Dodge was tough, Paulson admitted.

“But we’ve got bigger and better things ahead of us,” he said following the 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Dodgers Brian Murman and Jon Bowser. “We want to win the state team title in Ankeny on Tuesday. That’s more important than winning this one.”

With an unblemished 17-0 record and the unanimous top team in the Class 2A polls, the Lions will be the favorite in the four-team field.

“Our goal from day one has been to win the team championship,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Wundrum. “But it was hard for them to lose today. They played really well, the best match they played in the tournament. But they fell a little bit short.”

Johnson lifts Lions by Wash in 2 OT

Linn-Mar's Ben Johnson was bloodied to be sure.

But he was far from deterred by a cut over his left eye suffered in the first half of Saturday's Class 3A boys soccer substate final with Washington at Linn-Mar Stadium.

The senior forward came back after having his wound repaired, his head wrapped by a bandage. Johnson and his Lion teammates were stymied through regulation time and the first overtime by a stingy Warrior defense.

Then just 22 seconds into the second 10-minute overtime Johnson took a slick feed from Leroy Enzugusi and fired it past Washington all-state keeper Gunnar Lenzen to send Linn-Mar back to the state tournament for a second straight year with a 1-0 victory.

Kernels keep pace as Twins soar

These are heady times for the entire Minnesota Twins organization.

The Twins have moved into first place in the American League Central Division and have the best overall record in the entire league, setting the tone for all their farm clubs.

Rochester, their Triple A team, is in first place in the North Division of the International League.

Chattanooga, their Double A outfit, stands in first place in the North Division of the Southern League.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels, their Class A affiliate in the Midwest League, have the second-best overall mark in the MWL and keep finding ways to win games.

Only Fort Myers in the Advanced Class A Florida State League has a losing record in the organization at 24-26, but overall the five teams in the Minnesota Twins system are sporting an impressive 143-105 mark as the calendar turns to June.

The Kernels did their part again Sunday with a 6-5 comeback victory over Clinton in 11 innings before 2,324 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.