Metro Sports Report

Linn-Mar's Ryan Schmidt heads to the end zone in a season-opening win over Prairie on Aug. 29. The Lion senior has been selected at the Metro Player of the Year for 2014. (MSR photo by Ken Gilchrist)

Schmidt tops All-Metro football team

Wed - 17 Dec Written by Metro Sports Report

Linn-Mar quarterback Ryan Schmidt has been named the Player of the Year on the All-Metro football team.

Schmidt topped all Metro players in scoring with 21 touchdowns and led the Lions to a division title in the Mississippi Valley Conference. He passed for 1,541 yards and 14 touchdowns and he ran for 658 yards and 21 TDs.

Washington Coach Paul James and his staff were named the Metro Coach of the Year. The Warriors won 13 straight games and reached the championship game of the Class 4A playoffs before falling to Dowling Catholic.

The All-Metro team was selected by the coaches.

Five Washington players received first-team honors on the 22-man squad. Linn-Mar and Xavier had four first-team picks. Prairie and Jefferson had three first-team berths, Kennedy had two and Marion had one.

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Cole Murdock of Kennedy fires a 3-pointer over two Washington defenders Tuesday night at Kennedy. (MSR photo by Margaret O'Banion)

Murdock helps Cougars hold off Wash

Tue - 16 Dec Written by Jim Ecker

Cole Murdock has already made a name for himself as a premier golfer at the high school level, but the Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior has elevated his game on the basketball floor as well.

Murdock scored 13 points and led the Cougars to a 63-57 victory over the Washington Warriors in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy Tuesday.

Murdock was primarily a shooter and off-guard for Kennedy last year when AJ Carter ran the show, but he's made a smooth transition to the point this season with his ballhandling, passing and shooting.

"He had the skill set last year. He might not have had the confidence," said Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen. "The team puts a lot of faith in him and he's taken over a leadership role."

And make no mistake, Murdock likes running the club.

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Kandis O’Donnell of Washington races past Stephanie Botkin of Kennedy during Tuesday night's game. (Photo by Margaret O'Banion)

O'Donnell helps Wash top No. 10 Cougars

Tue - 16 Dec Written by Jim Ecker

There is life after Dani Franklin and Aleena Hobbs.

The Washington Warriors proved that Tuesday night with a convincing 53-46 victory over 10th-ranked Kennedy in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls basketball game at Kennedy.

Franklin and Hobbs enjoyed prolific careers for the Warriors before heading to college this year, with Franklin at Valparaiso University and Hobbs practically across the street at Coe, but the Warriors still have some arrows in their quiver.

Kandis O'Donnell led Washington with 13 points and six assists Tuesday in their best win of the year.

"I feel very excited," said O'Donnell, a 5-foot-11 senior. "I couldn't be more proud of our team.

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Kirkwood hosts Little Priest Tribal College

Wed - 17 Dec Written by Jim Ecker

The Little Priest Tribal College is a small school with approximately 150 students on its campuses in Winnebago (Neb.) and Sioux City, but the Warriors have big dreams of being able to compete with the other junior colleges in Iowa.

Little Priest became an associate member of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference this year and its women's basketball team will play a regular-season game against Kirkwood at Johnson Hall Thursday night at 5:30.

The school was named after Chief Little Priest, a former chief of the Winnebago Tribe, and is an accredited member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. The Warriors hope to become a full-fledged member of the ICCAC in the future, but they are currently in a probationary phase as they begin athletic competition.

The Little Priest Tribal College women's basketball team is playing a 12-game schedule this season. The Lady Warriors were winless heading into Wednesday night's game at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge.

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