Metro Sports Report

Breitbach’s 21 lead Xavier

Morgan Breitbach had 21 points as the Class 4A No. 13 Xavier girls basketball team clobbered Dubuque Senior 80-42 Tuesday at Xavier.

McKenna Andersen added 15 points for the Saints (4-3), who jumped to an 18-9 lead in the first half.

Dubuque Senior fell to 4-2.

Kernels installing new drainage system

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are confident they've solved their flooding problems by installing a new drainage system at Veterans Memorial Stadium this fall.

The $120,000 project is nearing completion, although it fell behind schedule due to unseasonably cold temperatures in November.

The flooding problem has existed ever since the stadium opened in 2002. When the stadium was built, a 10-inch pipe was installed to drain the entire bowl section of seats and it was not big enough to handle all the water from a heavy storm.

Excess rain water would run down the tunnel behind home plate and into dressing areas.

"Whenever there's a heavy downpour, it exceeds the limit for what that little 10-inch pipe will carry, and that creates flooding into the umpires room and both the visiting and home locker rooms," Kernels General Manager Doug Nelson explained Monday.

Warriors might leave 5 Seasons Duals

The Washington Warriors are thinking about ending their association with the 5 Seasons Duals wrestling tournament in light of manpower issues with the Washington wrestling program.

The Warriors withdrew from Saturday's tournament due to a lack of wrestlers, even though Washington was the co-host with Kennedy High School. Washington fulfilled its role as co-host, but the team did not compete.

"To be honest, we've been trying to get out of that tournament for about five years now," Washington wrestling coach Matt Hatcher said. "It's never been beneficial for our program to be in that tournament."

The 5 Seasons Duals features some of the top wrestling programs in the state.

Brenden Baker wins Metro Spotlight Award

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

Baker is one of the top wrestlers in the state and is a key ingredient for the J-Hawks, who are ranked No. 3 in Class 3A by The Predicament.

Baker missed the first week of the season while recovering from four broken toes on his left foot, suffered in a gymnastics accident three months ago, but he returned to wrestling in fine form.

Baker quickly pinned both of his opponents last Thursday when Jefferson defeated fifth-ranked Iowa City West and seventh-ranked Linn-Mar in a Mississippi Valley Conference double-dual at Iowa City West.

He won the 113-pound title at the Johnston Invitational on Saturday with two more pins and a 2-0 decision in the finals, giving him a 5-0 record with four pins this season.

Baker placed third at the state tournament last season and is currently ranked No. 2 in his weight class. He collected 24 pins last season and is on pace to break the school record for most pins in a career.