Metro Sports Report

No. 1 Pella crushes Saints in 3A semis

CEDAR FALLS - The tulips in Pella will never look as pretty to Xavier football fans after what happened to their beat-up team in the UNI-Dome Thursday night.

In fact, the Saints might want to skip the next few tulip festivals in the old Dutch town entirely.

Pella and all-star quarterback Noah Clayberg proved their No. 1 billing in the state was no fluke Thursday by handing the 10th-ranked Saints their worst loss of the season, 27-0, in the semifinals of the Class 3A playoffs.

The Dutch held Xavier to a grand total of 49 yards of offense, including minus-2 yards on the ground and a skimpy 51 yards through the air (nearly all of it on one play in the fourth quarter).

Meanwhile, Clayberg rushed for 117 yards, passed for 112 yards, had a 35-yard punt return and executed a perfect 33-yard pooch punt to the 1-yard line.

Fronk gets hat trick as Riders win 10th straight

Jiri Fronk made sure he scooped up the puck as he left the ice Friday night.

The Cedar Rapids RoughRider right winger wanted a souvenir of the best night of USHL career. Fronk, a native of Louny in the Czech Republic, finished with a hat trick and and assist as Cedar Rapids' win streak hit 10 with a 7-2 thrashing of Tri-City before 2,206 fans at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Coach Mark Carlson's team, now 13-0-1, 26 points, was the quicker team to the puck all night. None were faster than Fronk and linemates Andrew Oglevie and Erik Foley.

Foley finished with two goals and two assists while Oglevie had three helpers.

"It's a little hard to believe we've only been together (as a line) for two games," Foley said. "It's great playing with them because we are such good friends."

Great comeback by Marion falls short

The Marion Indians staged one of the greatest comebacks in school history Thursday at the state volleyball tournament, but their terrific effort ended in tearful disappointment.

The Indians roared back from a 2-0 deficit against West Delaware in the semifinals of the Class 4A tournament and forced a fifth set, but the two-hour battle of Wamac Conference powers went to the visitors from Manchester.

West Delaware trimmed Marion, 25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 20-25, 15-9, to earn a date with Harlan in the finals Friday afternoon.

The Indians staved off match point in the third set and pushed West Delaware to the limit before retiring with a 34-8 record for the campaign.

"I'm really proud of the girls," said Marion Coach Roxanne Paulsen. "Any time you are down, it's easy to let it go. The girls didn't.

Young Kohawks eager for new season

There are plenty of new topics of conversation with the Coe women's basketball team this season.

Randi (Peterson) Henderson, the head coach, is a newlywed with a new last name. There are six new freshmen on the team. And former Marion High School and Wisconsin star Morgan Paige has joined the Kohawks as a new assistant coach.

Henderson, who starred for the University of Iowa women's baskeball team, married former UI men's basketball player Duez Henderson in September and changed the name on her office door at Eby Fieldhouse.

The Kohawks graduated six seniors who helped Coe finish 16-11 overall last season and 10-4 in the Iowa Conference, and they've been replaced by a half-dozen talented rookies.