Metro Sports Report

Dralle wins Metro Spotlight Award

Cedar Rapids Kennedy junior Tyler Dralle is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Dralle had a monster game for the Cougars in their 20-17 victory over Muscatine in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs last Wednesday night. He carried the ball 46 times for 234 yards and a touchdown as Kennedy advanced to the Sweet 16.

Dralle and Logan Wedo split time at tailback this season, but Dralle was asked to carry a heavy load in the playoffs with Wedo sidelined with a separated shoulder. Dralle, 5-10, 180, welcomed the challenge and Kennedy Coach Brian White compared Dralle to John Riggins, a blue-collar workhorse for the Washington Redskins a generation ago. Dralle does not have great moves or terrific speed, but he'll carry the ball time after time and get key yards.

Tagarelli helps Eagles tag Parkland

WEST BURLINGTON - Joe Tagarelli thinks he's going to have a lot of fun playing basketball for the Kirkwood Eagles this season.

It sure looked that way Friday.

Tagarelli poured in 26 points and snared 13 rebounds as the Eagles topped Parkland College, 78-62, at the Southeastern Classic in West Burlington.

The rugged 6-foot-5 sophomore from Bayside, Wis., hit 10-of-13 shots from the field and cashed all six of his free throws in the season opener.

"I can't thank the guards enough for setting me up perfectly," said Tagarelli. "They were putting it in my hands for easy layups.

"When you have point guards that are going to attack hard like that, it's pretty easy to get those numbers."

Polite nets 20 as No.3 KCC women roll

WEST BURLINGTON - Tyra Polite has several new tattoos on her arms this season with some colorful stars, the word "blessed" and a tribute to her mother.

She also has a new role with the Kirkwood women's basketball team as one of the go-to players on offense.

Polite scored 20 points Friday and hit a pair of 3-pointers as the third-ranked Eagles topped Danville Community College, 71-47, at the Southeastern Classic in West Burlington.

Polite, a 5-foot-9 guard from Upper Darby, Pa., had several tattoos last year, but she's added a few more and has them up and down both of her lanky arms now.

"I think I'm done for this year," she said with a smile after showing off her artwork.

No. 9 Cougars rally to oust Lions, 3-2

The Kennedy Cougars lost the first two games against Linn-Mar Thursday night and trailed 22-18 in the third set when Coach Michelle Goodall called a timeout with her team on the verge of being eliminated from the Class 5A regional volleyball tournament.

She must have said the magic words.

The ninth-ranked Cougars rallied for a dramatic 23-25, 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 15-12 victory in the regional semifinals at Linn-Mar.

Kennedy (28-9) will face third-ranked Dowling in the regional finals at Newton Tuesday night, with the winner claiming a spot in the state tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Goodall challenged her players during that timeout with the Cougars just three points away from extinction.

"I told them in that timeout, 'Who believes we're going to win the next three points?,'" she said. "Three or four of them said, 'Yeah, we're gonna.'"