Metro Sports Report

Wash tops Little Hawks for district title

Conference champs one year, district champs the next.

The Washington Warriors have a good thing going with their football program these days.

The top-ranked Warriors spanked Iowa City High, 28-7, Thursday night at Kingston Stadium to capture the Class 4A District 6 title a year after claiming the final crown in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

"It feels pretty good," said Washington scatback Tavian Patrick, who scooted for a pair of touchdowns. "Last year we were conference champs, this year we're district champs. I think we've got something good going. We don't need to mess that up.

All of the Class 4A teams in Eastern Iowa switched from conference competition to districts this year. The Warriors surprised folks last season when they captured a league title, but they've been heavy favorites in their district since Day 1 this year.

"We're in a unique situation," said Washington Coach Paul James. "We won the last Valley divisional championship last year in the MVC and we open this year with the first district championship. I think it's a great accomplishment for these kids."

Saints host Regina in premier battle

All of the Class 4A football teams in the Metro area refused to play Xavier when the Saints dropped to Class 3A this year, so the Saints had to get creative and find some willing partners.

They succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

Xavier will host Iowa City Regina Friday night at Saints Field in an intriguing showdown of state powers.

The Saints reached the Class 4A finals in 2012 and 2013 before the advent of district play in Eastern Iowa allowed them to drop safely into their proper enrollment bracket in Class 3A. The Regals, meanwhile, are the premier program in Class 1A and have won four straight state titles under Coach Marv Cook.

Regina saw its 56-game winning streak come to an end against Solon - a Class 3A club - in the season opener this year, but the Regals have won six straight games since then and are averaging 43.4 points per game.

Simpson, Vincent create havoc on defense

JoJo Simpson of Prairie and Connor Vincent of Cedar Rapids Washington have spent a lot of time in enemy backfields this season.

Simpson ranks second in Class 4A in tackles-for-loss with 19 in seven games. Vincent is a half-step behind with 18.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage to rank third in the state.

Ben Boldt of Prairie leads all Metro football players and ranks second in Class 4A with 76 tackles in seven games, an average of nearly 11 stops per game for the Hawks.

Prairie tailback Keagan Pinter continues to lead the Metro in rushing with 886 yards. He ranks fifth in Class 4A in that department. Jay Kortemeyer of Xavier has rushed for 771 yards, Tavian Patrick of Washington has 685 and Perrion Scott of Linn-Mar is next at 604.

Jesse Furrow of Jefferson has passed for 1,042 yards and nine touchdowns. Sammy Lizarraga has thrown for 925 yards and leads the Metro with 10 TD passes. Reid Snitker of Washington has thrown eight touchdown passes.

Linn-Mar quarterback Ryan Schmidt has scored 14 touchdowns in seven games for 84 points. He leads the Metro in scoring and ranks fifth in Class 4A.

No.4 Lions swim by No.8 Cougars

It's hard to find a weakness on the Linn-Mar girls swim team.

The Lions have superstars, good depth and a determination to succeed. Now all they have to do is peak at the right time and they could be in line for high honors at the Mississippi Valley Conference, district and state meets.

The fourth-ranked Lions won 11 of 12 events Tuesday night and topped No. 8 Kennedy, 103-83, at the Linn-Mar Aquatic Center.

The Lions actually captured all 12 events, but their medley relay team was disqualified when one of the Linn-Mar swimmers jumped into the pool a little too soon.

Linn-Mar is ranked seventh or higher in the state in every single event, thanks in great part to super sophs Kelsey Drake and Jenn Jenks. The Lions also have two of the top divers in the state and three strong relay squads.