Metro Sports Report

Renner helps Lions sweep J-Hawks

Sarah Renner was playing for her club volleyball team at a tournament in Omaha last winter when Sally Polhamus, the new head coach at Georgia State, stopped and took a serious look at the 5-foot-11 outside hitter from Linn-Mar.

Polhamus liked what she saw.

"She was walking down the court and saw me playing and decided that she was interested," Renner related Tuesday night. "I went on a visit. And that was that, I guess."

Renner toured the Georgia State campus in Atlanta last March, was offered a scholarship while she was there and accepted a few days later on St. Patrick's Day.

2 young RoughRiders headed to all-star game

Erik Foley and Ryan Larkin are just 17 years old, but they've already reached the Tier I level of junior hockey with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and they've already been selected for a prestigious all-star game.

Foley and Larkin, who both turned 17 in June, will play in the All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, N.Y., this Thursday night before making their debut with the RoughRiders in the season opener Saturday night at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena against Dubuque.

The All-American Prospects Game will feature 42 of the top American-born prospects who are eligible for the 2015 NHL draft. The game will be played at the First Niagara Center, home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabers.

Warriors jump to top in 4A football

The people who vote in the high school football polls have been keeping a keen eye on the Washington Warriors all season.

The Warriors began the year in the No.3 spot in the Class 4A poll in the Des Moines Register rankings. Then they climbed to No. 2 and now they're sitting all alone at the top of the poll after demolishing then-No. 9 Linn-Mar, 43-3, Friday night.

Washington got some help in the rankings Friday night from the Lombardi family. Rocky Lombardi, the son of former Washington coach Tony Lombardi, passed for 206 yards and two touchdowns as West Des Moines Valley upset Dowling Catholic, 24-21, an outcome that knocked Dowling out of the No. 1 spot in the poll and opened the door for the Warriors.

Sarah Renner wins Metro Spotlight Award

Linn-Mar senior Sarah Renner is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Renner is an outstanding student-athlete at Linn-Mar who excels in volleyball, track and the classroom, where she carries a 4.1 GPA with a heavy load of Advanced Placement courses.

Renner, 5-foot-11, has been a three-year starter on the Linn-Mar volleyball team. She has contributed to a balanced attack with 55 kills, 163 assists, 67 digs, 42 blocks, five aces and a 94.2 percentage on her serves (81 of 86). The Lions are enjoying a successful season with a 14-5 record.