Metro Sports Report

Anderson makes quick impact for Coe

Brady Anderson has made a smooth and successful transition from Linn-Mar High School to the men's tennis program at Coe as a freshman.

Anderson sailed by teammate Alex Bernt, 6-3, 6-0, to win the Flight A singles title at the Iowa Conference tournament at Clark Field Saturday.

Anderson also teamed with Riley Galbraith to captured the Flight A doubles crown with an 8-5 victory over Coe teammates Ryan Hickman and Mark Kroll as the Kohawks dominated the two-day tournament.

Anderson, the state singles champion at Linn-Mar as a junior, edged Galbraith in the semifinals Saturday, 6-3, 6-7, 1-0 (11-9). On Friday, Anderson defeated Matt Knutson of Luther in the Round of 16, 6-1, 6-1, and swept Trent Schneider of Luther in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-1.

Galbraith, a Kennedy grad, defeated Kyle Appel of Luther for third place, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5).

Noah Sprinkel, who normally plays No.1 singles for Coe, is not attending school this semester but plans to enroll for his final semester of competition this winter and spring.

Kohawks fall to Stevens Point, 37-21

Disappointment. Frustration. Surprise.

Those words described the Coe Kohawks after they lost to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 37-21, in a homecoming football game at Clark Field Saturday.

Coe built a 21-14 lead and appeared in good shape late in the first half, but Stevens Point scored 23 unanswered points and blanked the Kohawks in the entire second half.

Coe Coach Steve Staker was surprised his club was unable to score in the second half after putting 21 points on the board in the second period alone.

"Yeah, I am," he said. "I really did not expect that at all. Not at all."

The Kohawks (1-2) drove to the 12-yard line in the final minute of the first half with their 21-14 advantage, looking for a 28-14 cushion with a touchdown or a 24-14 lead with a field goal. Instead, a holding penalty and a sack pushed the Kohawks out of field goal range and they lost the ball on downs at the Stevens Point 30-yard with just 29 seconds left before intermission.

Stevens Point (1-1) quickly completed two passes and got a 47-yard field goal from Jesse Vervelde on the final play of the half to pull within 21-17 at intermission.

Slezak finds new home with Kohawks

Coe College junior Ben Slezak is easy to spot on a football field.

At 341 pounds, he's easily one of the biggest players on the gridiron.

He's also easy to spot off the field, with his long hair and thick, bushy beard.

Slezak, who graduated from Xavier High School in 2011, is starting at right tackle on a rebuilt offensive line for the Kohawks. He was one of their top blockers Saturday in a 37-21 loss to Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Clark Field.

Slezak attended Southwest Minnesota State for two years before deciding to come back home.

“Then I went to Coe," he said Saturday. "I kind of lost some credits when I transferred, so I have another year.”

Coe's offensive line suffered heavy graduation losses from last year, so they've had to put new pieces in place this season.

“It’s tough,” Slezak said. “We’ve got some good guys ... We’ve just been working hard.

No. 2 Warriors belt No. 9 Lions, 43-3

O'Rien Vance had a block party Friday night at Linn-Mar Stadium.

The rangy Cedar Rapids Washington linebacker may have been unknown before the No. 2 Warriors' showdown with No. 9 Linn-Mar. On a team loaded with NCAA Division I-caliber players, Vance showed the overflow crowd he is a star in the making.

Vance blocked a pair of punts that were both scooped up by teammates for touchdowns and the Warriors kept the Linn-Mar offense in check en route to an impressive 43-3 non-district victory.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was also all over the field on defense, making life miserable for Lions quarterback Ryan Schmidt.