Metro Sports Report

No.1 Saints demolish DeWitt Central

DeWITT – Follow the train.

Cedar Rapids Xavier return man Sean Murphy says all he had to do to find the end zone on his dazzling 96- and 89-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns Friday night was follow the lead of the bevy of Saints blockers clearing and paving the road.

Perhaps only the president had a better security detail Friday as the top-ranked Saints pulverized DeWitt Central, 59-3.

“We got the best work out of our blockers,” Murphy said. “The blockers did all their jobs. I really had the perfect setup.”

For Class 3A opponents, trying to tackle Xavier ballcarriers this fall has been like trying to corral a galloping bull guarded by an army of broncos in a china shop.

Warriors, Lions tangle in 4A showdown

The resurgent Linn-Mar football team has gotten off to a 3-0 start, but the Lions will face their stiffest test of the season Friday night when the No. 2-ranked Washington Warriors invade Linn-Mar Stadium for a Class 4A non-district game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on KGYM 1600-AM/107.5 FM.

Linn-Mar senior quarterback Ryan Schmidt has rushed for 152 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He also has passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns by hitting 19 of 35 passes.

Speedster Perrion Scott has carried the ball 26 times for 287 yards. He scored three touchdowns in the first quarter last week in an easy win at Clinton.

Logan Benter, a running back and linebacker for the No. 9 Lions, missed last week's game with a leg injury, but is expected back this week.

Struggling Cougars fall to PV Spartans

It’s an uphill struggle to say the least for a team to spot the other side 21 points after just one offensive play and expect to win a game.

On homecoming night Friday at Kingston, Kennedy gifted Pleasant Valley three quick touchdowns on a fumble, a busted defensive play and a kickoff return.

The Cougars tried to come back. But it was too little and too late and they fell, 40-28, for their fourth straight loss of the season.

“We just dug ourselves too big of a hole,” said first-year Kennedy Coach Brian White. “It’s been the story of our season. We keep shooting ourself in the foot. We beat ourselves.”

The game wasn’t a minute old when the Cougars’ coughed up the ball at the 25-yard line and the Spartans’ Nate Elsey-Williams ran the recovery back for the first score.

Marion falls at No. 5 Solon

SOLON - The Marion Indians managed only 193 yards of total offense Friday night and lost to fifth-ranked Solon, 21-7, in a Class 3A district football game in Solon.

Kory Walsh carried the ball 12 times for 123 yards to account for most of Marion's output. He scored on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter after the Spartans had taken a 21-0 lead.

"We played hard," said Marion Coach Tony Perkins. "We never gave up.

"We have been decimated by injuries but will continue to work hard throughout the season. We did make some mistakes and two of the touchdowns shouldn't have happened, but I was pleased with our effort."