Metro Sports Report

Lions settle for 2nd at state tennis

Linn-Mar senior Brady Anderson's bid for a piece of state tennis history fell a set short Saturday.

Anderson and Trevor McCann lost to David DiLeo and Karl Wenzel in the championship match of the Class 2A state doubles tournament, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Center.

Anderson won the Class 2A state singles title in 2013 and was bidding to become the first player in 16 years to capture a state singles title and doubles title in his career. Hunter Skogman of Linn-Mar was the last player to turn the trick, claiming a doubles crown in 1997 and a singles title in 1998.

Players have to pick their event for the postseason tournament - either singles or doubles - and Anderson wanted to chase a doubles title this year with McCann, his teammate and good friend.

"It's what I wanted to do," Anderson said before the finals. "If we win, it's going to feel great. But even if we don't win, I think it was the right choice."

Wash boots Cougars in intense battle

The Washington and Kennedy boys soccer teams enjoy an intense rivalry that features coaches, players and fans at a feverish pitch.

This time, even one of the Washington ballboys got into the act and was ejected for firing two balls at a Kennedy player.

When the smoke cleared Saturday, the fifth-ranked Warriors claimed a 1-0 victory over the sixth-ranked Cougars at Kingston Stadium for a cherished spot in the Class 3A state tournament.

Washington (14-4) will face Sioux City West (18-1) in the quarterfinals of the state meet Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at the Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines.

The Warriors were clinging to a 1-0 lead in the second half when a Kennedy player, needing the ball for a throw-in, was startled when the Washington ballboy fired one at him from close range. The Cougar could not handle the hot toss, so the ballboy tried again with another fastball that also was too hot to handle.

Enzugusi's OT goal sends Lions to state

It was one of those soccer matches where you were worried if you were a Linn-Mar supporter.

The No. 4 Lions dominated much of the action in Saturday's Class 3A substate final with No. 9 Bettendorf at Linn-Mar Stadium. Linn-Mar had several chances to score in regulation, but found itself heading to overtime in a scoreless tie with the Bulldogs.

"It crept into my head a little bit," admitted Lions Coach Corey Brinkmeyer. "I certainly had faith in the guys and they've proven me right much of the time."

That faith was rewarded early in the first 10-minute overtime when freshman Leroy Enzugusi took a feed from Bobby Charlton at the top of the penalty box and put the ball past Bettendorf keeper Michael Lintz 3:28 into extra time, giving the Lions a 1-0 victory and the school's first state tournament appearance since 2008.

Linn-Mar (17-3) is seeded fifth at state and will play in the state quarterfinals Thursday at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines against No. 4 seed Iowa City High at 5:10 p.m. The Little Hawks beat the Lions, 1-0, in a regular-season game two weeks ago. Bettendorf finishes at 14-5.

Duball's goal sends Saints to state

On the sun-splashed sidelines of the Saints soccer field Saturday afternoon, Xavier Coach Amir Hadzic kept thinking, “Somebody put the ball in the goal.”

At last, in the 55th minute of a scoreless tie, Jerry Duball - the oldest of the three Duball boys on the team - sneaked one past a diving Dubuque Wahlert goal keeper Johnny Klauer from about 10 yards out.

“We were extremely dominant on offense the whole game,” said Saints defensive star Stephen Jones. “We knew it was just a matter of time before we’d score. And Jerry finally did it.”

With the 1-0 substate title, defending Class 2A state champion Xavier returns to the tournament Thursday for the seventh time in Hadzic’s eight years at the helm.