Metro Sports Report

No. 6 Cougars earn date with Wash

Mark Schulz set the tone early for the Kennedy soccer team Thursday when he scored a goal in the opening 35 seconds of the match.

The sixth-ranked Cougars proceeded to dump Waterloo West, 7-0, in the Class 3A substate semifinals at Kingston Stadium.

Kennedy will face No.5 Washington in the substate finals Saturday at noon at Kingston, with the winner claiming a spot in the state tournament.

Ryan Walker scored twice in less than two minutes in the first half as the Cougars grabbed a 3-0 advantage. They led 4-0 at halftime on a goal by Tanner Stewart.

Sameeullah Jung, JJ Reinhart and Josh Warder tallied in the second half for Kennedy.

Killian Magee collected four assists and Andrew Sheeley had three. Reid Botkin, Schulz, Warder, Nikolas Newcamp, Mitch Bobbin, Stewart and Michael Leventhal also had assists.

Kennedy raised its record to 14-4.

Slegers gets back in groove for Kernels

Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Aaron Slegers was not happy with himself after he was torched by the Quad Cities River Bandits in his last outing May 22.

The 6-foot-10 right-hander from Arizona felt a lot better Wednesday night after a strong performance against Wisconsin in a 5-2 victory before 1,143 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Slegers allowed only three hits and one run in six innings as the Kernels (25-28) won their second game in a row.

Slegers gave up 10 runs on 14 hits in just three innings against the River Bandits six days ago in a forgettable game. He looked like a different guy Wednesday, raising his record to 5-2 and dropping his ERA to 4.95.

Aarons leaving KGAN/FOX for California

Jared Aarons was a young, ambitious sports reporter when he moved to Cedar Rapids in 2004 to begin work at KGAN-TV, excited about his new job after spending a few years at a station in Montana.

"When I came here I thought, this is a good job. I could do this for a few years and then make the jump to that top-10 market that everybody is chasing," he said.

That was nearly 10 years ago. He's greatly enjoyed his time at KGAN/CBS2 and FOX 28, but now it's time to say good-bye. Aarons will be moving to California soon. Friday will be his last day on the air here.

"It goes quickly, and at the same time it takes forever," he said. "When I started at KGAN, 10 years was not in my plans. I was 25 when I moved to Iowa."

Aarons grew up in Phoenix. Many of his relatives live in Arizona, California and Colorado. His girlfriend, former KGAN reporter Erika Cervantes, works for a TV station in Fresno, Calif., and Aarons is anxious to continue his relationship with Cervantes and work in California.

"The West Coast has always had a very strong pull on me," he said.

Diehl named Coe women's tennis coach

Coe College Director of Athletics John Chandler has announced the hiring of Kris Diehl as the new head coach of the Kohawk women’s tennis program.

Diehl takes over for Eric Rodgers, who will focus on coaching the men’s program.

A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Diehl came to Coe in the spring of 2010 as an assistant men’s and women’s coach. The Iowa City native was named the Most Valuable Player for the Huskies her sophomore season.

As a junior, she posted a team-best 17 doubles wins and 15 singles victories as she earned the Coaches Award. She was also a member of the Northern Illinois soccer team her senior season, earning a varsity letter in both sports.

“We are pleased to have someone with the background that Kris has leading our program,” Chandler said. “By bringing in Kris to coach the women’s team, it will allow both her and Coach Rodgers to focus on one team apiece. This was the next logical move as the Kohawks continue to compete on the regional and national stage.”