Metro Sports Report

Mauer embraces Year 2 with Kernels

Mon - 13 Jan Written by Jim Ecker

Jake Mauer is not entirely different from the young ballplayers he had with the Cedar Rapids Kernels last season.

Just like them, he's chasing his dream of reaching the Major Leagues and appearing with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. But unlike them, he's now hoping to reach the big leagues as a Twins coach or manager some day.

Mauer, 35, will be the Kernels' manager again this season in the Class A Midwest League. This will be his seventh year as a skipper for Minnesota in the low minors and like anybody else, he'd like to climb the ladder some day.

Mauer originally hoped to reach the major leagues with the Twins as a player, but an injury ended that dream. Now he'd like to make it another way.

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Kohawks find new home with MSR

Sun - 12 Jan Written by Jim Ecker

Welcome aboard, Kohawks.

We're happy to have you on our team.

As we announced last week, the Metro Sports Report has added Coe College to the growing list of schools and teams that we're covering on our website.

We activated all the Coe tabs on the website Sunday. And although there's not much there yet, there will be soon.

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Jeffery wins Metro Spotlight Award

Sun - 12 Jan Written by Metro Sports Report

Linn-Mar senior Alijah Jeffery is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Jeffery has been one of the top wrestlers in the state during his entire career with the Lions. He placed third at 103 pounds as a freshman in 2011, placed third again at 113 pounds as a sophomore in 2012 and finished fifth at 120 pounds last year as a junior.

Jeffery is ranked No.1 at 120 pounds this year for Linn-Mar and has won more than 150 matches in his careeer. He won all five of his matches Saturday at the Linn-Mar Duals.

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Hobbs wins Metro Spotlight Award

Sun - 12 Jan Written by Metro Sports Report

Cedar Rapids Washington senior Aleena Hobbs is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Hobbs is one of the top basketball players in the Metro area and the fourth-leading scorer in the Mississippi Valley Conference at 17.2 points per game. She also is averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Warriors, who have a 7-3 record.

Hobbs is a versatile player who can play multiple positions on the floor. She has scored in double figures in all 10 games with highs of 24 points against Davenport Central, 23 against Jefferson and 21 against Iowa City West.

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Linn-Mar's Andrew Holladay (black singlet) applies the finishing touches to a pin of Clinton's Justin Guilliams in their 195-pound bout Saturday at the Linn-Mar Duals. The top-ranked Holladay won all five of his matches to run his season's record to 17-0. The Lions beat Clinton for third place. (Photo by Ken Gilchrist)

Holladay helps wounded Lions take 3rd

Sat - 11 Jan Written by Jim Ecker

Andrew Holladay has gotten a little bigger, a little stronger and a little better ever since he joined the Linn-Mar wrestling program as a freshman in 2010.

Now a senior, he's ranked No.3 in Class 3A at 195 pounds with a sparkling 17-0 record after winning all five of his matches Saturday at the Linn-Mar Duals.

Holladay defeated a pair of ranked wrestlers from Ankeny Centennial and Clinton and finished his day with back-to-back pins. It was an impressive performance, but Holladay sounded a little underwhelmed by his achievement.

"It wasn't too bad," he said modestly. "It could have been a little better, though."

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