Metro Sports Report

MVC meets Tuesday to resolve football

It's time for a miracle, a Hail Mary pass, a 3-point shot from 50 feet at the buzzer.

That's probably what it will take to preserve the Mississippi Valley Conference as a football league and forestall the seemingly inevitable switch to Class 4A districts.

Conference officials are scheduled to gather with IHSAA representatives Tuesday morning at Washington High School to discuss the league's future. Most people think it's a foregone conclusion that all the MVC schools will be assigned to districts for next season, but there are a few conference principals and athletic directors who are hopeful of preserving the league.

It seems like an extreme longshot at this point, especially now that the Mississippi Athletic Conference has voted in favor of Class 4A districts, but it's not over until the IHSAA says it's over and that has not happened yet.

Coe College joining MSR lineup

Most of us know that Coe College is a fine liberal arts school right here in Cedar Rapids, but did you know the Kohawks have students from 20 foreign countries?

Did you know the average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.7 on a 4.0 scale?

Did you know that half the 1,400 students are from out of state?

Did you know the annual cost (gulp) to attend Coe is $43,590 if you have to pay the full price, although most students receive financial aid?

I've lived in Cedar Rapids since 1982 and thought I knew a little about the college, but I didn't know any of that stuff.

Metro Spotlight Awards take a holiday

The Metro Spotlight Awards are taking a week off following the holiday break and will resume next Sunday night, Jan. 12.

The Metro Sports Report began its series of Metro Spotlight features in August and has honored 44 student-athletes from the eight Metro high schools in the past five months.

If you'd like to nominate a deserving student for the award, please contact Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The awards are based on athletic accomplishment, academic achievement, citizenship and community service.

Saints foiled at buzzer by 3-pointer

Down 16 points in the third period at home Saturday afternoon to Davenport Assumption, the Xavier boys did everything right the rest of the way to even the score with 14 seconds left in the game.

The gritty come-from-behind effort was all for naught in the end, however, when the Knights' Hunter Grenier swished only his second 3-point attempt of the season as time ran out.

Fitting, perhaps, that the Saints should fall 49-46 on a long-range shot since that's what got them into trouble in the first place. By draining three treys in each of the first two quarters, Assumption (4-4) coasted to a 28-16 halftime lead.

“That was one of the things we had stressed, that we not get beat by the three-ball,” said Xavier Coach Ryan Luehrsmann, “that we not give them any uncontested threes.

“Then, in the first half, a kid (Evan Wadsager) who had been shooting only 17 percent for the year makes three out of three.”