Metro Sports Report

Schulte back to work with new hip

Cedar Rapids Xavier Coach Duane Schulte never wanted to talk about injuries or medical problems during the 2012 high school football season, fearing it might jinx his team.

That code of silence included his own medical issue.

Schulte, 51, had full hip-replacement surgery on Monday, Nov. 19, just three days after the Saints played Ankeny for the Class 4A state title in the UNI-Dome.

"That weekend was a whirlwind," he said Monday at school.

Schulte kept his ailment as quiet as possible during the season as the Saints reeled off 13 straight victories on their path to the finals. Some people knew he was ailing, but not many.

Taylor tabbed for IHSBCA Hall of Fame

Don Taylor was given some wise advice a long time ago by George Thomson, his former baseball coach at Roosevelt Junior High School in Cedar Rapids.

Taylor, 64, was a young coach at the time and he asked Thomson for some advice on what it takes to be successful.

"He told me, if you can teach baseball the way it's meant to be played and teach kids to love the game -- and love the kids you coach -- you'll be successful," Taylor related.

Those sage words helped steer Taylor to a stellar career himself.

Taylor will be inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame at the IHSBCA awards banquet on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Sheraton in West Des Moines.

"There are a lot of people in that Hall of Fame that I shouldn't be on the list with," he claimed. "I guess I accept congratulations on behalf of the players and the people who supported baseball where I was at."

Tow enjoys life with No.7 Eagles

Krissi Tow plays on a talented basketball team at Kirkwood Community College and has to take advantage of the opportunities that come her way.

She succeeded Saturday.

Tow scored eight points in eight minutes of the first half to help the seventh-ranked Eagles blast Iowa Lakes Community College, 76-30, at Johnson Hall on the Cedar Rapids campus.

Tow is a 6-foot sophomore from Xavier High School. She's been a role player at Kirkwood, averaging 2.6 points last season and 4.5 points so far this year.

Tow went 2-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the foul line in the first half Saturday. She also grabbed two rebounds.

"The first half she did a nice job," Coach Kim Muhl remarked. "She played the way I thought she could play."

Iowa Lakes trips Kirkwood in OT

Doug Wagemester is accustomed to winning basketball games at Kirkwood Community College. It's become a habit.

He entered his 15th year with the Eagles this season with an impressive record of 390-94, which means a typical year produces a final mark of 28-7.

This year's club will have to improve in a hurry to keep the record going.

The Eagles suffered another tough loss Saturday when they fell to Iowa Lakes Community College, 67-64, in overtime in a conference game at Johnson Hall on the Cedar Rapids campus.

The setback left Kirkwood with a 7-7 overall mark and a 1-1 record in the ICCAC, which is not what the Eagles come to expect.

"We're consistently inconsistent. And we struggle at times scoring the ball," said Wagemester. "We turned the ball over 19 times in our own gym, we give up 18 offensive rebounds and we're shooting 56 percent at the foul line."