Metro Sports Report

J-Hawks push No. 1 Rams before falling

Nobody can accuse Jason Edwards of ducking the best competition he can find.

In his first game as the new girls basketball coach at Jefferson High School, Edwards accepted the challenge of playing top-ranked Southeast Polk because he wanted to see where the J-Hawks stand in their development.

The J-Hawks measured up fairly well.

Jefferson gave Southeast Polk a good battle for more than three quarters Friday night before falling short, 74-47, in the season opener at Jefferson.

The journey from Kenya to Kirkwood

With a slender 6-foot-2 frame and a regal bearing, Kirkwood sophomore Friday Chuol may not look the part of fierce guardian of the basket – at least at first glance.

She’s plenty tough, says women's basketball coach Kim Muhl. “She’s a survivor.”

Compared to most of her teammates and opponents, Chuol’s basketball resume is short – but her life experience is long and arduous.

Long-Distance Cheering: A Daughter Competes

Many parents know the thrill and the agony of watching their children compete in sporting events. Parents of 10-year-old soccer players roam the sidelines, shouting praise. Some fathers (and mothers, too) make fools of themselves at community league games. Parents of high school players sit in the stands, aching when their child makes a mistake, glowing when he or she excels.  A relative few watch their offspring perform on television, praying they don’t get hurt.

As long as your child competes, those feelings persist. Recently I sat in front of a computer to track my daughter’s progress in an Ironman triathlon. I couldn’t see her, but I “watched” for 15 hours, experiencing all the emotions that sweep over parents who actually witness their children’s efforts.

My daughter, Kathleen, was competing in Ironman Florida, held in Panama City, where she would have to swim 2.4 miles, bicycle 112 miles and then run a 26-mile marathon — all in 17 hours or less.

All-state gridders are salty group

The folks who picked the INA all-state football teams this year looked kindly on the Metro area with a whopping 17 selections.

In fact, you could assemble an outstanding team with just those 17 players, although a few of them would have to play both ways.

You could start on offense with Reggie Schulte of Xavier at quarterback. He led the Saints to the Class 4A championship game this year and was one of the most accurate passers in the state.

Corbin Woods of Xavier and Jarred Edmonds of Prairie would give Schulte a pair of premier receivers, and Alex Hillyer of Kennedy would give the Metro all-staters a 1,600-yard rusher in the backfield.

Ethan Herren of Marion would give the Metro club a superb athlete at tight end, someone able to block effectively and catch passes. The offensive line would feature Seth Fahnle of Xavier, Justin Green of Linn-Mar, Austin Holzer of Kennedy and Zach Borens of Marion.