Metro Sports Report

Hubbell having a blast at Louisville

Ryan Hubbell visited Iowa and Iowa State when he was a senior at Marion High School three years ago, but neither school offered him a football scholarship.

"I had Division II offers, but that was it," he said.

Instead of playing for the Hawkeyes or Cyclones, Hubbell has been playing for one of the top college football teams in the country this year at Louisville.

Jenks runs 3rd at Nike regional meet

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Linn-Mar freshman Stephanie Jenks placed third out of 260 runners at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional Sunday afternoon and qualified for the Nike national meet in Oregon on Dec. 1.

Jenks ran the 5-kilometer course at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 17 minutes, 58.59 seconds in cold, blustery conditions.

The temperature was in the low 20's with a 20 mph wind, putting the wild-chill in single digits. "It was nasty," Linn-Mar Coach Todd Goodell reported.

Saints loading their slingshots for Ankeny

The Xavier Saints are the undisputed champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference this year.

They've played 13 straight MVC opponents and chalked up 13 straight victories, none by less than 17 points. That includes nine straight MVC foes during the regular season and four straight Valley opponents in the playoffs.

It doesn't get any better than that, but now it's time to conquer new worlds.

Xavier stuffs Cedar Falls in semifinals

CEDAR FALLS - Duane Schulte and the Xavier Saints have won 99 football games since the school opened 15 years ago on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids.

If they win their 100th game next Friday, they'll be the Class 4A state champions for the second time in six years.

The third-ranked Saints used big plays and a smothering defense to subdue No. 7 Cedar Falls, 27-6, Friday night before more than 2,000 of their loyal fans who made the trip to the UNI-Dome.

Xavier (13-0) will try to play giant-killer when it faces top-ranked Ankeny (13-0) for the state title in the UNI-Dome next Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:06 p.m.