Metro Sports Report

VandenBosch helps Saints make state

WASHINGTON, Iowa - Kasey VandenBosch has attended the state volleyball tournament in Cedar Rapids since she was a little girl.

This time she won't have to buy a ticket.

VandenBosch played a strong match Tuesday night as the ninth-ranked Xavier Saints swept Fairfield, 25-21, 25-13, 25-15, in the Class 4A regional finals on a neutral court in Washington.

The Saints (26-11) will face top-ranked Charles City (42-1) in the opening round of the state tournament next Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena at 6 p.m.

Hempstead holds off Kennedy spikers

MONTICELLO – Kennedy senior stars Lexi Rogers and Jordan Calef played out their hearts Tuesday night, trying to spike their team to a regional final upset of third ranked Dubuque Hempstead.

And gutsy fellow senior Bre Boote literally knocked herself out. Her Cougar career ended when she hit her head on the scorer’s table diving for a ball in the third game of a hard-fought match.

In the end, though, the big hitting Mustangs (29-6) simply overpowered ninth ranked Kennedy (24-13) in four games to advance to next week’s next state tournament at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Prairie vs. Xavier could be a classic

They have the two best quarterbacks in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

They have some of the best receivers.

They have terrific coaches, one a relative newcomer and the other a seasoned veteran.

They have terrific fans.

Their defenses make big plays.

Any way you slice it, Friday's showdown between the surging Prairie Hawks (8-3) and polished Xavier Saints (11-0) could be a football dandy at Saints Field.

Xavier quarterback Reggie Schulte is a lock for the all-state teams and Prairie QB Jace Hanna should get strong consideration as well.

Prairie thievery stuns No. 2 West, 49-28

IOWA CITY -- When Prairie played Iowa City West earlier this season, Jace Hanna leaned on his crutches and watched from the sideline as the Trojans dismantled his Prairie Hawks.

This time around, there were no crutches, and Prairie did the dismantling.

A rejuvenated Prairie team stunned the second-ranked and mistake-prone Trojans, 49-28, Monday night in a Class 4A second round football playoff game.

Prairie (8-3) advances to play No. 3 Xavier (11-0) in Friday night's quarterfinals at Xavier.