Metro Sports Report

The McCann brothers from Linn-Mar found themselves on opposite sides of the net Thursday in a the Class 2A district doubles championship at Linn-Mar. Tyler McCann (foreground) and teammate Brady Anderson beat Trevor McCann (far court, far left) and John Kuster. (Photo by Margaret O'Banion)

Galbraith, Linn-Mar cop district tennis titles

Thu - 10 May Written by Tom Fruehling

Brotherly love stopped at the net on the Linn-Mar tennis courts Thursday as the Lions' doubles team led by senior Tyler McCann trounced kid brother Trevor’s duo, 6-1, 6-1, to claim a district championship.

Putting both of its doubles teams in the finals, however, helped propel Linn-Mar to the team title in the six-team Class 2A field.

In singles competition, Kennedy’s undefeated and top-seeded Riley Galbraith coasted to three lopsided wins for a return to the state tournament, May 25-26 at Veterans Memorial Tennis Center in Cedar Rapids.

Galbraith’s run powered the Cougars to the runner-up spot in the team standings. Dubuque Hempstead came in third.

Share

A Panther pause

Tue - 08 May Written by Scott Unash

I had the opportunity Monday to take part in the 20th Annual UNI Panther Prowl at the Elmcrest Country Club here in Cedar Rapids. The event is a combination meet and greet, and fundraiser for the Panther Scholarship Fund and the UNI Athletic Department.

By the way, congratulations to the two Linn County Scholarship winners for this past year, women's basketball player Katelyn Oney, formerly of Washington, and football player Kaleb Admire, formerly of Jefferson. Each won a $1,000 scholarship given out by the Panther Scholarship Fund.

Share

New college summer hoops league set for C.R.

Wed - 09 May Written by Jim Ecker

A new college summer basketball league will be held in Cedar Rapids this June and July, featuring players from Coe, Mount Mercy and Kirkwood.

The Midnight Hoops College Summer League will run for eight weeks, with games on Sundays at Coe and possibly Mount Mercy.

The plan is to have four teams of seven or eight players apiece. In addition to local college players from Coe, Mount Mercy and Kirkwood, the league will be open to local players who are playing at other colleges and are home for the summer.

There also could be openings for current high school players from the area, depending on their ability and available spots in the league, and for former college players as well.

Jason Pershing, the Midnight Hoops Summer College League director, said they want to keep the quality of play as high as possible.

Share

Kennedy senior Riley Galbraith returns a shot in his match against Washington's Mitch Blades on Tuesday at Kennedy. Galbraith won in straight sets. Galbraith's bid for a return to the state tennis tournament starts Thursday morning at Linn-Mar. (Photo by Ken Gilchrist)

Galbraith facing pivotal time in 2 sports

Wed - 09 May Written by Tom Fruehling

With state tournaments on the line, it’s getting down to crunch time for Kennedy’s Riley Galbraith.

He renews his quest for a state tennis title as the undefeated No. 1 seed in district play Thursday morning at Linn-Mar. Then it’s back to Linn-Mar Thursday night for a soccer match as the Cougars wind down the regular season in hopes of a favorable pairing in the substate tournament.

It’s nothing new for the multi-talented Kennedy senior to juggle the two sports during the same playing season. He’s being doing it since he was six years old. And despite dividing time between the tennis court and the soccer field, he plays both at a very high level.

Galbraith, 18, finished fourth in the state tennis tournament last year but came within two points of making it to the finals. He’ll be a favorite again this year, along with the Des Moines Roosevelt opponent who edged him in an epic rain-delayed five-hour match that started outdoors in the morning and ended indoors at night.

Share