Metro Sports Report

'Accidental' coach helped build program

For a fellow who was a pioneer - though often overlooked - of the tradition-rich Prairie wrestling program, early coach Darrell Bogner is characteristically honest and humble.

“I didn’t know crap about the sport, especially when I started,” says the longtime industrial arts teacher, who came to the high school in its infancy in 1963 and retired in 1991.

A milestone anniversary

Let's take a timeout from the winter sports season as we head into the new year to talk some football.

Several weeks ago I ran into Tyler Gustafson. While we were talking he asked me if I knew what we both were doing five years ago that day. I replied that I had no idea and he then told me that we were both getting ready, in our own ways, for the Class 4A state championship game of 2006.

Tyler was the center for Coach Duane Schulte's team. He recalled nearly every minute of that evening, and where he was at that point. I was getting ready to call the game for KGYM alongside John Hegerty and we were getting ready for our most important game of the year with many people tuning in to hear if the Saints could make history.

To this day, the 2006 Xavier 4A football championship remains one of the most improbable titles in state history and certainly in Metro sports history. The Saints are the only team to win the 4A title as a 3A school. The Saints are now in the 4A classification from an enrollment standpoint, but that wasn't the case in '06 when they were fighting against those 4A schools night in and night out.

No. 1 West runs by Wash in 4th quarter

There weren’t any big surprises at the Democratic Caucus in the Washington High School cafeteria Tuesday night nor in the gymnasium where two of the state’s best girls basketball teams were playing.

We know who the Democrats nominated and we know Iowa City West is still the top 4A team in Iowa.

The super-talented Women of Troy used a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter and won a hard-fought Mississippi Valley Conference game over No. 9 Washington, 78-64.

Fontana unhappy with Kennedy's loss

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball team enjoyed a 20-0 run during the second half against Dubuque Wahlert Tuesday night, but then the Cougars ran out of luck.

Trevor Heitland missed a 3-pointer with one second remaining and Kennedy began the new year with a 52-51 loss to the Golden Eagles in a Mississippi Valley Conference game at Kennedy.