Metro Sports Report

Prairie dunks Wash for fast 4-1 getaway

And the Lord said Moses will lead them out of the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Everyone in the packed and raucous student section of the Cedar Rapids Prairie gym Friday night was decked out in brand-spanking-new bright school color shirts emblazoned with "The Orange Sea."

"You know," explained athletic director Rocky Bennett, "as in Moses parted the Red Sea."

Prairie Coach James Moses is, indeed, doing some marvelous things with his young team, guiding them to a 4-1 start in the wake of a 63-35 tidal wave over Cedar Rapids Washington Friday.

The Hawks won only three games all of last year.

J-Hawks down City High at the stripe, 59-55

IOWA CITY -- The varsity game between Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Iowa City High Friday night had a lot to live up to after the double-overtime thriller played in the sophomore game.

The J-Hawk sophomores lost by three and the upperclassmen wanted to reverse course. But it took an intense game as well. The varsity contest didn’t quite go to bonus periods, but it proved to keep the crowd buzzing.

Jefferson took its first lead of the game with five minutes left and won a tight contest, 59-55, in an early season MVC matchup at the Iowa City High gym.

Cougars rally late to beat Xavier boys

Kennedy erased a six-point Xavier lead in the final four minutes of the game and the 10th-ranked Cougars beat the Saints, 54-45, Friday night in a Mississippi Valley Conference boys basketball game at Xavier.

Josh Jahlas knocked down an 8-foot jumper and made 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch as Kennedy used solid ball pressure to force the Saints into crucial turnovers.

Kennedy matmen honor Clark's memory

Brent Paulson lost an assistant coach and good friend. Luke Kremer and Ryan Rodriguez lost a coach they respected and could joke around with in practice. Kyle Clark lost his brother.

Everybody on the Cedar Rapids Kennedy wrestling team has been saddened by the sudden loss of Jeff Clark, the Kennedy assistant coach who died unexpectedly Nov. 27 from a pulmonary embolism in his lungs. He was 34 years old.

They honored Jeff Clark's memory at Kennedy High School Thursday when the Cougars hosted Cedar Washington and Dubuque Senior in a Mississippi Valley Conference meet. The Cougars gave Jeff's parents, John and Karen Clark, a framed photo and plaque during a brief but touching ceremony.

The Cougars also honored Clark's memory by fighting hard and winning both meets, topping Dubuque Senior 45-31 and defeating Washington 41-23. Washington trimmed Dubuque Senior, 37-36.