Metro Sports Report

Western Iowa 4A football going to divisions

CEDAR FALLS - Changes are coming to Class 4A football - at least on one side of the state.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association will introduce a hybrid model of district football to the state's largest classification next fall when the 23 teams in the western side of the state divide into four divisions.

Thus, the CIML, as a football conference, is history.

"Western Iowa football as we've known it is done," Johnston athletic director Gary Ross said Saturday morning after the IHSAA's monthly board of control meeting.

Ross, the board's vice chairperson, co-chaired a sub-committee last month that organized a Nov. 3 summit in Boone. The meeting was spurred by an IHSAA survey that revealed 25 of the 47 schools playing 4A football favored a switch to district play.

The strongest push came from CIML schools facing scheduling headaches with the arrival of Ankeny Centennial High School in the fall of 2013 and the league set to split into three divisions of four and another of seven. The greatest resistance came from conference-rooted programs on the east side of the state.

"There's a lot more interest in (district football) than there was before, but it wasn't necessary to go there when the CIML said, 'If you'll schedule us, we're happy, we don't need the help from the east,' " IHSAA executive director Rick Wulkow said.

No. 9 Muscatine escapes Hawks' upset bid

In a fast-paced and entertaining girls basketball season opener, highly regarded Muscatine barely eked out a 66-63 squeaker over newly-energized Prairie Saturday night on the Hawks’ home court.

“It was a fun game to watch,” said Prairie Coach Steve Doser. “We lost, but I’m really pleased with how the girls played.

“We start two sophomores, two juniors and one senior. And the first two girls off the bench are freshmen. So we’re a very young team.

“But we’ve got great chemistry. And I know we’ll keep improving.”

Winners of just four games last year, the Hawks came close to pulling an upset right out of the gate against the Class 4A ninth-ranked Muskies from the Mississippi Athletic Conference.

Prairie dug itself out of an early hole and actually took a lead at 52-50 with five minutes to go.

The Hawks fell back again by six, but then made a late spurt to come within a point at 64-63 with 38 seconds to go.

Jacobson nets 19 for J-Hawks at jamboree

Taylor Jacobson poured in 19 points Friday night as Cedar Rapids Jefferson topped Alburnett, 43-17, in the 31st annual girls basketball jamboree at Kennedy High School.

Rachel Broghammer and Kaitlyn Davidson scored seven points apiece for the J-Hawks. Maddie Koolbeck blocked four shots for Jefferson and scored four points.

Six Metro schools participated in the Jamboree. Each exhibition game consisted of two eight-minute quarters.

Prairie girls have short team and high hopes

Steve Doser has searched all over Ely, Swisher, Shueyville and parts of southwest Cedar Rapids for basketball players who are taller than 5-foot-9.

Finding none, he's happy to coach the hard-working girls he's got at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

"It's been fun," Doser said. "We have a nice young team. We have kids who can put the ball in the hole this year. They're just going to get better and better.

"We're young, but it's a team that can score and a team that can press and they have great team chemistry."

Prairie struggled through a 4-and-18 campaign last year, but the Hawks are looking to climb the ladder with an extremely young squad. Doser started one senior, two juniors and two sophomores in the jamboree at Kennedy Friday night, and his first two subs off the bench were freshmen.