Metro Sports Report

Ho-hum, Lions roll again, 41-7

Any win is a good win, and winning on homecoming is always special for high school athletes, but there was really nothing special about the Linn-Mar Lions' 41-7 thumping of the Dubuque Senior Rams Friday night at Linn-Mar Stadium.

The No. 5 Lions (6-0) did what they have done all year long, racking up points and yards en route to an easy win.

Linn-Mar rolled up 500 yards of total offense and showed off an explosive, balanced attack against Senior (1-5). The Lions rushed for 269 yards, including 157 from senior Mitch Wantock. Senior Mark Atwater moved the ball through the air, throwing for 223 yards and four touchdowns.

“We just click. When we blocked things right we really hit, they pass protected pretty well all night.” Atwater said. “Andy (Henry) got open and we just throw to him. There were some balls that weren’t thrown great and he just made plays on them.”

After failing to get any points on the opening drive of the game the Lions scored on four straight possessions to take command.

'Little' brother leads the way in Kennedy win

It's not true that the dinner table at the Heitland household slopes away from Trevor and toward younger brother Drew.

It just seems that way.

Kennedy sophomore center Drew Heitland opened holes for his older, smaller brother, Trevor, that produced a pair of touchdowns and the Cougars whitewashed Jefferson, 32-0, Friday night in a Mississippi Valley Conference football game at Kingston Stadium.

Junior Alex Hillyer also rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns for Kennedy. The Cougars (3-3) capitalized on three bad Jefferson snaps out of punt formation that produced a touchdown and two safeties. The Cougars also were the beneficiaries of excellent field position. They had first-half touchdown drives of 65, 29, 16 and 25 yards that helped them to a 30-0 lead by halftime.

The loss extended Jefferson's losing streak to 19 games. The J-Hawks (0-6) own the longest current losing skid in Class 4A.

Brooksie appreciates his week in the spotlight

For yours truly, this has been a week to remember.

It started Tuesday with Mayor Ron Corbett and the City Council proclaiming Friday to be Bob Brooks Day in Cedar Rapids. But that doesn't mean the speed cameras will be turned off.

But I'm very appreciative of the recognition by the City of Cedar Rapids. Having worked here for 68 years, I always felt comfortable and appreciative of the support of the athletes, coaches, administrators, parents and fans.

I never had a great desire to leave, because I enjoyed the pureness of high school athletics. That feeling remains intact today.

As for the program Friday night and the dedication of the Bob Brooks press box at Kingston Stadium, the people behind the scenes have simply been known as the committee. So I would like to take this opportunity publicly to salute them and give them my ultimate thanks for moving this project forward.

They wanted to do it, and through the deliberations of the School Board and Superintendent Dr. Benson, the agreement was made that the press box could be named the Bob Brooks press box.

So here is the list of the committee that spent a year on the project and put this together: Kay and Ron Baty, Cheryl Corey, Tom Ecker, Bill Happel Jr., Jay Peterson, Bill Quinby and Steve Ridge.

Susie and I give them our ultimate thanks. And hopefully in the future, when other generations play at Kingston Stadium, no matter what the sport, they will see and improve the press box and enjoy the athletic experience as much as I did covering it.

Marion stunned by Center Point-Urbana, 24-19

CENTER POINT - The Marion High School playoff express stumbled Friday night, losing to a team that hadn't won a ballgame all season.

Gage Silker picked off an errant Cale Cannoy pass with 1:52 remaining to preserve a 24-19 upset victory for Center Point-Urbana over the Indians.

Center Point-Urbana erased the goose egg next to its name and raised its records to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in Class 3A District 5. Marion fell to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the district.

A tight battle from start to finish saw the Pointers take an early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Brandon Roseberry. Marion countered with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Cannoy to Tyler Gunderson, but the Indians went for two points and were denied.

Roseberry capped an 84-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown scamper to give CP-U a 14-6 advantage. Marion tailback Colton Storla responded with a 5-yard touchdown, but the 2-point conversion failed again and the Indians trailed 14-12.

Roseberry scored his third touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:49 left in the third period, making it 21-12.