Metro Sports Report

Bigger, stronger Evans is surprise winner

Linn-Mar sophomore Josh Evans has bulked up.

He's no longer the little kid who measured 5-foot-4 and 105 pounds last spring during the high school track season.

He's noticeably bigger now.

"I'd say probably 5-foot-6 1/2, maybe 5-7. Probably 110 to 112 pounds," he said Saturday.

Well, maybe "bulked up" isn't the right description, but he's definitely bigger and stronger.

Evans proved it Saturday morning with a convincing victory at the 28th Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational with a 16-minute clocking for five kilometers.

The Lions placed six runners in the top 20 and edged Iowa City West for the team championship, 59-61.

Daniel Murphy finished ninth for Linn-Mar, followed by Tyler Chlystun (13th), Keegan Cook (17th) and Matt Simon (19th). Bryce Poellet finished 20th, but wasn't needed for the team scoring.

Evans hid in the middle of the pack as the field climbed the first hill at Prairie, then began picking off runners.

"I wasn't really expecting to win. I was hoping to get a good time and hang with some of the better guys here," he said. "I was kind of surprised when I was able to pass them."

Carolyn Newhouse takes 3rd at Prairie

Linn-Mar senior Carolyn Newhouse appears to be in considerable pain when she's running, her face contorted in seeming agony, arms pumping as she strains to keep moving along.

Don't be deceived. Running a 4K race is certainly hard work, especially on a hot day, but Newhouse insists she's having a good time while she motors along the course.

"Yeah, I love running," she said Saturday morning after a strong performance at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational.

Armstrong placed third on the gently sloping course at Prairie in 15 minutes, 23 seconds in a good race with some of the top cross country runners in the state.

Lauren Benzing of Solon won the race in a course-record time of 15 minutes, 4 seconds, then needed help from a meet official when her legs got wobbly after she crossed the finish line.

Allison Gregg of Cedar Falls took second in 15:13, then Armstrong finished 10 seconds later.

"It's not as good as I wanted to, because I wanted to be up there with Benzing and Gregg," Armstrong remarked, "but I'm still pretty happy with it."

Cedar Falls nipped Linn-Mar, 57-59, for the team championship even though the Lions had three runners finish in the top-7. Brooklynn Kascel placed fifth for Linn-Mar in 15:42 and Morgan Uridil was seventh in 15:56.

Cedar Falls won the race with slightly better depth.

Sharp Saints overwhelm Cougars

The Battle for 42nd Street turned out to be more of a pillow fight than a brawl Friday night at Kingston Stadium.

Xavier junior Reggie Schulte threw three touchdown passes and senior Carter Valentine ran for 152 yards to lead the No. 10 Saints past Kennedy, 28-0, in a Mississippi Valley Conference football opener.

Both teams lost a lot of key personnel from last year's teams, which both qualified for the playoffs. Kennedy beat Xavier, 11-7, in the playoffs after getting blown out by the Saints 35-7 in the season opener.

The Saints functioned like a team composed of veterans on both sides of the ball Friday. Xavier had 434 yards of total offense to just 142 for Kennedy. The Cougars had only 19 yards through the first three quarters.

"We just tried to execute. We preached all summer long to just do your job," Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said.

"That is a good team," Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis said of Xavier. "They do what they do very well."

What the Saints do best is run downhill behind a talented offensive line.

Tovey, Heald star as Warriors foil Prairie

Flynn Heald never panicked when A.J. Puk quit the Cedar Rapids Washington football team three weeks ago.

Heald and Puk are buddies, but he was confident Braedon Tovey could take over at quarterback and give the Warriors a chance to win games.

He was exactly right.

Tovey passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns Friday night as the Warriors spanked Cedar Rapids Prairie, 51-26, in the Mississippi Valley Conference opener on the new artificial turf at Prairie's John Wall Field.

Washington spoiled Mike Morrissey's debut as Prairie's head coach and served notice that it's still a dangerous team without Puk and injured tailback Will Griffin.

Heald caught nine balls for 238 yards and snared both of Tovey's TD passes as Washington rolled up 502 yards and 23 first downs.

"Braedon is a great leader, and he just does everything right," Heald said. "He does everything well in the classroom as well as on the football field. And as you saw tonight, he did exactly what he was supposed to do."