If you follow boys soccer, you know the Metro area is a hotbed for some of the top high school teams in the state.

Linn-Mar, Washington and Xavier have reached the state tournament and will be competing at the Cownie Sports Complex in Des Moines this week, starting with the opening round Thursday.

Kennedy, Prairie and Marion also enjoyed strong seasons this year and the Jefferson J-Hawks had a good squad as well. Six Metro teams were ranked at times during the season, a testament to the high caliber of boys soccer in our area.

The Metro Sports Report has decided to honor all of the boys soccer teams in Cedar Rapids and Marion as the joint winners of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week.

You do not have to be a soccer fan to appreciate the skill, dedication and hard work by these Metro teams. Across the board, boys soccer might be the strongest sport in the Metro area with several clubs that are capable of winning state titles.

The Kennedy Cougars were ranked No. 6 in the final poll of the regular season, which suggests voters thought the Cougars deserved to make the field of eight teams for the state tournament. Unfortunately for Kennedy, it had to face fifth-ranked Washington in the substate finals and lost a hard-fought game, 1-0.

The Metro teams regularly send their graduates to college soccer programs, and you'll undoubtedly see many Metro players on the all-state teams again this year.

The Metro Sports Report also salutes the coaches of these fine Metro teams. The local coaching ranks with the best in the state.