Linn-Mar High School - Marion, Iowa

Stolley, Mattke named academic all-state

Sat - 28 Jul Written by Metro Sports Report

Jake Stolley of Linn-Mar and Mack Mattke of Xavier have received Honorable Mention on the IHSBCA Academic All-State Teams.

The 26th All-Academic Team was selected by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. The selections were based on outstanding academic, moral and athletic characteristics.

Stolley, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, plans to enroll at Northwestern University and has been invited to join the baseball team as a walk-on.

Mattke, a first baseman, catcher and pitcher, plans to enroll at Purdue and has been invited to join the ballclub as a walk-on.

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Kennedy strolls by Linn-Mar at state, 13-1

Wed - 25 Jul Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - The expected pitcher's duel between Alex Hayden and Jake Stolley turned into an unexpected victory parade for the Kennedy Cougars Wednesday night.

The Cougars took advantage of 10 walks and drubbed Linn-Mar, 13-1, in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state baseball tournament on a warm night at Principal Park in Des Moines.

Hayden and Stolley, two of the best pitchers in the state, matched zeroes for three innings as fans settled back for a low-scoring game, but Kennedy reached Stolley for two runs in the fourth inning and tacked on three more runs in the fifth for a fat 5-0 lead.

It got out of hand from there as the second-ranked Cougars (33-6) advanced to the semifinals Friday night. Linn-Mar retired with a 29-12 mark.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 July 2012 22:16

Cougars, Lions feature premier pitchers

Tue - 24 Jul Written by Jim Ecker

The Kennedy Cougars and Linn-Mar Lions have two of the deepest pitching staffs in the state, a talent pool that would lend itself to an intriguing five-game series to determine the Metro champion or perhaps even the state champ.

Imagine that. A five-game series between the Cougars and Lions, on five straight days, with the first two games at second-ranked Kennedy, the next two games at ninth-ranked Linn-Mar and perhaps the fifth and final game (if necessary) at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

It will never happen, of course. The IHSAA state tournament is a single-elimination event, beginning with the quarterfinals Wednesday when Kennedy and Linn-Mar collide at Principal Park in Des Moines at 6 p.m.

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 July 2012 21:36

Atwater wins $2,000 scholarship at Shrine Bowl

Sat - 21 Jul Written by Jim Ecker

AMES - Linn-Mar graduate Mark Atwater left the 40th Annual Shrine Bowl with two souvenirs Saturday night, one good for his bank account and one painful to his body.

Atwater received a $2,000 scholarship from the Iowa Football Coaches Association based on his desire to become a coach some day, but he also left Jack Trice Stadium with a rib injury. He thinks he may have suffered a broken rib when he was tackled in the first quarter.

"I crunched it and cracked it pretty good," he said. "We're going to see how it feels in a couple of days. It's pretty painful right now."

It was a painful night all around for Atwater and the North squad.

Iowa City West quarterback Charles Rogers put on a show with his legs and arms as the South drubbed the North, 40-7, in the annual all-star game on the Iowa State campus.

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Linn-Mar thrives with 3 head coaches

Thu - 19 Jul Written by Jim Ecker

This has been a magical season for the Linn-Mar baseball team and Coach Chad Lechner with a school record for victories, a Mississippi Valley Conference title and now a trip to the Class 4A state tournament next week.

It's also been a magical season for Linn-Mar's two other "head" coaches who have helped guide the Lions this year.

Lechner quickly credits Kyle Rodenkirk and Brent Henry for the pivotal roles they've played as assistant coaches with the Lions. A year ago, Rodenkirk was the young head coach at Anamosa and Henry was the interim head coach at Cedar Rapids Washington.

They've joined forces with Rob Sturenfeldt, the fourth member of the varsity staff, to help produce one of the best seasons in school history.

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