Linn-Mar High School - Marion, Iowa

Linn-Mar girls join boys at state bowling

Xavier sophomore Tara Trcka has qualified for Thursday's Class 1A bowling meet, and the Linn-Mar girls have qualified as an at-large team for Class 2A meet Friday.

Trcka shot a 388 in Saturday's regional tournament at May City Lane. Her name was not on the list when the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the names of qualifiers Saturday night, although her 388 was better than several of the scores that had been reported as at-large qualifiers. By Sunday, she was on the list.

Trcka is one of 16 qualifiers for the individual championship.  Hope Seyb of Keokuk had the top score in regionals with a 490.

Trcka's cousin, Allie Trcka of Cedar Rapids Jefferson, qualified for the Class 2A individual championship.

Linn-Mar finished third at the Class 2A regional at May City Bowl on Saturday. But both at-large teams to fill out the 10-team tournament field came from that regional. The Lions join regional champ Jefferson and second-place Muscatine in the 2A field.

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Linn-Mar boys bowlers headed to state

It’s clear that if high school girls and boys bowling gets much more popular, the bowling alleys are going to run out of room.

The May City lanes were filled almost to the brim Saturday afternoon, as 22 teams from 11 Eastern Iowa high schools took up all but 10 of the 32 alleys.

But the crowd watching the action took up every bit of space left in the place, standing five and six deep for the Class 1A and Class 2A regional and substate tournaments.

Trying to figure out who’s ahead during the competition is impossible, except for the well-initiated who keep their own score pads.

By late Saturday afternoon, though, the Linn-Mar boys team and the Jefferson girls had pulled off Class 2A upsets and advanced to the state tourney in Des Moines next weekend.

Individually, there were surprises, too. Jefferson’s Jenna Alff took top honors among the Class 2A girls and Dreyson Robe of Linn-Mar claimed the boys title.

The Jefferson boys finished third in the five-team field, and the Linn-Mar girls also took third.

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Stokes, Lions crush J-Hawks again

Kiah Stokes and the Linn-Mar Lions beat up on the Jefferson J-Hawks for a second time this year.  Same song, different verse as Stokes once again outscored the J-Hawks alone to lead the Lions to a 54-22 victory in the Class 4A regional semifinals on Saturday night at Linn-Mar.

Stokes went for 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. She broke the state record of 497 career blocks held by Jessica Nikkel, who played for Lynnville-Sully from 1995 to 1999. Stokes has 500 career blocks.

“It’s pretty amazing to break a state record,” Stokes said. “Hopefully, it will make it harder for the next person to beat it.”

“I am very very proud of her,” Linn-Mar Coach Mike Brandt said. “She deserves it.”

The Lions (20-2) will face Cedar Rapids Xavier (15-7) on Tuesday night in the Jefferson gym with a trip to state on the line. The defending state champion Lions drummed Xavier twice during the regular season.

“It’s going to be who comes to play,” Brandt said. “It’s gonna be a war with them. It always has been. I don’t see it being any different on Tuesday."

Rachel Thrune added six points for the Lions.

Jefferson (8-15) was led by sophomore Taylor Jacobson with eight points. Senior Britteny Steffeny and sophomore Maddie Koolbeck each added six.

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Lions close regular season unbeaten

With their two big men still on the bench with injuries, the Linn-Mar boys sent their 10 seniors off with a bang on Senior Night Thursday in the regular season final by pounding Dubuque Wahlert, 71-50.

The win gave the 4A top-ranked Lions (21-0, 16-0 MVC) their second consecutive undefeated conference season. In the last three years, they are 47-1 in the  Mississippi Valley, the only blemish coming two years ago against Cedar Falls.

"That's a great accomplishment," said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. "I couldn't be happier for our seniors to go out with a win."

Next up is a home game next Friday night against Xavier or Ottumwa as substate tournament play begins.

Robertson said of his two senior stalwarts, 6-foot-6 Ian McBrayer should be ready to suit up. He's been hobbled by a groin injury.

The good news for 6-foot-7 post man Josh Montague is that he will not face surgery for a strained  ligament. Roberston said he's in therapy now and might be back in a couple of weeks if the team continues winning.

In their absence, however, Linn-Mar may have found an able substitute Thursday night in 6-foot-7 sophomore string-bean Derrick Gogg. He came off the bench and more than  held his own against the shorter but far bulkier Wahlert crew around the basket.

The rail-thin Gogg scored eight points but also clogged up the middle on defense and battled for rebounds.

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