Linn-Mar High School - Marion, Iowa

Finley carries Lions to regional final

Sat - 20 Feb Written by Metro Sports Report

Kamryn Finley scored 20 points to lead the sixth-ranked Linn-Mar girls basketball team to a 56-51 win over Prairie in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday at Linn-Mar.

The Lions (18-4) will face No. 10 West Des Moines Dowling (15-7) in a regional final at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Linn-Mar.

Brittney Lancial scored 11 points for the Linn-Mar, and Amanda Ollinger added eight.

Sarah Schmitt scored 15 points and Jenna Wagemester had 11 for the Prairie Hawks, who finished 11-12.

PRAIRIE (51): Schmitt 6 2-2 15, Moenk 0 0-0 0, Altenhofen 2 0-0 5, Usher 1 3-3 5, Wagemester 5 1-1 11, Kuch 2 0-0 5, Person 0 0-0 0, Stoffer 2 4-6 8. Totals 18 10-12 51.

LINN-MAR (56): Johnson 0 2-3 2, Akers 2 0-0 6, Frese 1 1-2 3, Lancial 3 2-2 11, Murphy 2 0-0 6, Spies 0 0-0 0, Finley 6 6-8 20, Larson 0 0-0 0, Ollinger 2 3-6 8. Totals 16 14-21 56.

Halftime – Prairie 27, Linn-Mar 26. 3-point goals – Prairie 3 (Schmitt, Altenhofen, Kuch), Linn-Mar 10 (Lancial 3, Akers 2, Murphy 2, Finley 2, Ollinger).

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Logen Rodriguez of Kennedy controls Christian Foote of Pleasant Valley while posting a 12-2 major decision in the semifinals of the Class 3A wrestling tournament Friday night. (MSR photo by Ken Gilchrist).

4 Metro grapplers eye state titles

Fri - 19 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - The emotions will be churning for four Metro wrestlers Saturday night when they join the Parade of Champions at Wells Fargo Arena prior to the final round of the Class 3A state tournament in Des Moines.

But first, they needed to calm their nerves and try to get a good night's sleep Friday after winning in the semifinals.

"Some nights I don't sleep at all and some other nights I'll sleep like a baby," said Taylor Mehmen of Prairie, who will be gunning for the 195-pound crown. "I guess we'll see when I get back to the hotel."

Clint Lembeck of Xavier (138), Logan Rodriguez of Kennedy (152) and Shea Hartzler of Linn-Mar (160) also will be battling for state crowns Saturday night.

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Last Updated on Friday, 19 February 2016 22:20

Tyler Mehmen (right) of Prairie drives Hayden Waldstein of Lewis Central to the mat for a takedown in their 195-pound match in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament Friday morning. Mehmen won, 13-2. (MSR photo by Ken Gilchrist).

6 Metro wrestlers make 3A semifinals

Fri - 19 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

DES MOINES - Six wrestlers from Metro high schools won their matches in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament Friday morning and will wrestle in the semifinals Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Sam Uthoff of Prairie (132), Clint Lembeck of Xavier (138), Josh Gehrke of Xavier (145), Logen Rodriguez of Kennedy (152), Shea Hartzler of Linn-Mar (160) and Taylor Mehmen of Prairie (195) are now two victories away from winning a coveted state title.

The Prairie Hawks are tied for fourth in the team standings with 39 points heading into Friday night's action. Kennedy is ninth with 31 points. Xavier is 19th with 19.5 points. Jefferson and Linn-Mar are tied for 20th with 20 points.

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Last Updated on Friday, 19 February 2016 15:08

Jordan Bohannon (middle) poses with teammates Jordan Brandt (left) and Riley Murphy (right) after Linn-Mar defeated Waterloo West on Thursday night to finish the regular season with a seven-game winning streak. (MSR photo by Margaret O'Banion).

Bohannon climbs to 3rd as Lions roll

Thu - 18 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

The top three scorers in the long and storied history of Metro boys basketball have all played for Linn-Mar.

Their names are Marcus Paige, Jason Bohannon and Jordan Bohannon.

Jordan Bohannon joined the prestigious list Thursday night when he scored 15 points to help the 10th-ranked Lions defeat Waterloo West, 91-76, in an entertaining Mississippi Valley Conference game at Linn-Mar.

The potent Lions finished the regular season with a seven-game winning streak and will carry a 16-5 record into the Class 4A substate tournament next week.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 18 February 2016 23:35

Linn-Mar head football coach Bob Forsyth

Linn-Mar families filing complaints with BOEE

Thu - 18 Feb Written by Jim Ecker

A group of Linn-Mar families has decided to take their complaints about the school's football and weight-training program to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners after having their grievances dismissed by the school district following an in-house investigation.

The families have charged Linn-Mar assistant football coach Matt Casebolt with a series of verbal, mental, emotional and physical abuses and they have charged head coach Bob Forsyth as the person in charge of the football program where the alleged incidents took place.

"The main culprit in our minds is Mr. Casebolt," said Mark Henrichs, the spokesman for the Linn-Mar families. "In my opinion, all of the (varsity) football coaches have to go. They've all seen it. They may not have participated in it, but they've all seen it, they've all covered it up, they've all been quiet."

In addition, the families hold Linn-Mar athletic director Scott Mahmens responsible for being the supervisor of the department.

The families took their complaints to the school district in early December. Four of those families received letters Wednesday from Linn-Mar principal Jeff Gustason, saying their allegations have been investigated and dismissed due to "insufficient evidence."

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Last Updated on Thursday, 18 February 2016 22:04