Xavier High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Linn-Mar claims 4A state title

FORT DODGE - Daniel Murphy has lived with a nightmare the past year after collapsing at the state cross country meet in 2013 and needing medical attention.

Now he's living a dream.

Murphy and the Linn-Mar Lions raced to the first state title in school history Saturday when they captured top honors at the Class 4A meet in Fort Dodge.

The Lions nudged Cedar Rapids Prairie, 85-98, in the team standings. Prairie won the state title last year, making it back-to-back crowns for Metro schools.

Murphy finished dead-last in 2013 after he collapsed several times and staggered to the finish line, due to dehydration and a possible virus. Linn-Mar might have challenged Prairie for the state title last year if Murphy had been in top form.

"I felt like I let the team down," he said Saturday.

That's all in the past now. Linn-Mar came home with the top prize this time thanks to Daniel Murphy, Michael Mather, Ryan Murphy, Bryan Fogerty, Jay Halverson and the entire program of coaches, runners, trainers and managers.

"It's amazing," said Murphy, who finished sixth. "That's all you can say. Amazing."

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Xavier, Jeff, Prairie win matches

Xavier, Jefferson and Prairie won their matches in the regional volleyball tournament Thursday night and will play in the regional finals Tuesday.

The Xavier Saints blanked Fairfield, 3-0, and will face Clear Creek-Amana in the Class 4A regional finals at Marengo.

The Jefferson J-Hawks trimmed Marshalltown, 3-2, and will meet Ankeny Centennial in the Class 5A regional finals at Huxley.

The Prairie Hawks shut out Davenport West, 3-0, and will tangle with Iowa City High in the Class 5A regional finals at Linn-Mar.

The regional champions will advance to the state tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Amanda Ollinger collected 35 kills for Jefferson despite battling leg cramps. Avery Guy contributed 49 assists. Sam Kitterman had 22 digs, Maddie Slagle 15 digs, Makenzie Tomkins 17 kills and Autumn Anderson 15 assists.

Kayla Torson led Xavier with 19 kills and 14 digs. Melanie Wertzberger had 20 assists, Rachel Sodawasser 13 assists and Charlotte Richards 10 kills.

Mallory Jones had 16 assists for Prairie. Kendra Gaskill had 15 assists, Kenzie Soeken 14 kills and Megan Sprengeler five aces.

Saints handle Charles City in playoffs

Xavier co-captains Jay Kortemeyer and Nic Ekland have been waiting for a night like this for a long time.

“The two of them have been pals in the weight room together since the sixth grade,” Saints Coach Duane Schulte noted Wednesday night after his team dispatched Charles City, 35-6, in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.

“They have been preparing ever since for their high school football career.“

Xavier will host Waverly-Shell Rock in the second round Monday night.

Kortemeyer, used mostly as a blocking back last year who didn’t touch the ball much, reached the coveted 1,000-yard rushing milestone for the season on his second carry Wednesday.

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Calvin Winker commits to Missouri Western

Calvin Winker of Xavier High School has committed to play college basketball at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo.

Missouri Western is an NCAA Division II school. Winker, a 6-foot-4 guard, made his commitment to Missouri Western Coach Brett Weiberg Tuesday night.

Winker averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds as a junior last season when the Saints finished 15-9.

Adam McDermott, Winker's teammate at Xavier, has committed to North Dakota for next year.

Seth Bonifas of Dubuque Senior and Cole Clearman of Bettendorf are freshmen at Missouri Western this season.