CEDAR RAPIDS — Kingston Stadium is buzzing with activity this spring. None of it is track-related.
Due to remodeling, reconstruction and the installation of Field Turf at the old stadium on the southwest side of town, the three Cedar Rapids Community high schools have opted to host their track and field invitationals elsewhere.
“The biggest reason is a safety concern,” said Paul James, athletics director at Cedar Rapids Washington. “You can’t run in Lane 1, because there’s a one- to two-foot dropoff to the inside of the track.”
The John Ask Relays, originally scheduled …

WEST BRANCH — Take a deep breath, West Branch football fans.
It’s just a joke.
Butch Pedersen is not retiring, despite the news at the school’s web site:
http://butchleaveswb.blogspot.com/
The April Fools idea was hatched in the school’s Web Team class, taught by Rebecca Knapp, and approved by Pedersen, the head football coach.
The rumor got out in a hurry this morning.
“I’ve been fielding calls all morning,” Pedersen said. “Parents are all upset. The class wanted something for April 1st. I thought, ‘I don’t know … OK, whatever you want to do.’”
Jordan O’Neil is a junior — …

Sometime in the night, this blog received its 50,000th hit.
Thank you. Tell your friends. Tell your family. We’ll continue to grow.

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Despite April Fools reports that he’s retiring, Butch Pedersen said Wednesday he plans to coach football at least 5 more years. (Gazette photo)
WEST BRANCH — Take a deep breath, West Branch football fans.
It’s just a joke.
Butch Pedersen is not retiring, despite the news at the school’s web site:
http://butchleaveswb.blogspot.com/
The April Fools idea was hatched in the school’s Web Team class, taught by Rebecca Knapp, and approved by Pedersen, the head football coach.
The rumor got out in a hurry this morning.
“I’ve been fielding calls all morning,” Pedersen said. “Parents are all upset. …

Sources confirmed today that Cedar Rapids Community School District officials have voted to combine the three public high schools to form one consolidated wrestling program. The new team will be called the Cedar Rapids Couwarhawks. Coaching duties will rotate with Washington’s Matt Hatcher leading the team in December, Kennedy’s Brent Paulson in January and Jefferson’s Dick Briggs coaching in February.
Crossface Chronicles was one of the first to find the following:

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Nashua-Plainfield’s girls track and field team shapes up to have a good mix of sprinters and middle distance runners.
Coach Mark Wilson’s dilemma, though, is that many of this year’s athletes are good at both distances.
Wilson and the team will look to figure out which areas develop into strengths as the season kicks into high gear.
"Some of our better distance runners are some our best sprinters," Wilson said. "There is going to be a lot of playing around few meets."
Wilson and assistant coach Kris Griffith do have some quality …

                   At  Iowa  City
  Teams      —   1. Iowa   City   High   163,  2. C.R.
Washington    102,  3. Davenport     Central    80, 4.
Bettendorf  76, 5. Burlington   68, 6. Mount  Pleas-
ant 42, 7. C.R. Xavier  39, 8. Muscatine    17 
   
Long   jump    —  1. Alexis  Mitchell  (DC),   17-3;
2. Brena  Peterson    (Bur),   15-7   1/2;  3. Stacia
Dean  (Bur),   15-4  1/2;
High   jump    —   1. Khan-ishah Williams   (Bur),  5-2; 2. Stephanie   Brooks (ICH), 5-1;  3. Victoria  Ita (Bur),   5-0;
Shot  put —  1. Majesty    Tutson   (ICH),   38-10;   2. Alissa Martin  (Mus)   35-0  3/4; 3. Kayla   Hyche   (ICH),
32-9;
Discus    —  1. Tutson    (ICH),  127.3;  2. Nia
Epperson    (CRW),     105-1;   3. Amanda      Stahle
(Bett), 104-11 
   
3,000    —    1.  Rebecca     Rethwisch      (ICH),
11:04.62; 2. Maddy    Becker   (CRW),     11:08.24; 3.
Hannah   Kregel  (ICH),   11:28.08;
3,200 relay   —  1. City High Meg    Richardson,    Katie  Langenfeld,
Ashley  Fuller,  Jessica  Yagla)   10:14.28;  2. Bet-
tendorf   10:35.03;  3. Mount     Pleasant   10:53.55;

400 shuttle  hurdle  relay   —   1. Mount    Pleasant
1:11.15; 2. C.R. Washington     1:13.76; 3. Burling-
ton 1:15.18; 100   —  1. Maddy     Halyard    (CRW),
12.90; 2. Ebonie    Butler   (DC),   12.92,  3. Kate
Steingreaber   (CRX),    13.32;    
Distance   medley
—  1. Bettendorf    4:44.31;  2.  C.R.  Washington
4:54.21; 3. Davenport    Central  4:58.14;   400   —  1.
Nicole Miller  (DC),   1:03.33;  2. Lauren   Flahive
(Bett),  1:03.38;  3.  Mariah     Steinburg-Garne
(CRW),    1:06.41;   
800   relay   —    1. Davenport Central  1:49.56;  2. City   High   1:51.37;  3. C.R. Xavier  1:52.84;
100  hurdles   —  1. Layloni   Beard (CRW),   17.28; 2. Brena   Peterson    (Bur),   17.84;
3. …