CEDAR RAPIDS — The hunter has now become the hunted.
And just as the Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys’ tennis team captured its first state title a year ago, other teams will have the Cougars in their sights in hopes of tracking down that trophy prize.
The Cougars return all six players from the 2008 championship squad and look to defend that title.
A championship brings higher expectations and some added pressure.
 
 
“This year everyone’s going to be out to get us,” Kennedy Coach Jim Loomis said. “It’s probably easier to be the hunter. We’ll …

The Heartland Grapplers are hosting Thursday Night Match night, beginning this week and are looking for wrestlers to join the event.
Sounds like a lot of fun and interesting off-season competition. You can read the full email I received from former Cedar Rapids Kennedy assistant coach Alan Lovell, who is the older brother of current Marshalltown Coach Danny Lovell.
Heartland Grapplers of Marshalltown would like to invite all 8th through 12th grade wrestlers to join us in a Thursday Night Match night starting at 5:30 to 8 p.m., starting April 9 on three mats. …

The Heartland Grapplers are hosting Thursday Night Match night, beginning this week and are looking for wrestlers to join the event.
Sounds like a lot of fun and interesting off-season competition. You can read the full email I received from former Cedar Rapids Kennedy assistant coach Alan Lovell, who is the older brother of current Marshalltown Coach Danny Lovell.

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Mount Vernon will be a classified as 2A in most sports next year.
Monticello is up. Center Point-Urbana and Mount Vernon are down.
That’s the biggest area news found on in the 2009 BEDS Documents, which will determine 2009-10 athletics classification.
There are no changes at the 3A-4A break line … the top 48 schools will remain the same as this year. Cedar Rapids Xavier and Oskaloosa are 47th and 48th. Boone, at No. 49, is the largest 3A school.
The 2A-3A break line is No. 112 in enrollment. Monticello will be …

Received Gary Stamp’s preseason softball media guide for Mount Vernon High School within the last few days. As always, it’s a comprehensive preview with all sorts of stats, conference outlooks, etc. (he likes West Delaware in the Wamac East, Clear Creek Amana in the West, by the way).
 In short, it’s 15 pages of mega-information. Sometimes coaches have to serve as sports information directors of their program, and Stamp had always been unsurpassed in that regard.
Until I saw this.
The mammoth Iowa City West girls’ track and field media guide.
Twenty-four pages that …

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Received Gary Stamp’s preseason softball media guide for Mount Vernon High School within the last few days. As always, it’s a comprehensive preview with all sorts of stats, conference outlooks, etc. (he likes West Delaware in the Wamac East, Clear Creek Amana in the West, by the way).

Gary Stamp

 In short, it’s 15 pages of mega-information. Sometimes coaches have to serve as sports information directors of their program, and Stamp had always been unsurpassed in that regard.
Until I saw this.
The mammoth Iowa City West girls’ track and field media …

Leon “Champ” Martin, Franc Freeman, Jim Craig, Vic Marcucci, Eric Voelker and Mike Chapman will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa during a 1 p.m. event held Saturday, April 18 at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo.

There appears to be other events involved, including a coaches clinic. Below is entire news release from Kent Sesker of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum:

SATURDAY
1A White 78, 1A Gray 66 – Lindsey Reis (Coon Rapids-Bayard) led the winners with 14 points. The White team jumped to a 23-8 lead after one quarter and coasted from there. Jenna Biedenfeld (Clay Central-Everly added 11 points.
2A Select 77, 1A Select 68 — Kelsey Sukovaty (Manson-NW Webster) scored 16 points to lead the 2A team, which blew it open with a 22-8 advantage in the second quarter. Miley Hunziker (Okoboji) and Amber Kirschbaum (Spirit Lake) added 12 apiece. Jessica McDowell of state-champ AGWSR scored 17 for the 1A …

Results are in. Remember, they use that goofy all-score “true-team” scoring.
Team standings
1. Iowa City West 430, 2. C.R. Washington 414.5, 3. Linn-Mar 348.5, 4. C.R. Kennedy 335.5, 5. Bettendorf 329.5, 6. C.R. Xavier 266, 7. (tie) Burlington and C.R. Prairie 230.5, 9. C.R. Jefferson 220.
Event results
Long jump – 1. Hogg (CRW), 20-8; 2. Mere (CRK), 20-0; 3. Rogers (ICW), 19-5 1/2; Shot put — 1. Lichtenberg (Bett), 51-3 3/4; 2. O’Connor (ICW), 47-5; 3. Jacobsen (Bett), 47-2 1/2; Discus — 1. Piche (LM), 141-2; 2. Lichtenberg (Bett), 139-9; 3. Joens …

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Veteran Charles City boys golf coach Ron Turner has a pretty decent idea who his top three golfers are coming into the season.
So far early on in the first few practices of the season, though, he’s working at finding out who will fill out the back half of the lineup as the Comets prepare to start the new season.
Turner listed approximately a dozen names of whom he expects might be in contention at some point this season to crack the varsity lineup.
"I think the varsity spots are pretty …