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It was getting toward late summer a year ago, and Nick McCool hadn’t received a job offer.
Finally, a call came from Iowa Valley. An elementary PE job. And a varsity head-coaching job.
Just what he wanted. Plus a bonus — the softball team is quite good.

The Tigers take a 13-1 record, the South Iowa Conference lead and a Class 2A No. 11 ranking into their game Tuesday at Belle Plaine.
“This group of girls has really jelled together,” said McCool, who had coached four years of varsity baseball at West …

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We’re about two weeks away from closing applications for the 2009 Gazette Athletes of the Year.
We’re still missing a lot of worthy candidates (list below). Please send nominees to jeff.linder@gazcomm.com.

MALE
MIKE ANDRIES, Cedar Rapids Xavier
ZACH BOHANNON, Linn-Mar
SEAN BRANDHORST, Central City
ALEX BURKLE, North Linn
GAVIN CAVES, Alburnett
DREW CLARK, Marion
KEENAN DAVIS, Cedar Rapids Washington
SAM ELGIN, Center Point-Urbana
DEREK HUENECKE, Lisbon
ABE KOS, Mid-Prairie
JASON McCORMICK, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
ANDREW PORT, Springville
EYASU RUSSELL, Mount Vernon
SCOTT SCHEBLER, Cedar Rapids Prairie
JASON SHUPP, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
KYLE SLAYMAKER, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
FEMALE
AMANDA BURGER, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
ABIGAIL FISHER, North Linn
CHANDA GOEDKEN, Cascade
JADE GRIMM, …