Members of the Springville-Central City cross country team will make the 13 1/2-mile run — together — to deliver the game ball for Friday’s football game between Central City and Springville.
The runners — seven boys, five girls — will begin at Central City High School and finish at Springville well before the “Tractor Bowl.”
It is the first year for a merged cross country team. The football teams were combined for a number of years before splitting up. They’re both playing eight-man football now.
“This activity will complete a remarkable season of …

Three Iowa City West wrestlers competed at the Blue Chip Fall Brawl in Kansas City, Mo., last Saturday. Brothers Jack and Garrett Hathaway and Mickey Pelfrey all finished with winning records as members of the Trojan Wrestling club.
Jack Hathaway was runner-up at 112 pounds, posting a 4-1 mark with three pins. He lost in the final to Missouri’s Bricker Dixon, an All-American at Junior Nationals this summer in Fargo N.D.
Garrett Hathaway placed fourth at 135, going 5-2 with a pin and two major decisions.
Pelfrey, a 215-pounder, finished third. He went 3-1, …

IOWA CITY HIGH at C.R. JEFFERSON (Thursday)
Time & place: 7:15 p.m., at Kingston Stadium.
Records: City High is 8-0; Jefferson is 1-7.
What’s at stake: For City High, an unbeaten regular season and the possibility of a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A East playoffs.
 
C.R. KENNEDY at DUBUQUE WAHLERT
Time & place: 7:15 p.m., at the Rock Bowl, Dubuque.
Records: Kennedy is 3-5; Wahlert is 2-6.
What’s at stake: Kennedy guarantees a substate berth with a win. Wahlert could slide into the postseason with a win and some assistance.
 
LINN-MAR at IOWA CITY WEST
Time & …

Decorah golfer Andrew Peter was named Iowa Golf Association Junior Player of the Year. The Vikings senior was the medalist at the Class 3A state tournament in May, shooting an 81-71-152 at the Harvester Golf Club in Rhodes.
In addition to Peter’s prep title, he claimed the IGA Junior Amateur title. Peter distanced himself from the field, carding a 4-under-par 140 at Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines winning by nine shots. According to the IGA press release, Peter was fifth at the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and was one of …

Mount Vernon’s Courtney Kintzel has orally committed to play volleyball at the University of Northern Iowa.
Kintzel is a junior. Her older sister, Shelby, is a freshman at UNI.
A 6-footer, Kintzel averages 2.4 kills per game and is the Mustangs’ leading blocker. She is the third player on the current team (Brianna Strong/Northern Colorado, Ali Stark/Illinois) to commit to a Division-I program.
Mount Vernon is 35-1 and begins Class 2A regional play tonight against Belle Plaine (7-17).

The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school football polls of the 2009 season with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:

Class 4A

Record
Pts
Prv

1. Iowa City High (8)
8-0
134
1

2. West Des Moines Dowling (6)
8-0
132
2

3. Clinton
8-0
106
3

4. Marshalltown
8-0
99
4

5. Ankeny
7-1
84
5

6. Bettendorf
7-1
71
6

7. Marion Linn-Mar
7-1
50
7

8. Fort Dodge
7-1
34
9

9. Cedar Rapids Xavier
6-2
30
10

10. Cedar Falls
6-2
17

Others receiving votes: 11, Urbandale 5. 12, Dubuque Hempstead 4. 13, Cedar Rapids Washington 3. 14, Ottumwa 1.

Class 3A

Record
Pts
Prv

1. Harlan (14)
8-0
140
1

2. Clear Lake
8-0
111
2

3. Carroll
8-0
108
3

4. Centerville
8-0
92
4

5. Marion
8-0
89
5

(tie) Sioux City Heelan
8-0
89
6

7. Williamsburg
7-1
40
8

8. Grinnell
7-1
37
9

9. Maquoketa
7-1
34
7

10. Huxley Ballard
7-1
21
10

Others receiving …

The accolades and honors continue for Iowa City High quarterback A.J. Derby.
Derby, a senior, was nominated to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a national all-star game for high school football players, on Jan. 9, 2010 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. He’s one of 90 top seniors nationally selected for the game.
“I do look forward to it,” Derby said following a news conference Monday at Bates Field. “I not only want to show what I have but what the state of Iowa has to offer.”
Derby, a 6-foot-5, …

Mount Vernon’s path to the U.S. Cellular Center can be summed up in four words.
Take care of business.
The top-rated Mustangs open Class 2A regional volleyball play tonight against Belle Plaine. They’re heavily favored, and they’re heavily favored to reach the state tournament for the third straight year.
“Like I tell my kids, I try to find out what I can on the opponents, the tendencies on what they’re going to do,” said Coach Shirley Ryan. “We’ve got to take care of business on the way we play.”
Mount Vernon (35-1) won the …