Jefferson's Matt Beer (3) pitches to Marshalltown in the first inning of their substate game at Jefferson on Monday, July 19, 2010, at Jefferson in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mike Kuba has been locking every entrance but one to the Cedar Rapids Jefferson baseball diamond recently. It’s not punishment, but motivation.

Let the J-Hawks head coach explain.

“We’ve started every postseason practice by having the kids walk through our front gate and look at that back board on the press box,” Kuba said. “So that way they know the last time Jefferson has been to state.”

The answer is 1998, believe it or not. A 12-year drought for a program that consistently churns out good players and gets its share of regular-season victories is kind of surprising.

“The people in the jerseys from years past have always been a motivation for us,” said pitcher Matt Beer, after Jefferson’s 3-2, eight-inning win over Marshalltown in a Class 4A substate semifinal last night. “We’ve always just wanted to go to state to represent the west side (of town). And for all the alumni, all the people who wore this jersey before us.”

All it’ll take for these inspired J-Hawks (22-18) to make it to Des Moines’ Principal Park next week is a substate final win Wednesday night at top-ranked Mason City. They know they won’t be favored against a team with a pitcher (Brandon Platts) who throws a 90-mile-per-hour fastball.

But don’t sell them short.

“We just talked about it,” said outfielder Michael Rooney. “We’re underdogs in this. No pressure on us. We’ll just do what we can and hope to win. No one expects us to win but us.”

Rooney drew a leadoff walk to start Jeff’s winning rally in the top of the eighth. Kellen Sweeney — playing just his second game since being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round in June — also walked, and Beer reached to load the bases when Marshalltown first baseman Grant Carnahan slipped trying to field his sacrifice bunt and threw high to first.

A Joby Frey sacrifice fly plated Rooney with the winning run. Marshalltown (21-20) had the tying run on third and winning run on second in the bottom of the inning, but Beer struck out Christian Goodman swinging to end the game.

He threw a complete game, scattering nine hits and whiffing nine. He also picked off the go-ahead run at first base to end the sixth. Catcher Drew Striegel threw out a Bobcat trying to steal second base in the seventh.

“My splitter was dropping really good tonight,” Beer said. “I was able to throw it for strikes and get ahead of the hitters, which really helped. That way I can throw my fastball after that, and it’s harder to hit.”

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Cedar Falls survived a pair of Jefferson home runs in the opener by pounding out nine hits of their own.

Then, in the nightcap, the Tigers (21-10 overall, 16-9 MVC) used a seventh-inning homer by Jake Gallu to clinch the sweep.

Click here to read the entire article from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball coach Larry Niemeyer sits in the dugout before the J-Hawks game against Prairie at the Cedar Rapids Prairie High School softball complex on Tuesday afternoon, June 23, 2009. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball coach Larry Niemeyer was one of the six “Faces in the Crowd” in last week’s issue of Sports Illustrated.

Niemeyer recently earned his 2,000th career win.

Here is a link.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball coach Larry Niemeyer talks with the team before their game against Prairie at the Cedar Rapids Prairie High School softball complex on Tuesday afternoon, June 23, 2009. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Larry Niemeyer’s magic number remains at 6.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson was rained out in its double-header against Cedar Falls on Tuesday. The J-Hawks and the Tigers will play today.

Niemeyer is 1,994-410 in 50 seasons.

Later this week, the J-Hawks (7-2) face Waterloo West in a double-header Thursday at Waterloo, then a home tournament next weekend — Friday against Bondurant-Farrar (3 p.m.) and Southeast Polk (9:30 p.m.), Saturday against Maquoketa (10:30 a.m.) and Solon (6 p.m.).

Kyle Dunn anchors Linn-Mar to victory in the shuttle hurdle relay Friday a Class 4A district track meet Friday at Iowa City West. Dunn also won 110-meter highs and the 400-meter lows. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Bad weather couldn’t stop Kyle Dunn last week.

And a full day’s work couldn’t slow him last night.

Dunn continued to chip away at his 400-meter hurdles time, motoring through a 51.51-second lap at a Class 4A state-qualifying track and field meet last night at Trojan Field.

That ranks No. 4 all-time in Iowa. And he did it in his fourth race of the evening.

The junior credited a teammate.

“My buddy (Nick) Lucas goes really hard for the first 200, and that pushes me a lot,” said Dunn, who had run 51.64 May 7 in the MVC Valley Division meet.

Dunn’s performance — he produced three wins and a second-place — propelled Linn-Mar to the boys’ team title.

The Lions accumulated 140 points. Burlington was second with 137, followed by Iowa City High (127).

The top four boys’ finishers in each event advance to the state meet next Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Linn-Mar will have 16 state entrants, including four by Dunn, who won the 110-meter hurdles, anchored the shuttle hurdle relay to victory and finished second to teammate Aaron Razo in the 400.

“Top four in any event felt like a win today,” Dunn said.

Iowa City West's Jessica Gehrke motors to the 100-meter dash title. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

Linn-Mar also got wins from Mark Jennings in the shot put and its 3,200-meter relay team.

City High edged Iowa City West, 193-188, for the girls’ crown.

“Winning wasn’t the ultimate goal,” said sprinter Ashley Wilkinson. “Our ultimate goal was to go out there and compete and get events through to state.

“Winning is just a cherry on top.”

For the girls, the top two in each event were automatic qualifiers; the 12 next best efforts statewide also qualify in each event.

City High is guaranteed 15 state entrants (winning eight events), West 12 (five wins). Once the cutoffs are announced, the total for both teams should rise substantially.

Wilkinson and West’s Jessica Gehrke traded victories in the sprints.

Gehrke won the 100, Wilkinson the 200.

“I try to break the 200 into two portions — the curve and the straightaway,” Wilkinson said. “I go as hard as I can through the curve, then once I get to the straightaway, I give it all I’ve got.”

Prairie’s Matt Stocker captured the boys’ 1,600 and 800.

Jefferson’s girls struck gold in the 800-meter and sprint medley relays.

At Iowa City West

(The top 2 in each event automatically advance to the state meet, plus the next 12 best times/distances statewide, next week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.)

Teams — 1. Iowa City High 193, 2. Iowa City West 188, 3. Burlington 89, 4. Linn-Mar 83, 5. C.R. Prairie 59, 6. C.R. Jefferson 58, 7. Davenport West 37, 8. Muscatine 26.

Shot put — 1. Micaela Haight (ICW), 45-0; 2. Courtney Fritz (ICW), 41-7 1/2; 3. Alicia Steffany (Burl), 40-6 3/4.

Discus — 1. Courtney Fritz (ICW), 139-9; 2. Amanda Piche (LM), 139-4; 3. Micaela Haight (ICW), 132-9.

High jump — 1. Khanishah Williams (Burl), 5-6; 2. Stephanie Brooks (ICH), 5-1; 3. Virginia Johnson (ICH), 5-1.

Long jump — 1. Jessica Gehrke (ICW), 17-2 3/4; 2. Chelsea Burkle (LM), 16-4 3/4; 3. Chelsea Thayer (LM), 16-4.

3,000 — 1. Meg Richardson (ICH), 10:36.47; 2. Rebecca Rethwisch (ICH), 10:40.23; 3. Carolyn Newhouse (LM), 10:48.24.

3,200 relay — 1. Iowa City High (Stephenson, Langenfeld, Danielson, Yagla), 9:39.89; 2. Iowa City West, 9:51.94; 3. C.R. Jefferson, 9:59.76.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Burlington (Perry, Ita, Peterson, Williams), 1:07.53; 2. Iowa City High, 1:08.03; 3. Iowa City West, 1:08.06.

100 — 1. Jessica Gehrke (ICW), 12.58; 2. Ashley Wilkinson (ICH), 12.76; 3. McKennan Cronbaugh (ICW), 13.02.

Distance medley relay — 1. Iowa City High (Coleman, Yagla, Sullivan, Fagan), 4:15.56; 2. Iowa City West, 4:17.96; 3. C.R. Jefferson, 4:20.92.

400 — 1. Amanda Milne (DW), 59.74; 2. Samantha Kistler (Musc), 1:00.15; 3. Katie Carver (CRP), 1:01.14.

800 relay — 1. C.R. Jefferson (Rattliffe, Broghammer, Rizor, Sindelar), 1:44.81; 2. Iowa City West, 1:45.00; 3. Linn-Mar, 1:45.86.

100 hurdles — 1. Khanishah Williams (Burl), 15.42; 2. Natalie Mason (ICW), 15.90; 3. Tanner Werthmann (DW), 16.26.

800 — 1. Jessica Yagla (ICH), 2:20.43; 2. Jill Stephenson (ICH), 2:21.07; 3. Ally Disterhoft (ICW), 2:23.45.

200 — 1. Ashley Wilkinson (ICH), 25.65; 2. Jessica Gehrke (ICW), 25.74; 3. McKennan Cronbaugh (ICW), 26.35.

400 hurdles — 1. Emily Sotelo (ICH), 1:07.00; 2. Casey Sublett (LM), 1:07.49; 3. Natalie Mason (ICW), 1:08.31.

Sprint medley relay — 1. C.R. Jefferson (Young, Rizor, Rattliffe, Sindelar), 1:51.16; 2. Iowa City West, 1:51.73; 3. Linn-Mar, 1:51.99.

1,500 — 1. Rebecca Rethwisch (ICH), 4:51.72; 2. Emily Fagan (ICH), 4:54.19; 3. Pombie Silverman (ICW), 5:00.74.

400 relay — 1. Iowa City West (Cronbaugh, Hoagland, Williams, Gehrke), 48.91; 2. Iowa City High, 50.06; 3. C.R. Jefferson, 50.61.

1,600 relay – 1. Iowa City High (Yagla, Hynes, Danielson, Sotelo), 4:07.07; 2. C.R. Jefferson, 4:07.43; 3. Iowa City West, 4:08.09.

At Iowa City West

The top 4 in each event advance to the state meet, next week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Teams — 1. Linn-Mar 140, 2. Burlington 137, 3. Iowa City High 127, 4. Iowa City West 91, 5. C.R. Prairie 78, 6. Muscatine 51, 7. C.R. Jefferson 44, 8. Davenport West 30.

Shot put — 1. Mark Jennings (LM), 56-3 3/4; 2. Nick Ganzley (Musc), 52-7 1/2; 3. Jacob Gannon (ICW), 52-6 1/4; 4. Ryan Piche (LM), 52-3 1/4.

Discus — 1. Jacob Gannon (ICW), 179-5; 2. Ryan Piche (LM), 166-8; 3. Sam Joens (CRP), 159-6; 4. Mark Jennings (LM), 156-7.

High jump — 1. Logan Ruffridge (CRJ), 6-4; 2. Griffin Gaeta (Musc), 6-2; 3. Peter Van Voorhis (ICW), 6-0; 4. Jordan Bradley (ICW), 6-0.

Long jump — 1. Bobby Millard (ICH), 20-9 3/4; 2. Richard Bryant (ICW), 20-0 1/2; 3. Jasper Washington (ICH), 19-8 1/2; 4. James Green (DW), 19-7.

3,200 relay — 1. Linn-Mar (Grabau, Gentzler, Starr, Razo), 8:02.19; 2. C.R. Prairie, 8:05.76; 3. Burlington, 8:09.04; 4. Iowa City High, 8:11.25.

3,200 — 1. Marshall Moyer (Burl), 9:30.00; 2. J.T. McCarthy (Burl), 9:30.34; 3. Scott Mittman (ICH), 9:30.78; 4. Chris Robertson (ICH), 9:31.89.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Linn-Mar (Ophoff, Amr, Lucas, Dunn), 58.74; 2. Iowa City High, 59.02; 3. Muscatine, 1:00.87; 4. Davenport West, 1:00.89.

100 — 1. Jordan Webb (Burl), 11.30; 2. Demarcus Chew (Burl), 11.41; 3. Bobby Millard (ICH), 11.56; 4. Aaron Hunter (LM), 11.59.

400 — 1. Aaron Razo (LM), 51.45; 2. Kyle Dunn (LM), 51.46; 3. Jared Hetzler (Musc), 51.87; 4. Matthew Hildebrand (CRJ), 52.05.

800 relay — 1. Burlington (Chew, Webb, Osborn, Simmons), 1:29.54; 2. Iowa City High, 1:31.31; 3. C.R. Prairie, 1:32.70; 4. Muscatine, 1:32.88.

110 hurdles — 1. Kyle Dunn (LM), 15.04; 2. Mason Greer (ICH), 15.45; 3. Brandon Ophoff (LM), 15.55; 4. Lucas Brenneman (ICW), 15.87.

1,600 — 1. Matt Stocker (CRP), 4:28.26; 2. J.T. McCarthy (Burl), 4:28.77; 3. Marshall Moyer (Burl), 4:29.40; 4. Scott Mittman (ICH), 4:29.49.

200 — 1. Jamal Simmons (Burl), 23.30; 2. Aaron Hunter (LM), 23.39; 3. Tim Ritter (ICH), 23.43; 4. Terrance Polk (Burl), 23.52.

400 hurdles — 1. Kyle Dunn (LM), 51.51; 2. Nick Lucas (LM), 55.28; 3. John Chelf (ICH), 55.47; 4. Tom Frieden (CRP), 56.11.

1,600 medley relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Erenberger, Harper, Johnson, Stocker), 3:37.55; 2. Iowa City West, 3:37.72; 3. Burlington, 3:40.37; 4. Iowa City High, 3:41.56.

800 — 1. Matt Stocker (CRP), 1:57.96; 2. Ben Witt (Burl), 1:58.03; 3. Jacob Gerber (CRJ), 1:59.09; 4. Kody Stahle (ICH), 1:59.24. 

400 relay — 1. Burlington (Chew, Webb, Osborn, Simmons), 42.68; 2. Iowa City West, 43.33; 3. Iowa City High, 43.55; 4. Linn-Mar, 43.66.

1,600 relay — 1. Burlington (Polk, Chew, Simmons, Webb), 3:24.94; 2. C.R. Prairie, 3:26.75; 3. Iowa City West, 3:27.03; 4. Linn-Mar, 3:27.45.

With rosters due Monday for Thursday’s Class 1A and 2A district meets, boys’ tennis coaches are challenged to find their best possible lineup.

It turns out that determining lineups for district competition is more complex than filling out a sheet with names. Coaches implore strategy to try to advance as many athletes to the state meet as well as improving the team’s chances to reach team substate.

Coaches and players have to decide whether to compete in singles or doubles play, assessing what is best for both the individual and team.

“It depends on where your individuals finish and how many matches they win and how many points they compile for your team,” Cedar Rapids Washington Coach David Meyer said. “There’s a lot of strategy that goes on.”

The process makes it extremely hard to gauge the meet. It can be a guessing game as to how the field will look. Coaches can get an idea of which direct a player or coach will go, but surprises can occur. Most coaches don’t want to tip their hand, according to Meyer.

“You take six players, but we don’t know where everybody is going to be. That doesn’t come out until the morning of the match,” he said. ”That’s all under lock and key until Thursday morning when we play.”

Meyer, who has coached the Warriors for about five years, recalled a year when the doubles bracket at district was loaded with the teams’ top players. Doubles matches are worth more points to the team score and can be key with the top scoring team advancing to substate and the second- and third-place team moving on to prelim substate.

“It’s a huge strategy thing because you get more points for doubles than singles,” Meyer said. “It’s more advantageous to win doubles matches sometime.”

Washington will vie for state and team substate berths at Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex for district hosted by Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The field also includes Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Xavier and Marshalltown.

“I feel we have a decent chance to finish in the top three, but you have to play well,” Meyer said of the team race. “You still have to step on the court and play your best tennis because we have a really strong district.”

Iowa City High hosts Iowa City West, Burlington, Davenport West, Muscatine and Ottumwa. Linn-Mar heads to Dubuque Senior for a district with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls schools and Dubuque Hempstead.

In class 1A, Marion, Maquoketa and Western Dubuque compete in a district at Davenport Assumption. Decorah, Independence, Oelwein and Union Community are at Waterloo Columbus. South Tama travels to Pella Christian.

The top two district finishers in both doubles and singles move on to the state tournament May 28-29. The 2A state meet is at Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex in Cedar Rapids. Byrne’s Park Tennis Complex in Waterloo will hold the 1A state meet.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Megan Furnish watches a shot during a competition last week. (Julie Koehn/Gazette Communications)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Megan Furnish can compete with the best golfers.

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore proved that well before she swung a club for the J-Hawk varsity team.

Last summer, Furnish showed her potential and she’s continued her solid play in competition during her first season of varsity competition.

“It’s been really fun so far,” Furnish said. “My game’s been pretty good. It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s a good learning experience.”

The ups have outnumbered the downs. She’s contended for medalist honors in almost every event, capturing the top prize four times. She’s been a runner-up medalist three times and finished third at the CRANDIC meet.

Her most recent victory has been her biggest. She shot an 80 to win the MVC Super Meet at The Meadows in Dubuque.

“She played well,” Jefferson Coach Dan Ray said. “She’s a smart golfer. She’s learning course management.”

Furnish is open to suggestions to improve, a willingness Ray says separates the great athletes from the average.

“She’s goal-oriented,” Ray said. “She’s a nice athlete to coach.”

Her first varsity season opened with a boost of confidence. Furnish carded a 38, winning the Jefferson quad by four strokes at Jones Golf Course.

“It was a really good competition,” said Furnish, who had to play junior varsity as a freshman due to open-enrollment rules. “I just kept my head in it and tried to focus on the game. After it was over, think about other meets and try to get better and improve and help the team improve.”

This season’s success is an extension of performances last summer. Furnish, just 15 then, was the runner-up in the 2009 Women’s City Amateur, battling a 36-player field including players in college and older. She also was second in points for Iowa Junior PGA tour events.

Her father, Craig, served as her caddie and watched as she posted a 157, including a 75 in the final round at Ellis Golf Course and tying the low round for the second day.

Megan Furnish

“I just focused on the next shot,” Furnish said. “I really didn’t care about the results until I finished.”

That mindset is in play each meet. Her attention is directed to her game and the immediate swing.

“There are a lot of good girls out there that can shoot a good score,” Furnish said. “You worry about your own score and what’s going on for your next shot.”

In the City Am, Craig was proud of how she competed, but gained appreciation for her approach to the game.

“She puts a lot of things we talked about and what her pro told her into play during competition,” Craig Furnish said. “It’s nice to see … and she applies them to her game.”

Off-season conditioning benefitted her distance, but her strength is the short game. She makes a habit of getting close on her approach with a trusty 56-degree wedge.

“It’s a good scoring opportunity,” Furnish said. “When you get up to 100 yards, you just feel it and hit it.”

More than once, Furnish referenced a helpful support group, including Jefferson girls junior varsity and head boys golf coach Steve Koepke, golf pro Matt Erger, who has worked with her since she started, and her dad, who draws out courses for her.

“When we have a lesson and we’re working on a particular topic, by the time she comes back for the next lesson she’s worked on it enough by herself and so hard by practice that she’s fixed that problem,” said Erger. “She works at it really hard.”

Erger, her caddie for the 2009 United States Golf Association Links U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links qualifier at Ellis, said that tournament showed she was nearly on par with college golfer.

“She’s tournament ready,” Erger said. “I think she knows from competing with some of those other girls she can hold her own.”

The thing that just might define her is her work ethic, especially with all of the time and effort devoted to golf in the off-season.

“She takes pride in what she does,” Ray said. “She works hard on and off the course. No matter what it is she wants to be the best.”

Furnish appears to have mastered the art of balancing work, school and the dedication demanded to do both well.

Not only is Furnish among the best in the Metro and Iowa City area, she also is accomplished in the classroom, owning a grade-point average better than 3.70.

Spring golf presents a bigger challenge for most because of all the classes missed during meets. Responsibility, hard work, dedication and time management are consistent traits in her endeavors.

“What’s true in athletics about a person in athletics is an extension of their personal life,” Furnish said. “They seem pretty cohesive in how she conducts her business in both arenas.”

She also juggles her competitive nature with simply enjoying the game.

“I always try to go out there and win but I also try to have fun at the same time,” Furnish said. “If it doesn’t happen, I still had fun being with the other girls.”

Don’t be deceived. She’s hungry to be one of the best.

“I love to make it to state,” Furnish said. “I’d love to finish in the top five at state and have fun and be able to play with all these girls who are really good and compete with them.”