CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — For anyone, this qualifies as a hot surge at the right time. For the Linn-Mar Lions, it serves as a sign of hope.
The Lions struck for four runs in the bottom of the first, piled on four more in their last plate appearance and took down Cedar Rapids Washington, 9-1, in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal softball game Saturday night at the Jefferson Softball Complex.
After an uncustomary down year in 2009 and a slow start this season, the Lions (12-24) have won nine of their last …

Rivals.com rates Cedar Rapids Washington’s Alex Carr as the nation’s 48th best cornerback.
Here is a link to www.hawkeyereport.com on Carr.
Carr will be a senior this fall at Washington.

CEDAR RAPIDS — This is the time prep tennis coaches are put to the test.
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 …

From the Iowa Soccer Coaches Association:
B Soccer_WE-5 1 10_Rankings

Cedar Rapids Washington has canceled the Wilkinson Relays boys’ track meet at Kingston Stadium.
It will not be made up.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Sarah Boniface has been on the receiving end of her share of hard tackles this soccer season. That’s the way it is when you’re one of the best players around, an all-state midfielder and the focus of defenses.
But the Cedar Rapids Washington senior has learned to shrug off getting knocked to the ground.
“I think I’ve gotten a lot stronger mentally,” Boniface said, thanking head coach Sean McCoy. “Sean always says that when you get knocked down, you’ve got to (get up) and smile. I’ll be so mad …

The Class 2A district assignments were released by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. They begin May 13. The top two in each districts, in both singles and doubles, advance to the state meets May 28 and 29 in Waterloo (Class 1A) and Cedar Rapids’ Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex (2A).
Cedar Rapids Jefferson hosts a district with Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Xavier and Marshalltown. Iowa City High also hosts a district with Iowa City West, Burlington, Davenport West, Muscatine and Ottumwa. Linn-Mar heads to Dubuque …

DES MOINES — Forty-eight years, girls’ track has been a sanctioned sport in Iowa. Forty-eight years, the girls’ 400-meter relay has been contested at the Drake Relays.
All those years. And nobody has run it as fast as these four Women of Troy ran it Saturday afternoon.
Iowa City West set an all-time Iowa best of 48.10 seconds in blazing to the Drake title. 
“It felt fast,” said anchor Jessica Gehrke. 
It was the fastest ever. West’s effort eclipsed Waukee’s time of 49.15, set last year. 
Fast. But, according to the Women of Troy, they …

IOWA CITY — Bob Askelson walked around Pleasant Valley Golf Course for four hours Wednesday morning. He didn’t hit one ball and wasn’t out to get extra exercise or anything.
He was there to watch and support his daughter, Kimmy.
“I come to as many (meets) as I can,” Askelson said. “Yeah, it was a good choice to come today.”
A real good choice.
Kimmy Askelson did her dad proud with a two-over-par 74 that earned her medalist honors at the nine-school CRANDIC tournament. The Cedar Rapids Xavier junior flirted with even-par until finding …

Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Jarrod Uthoff said Sunday night that Indiana offered him a basketball scholarship earlier Sunday.
It’s the eighth offer for the 6-foot-8 junior: Indiana, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Creighton, Albany, Northern Colorado and Arizona State. Uthoff also met with new Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery on Saturday, but was not offered a scholarship.
“Very exciting,” Uthoff said of the Indiana offer. “It’s the Big 10. It’s an awesome opportunity.”
Uthoff said he has no timetable to make a college decision. He is scheduled to play in “open gyms” for coaches from Iowa, …