Mike Sconsa isn't fooled by his opponent's record, and he isn't comforted by the ease of victory in the last encounter."I'm trying to get that across to my team," said Sconsa, whose fourth-ranked Cascade Cougars (19-2) host Dyersville Beckman (8-13) in a Class 3A quarterfinal ...

CASCADE -- The lead was all but gone. Collapse was lurking around the corner."Yeah, I was getting a little nervous," Haley Dudley said. "But you can't let nerves get the best of you. You have to stay strong."Class 2A fifth-ranked North Linn was super-strong early, suddenly ...

CASCADE -- Using a typically suffocating zone defense, Cascade moved to the head of the pack of the Tri-Rivers boys' basketball race.The Cougars allowed just two points in the second quarter and two more in the third, and defeated North Linn, 42-26, Tuesday night.Haris Takes ...

CASCADE -- North Linn is explosive. Cascade is stingy.And Tuesday's Tri-Rivers Conference girls basketball showdown is a prime example of contrasting tempos."They like to slow the game down, and we like to push the pace," North Linn Coach Brian Wheatley said. "Whoever controls tempo is ...

A winning streak has led to a pink streak in Dennis Roloff's hair.The artificial coloring is a result of a deal he made with his new girls' basketball team, the Mount Vernon Mustangs. Win five in a row, Roloff said, and he'd add a tinge ...

Tuesday's area regional final volleyball matches for Class 5A, 4A and 3A:CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY vs. DUBUQUE HEMPSTEAD (Class 5A)Time and site: 7 p.m., at MonticelloRecords and rankings: Kennedy is 24-12 and ranked ninth; Hempstead is 28-6 and No. 3.Notable: Kennedy is a win away from ...

FORT DODGE -- Last year, Nick Meyers watched as Monticello won a state cross country championship.Saturday, he contributed as the Panthers won another.Monticello did the expected at Lakeside Golf Course, trampling the field for its second straight Class 2A boys crown. The Panthers had five ...

A dozen key area football games for Week 9:IOWA CITY WEST at WATERLOO EASTTime and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at WaterlooRecords and rankings: Class 4A second-ranked West is 8-0 overall, 5-0 MVC Mississippi Division; East is 5-3, 3-2.Notable: West has absolutely steamrolled through the regular season, ...

A dozen key area football games for Week 8:CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE at CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTONTime and site: 7:15 p.m. Thursday, at Kingston StadiumTV: KCRG 9.2Records and rankings: Prairie is 4-3 overall, 2-2 MVC Valley Division; Washington is 2-5, 0-4.Notable: It's far from a given that 3-6 ...

A conglomeration of volleyball notes during a busy week:WAMAC PLAY REACHES BRACKET PHASEThe Wamac Conference tournament will enter bracket play Thursday at Mount Vernon High School. Here are championship pairings, based on Tuesday's pool play:#1 Solon (26-4) vs. #8 Clear Creek Amana (20-11), 5 p.m.#4 ...