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 …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Some dreaded the wind. Courtney Fritz embraced it.
“I like it when it’s coming in from the right,” she said. “With the right wind, you can really catch it.”
Fritz caught it.
The Iowa City West thrower broke the Prairie Relays discus record Thursday at John Wall Field, flinging her final attempt 152 feet,  8 inches.
“When it’s windy, you just have to adjust, but you don’t want to change too much,” Fritz said. “If you do, then you’re dealing with a bigger issue.”
A strong wind from the south aided Fritz, but …

DES MOINES – Matt Stocker’s emotions did a 180-degree turn in one day.
Stocker anchored Cedar Rapids Prairie’s 1,600-meter medley relay to a Drake Relays championship Friday.
The Hawks’ quartet of Andy Erenberger, Tom Frieden, Demetrius Harper and Stocker was clocked in 3 minutes, 30.83 seconds.
Prairie competed in the second of three heats, and won it behind Stocker’s 800-meter anchor of 1:53.4. Then it was a matter of waiting and watching as the teams in the so-called fast heat battled it out.
Nobody was faster than the Hawks.
“It looked like the Indianola kid (Brennan …

Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Zach Witte had a disappointing end to his individual season. The 2009 Class 3A 135-pound state finalist didn’t advance out of district, placing behind 145-pound state champion Cody Caldwell of Waverly-Shell Rock and runner-up Gustavo Martinez of Marshalltown.
He was anxious to compete again.
“It kind of (stunk) not to get down there,” Witte said about not reaching traditional state. “Things don’t work your way every time.”
Witte (32-4) rebounded with a fall over Waverly-Shell Rock’s Blake Seehusen in a 50-18 Class 3A State Duals quarterfinal loss by the Hawks …

Northeast Iowa has always been a hotbed of wrestling talent. Don Bosco, Denver-Tripoli and Waverly-Shell Rock have done their part to make the Cedar Valley the epicenter of championship wrestling this season.
All three sit within a 30-mile radius of each other, and claimed team state titles last weekend in Des Moines. They will attempt for a championship sweep at the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Duals tournament today at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Don Bosco and Denver-Tripoli are top seeds in Class 1A and 2A, respectively. Waverly-Shell Rock is second in …

Cedar Rapids Prairie will return to the State Duals tournament. The ninth-ranked Hawks captured a 32-29 victory over No. 4 North Scott in a Class 3A regional dual at Eldridge.
“We wrestled pretty well,” Prairie Coach Blake Williams said. “It was one of the best efforts all year.”
The teams each won seven matches, but the Hawks received pins from state finalist Josh Lambrecht at 215, Casey Becker (130) and Peyton Wagner at 152.
Becker and Wagner were key. Becker came out on top of a scramble in overtime for the fall over …

IOWA CITY — Rebounds are more associated with a different winter sport, but the Iowa City West wrestling team is looking for one.
The Trojans placed a surprising fourth at the traditional state tournament last weekend after having hopes of a championship performance.
West will take its first step of a bounce back in a class 3A regional dual meet tonight against Keokuk at West High School. Competition begins at 7 p.m. Regional dual winners advance to the 3A State Duals tournament Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.
“You never …

DES MOINES — Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Josh Lambrecht and Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Conner Herman have traveled similar paths, and that’s just not the road from Southwest Cedar Rapids to downtown Des Moines.
Herman and Lambrecht suffered disappointing district losses last year that postponed their state tournament debuts. Both used them as motivation and find themselves at the same destination.
Lambrecht and Herman each earned quarterfinal wins last night in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Westside duo have earned a spot on the …

DES MOINES — The most important thing at the state tournament is to win.
For the most part, Iowa City West did a good job collecting wins, however, it wasn’t enough to keep them from being on the outside looking in on the team race.
Second-ranked West went advanced seven wrestlers to the quarterfinals with eight remaining, but are fourth in the team race after the opening day of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. West has 21 points, but Bettendorf has the early …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jake Rizzio’s senior season has been one big headache lately — literally.
The Cedar Rapids Prairie 135-pounder has missed the about a month of the season, battling effects of a concussion, but Rizzio will wrestle in a Class 3A district meet today at Marshalltown.
Wrestlers from across the state in all classes will compete in districts, attempting to advance to the state tournament next week at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Districts begin at noon.
Rizzio suffered a concussion during Waterloo West’s Dan Gable Classic, causing him to miss …