DES MOINES -- A late-night ride home awaited the Xavier Saints.It was bound to be a happy one."It's going to be stupid," senior guard Sarah Dickes said.That's a good thing.Kayla Armstrong played the game of her life Thursday night, posting 22 points, seven assists and ...

Thursday's games at the girls state basketball tournament:CLASS 2A SEMIFINALNo. 14 Maquoketa Valley (20-5) vs. No. 2 Lawton-Bronson (25-1)Time: 1:30 p.m.Coaches: Scot Moenck is 162-69 in 10 years, including 123-41 in seven years at Maquoketa Valley. Trish Martin is 43-7 in two seasons at Lawton-Bronson.Key players: ...

DES MOINES — Sioux City Heelan’s Megan McCarthy set her feet and rose up with confidence.So what if the 5-11 post hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer all season?It is the state tournament, after all, and she drained both tries in Wednesday’s 63-47 Class 4A quarterfinal win ...

The following are 2013 preseason state football rankings, along with league predictions for each district, provided by Jeff Linder of The Gazette/KCRG:CLASS 4ATop 10 2012 W-L 2012 Postseason1. Cedar Rapids Xavier 13-1 4A runner-up2. West Des Moines Dowling 9-3 4A quarterfinalist3. Urbandale 7-3 4A qualifier4. West Des Moines Valley 9-3 4A quarterfinalist5. Southeast Polk 10-3 4A semifinalist6. ...

CEDAR FALLS — Late in the third quarter, Josey Jewell ill-advisedly tried to pick up a punt that had sailed over his head and was bouncing crazily on the UNI-Dome turf.As you’d expect, he failed to field the football cleanly and had to flop on ...

CEDAR RAPIDS -- They were tight. They were tense. They were teetering with trouble."I didn't like the look of our faces," Solon Coach Peter Gustin said. "They weren't the faces of champions."The Spartans had just lost the second game and faced an early 9-1 deficit ...

Team capsules for the Class 4A qualifiers at the state volleyball tournament, in bracket order:No. 9 CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER (26-11)Nickname: SaintsCoach: Barb Sullivan (3rd year, 95-55)Tourney history: 4th appearance. Most recent was 2010, when they made 4A semifinals.Starting lineup:No. Name Ht. Yr. Pos.1 Halle Heying 5-4 Jr. L4 Melissa Everett 6-0 Sr. MH7 Kara Zwanziger  6-0 Jr. MH12 Sarah Homan 5-6 Sr. S 13 Kayla Torson 5-11 So. OH 14  Audrey ...

Next week's Mississippi Valley Conference volleyball opener has gained some serious sizzle.Iowa City High is No. 1 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy No. 2 in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's preseason Class 5A rankings, released Monday afternoon."That's a lot to live up to," Kennedy ...

DECORAH - Way back when, these Decorah Vikings weren't very good."We were pretty mediocre the first half of the season," Coach Dennis Olejniczak admitted.Just look at them now, on the verge of the school's first state baseball championship in 21 years after wiping off Sioux ...

 DES MOINES — No four-peat. Not even close.You’ve got to give Sioux City Heelan its rightful due for a run of championship basketball that bordered on the absurd. But it’s over, thanks to the Western Dubuque Bobcats.“We had 22 straight playoff wins. That’s nothing to ...