Metro Sports Report

Linn-Mar, Prairie qualify for regional duals

The regional dual meet wrestling pairings have been announced and Linn-Mar and Prairie will host tournaments on Feb. 8.

Teams were chosen for the dual meet regionals according to their ranking by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches Association. The top 16 teams qualified for regionals. The winners advance to the state dual meet tournament Feb. 15 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Linn-Mar is seeded No. 6 and will host No. 11 Pleasant Valley.

Prairie is seeded No. 5 and will host No. 12 North Scott.

Paterno, Bear Bryant & National Guard

I can't let this week go by without some reflections on the passing of Joe Paterno.

I would presume Joe and I got along so well because we're both the same age. Our birthdays were in the same month and both of us have some longevity behind us.

And that's one thing I would like to touch upon. At the height of his reign, Joe was a national figure in football long before Penn State entered the Big Ten.

Prairie freshman upsets state champion

Prairie freshman Josh Wenger is only 15 years old, so maybe he doesn't know that he's not supposed to beat a state champion who will wrestle at the University of Wisconsin next year.

Maybe he doesn't care.

Wenger clipped Iowa City West senior Phillip Laux, 6-3, at 113 pounds Thursday night during their Mississippi Valley Conference meet in the Prairie gym.

J-Hawks flatten Kennedy, 40-15

It was "good to be blue" Thursday night at the Jefferson gym when the J-Hawks tangled with Kennedy in a makeup Mississippi Valley Conference wrestling meet.

Jefferson got a nice draw starting at 195 pounds, got an early lead and controlled the Cougars all night en route to a 40-15 win.

“The J-Hawks did a nice job tonight” Jefferson Coach Dick Briggs said with a smile. “It is good to be blue. Kennedy is a tough team and it has been awhile since we have beat them.”