Metro Sports Report

Kennedy rally falls short in 4A semis

Kennedy was two points from elimination in the third set of its Class 4A semifinal match against Iowa City West at the state volleyball tournament Friday at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

The Cougars had lost the first two sets and trailed top-ranked West 23-20 in the third set in the best-of-5 match.

But the Cougars clawed back. Senior standout Allie Hutcheson smashed four straight kills and a net violation by West gave the Cougars the third set, 25-23, and the momentum carried over into the fourth set, a 25-15 Kennedy win.

But the magic didn't last.

West won the deciding fifth set, 15-7, and advanced to Saturday's championship.

Happy Valley is a sad place today

The sadness of Happy Valley, and the story that goes with that sadness, brings down Joe Paterno as a man who built a dynasty and saw it crumble in a 24-hour period.

Penn State had to clean house after the Sandusky allegations were brought to the light of the judiciary. Yes, it is a sad story when a man who spends his life as a leader, philanthropist and record-setting football coach goes down this path.

The Big Ten has had to deal with other unpleasant situations in the past. Remember the Woody Hayes slugging episode in the bowl game, where the legendary Ohio State coach slugged a Clemson player and was fired at the end of the game? Woody had built a similar dynasty and all of a sudden it came crashing down.

Then there was the long argument with Bob Knight at Indiana and his ultimate firing. Coach Knight has rebuilt his image somewhat, but the institution still hasn't recovered from that deal.

Finally healthy Furnish signs with Mo. State

Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Megan Furnish was all smiles Wednesday evening as she mingled with family and friends at Airport National Golf Course.

She had several reasons to be happy. For one thing, she's finally healthy again. And for another, she invited everyone to Airport National to watch her sign her national letter-of-intent to play golf at Missouri State next year.

Furnish battled a sore back during the golf season last spring and sprained her ankle during the volleyball season, but those were minor ailments compared to her worrisome battle with Lemierre's Syndrome this fall.

It began as a sore throat and developed into an extremely serious condition.

Stop the rumors: Paige signs with Tar Heels

Marcus Paige heard the rumors this fall, just like everyone else.

They began after Adam Woodbury and Mike Gesell, two of his buddies on the All-Iowa Attack AAU basketball team, committed to play at the University of Iowa.

"I definitely heard it," Paige said Wednesday afternoon. "Adam Woodbury and Gesell are two of my best friends, and when they committed to Iowa the buzz started that I was considering Iowa. That wasn't true."

The rumors can officially end now. Paige signed his national letter-of-intent with North Carolina on Wednesday, honoring the commitment he made to Tar Heels Coach Roy Williams last January.