Metro Sports Report

Deafness no handicap for Jeff golfer

Jefferson golf coach Steve Koepke has a ready illustration of Eric Lehmkuhl’s knack for rallying his team in challenging situations.

Recalling a brutal 18-hole tournament at Finkbine last season, he says, “It was so windy not even Mary Poppins would have wanted to be on the course. Only a handful of golfers even broke 80. Eric shot a 74. It was phenomenal.”

What made it even more remarkable was that the cochlear implant Lehmkuhl has worn since he was a toddler to counter his congenital deafness magnifies the sound of the wind, creating a distraction that would annoy the most focused of golfers.

It wasn’t the only time Lehmkuhl has stepped up to lead his team, Koepke says.

“He won my Clutch Award last year, because he really did come up clutch a number of times. How an athlete behaves under pressure at a big-time meet tells you what kind of a player he is. He’s not just someone who plays golf. He’s a golfer, and he could be a really good one.”

Currently pacing his team with a 39.6 scoring average, the senior says he never expected to lead Jeff’s golf squad. After all, baseball was always his sport. He has played it competitively since grade school.

He has also played golf from a young age – but just for fun with his dad, who got him some small clubs when he was two or three years old.

Metro coaches say 4A district football coming

Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Tim Lewis is not campaigning for the state to adopt a district formula for Class 4A football, but he's not opposed to the idea either.

In fact, he thinks district football could be a change for the better.

"I'm for it, from the standpoint that the Mississippi Valley Conference is a grind," he said. "It really is."

If a district formula for 4A schools is adopted, it would spell the end of the MVC as a football conference in terms of league standings and all-conference performers.

The Board of Directors of the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) will discuss the topic at its next meeting in Boone on Oct. 13. The board will not vote on district football at that meeting, but it could vote in November or December to install 4A district football for the 2012 campaign.

Surveys were due to the IHSAA office this past Friday. All 47 schools that currently compete in Class 4A football were asked to express their opinion on whether districts should be adopted or not.

"I think it's a done deal, to be honest with you," Lewis said. "I just think it's a matter of time."

The athletic directors at Kennedy, Washington, Jefferson, Linn-Mar and Prairie all said they would vote against district football, but there seems to be growing support in other areas of the state for the new approach.

Josh Evans takes 2nd at Heartland Classic

AMES - Linn-Mar sophomore Josh Evans beat the top-ranked runners in Iowa Saturday and finished second at the prestigious Heartland Classic cross country meet in Ames.

Josh Thorson of Wayzata, Minn., won the race in 15 minutes, 31 seconds. Evans placed second in 15:44, making him the top finisher among all Iowans in the meet.

Dowling Catholic senior Cole Decker, the top-ranked runner in Iowa, placed fifth Saturday. West Des Moines Valley junior Ben Anderson, who is ranked second in the state, finished third.

Evans was ranked third in the state this past week but could vault to No.1 with his impressive showing Saturday.

Linn-Mar finished fifth in the boys standings out of 25 teams. Dowling Catholic won the title, followed by Wayzata (Minn.), Edina (Minn.), Shawnee Mission South (Kan.) and the Lions. Teams from five states competed in the meet.

Lions nip Mohawks for J-Hawk Relays title

Linn-Mar won the final event of the day to pull out the title at the J-Hawk Relays girls swimming meet Saturday at Jefferson.

Linn-Mar nipped Mason City, 106-100, when the Lions won the 200 medley relay. Jefferson was third with 84 points, followed by Williamsburg (44) and Keokuk (38).

Linn-Mar's Alex Dunn, Emilie Berg and Nicole Larsen were on three winning relays. The Lions won four events and Mason City copped four events. The Mohawks set the only meet record with a 3 minute, 34.86 second clocking in the 400 free relay.

Jefferson won diving and the 300 butterfly relay.