Metro Sports Report

McDonald is a big 'hit' for Marion Indians

Jake McDonald averaged 6.2 yards every time he carried the ball for the Marion Indians last year as the starting fullback, so he's a very capable member of the offensive backfield and a good weapon for Coach Tony Perkins.

But running with the football is not his first love. It's not what he wants to play in college next year, and it's not why Upper Iowa, Winona State and others are on his trail.

McDonald is an all-state linebacker. He loves to hit people on a football field. It makes him happy.

"Defense is my pride," he said with a smile.

McDonald made 96 solo tackles in 10 games last season. That ranked eighth among all players in the state, according to the IHSAA, and helped the Indians qualify for the Class 3A playoffs.

McDonald played very well, but Perkins thinks he can do even better this year.

Cougar swimmers help hungry kids

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls swim team did its part to help feed hungry kids around the world this past weekend by working for a charitable organization in Minnesota.

Having accomplished their mission, the Cougars returned home and opened the 2011 season with a resounding 138-48 victory over Iowa City High at the Kennedy pool Tuesday night.

The Cougars worked with an organization called "Feed My Starving Children" during their trip to Minnesota, where they helped prepare 29,000 meals for shipment to children 5-and-under in impoverished countries around the world. As an example, those 29,000 meals would feed 44 kids in Haiti for a year.

Kennedy Coach John Ross said his team has worked with "Feed My Starving Children" for seven years, helping to prepare more than 200,000 meals during that time. Ross is proud of his athletes for volunteering again this year.

Forsyth excited about his fast Lions

Put a fast team on a fast new field and you could have a dangerous football team.

Say hello to the speedy Linn-Mar Lions, who hope to christen their new field and new $10 million stadium this year with a successful campaign.

"We really have kids who can run and we're excited about getting them the ball and the things we think we can do on defense," Coach Bob Forsyth said. "I think this is by far the fastest team we've ever had since I've been here."

This is Forsyth's fourth year with the Lions. He inherited a winless team in 2007, but quickly revived the program and led them to the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.

He's looking for another trip to the playoffs and likes what he sees heading into Thursday night's opener against Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Kingston Stadium.

"Things are moving along good," he said. "We're into game-week mode now."

Linn-Mar lost star tailback Jer Garman to graduation, but quarterback Mark Atwater returns after accounting for 2,349 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. Mitch Wantock and Brandon Ophoff have been battling to replace Garman and could share the load.

Linn-Mar swimmers go the extra miles

The dedicated members of the Linn-Mar High School girls swimming team put in long, long days.

The morning workouts at the Coe College pool near downtown Cedar Rapids begin at 5:30 a.m. and last until 7, and then the girls return to Linn-Mar by 7:45 for their regular schedule of classes.

The afternoon workouts, also at Coe, last from 4:15 p.m. until 6:15, and they get back to Linn-Mar about 6:45. Then they go home, eat dinner, do their homework, fall asleep and do it all over again the next day (except when there are meets).

Somehow, the Lions managed to have the highest GPA of all the teams at Linn-Mar High School last year.

Coach Chad Derlein credits the swimmers, especially the seniors, for overcoming the obstacle of not having an on-campus pool of their own.

"The leadership of our senior class as a collective whole is a rarity and proves to be a great asset for our program," he said. "They are very well respected and looked up to by all.

That is something a coach looks for every year."

The girls swimming season in the Metro area begins Tuesday with Kennedy, Jefferson and Washington all having dual meets. Linn-Mar starts on Tuesday, Aug. 30.