Metro Sports Report

Appleget, Taylor help Kennedy to sweep

The talent-rich Cedar Rapids Kennedy baseball team got a little richer Thursday night.

Nick Appleget and Colin Taylor stepped into major roles and helped the ninth-ranked Cougars sweep Waterloo East, 6-3 and 11-1, in a Mississippi Valley Conference twinbill at Kennedy.

Appleget pitched a strong game in the nightcap, while Taylor contributed with his bat and arm in both games.

Appleget's career has been hindered by two major knee operations, but the right-hander made his first start on the mound and baffled East (4-16, 1-9) with a crackling fastball and sharp curve.

Furnish makes U.S. Girls Junior golf meet

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Megan Furnish of Cedar Rapids shot an 81 Wednesday at a USGA Girls Championship qualifier and advanced to the national tournament in July.

Furnish, a senior-to-be at Jefferson High School, finished third at the qualifier at Bogey Hills Country Club in St. Charles, Mo.

She earned a spot in the U.S. Girls Junior Championship that will be held at the Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill., from July 18-23.

Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif., won the qualifier at Bogey Hills with a 73. Julie Yang of Mesa, Ariz., was second with a 76. The top three finishers advanced.

Hadzic living the American dream

Amir Hadzic brings a perspective to coaching like few others.

In his first year as the Xavier boys soccer coach in 2007, his team lost a heartbreaker in the state tournament to underdog Norwalk when the Saints’ 13-year-old freshman kicker missed a game-deciding penalty shot.

Last year that same athlete, Charlie Bales, was an all-stater as a senior and led top-ranked Xavier to the first of its two straight state titles. A photo in his office at Mount Mercy University shows the coach and his star player in a happy embrace.

“It was a tough situation for him that first year,” Hadzic says. “But last year, finally, it all paid off.”

Living through war, as the Bosnian native did for three terrifying years, taught him both to savor life’s triumphs a little more but not to be distracted by small defeats.

“The one big thing I learned from war is to enjoy the little things in life,” he says. “Normal things we take for granted like a shower, going to a movie, eating ice cream.”

A night of 28 stars

This past Sunday night was the 11th Annual Celebration of Sports Banquet. This banquet honors not only the Athlete's of the Year from each of the Linn County High Schools, but also celebrates the achievements of the East Central Iowa Special Olympians for the year.

Each year a Male and Female Athlete of the Year for Linn County is selected from the 28 athletes assembled. It is the oldest cliche in the book, but any of the athletes in attendance could hold that honor. This year the two recipients were Prairie's Matt Stocker and Linn-Mar's Kiah Stokes.

I had the honor of emceeing the banquet again this year. This night sort of puts a "ribbon" on the high school sports year. Yes, I know that baseball and softball are just getting underway and will not crown champions until July, but this night is a chance to look back and reflect on what transpired during the past 10 months of competition.

This group of athletes won a total of 270 letters during their athletic careers - 164 for the girls and 106 for the boys. Many will go on to play sports in college, some will concentrate on their academics and prepare for the next stage of their lives. They all are winners.