Jefferson High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

J-Hawks ousted by Burlington, 5-1

Veterans Memorial Stadium is a terrific minor league ballpark with all the amenities, but it turned into a haunted house for the Jefferson J-Hawks this season.

Jefferson lost to Kennedy, 20-10, in the championship game of the Metro Tournament to begin the season in May when the Cougars scored 14 runs in the final inning.

The J-Hawks returned to the stadium Monday night and lost to Burlington, 5-1, in the semifinals of the Class 4A substate tournament.

The lights at the Jefferson field were severely damaged in a storm in June and have not been replaced yet, so the J-Hawks moved up the block to Veterans Memorial Stadium for their most important game of the year.

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Jeff's Schafer named to softball 'Hall'

Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate Melissa Schafer has been named to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's Softball Hall of Fame.

Schafer starred in the outfield for the J-Hawks from 1984 to 1987. She was a three-time all-state selection and helped Jefferson compile a 215-40 record during her career.

Schafer helped Jefferson finish third at the 1984 state tournament and was named to the all-tournament team. She batted .456 as a senior and led the state with 73 hits. She led the state in runs scored as a junior with 68.

Schafer played two years at the University of Northern Iowa and started in center field.

Molly McClelland of West Des Moines, Whitney McElrath of Woodbury Central and Sammy Snygg of North Polk also have been named to the Hall of Fame.

Sommer tops All-Metro softball team

Katie Sommer spent only year on the Linn-Mar High School softball team after moving here from Dubuque, but she made the most of it.

Sommer hit a sizzling .617 for the Lions this season, stole 57 bases, averaged two hits per game and displayed amazing skills at shortstop.

The Metro softball coaches honored Sommer Monday by naming her the Athlete of the Year on the All-Metro Softball Team.

Nikki Price of Xavier and her assistant coaches were named the Staff of the Year.

The Jefferson J-Hawks, who have qualified for the Class 5A state tournament, led the All-Metro team with three first-team selections with Maddie Hansen, Alyssa Olson and Erin Kuba.

Erin Drahozal and Hayley Deutmeyer were honored on the first team from Xavier. Jessi Puk and Bria Lenten made the top honor squad from

Washington. Gabi Carter and Natalie Rumer were named from Prairie. Sommer and Maddy Ryan were selected from Linn-Mar. Haley Vanourney from Marion High School also made the first team.

FIRST TEAM

Maddie Hansen (Jefferson), Alyssa Olson (Jefferson), Erin Kuba  (Jefferson), Erin Drahozal (Xavier), Hayley Deutmeyer (Xavier), Jessi Puk (Washington), Bria Lenten (Washington), Haley Vanourney (Marion), Gabi Carter (Prairie), Natalie Rumer (Prairie), Katie Sommer (Linn-Mar), Maddy Ryan (Linn-Mar).

SECOND TEAM

Hannah Towns (Jefferson), Katelyn Holub (Jefferson), Alissa Good (Jefferson), Kristie Sommer (Linn-Mar), Elison Ollinger (Linn-Mar), Christina Lincoln (Linn-Mar), Allison Schwach (Xavier), Courtney Colston (Xavier), Emily Oler (Washington), Anne Riley (Washington), Halle Lueck (Prairie), Ashley Hamilton (Kennedy).

HONORABLE MENTION

Jefferson - Tori Brandon, Emily Walton
Kennedy - Tianna Drahn, Paige Timmerman
Marion - Camryn Cannoy, Bayley Fuller
Washington - Payton Bruner, Erica Oler
Xavier - Morgan Breitbach, Jamie Feltes
Linn-Mar - Madison Rentschler, Morgan Braughton
Prairie - Amanda Stecklein, Mallory Jones

J-Hawks edge Rams for trip to state

With two hard-nosed, hard-throwing softball pitchers at their very best, games usually turn on a crucial play or two.

The always fundamentally sound Jefferson girls got two key hits when they needed them Tuesday night and a late-game defensive gem to squeak out a 1-0 win over tough-as-nails Dubuque Senior.

With its second straight regional championship under Coach Brian Erbe, the sixth-ranked J-Hawks (34-6) move on next week to their 21st state tournament berth at Fort Dodge.

Jefferson (34-6) will face No. 3 Southeast Polk (28-9) on Tuesday, July 22 at 11:30 a.m.

“We kind of knew this would be a pitcher’s duel,” said Jefferson junior left fielder Hannah Towns, who had written the words “work hard” on her left forearm for batting inspiration.

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Lions, J-Hawks split twinbill

Manny Jeffrey had three hits and scored two runs as Linn-Mar scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to down Jefferson, 8-4, in the first game of a doubleheader Monday at Jefferson.

The J-Hawks rebounded for a 10-2 win in the nightcap.

Ryan Wyant had a double for the Lions and Ben Larson scored a pair of runs in the first game. Andrew Gassman got the win in relief for Linn-Mar.

Marcus Colbert had two hits and two runs batted in for the J-Hawks. Jacob Hansen also had two hits for Jefferson.

In the nightcap, Spencer Van Scoyoc had two hits and a homer, driving home four runs as Jefferson got the split. Spencer Hunt also had a pair of RBIs for the J-Hawks.

Connor Van Scoyoc went the distance for Jefferson to get the victory on the mound in Game 2.

Caleb Reimer had two hits, including a home run for the Lions.

Jefferson (23-14) finished with a 16-10 record in the conference. Linn-Mar (16-21) finished with an 11-15 mark in the MVC.

Game 1

Linn-Mar            010 100 24 - 8 8 2
Jefferson           200 101 00 - 4 8 2

W - Gassmann. L - S. Van Scoyoc.

Game 2

Linn-Mar             010 001 0 - 2 5  4
Jefferson            320 041 x - 10 9 2

W - C. VanScoyoc. L - Hilsenbeck.

QB from Indiana joins J-Hawks

Jesse Furrow passed for 561 yards and six touchdowns in a single game for Pendleton Heights High School in Pendleton, Ind., last season as a junior.

Now he'll be throwing passes for the Jefferson J-Hawks after moving to Cedar Rapids with his family last winter and enrolling at Jefferson.

Chris Deam, the athletic director at Jefferson, confirmed Monday that Furrow is a student at the school.

Furrow passed for 2,147 yards and 20 touchdowns last fall at Pendleton Heights. He completed 53.1 percent of his passes (147 of 277) with nine interceptions and ran for six TDs.

Furrow is listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds on the NCSA Athletic Recruiting website.

Furrow was the starting quarterback at New Pendleton as a sophomore and has passed for 3,831 yards in his career. He set school records as a junior when he completed 36 passes for 561 yards against New Palestine. He tied the school record in that game with six TD passes.

"I love football and have a passion for the game," he said on the recruiting website. "I love to play. I love to practice. I love to study the game and improve as a player and a student of the game."

Jefferson Coach Brian Webb could not be reached for comment Monday morning.

J-Hawks topped by Burlington, 12-9

The Jefferson J-Hawks lost to Burlington, 12-9, in a prep baseball game at Jefferson Saturday.

Chanse McCheseney went 4-for-4 for Burlington, which snapped Jefferson's four-game winning streak.

Spencer VanScoyoc went 3-for-4 for Jefferson and scored three runs. Marcus Colbert was 3-for-5 with two doubles. Lucas Larson drove in two runs and Ben Koering had two hits for the J-Hawks (22-13).

Burlington     305 021 1 - 12 15 5

Jefferson      232 002 0 - 9 13 1

W - Rosson. L - Wood. S - Tucker.

No.6 J-Hawks make regional finals

Jefferson Coach Brian Erbe liked his pitching and defense Saturday night, but he was concerned about his team's lackluster approach on offense.

The combination was good enough to defeat Dubuque Hempstead, 6-1, in the semifinals of the Class 5A regional softball tournament, but Erbe hopes the J-Hawks come out swinging Tuesday night in the regional finals.

The sixth-ranked J-Hawks (33-6) will host Dubuque Senior (19-22) in the regional finals Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Larry Niemeyer Field with a trip to the state tournament on the line.

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Meyer tosses no-hitter as J-Hawks sweep

WATERLOO - The Jefferson J-Hawks swept Waterloo East, 7-1 and 11-3, in a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in Waterloo Friday.

The twin-killing lifted Jefferson to 22-12 overall and 15-9 in the MVC.

Sam Meyer pitched a no-hitter in the first game for the J-Hawks. He struck out six batters and also walked six men.

Spencer Hunt went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs in the opener. Spencer VanScoyoc collected two doubles. Cam Frazier and Drew Johnson also had two hits.

VanScoyoc went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in the second game. Marcus Colbert was 3-for-4. Jacob Hansen and Lucas Larson had two doubles and two RBIs. Hunt also had two RBIs.

Game 1

Jefferson      021 011 2 - 7 11 2
Waterloo East  000 100 0 - 1 0 4

W - Meyer. L - Magnuson.

Game 2

Jefferson      203 330 - 11 10 1
Waterloo East  101 000 1 - 3 6 3

W - Olutunde. L - Snook.