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Lions win division title despite poor outings

The last pair of dual meets for a wrestling team are usually the best and brightest of the season, if not a mini-preview of what’s to come.

Doug Streicher, the Linn-Mar coach, hopes that is definitely not the case for his 2011 team.

Linn-Mar struggled to top Iowa City High, 33-28, then crushed Washington, 61-12, in a double-dual at Washington Thursday night.

"That first dual of ours was not good at all," he said. "We were not intense, not sharp, not focused, they tied us up, they slowed us down, and wrestlers not as good as us were either close to us or beat us."

Despite clinching the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division title, Striecher cited several of the usual suspects for his team’s subpar performance, including poor pre-match preparation, not being ready to go, and a lackluster intensity level.

“True champions think I’m going to go out and I’m going to destroy you, I don’t care who you are, and if you’re not that good, maybe you’re going to really feel the pressure of my attacks,” he said.

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Sioux look for big contributions from Garman

Jer Garman set 12 school records running the football at Linn-Mar.  He holds the school record for career, single season and single game rushing yards. He also broke two Mississippi Valley Conference records set by Tim Dwight.

Not only that, but Garman three times was named to the MVC all-conference first team and twice was first team all-state.

Garman has a long list of accomplishments on the gridiron, but his short stature – he’s generously listed at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds -- may have scared away some colleges when it came time to recruit him.

“I feel like I do get bagged because of my size,” Garman said Thursday at a ceremony at Linn-Mar that included six other athletes that signed national letters of intent.  “I get criticized a lot more than someone else who is a little bit bigger. But I’m proud of what I’ve done and I’m glad that I got a scholarship.”

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Linn-Mar boys still No. 1

Linn-Mar continued its stranglehold on the top spot in the Class 4A prep boys basketball.

The unbeaten Lions (15-0) received all 11 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll released Monday.

Kennedy (13-2) moved up one spot to fourth and Jefferson (12-2) remained in sixth.

Cedar Falls (10-2) moved up to No. 2. The Tigers, who were third last week, play at Jefferson Tuesday night at 7:30.

Sioux City Heelan (14-2) is No. 1 in 3A, PCM Monroe (17-0) moved up to No. 1 in 2A and Iowa Mennonite (16-0) is No. 1 in 1A.

CLASS 4A TOP 10

1. Linn-Mar (15-0), 2. Cedar Falls (10-2), 3. Sioux City East (11-2), 4. Kennedy (13-2), 5. Ankeny (13-2), 6. Jefferson (12-2), 7. Des Moines Hoover (13-2), 8. Davenport West (12-2), 9. Davenport Central (10-3), 10. Waukee (12-4).

Others receiving votes -- Iowa City West 6, West Des Moines Valley 4, Johnston 2, CR Washington 1, Urbandale 1.

Stokes leads state in scoring

Linn-Mar senior Kiah Stokes leads the state in scoring, but Virginia Johnson of Iowa City High is nipping at her heels.

Stokes, a 6-foot-3 center who has signed with UConn, is averaging 24.9 points for the second-ranked Lions. Johnson, who has signed with Iowa, is averaging 23.4 points.

Stokes also ranks third in the state in rebounding (14.7) and fourth in blocked shots (4.8), according to the IGHSAU.

As you might expect, Stokes is blowing away the competition in the Metro area in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots by wide margins. She also leads the Metro in field goal shooting at 72.0 percent.

Courtney Strait is having a strong year for Kennedy. She leads the Metro in free throw shooting, is tied for the lead in steals, ranks second in scoring, third in rebounding, tied for fourth in 3-pointers, sixth in blocked shots and 10th in assists.

METRO LEADERS

Scoring

1. Stokes, Linn-Mar, 24.9; 2. Strait, Kennedy, 15.3; 3. Dellamuth, Prairie, 11.4; 4. Jacobson, Jefferson, 11.4; 5. Dawson, Washington, 11.0; 6. Peyton, Marion, 10.3; 7. Saxen, Xavier, 10.3; 8. Steffeny, Jefferson, 9.9; 9. Royster, Washington, 9.7; 10. Meier, Kennedy, 9.6.

Rebounding

1. Stokes, Linn-Mar, 264 (14.7); 2. Dawson, Washington, 169 (9.9); 3. Strait, Kennedy, 116 (6.8); 4. Broghammer, Xavier, 108 (6.4); 5. Meier, Kennedy, 105 (6.2); 6. Steffeny, Jefferson, 100 (5.9); 7. Walvoord, Xavier, 99 (5.5); 8. Carver, Prairie, 84 (5.6); 9. Royster, Washington, 80 (4.7); 10. Piper, Washington, 79 (4.6).

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