Prairie High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The Blood siblings grew up with bowling

It is an easy cliche, but it is also true.

Cedar Rapids Prairie siblings Rylee and Nick Blood have bowling in their blood. The Bloods will be competing together at the combined boys and girls Class 2A state tournament March 12 at Plaza Lanes in Des Moines.

The 1A tournament will be held March 11 at Plaza Lanes. The meets, originally scheduled for this Thursday and Friday, were postponed due to threatening weather.

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Prairie Hawks drill City High, 68-39

Offense can be produced in many ways. On Monday evening, Prairie turned to the defensive end of the floor for inspiration.

The Prairie Hawks played stifling defense that led to a barrage of 3-pointers on their way to a lopsided 68-39 victory against Iowa City High in the Class 4A substate quarterfinals at Prairie’s gym.

Prairie (6-16) earned a date with top-ranked Iowa City West (21-0) in the semifinals Friday night at Iowa City West.

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Netolicky, Northrup end careers in style

DES MOINES -- Joel Northrup will be remembered as the devout young man who declined to wrestle a girl at the state tournament two years ago, but he also should be remembered as a talented athlete who enjoyed a highly successful high school career.

Northrup placed third at the Class 3A state tournament in 2010, finished fourth in 2012 and capped his career by taking third at 145 pounds again Saturday for the Linn-Mar Lions.

He also qualified for the state wrestling meet in 2011, but that was the year he forfeited to a girl in the first round due to his religious convictions, saying he did not think it proper to engage a female in that manner.

Saddled with a first-round defeat that season, he failed to place in the midst of intense national attention.

"I'm not ashamed of that," he said Saturday. "I'm proud of what I stood up for and I have no regrets on that."

Cedar Rapids Prairie senior Andrew Netolicky also finished his prep wrestling career Saturday as a three-time placewinner when he finished third at 285 pounds.

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Blood siblings roll to state bowl

CLINTON - The Prairie boys and girls bowling teams could not quite score enough to make it to state during Thursday's state-qualifying meets.

But the Blood family will be headed to Des Moines for the Class 2A state tournament next Friday.

Rylee Blood shot a 462 series that was second-best girls' qualifying score in the state.

Her brother Nick Blood rolled a 469 series that also qualified for the state tournament.

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