Cedar Valley Christian - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Valley rejected by Tri-Rivers Conference

Cedar Valley Christian will have to keep looking for a new league after being rejected by the Tri-Rivers Conference.

"We have officially applied and been officially denied," Cedar Valley Christian principal Jeff Pospisil told the Metro Sports Report on Monday.

Cedar Valley Christian left the Northern Illinois Christian Conference after the 2010-11 school year and formally joined the IHSAA and IGHSAU this year as an independent. The Huskies had been hoping to join the Tri-Rivers for the 2012-13 school year, but the Tri-Rivers superintendents met Dec. 1 and turned them down.

Pospisil received a letter from Larry Boer, the superintendent at North-Linn High School, informing him that the league had voted against Cedar Valley Christian. "They didn't give us any reason," said Pospisil.

Boer told the Metro Sports Report that the league also denied letters of application from several schools in the Big East Conference. "I would probably say the main reason is we're not looking to expand at this time," he said.

The Tri-Rivers Conference currently has 10 schools with Alburnett, Cascade, Central City, East Buchanan, Edgewood-Colesburg, Maquoketa Valley, Monticello, North-Linn, Starmont and Springville. Lisbon has been accepted for membership for the 2013-14 school year as the 11th team for the league, but Boer said he's not sure if the Tri-Rivers will be looking
for a 12th school in the future.

Pospisil has written a letter to the Iowa Department of Education, seeking help in finding a conference affiliation. He said the department's mediation team is working on the subject on behalf of several schools, including Cedar Valley Christian.

"There is a mediation team in place that is looking at teams in the Big East, Tri-Rivers and Cedar Valley conferences and possible realignments," Pospisil said. "It seems they want to try real hard."

He said the mediation team will consider school enrollments and geographic proximity, among other factors, in making decisions about conference alignments. "The Department of Education will let us know when any decisions are made," he said.

Boer said the Tri-Rivers Conference plans to stay at 10 teams for the 2012-13 school year, unless the Department of Education rules otherwise. He said the Department of Education has the authority to make decisions about conference alignments.

Boer described the Big East Conference as being "in flux" in terms of its schools seeking new leagues.

Pospisil thinks joining a conference is important to his school. "We know scheduling would be easier if we were in a conference," he said.

Boys basketball could be CVC's premier sport

The principal, boys basketball coach and bus driver for Cedar Valley Christian School began plotting the team's road trips last week to make sure everything was in order.

Actually, it was the same guy.

Jeff Pospisil wears all three hats at Cedar Valley Christian - principal, coach, bus driver - along with numerous other duties at the private school in southeast Cedar Rapids.

As the principal, he wants to make sure his students are properly cared for. As the coach, he wants to make sure his team gets to the games on time. And as the bus driver, he wants to make sure he knows where he's going.

"I got on the Internet the other day and was kind of mapping out where all these schools were, just figuring out how long it will take to get there and stuff," he said. "Most of the places I've never been before. It will be a new experience."

The Huskies are entering a bold new world. They left the Northern Illinois Christian Conference after the 2010-11 school year and joined the Iowa High School Athletic Association as an independent in all boys sports.

Cedar Valley Christian has an attractive 21-game basketball schedule, but 19 of the games are on the road. That's the price the Huskies had to pay for putting their schedule together, but it should become more equitable in the future, especially if CVC is accepted into the Tri-Rivers Conference.

In the meantime, Pospisil has his map and directions to Lone Tree, Maynard, Bellevue, Montezuma, North Linn, Dunkerton, Fairbank, Winthrop, Kalona, Wellman, Springville, Goose Lake, Janesville, Calamus-Wheatland and other locales.

It's a big step for Cedar Valley Christian.

"I'm really excited about it," Pospisil said. "This is something I've been pushing for for a long time. We finally got it going this last year."

Pospisil is beginning his 20th year as the boys basketball coach at Cedar Valley Christian. He began the program in 1992 when CVC became a high school in addition to offering lower grades.

"I took ten 10th graders and we made a basketball team out of them," he said. "We've been going ever since."

The Huskies won approximately 25 games last season in the Northern Illinois Christian Conference, but Pospisil said many of the games were fairly easy.

"The last few years, we would maybe get six or seven really good games all year. And then a lot of games the starters had to sit most of the game because the competition just wasn't there," he said. "I'm looking forward to having good games week in and week out."

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Cedar Valley ends first season with 57-6 setback

CENTRAL CITY - Five lost fumbles, a lost onside kick and an interception were just too insurmountable for Cedar Valley Christian Friday night against Central City.

The Huskies ended their first season of eight-man football with a 57-6 defeat, giving them an 0-4 mark for Year 1.

“Turnovers were our undoing tonight, but we played tough and never stopped playing hard,” Cedar Valley Coach Ed Betsworth said. “This is our first year and now we will improve from here."

Central City (1-5) scored on a 10-yard pass from David Mosher to Nick McCarry on just the third play of the game. The Wildcats pulled off an onside kick, and with 10:41 still left in the first quarter Mosher hit McCarry again, this time for a 15-yard strike and it was 16-0.

Cedar Valley (0-4) managed a couple of first downs in the ensuing drive but the possession ended with an interception by Brandon Stevens. Central City promptly executed a 42-yard drive, capped by a 3-yard dive by Mosher. The Huskies never recovered.

Jeremy Strutz set up Cedar Valley’s lone touchdown with a 25-yard run to the Central City 11-yard line in the first quarter. Nick Henderson capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown.

Strutz finished with 60 yards rushing on nine carries and was 14 for 21 for 142 yards in the air.

“This has just been a fun season, we just try as hard as we can,” Strutz said. “We have fun playing football, but we have known each other for a long time and doing this together has made us closer.”

The Huskies got all of their offense in the first half. Central City limited them to minus-15 yards in the second half.

Their first season of varsity football is finished, but Betsworth is already looking ahead.

"We have a better idea of what to expect," he said. "We need to improve in the weight room and conditioning before next season even gets here, and we will. It’s been a good experience."

Cedar Valley wins first volleyball match in IGHSAU

The Cedar Valley Christian volleyball team enjoyed an historic victory Monday night.

The Huskies won their first match since joining the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union this year with a 25-18, 24-26, 25-11, 25-21 victory over the Meskwaki Settlement School.

Cedar Valley Christian was winless in its first eight dates this season, including dual meets and tournaments, before breaking into the victory column at home.

Jessie Walsh led the Huskies with 15 assists, seven kills, six aces and five digs. Carly Silver collected five aces and four assists.

Lindsey Cach had eight kills, Izzy Hoffman seven kills, Maria Sequeira five kills and Taylor McElree four kills. Sequeira had six digs and Hannah Reinhart contributed five assists.