Metro Sports Report

Prairie rides balanced scoring to victory

Cedar Rapids Prairie hosted Dubuque Hempstead on Friday night in Mississippi Valley Conference basketball and defeated the Mustangs in a defensive struggle, 47-42.

The Hawks took the lead in the first quarter and never gave it up. Prairie welcomed back seniors Tom Eilers and Ty Mougin from inactivity and they gave the Hawks some needed experience, depth and punch.

“It felt so good to be back in the game and helping my teammates," said Eilers, who scored 10 points. “Coach (James Moses) says I am a hybrid. I can play inside and I can play on the perimeter. I think I prefer the outside, though.”

Eilers shared scoring honors with Kentrel Smith, who also scored 10 points. None of those points were more important than the four key free throws he dropped in down the stretch to preserve the Prairie lead.

Jace Hanna and JoJo Simpson chipped in nine points apiece to create a very balanced offensive attack for the Hawks.

“I missed the front end of a one-and-one but I didn’t let it bother me,” said Smith. “I just knew I had to let it go and concentrate on the next one. Just like practice.”

No.7 Wahawks top Jefferson girls

The West High Wahawks traveled from Waterloo on Friday night and brought their newly acquired top-10 ranking in the newly invented Class 5A rankings to the Cedar Rapids Jefferson gym.

Waterloo West edged the Jefferson J-Hawks, 57-47, behind the double-digit scoring of Blaire Thomas and Haley Puk with 18 points each in a Mississippi Valley Conference game.

Only four players were in the scoring column for Coach Anthony Pappas’ Wahawks, but they were all meaningful offensively for West High. Sammie Sproul, the shortest player on the floor but most persistent on defense, had 15 points that were aided by five free throws down the stretch.

The No.7 Wahawks had a 5-3 record going into the contest and they are one of three MVC teams in the Class 5A rankings, along with Iowa City High and Cedar Rapids Prairie.

“I don’t spend a lot of time with rankings, although it is an accomplishment,” said Pappas.

Polehna envisions sports dome for C.R.

Tom Polehna has lived in Cedar Rapids all his life and is acutely aware of how much the city needs an indoor sports facility for people of all ages to use, especially during the winter when it's too cold to exercise outdoors.

He has a big dream of doing something about it.

Polehna, 57, is trying to drum up local interest in installing a domed fabric structure on the site of the old Farmstead Foods plant in southeast Cedar Rapids along the Cedar River.

He's collected information from a company called Yeadon Air-Supported Structures, which is located in St. Paul, Minn., and has more than 30 years' experience in building sports and recreation domes.

Polehna figures it would cost approximately $5 million to acquire a sports dome for Cedar Rapids and thinks it would be well worth the money. He thinks it would be a terrific investment for youth teams that are always looking for an indoor facility.

"We don't have space for all these kids," he said. "We need some place in the winter for them to practice. And it's not just for the kids. Adults could use it, too.

"I think we need to do something for the community that everybody could use."

Prairie matmen roll by J-Hawks, Rams

DUBUQUE -- Trey Blaha and Cam Rathje collected a pair of pins Thursday night as Cedar Rapids Prairie flattened Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Dubuque Senior in a Mississippi Valley Conference double-dual in Dubuque.

Prairie whipped the J-Hawks, 58-12, and flattened the Rams, 67-9.

Blaha recorded his pins at 138 pounds in 3:19 and 3:23. Rathje got his pins at 170 pounds in 3:20 and 2:47.

Zack Fiser (120), Josh Wenger (126), Jamie Day (145), Skyler St. John (152) and Jesse Hynek (220) all wrestled twice and won two matches for Prairie.

Jefferson trimmed Dubuque Senior, 40-37, in the third leg of the double-dual. Kyle Briggs (113) and Michael Moncivais (132) had two victories for the J-Hawks.