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Mizzou's Weatherspoon Butkus Finalist
CHICAGO (AP) _ Alabama's Rolando McClain, Florida's Brandon Spikes and Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon are once again finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker.
South Carolina's Eric Norwood and Texas' Sergia Kindle also are finalists.
McClain, Spikes and Weatherspoon were finalists in 2008, when Wake Forest star Aaron Curry took home the award.
Three of this year's finalists are from the Southeastern Conference, and two are from the Big 12. The winner will be announced on or before Dec. 8.
The Butkus Award is selected by a 51-person panel comprised mostly of scouts, coaches and journalists. The award is named after Dick Butkus, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:57:48 CST
Trojanettes Moving On Without All-Stater Wenstrand
Replacing an All State basketball player is never easy. That's what Essex will have to do this year with the graduation of Emily Wenstrand, but it makes it a little easier that they will return the state's top rebounder and one of the state's top scorers - Joscelyn Coleman. Coach Allen Stuart returns three starters from last year's team that finished a game away from state.
Coach Stuart spoke with KMA Sports on Thursday morning about what practice has been like these first couple weeks...
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Stuart says his team will be pretty young this year...
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Stuart on replacing Wenstrand...
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Stuart talks about what will be done between now and his team's opening game on November 30th at home against Underwood...
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Stuart talks about the continued growth and improvement of his star, Coleman...
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:32:44 CST
Martin Daily Blog: Friday, November 20th
It’s Friday, and there are lots of things running through my mind today….
Mark Mangino is about to be fired as the Kansas football coach. As a known Kansas hater, I absolutely love this news. Mangino took this program from the deepest of dumps all the way to a BCS victory two years ago. Heck, the big man was the National Coach of the Year that season. And to think all this abuse talk got started because he poked a kid in the chest. Really? A poke to the chest causes all this uproar? No doubt in my mind there wouldn’t be a single mention of this if the team was on a five game winning streak rather than a five game losing streak. Only really bad thing about this is that Turner Gill might be a serious candidate for the job. Turner's daughter goes to school at KU, and he'd be an excellent hire for the Jayhawks. Man, I hope that doesn't happen.
The Lenox Tigers go for the gold again this morning. Lenox hasn’t lost in 23 straight games, and they will defend their 8-Man championship against Armstrong-Ringsted today. A-R has been to three consecutive state title games now while Lenox will be playing in the title game for the third time in four years. These two teams are pretty familiar with big stages. It’s crazy that even though Lenox is the #1 team, the defending champion, and actually beat A-R last year in this game they are still the underdog. With a win today, Allen Dukes will go down as one of the great coaches the state has seen -- I think he already is. One interesting note about the Tigers: Every single member of the coaching staff graduated from Lenox. How’s that for a legacy?
When will LeBron James shut up? I don’t agree with Jason Whitlock all the time, but I do agree with his two ears, one mouth assertion.. You know…..you should do twice as much listening as you do talking. Poor LeBron has it backwards. Now he thinks he could be a tight end in the NFL. I don’t think there’s a single professional athlete in America that disgusts me more than this dude. From his display of poor sportsmanship to his continued talk of his impending free agency all the way to thinking he could make in the National Football League -- I’m sick and tired of this parasitic sycophant (thanks Y2J).
Great basketball is truly a beautiful thing to watch. Over the last several games my Lakers haven’t been the most aesthetically pleasing team in the world. Last night, Pau Gasol returned to the lineup, though. Man, I almost forgot how skilled this big man is. Not only did he look like a million bucks; he also moved everyone else back into their usual roles which made things even better. They beat up on a pretty good Bulls team who came in playing some good basketball themselves. I see an 11-game win streak coming.
Will Iowa get their first win tonight on the hardwood? This will be their best chance in the next three games. They are a 9.5 point favorite against Bowling Green, which tells me Bowling Green must be really, really bad this year. Having said that, I’m not sure there’s a team out there that Iowa can beat by double digits. Over-under on attendance tonight? I’ll put it at 5,000.
That’s it for today. I’m really looking forward to a weekend of sports, sports, and more sports. Hope everyone has a good one. Shoot me an e-mail at dmartin@kmaland.com if you please.
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 8:40:18 CST
Girl's Basketball Rankings: Viqueens Garner Top 10 Ranking
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their preseason basketball rankings on Thursday afternoon. Below is the complete list of rankings from all classes with area schools in bold.
CLASS 1A
1 North Butler
2 Martensdale St. Mary's
3 Mason City Newman Catholic
4 Newell-Fonda
5 Exira
6 North Sentral Kossuth
7 Stanton
8 Lynnville-Sully
9 Des Moines Christian
10 Akron-Westfield
11 Midland
12 Ar-We-Va
13 Tripoli
14 Treynor
15 Twin Cedars
CLASS 2A
1 Cascade
2 Manson-NW Webster
3 OA-BCIG
4 Denver
5 Central Lyon
6 Panorama
7 Hinton
8 Mount Vernon
9 Camanche
10 MFL-Mar-Mac
11 Albia
12 IKM-Manning
13 Belle Plaine
14 Spirit Lake
15 Kuemper Catholic
CLASS 3A
1 Bishop Heelan
2 Waukon
3 Central DeWitt
4 Davenport Assumption
5 Algona
6 Dallas Center-Grimes
7 Marion
8 Ballard
9 Washington
10 Storm Lake
11 Spencer
12 MOC-Floyd Valley
13 Williamsburg
14 Knoxville
15 Crestwood
CLASS 4A
1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy
2 Ankeny
3 Linn-Mar
4 Waukee
5 Sioux City North
6 Dowling Catholic
7 Ames
8 Des Moines East
9 Cedar Rapids Xavier
10 Lewis Central
11 Iowa City High
12 Des Moines Roosevelt
13 Cedar Rapids Washington
14 Indianola
15 Pleasant Valley
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 5:56:24 CST
Mangino Faces Criticism from Former Players
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ Former Kansas football players are speaking out about the treatment they received from embattled coach Mark Mangino.
The university is investigating an unspecified personnel issue involving the eight-year coach of the Jayhawks.
Former player Raymond Brown says he once dropped a pass in practice, and Mangino threatened to send him home, where he might be shot like his little brother had been only days earlier.
Another player told The Associated Press that Mangino made insensitive comments about a teammate's father being an alcoholic.
An athletics department spokesman says Mangino was not available for comment Thursday.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:04:41 CST
NL Cy Young: Lincecum Beats Cardinals Duo in Close Vote
NEW YORK (AP) _ Giants ace Tim Lincecum has won the NL Cy Young Award, becoming the first repeat winner in the major leagues since Randy Johnson was voted the prize four straight times from 1999-2002.
Lincecum led the NL with 261 strikeouts and tied for the league lead with four complete games and two shutouts.
Only 10 points separated the top three in one of the closest ballots in the award's history.
Lincecum received 11 first-place votes, 12 seconds and nine thirds for 100 points in balloting released Thursday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter was next with 94 points and teammate Adam Wainwright finished third with 90 despite getting the most first-place votes with 12.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:06:54 CST
Suh, Angerer Among Nagurski Finalists
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Nebraska's Ndamukong (en-DOM-uh-ken) Suh (soo) is a finalist for the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
The award is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America. It's given to the nation's top college defensive player.
The four other finalists: Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer, Tennessee safety Eric Berry, Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody and TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes.
Nagurski was a star fullback and defensive tackle at Minnesota, 1927-29.
Nose tackle Suh has 56 tackles so far this season, including 13 for loss and five sacks.
He's a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a semifinalist for the Lott and Bednarik trophies and is one of 15 ``players to watch'' for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year honor.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:36:57 CST
ISU's Jackson Signs Top Prep Wrestlers
(AMES, Iowa) Iowa State wrestling head coach Kevin Jackson has announced the signing of eight prep wrestlers for the 2010-11 season. An influx of talent is set to join the Cyclones for their next campaign. Several of the future Cyclones are in-state talents and a few of the signees sport familiar names to Iowa State wrestling faithful.
Joining the ISU squad next year will be Joey Cozart (Brandon, Fla.), Mikey England (Centerville, Iowa), Ryak Finch (Safford, Ariz.), Kyven Gadson (Waterloo, Iowa), Luke Goettl (Clarksdale, Ariz.), Brandon Jones (West Des Moines, Iowa), Michael Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa) and Trevor Voelker (Adel, Iowa).
We are very happy with the class we have coming in next year, Jackson said. They are going to make an immediate impact on our team and help our program accomplish its goals. They are highly-ranked guys that are full of potential and talent and they are excited to come to Iowa State. They know our tradition.
The Cyclone recruiting class is highlighted by star power and Cyclone legacy.
Four signees (Cozart, 152 pounds; Finch, 119 pounds; Gadson, 189 pounds; and Moreno, 171 pounds) reside within Intermats Class of 2010 Top 100 ranking. Cozart, Finch and Moreno are all ranked within the top 30 wrestlers in the nation by the website. The foursome holds six state titles and 10 prep finals appearances between them.
Morenos father, Mike, was an All-American at 134 pounds for ISU in 1992. The father of Kyven Gadson, Willie, was a two-time All-American (1975-76) at 177 pounds.
We are excited about the legacy wrestlers, Jackson said. Gadson, Moreno and Voelker are now Cyclones themselves. Their families love and passion for ISU has never waivered. They thought Iowa State University was a class school with the type of academic and athletic standards they were looking for their college educations.
Top local Iowa talent is prepared to hit the Cyclone wrestling room. Jones won the 2009 3A 112-pound title at Valley High school in West Des Moines. England, a three-time Iowa state placewinner (140 pounds, 145 pounds and 171 pounds), hails from Centerville. Voelker, the nephew of former Cyclone two-time 190-pound NCAA champion Eric Voelker, has placed at state twice, most recently at 189 pounds.
Jackson knows the importance of finding home-grown talent that emerges from the state of Iowas rapid wrestling scene.
We are looking to communicate with all coaches in the state of Iowa, Jackson said. Our coaching staff at Iowa State is here with our arms open to welcome in-state kids. We will fight very hard to bring in the best athletes in our state.
Arizona standout Luke Goettl rounds out the eight-man class. Goettl is a three-time state champion hailing from Clarksdale, Ariz. He has taken titles at 112 pounds, 125 pounds and 130 pounds.
There are high expectations for everyone, Jackson said. Wed like all of them to make an impact.
Jackson notes the fact that he and his coaching staff are looking for student-athletes, with an emphasis on the student.
First and foremost, we push academics, Jackson said. ISU student-athletes graduate at a rate of 79 percent. We want student-athletes to come here first for academics, then for athletics. We have a great coaching staff which is going to challenge these student-athletes.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 9:58:48 CST
Martin Daily Blog: Thursday, November 19th
Has everybody seen the New Mexico women’s soccer player and her rough play by now? If not…do yourself a favor and check it out by clicking here.
Nearly every national network picked this up as a major story. Elizabeth Lambert has been suspended indefinitely and recently she gave her first interview since the incident. Elizabeth told the New York Times: "I'll be angry with myself that I did this, to my team, my university, that I did this to women's soccer, a sport that many females have worked very hard to get respect for. And I'll be sad that people want to see me suffer."
Lambert has received hate mail, telephone calls, and taken a verbal beating from the national media. Someone even told her she should be taken to prison, raped, and left for dead in a ditch. Her parents’ phone numbers and address have been posted on the Internet. I disagree with some of the things she did that day. I definitely disagree with all the hate and venom spewed towards this young woman from people who don’t know her. But there is one thing I agree with in this entire situation.....
Elizabeth also told the New York Times she thinks some of her actions have been blown out of proportion. She believes this to be true because it was in a female soccer game, and I’m 100% on her side. I’ve followed men’s and women’s soccer for a long time. I’ve watched it on many different levels. It is a very physical sport with pushing, shoving, tripping, and so on. There is absolutely no room for ponytail pulling in the sport, but this girl more than anything is being vilified for not portraying the aspects of a woman that the media wants to see. That’s disappointing. In a nation that has had a female rise to Vice President candidacy we still have these long held notions that women should be polite, dainty, and fragile. The physicality of Lambert has caused an uproar in the nation, and some want her to be suspended for life. A lot of that comes down to people’s set beliefs that such physicality is unbecoming of a woman. I didn’t see the same uproar when Zinedine Zidane blasted a player with a head butt in the 2006 World Cup. Zidane was suspended a mere three games.
I’m not saying Lambert didn’t cross the line, and I’m certainly not saying she shouldn’t expect some punishment; but people need to take a step back. It was a highly competitive soccer game. It was physical on both ends, and while Lambert may have crossed the line; we’ve seen a lot worse. Years ago Sports Illustrated celebrated the dirty play of some offensive lineman in a cover story that described plays that went much further than what Lambert did. Why is this any different? It shouldn’t be. Fact is, Lambert had never received a yellow card or red card in her entire career before this game.
Lambert has taken the necessary steps to be forgiven for this incident. She will speak to youth about her mistakes and about sportsmanship. She will seek a psychologist to figure out why she acted in the manner she did. While this could be construed as a small stain on sportsmanship; it should not be a permanent stain on this young woman’s character. And it definitely should not end her career.
That’s it for today. Sorry for the bizarre blog today, but some things just need to be said. Again, I encourage any and all feedback at dmartin@kmaland.com.
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 8:12:41 CST
Spoofhounds Ride 12-Game Winning Streak Into Semis
The Maryville Spoofhounds are back in the Class 2 Semifinals after a 35-32 win over Hogan Prep Academy this past weekend. The 'Hounds will hit the road to take on 7-6 Lamar riding a 12-game winning streak. Kickoff is set for 1:30 PM on Saturday in Lamar. The winner will play in the Class 2 State Championship on Friday, November 27th at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis at 1:00 PM against the winner Brentwood and Centralia. Maryville Coach Chris Holt talked recently with KMA Sports about his team's latest win over Hogan Prep...
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After losing twenty seniors from last year's runner-up; this might not have been an expectation for the Spoofhounds...
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Holt on Lamar...
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Holt says Lamar's 7-6 record can be a bit deceiving...
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Holt says his team will hold a mental advantage having been through this before...
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Holt on what it will take for his team to win...
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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 7:18:17 CST
Tigers Try for Repeat
The Lenox Tigers enter Friday morning's Class 8-Man State Championship Game riding a 23-game winning streak and will be looking for their second consecutive state championship. Last year, Lenox shocked the state knocking off Armstrong-Ringsted, 34-32, to win the 8-Man title. The rematch can be heard on KMA-FM Friday at 10:35 AM. Coach Allen Dukes of Lenox talked on Wednesday morning to KMA Sports about his team's latest win over Preston...
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Dukes still thinks his team is the underdog despite their #1 ranking and last year's championship...
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Dukes says the Armstrong-Ringsted offense can be balanced at times...
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Dukes says A-R has some serious speed in the backfield...
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Dukes says there could be a mental edge for his team in this game...
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Dukes with more on the game...
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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 7:09:39 CST
Class 2A District 8 Football: All District Teams Announced
The Class 2A District 8 All District team was released earlier this morning. Below is the complete team:
2009 Class 2A, D-8 All-District Football Team
First Team Offense
QB: Bryce Irlbeck (Sr., IKM-Manning)
Running Back: Jerad Croghan (Sr, IKM-Manning); Nick Monzu (Sr., Missouri Valley); Chaps Wilke (Sr., OA/BCIG); Cole Boger (Sr., OA/BCIG).
Receiver: Tony Card (Sr., Clarinda); Kyle Wilson (Sr., Missouri Valley).
Tight End: Rick Blake (Sr., IKM-Manning); Casey Wright (Sr., Shenandoah).
O-Line: Wes Mullen (Sr., Clarinda); Jason Opperman (Sr., IKM-Manning); Kelby Bruhn (Sr., MVAO); Michael Fox (Sr., Missouri Valley).
Kicker: Jay Petersen (Sr., IKM-Manning).
First Team Defense
D-Ends: Rick Maynard (Sr., MVAO). D-Line: Jared Henkenius (Jr, Carroll Kuemper); T.J. Bruch (Sr., Carroll Kuemper); Kent Henderson (Sr., Carroll Kuemper); Lucas Orme (Sr., Red Oak).
Linebacker: Brody Swanson (Sr., Clarinda); Jarad Gaskill (Sr, IKM-Manning); Brandon Burkhart (Sr., MVAO).
D-Backs: Austin Weitl (Sr., Carroll Kuemper); Ethan Schoeppner (Sr., Carroll Kuemper); Cody Williams (Jr., Carroll Kuemper); Tim Dougherty (Sr., MVAO); Dustin Nelson (Sr., Missouri Valley); Dayton Hoelscher (Sr., OA/BCIG); Kyle Sparks (Soph, Shenandoah).
Punter: Jarad Gaskill (Sr., IKM-Manning).
Second Team Offense
QB: Tyler Steeve (Soph, Clarinda); Brandon Boldt (Sr., Carroll Kuemper).
Running Back: Quentin Sturm (Sr., Clarinda); Chris Oberg (Sr., MVAO); Ethan Heinse (Sr., MVAO).
Receiver: Dillon Rupiper (Sr., Carroll Kuemper); Andrew Schleisman (Jr, Carroll Kuemper).
Tight End: Tyler Heuton (Jr., Carroll Kuemper); Jole Miller (Jr., Missouri Valley); Jordan Poe (Jr., Shenandoah).
O-Line: Denim Schechinger (Sr., IKM-Manning); Kyle Vetter (Sr., IKM-Manning); Josh York (Sr., Missouri Valley); Andy Iverson (Sr., OA/BCIG); Tanner Bengford (Sr., OA/BCIG); Jackson Miller (Sr., Red Oak).
Kicker: Kyle Hamilton (Soph., MVAO).
Second Team Defense
D-Ends: Colten Ramsey (Sr., IKM-Manning). D-Line: Josh Ertz (Jr., IKM-Manning); Jacob Howell (Jr., Missouri Valley); Josh Nix (Sr., Red Oak).
Linebacker: Ben Koithan (Sr., MVAO); Cody West (Jr., Missouri Valley); Austin Trieber (Jr., OA/BCIG); Seth Esaias (Soph, Red Oak); Nick Alley (Jr., Shenandoah).
D-Backs: Nick Card (Sr., Clarinda); Matt Vogel (Sr., IKM-Manning); Josh Trucke (Jr., MVAO).
Class 2A, D8 Coach of the Year: Justin Penner, Carroll Kuemper.
HONORABLE MENTION
Clarinda: Caedron Bartles (Jr., O-Line); Nick Lasley (Jr., D-End); Scott Brockman (Soph., D-Line).
IKM-Manning: Ian Erickson (Jr., D-Line); Tyler Muhlbauer (Sr., Tight End); Jake Dreier (Sr., O-Line).
Carroll Kuemper: Jack Aden (Sr., Linebacker); Alex Scharfenkamp (Sr., D-Line).
MVAO: Seth Smith (Sr., D-Back); Drew Conover (Sr., Receiver); Nate Clausen (Sr., O-Line).
Missouri Valley: Corey Chapin (Jr., O-Line); John Paul Petersen (Jr., D-Back); Brett Leapley (Jr., Receiver).
OA-BCIG: Tyler Down (Sr., O-Line); Josh Blair (Jr., D-End); Ryan Hemer (Jr., O-Line).
Red Oak: Tanner Johnson (Fr., Quarterback); Nick Heinen (Fr., Linebacker); Matt Goracke (Jr., Receiver); Cole Meek (Jr., Linebacker).
Shenandoah: Tyler McCoy (Jr., Running Back); A.J. Padilla (Sr., O-Line); Stephen Langley (Jr., Linebacker).
2009 Class 2A, D8 Academic All-District
(Must be jr., sr., Maintain 3.25 GPA).
Carroll Kuemper: Austin Boeckman (Sr); Brandon Boldt (Sr); Kent Henderson (Sr); Ethan Kathol (Sr); Tyler Naberhaus (Sr); Dillon Rupiper (Sr); Austin Weitl (Sr); Alex Wiederin (Sr); Andrew Schleisman (Jr); Joel Sibbel (Jr).
Clarinda: Wesley Mullen (Sr); Alex Volkmar (Sr); Cree Slough (Sr); James Greenwood (Sr); Daniel Bates (Sr); Kory Aldrich (Sr); Nick Card (Sr); Brody Swanson (Sr); Tony Card (Sr); Caedron Bartles (Jr).
IKM-Manning: Jerad Croghan (Sr); Rick Blake (Sr); Matt Vogel (Sr); Mitchell Irlmeier (Jr); Tyler Muhlbauer (Sr); Jason Opperman (Sr); Jay Petersen (Jr); Chance Wiese (Jr); Ethan McConnel (Jr); John Keane (Jr).
MVAO: Tim Daugherty (Sr); Chris Oberg (Sr); Rick Maynard (Sr.); Ethan Heinse (Sr); Dylan Maynard (Sr); Brandon Burkhart (Sr); Ben Koithan (Sr); Josh Trucke (Jr); Curtis Timmerman (Jr).
Missouri Valley: Nolan Ford (Sr); Michael Fox (Sr); Alex Amato (Jr); Gered Gatrost (Jr); Jole Miller (Jr.).
OA-BCIG: Josh Blair (Jr); Tanner Bengford (Sr.); Cole Bogar (Sr.); Tyler Down (Sr); Dalton Hemer (Jr); Scott Hoefling (Jr); Dayton Hoelscher (Sr); Andy Iversen (Sr); Nick Petersen (Jr); Josh Schaefer (Jr); Casey Schug (Jr); Chaps Wilke (Sr).
Red Oak: Matt Goracke (Jr); Jeff Updike (Jr); Travis Larson (Jr); Caleb Flowers (Sr); Josh Kasubick (Sr); Zach Lukehart (Sr); Dylan Hambright (Sr); Josh Nix (Sr); Jackson Miller (Sr); Lucas Orme (Sr).
Shenandoah: Jake Doerr (Jr); Stephen Langley (Jr); Ryan Matheny (Jr); Casey Wright (Sr); Christian Debban (Sr).
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:48:01 CST
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