As with any high school sports season, when I have to cover successful programs, I have to expect to see the teams go deep into the post season, and that usually means a busy schedule for me. Especially when there is an overlap in seasons.
Usually, there isn't an overlap in high school seasons, except if we're talking about practices starting when one season is ending. However, the spring season always overlaps into the summer season with regional, district, substate and state play in golf, tennis, track and field, and soccer.
These last couple weeks has been one period where I have been pretty busy, and driving about a lot. Everything started last Monday, Memorial Day. I covered a pair of baseball games in a season-opening tournament at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo. In the games, Waterloo West beat Cedar Falls, 6-3, and Columbus Catholic downed Waterloo East, 6-2.
I originally was going to cover the boys' soccer substate first-round match between Cedar Falls and East at the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex the next night, but Pat Racette, the sports editor for both the Cedar Falls Times and Waverly Newspapers, told me that I didn't need to go. We knew the Tigers would beat the Trojans, as they had earlier in the season. They did.
Last Wednesday, I was to cover a baseball twinbill between NU High (the high school attached to the University of Northern Iowa, part of its laboratory school) and Springville, but it got cancelled due to rain.
Thursday night, I traveled to Fort Dodge for the boys substate soccer semifinal between the Tigers and Fort Dodge. C.F. did win that game, 1-0, but the following picture I think puntuated the deal:
As you can see, four of these guys wore their track uniforms, with the other wearing an old soccer jersey. They also painted their faces, and the guy on the right, Kyle Bernard, wore his football pants. Sometimes, high school kids can be crazy.
Friday, I had nothing, so I took the night off after I was done with my other job at 2 p.m. I then worked Saturday until about 6, went to Jenny's after she got home from her father's birthday celebration, and went to work again Sunday from 11 to 5.
Monday, I went to cover the substate final between C.F. and West. West was ranked No. 11 in the state, but the two teams are bitter rivals. West won the game earlier this season on their home pitch, 2-1. The Tigers got the best of the Wahawks on that night, 2-1, to advance to state. They will play tomorrow at noon at Southeast Polk against top-seeded Ankeny, who was tied for No. 2 in the state with Iowa City West in the final rankings. Here is a picture of the Tigers with their state qualification banner:
Then Lauren Smith smacked a double to right-center to score Qualls and Kleitsch and put Zaputil on third. Sarah Korte grounded to first to drive in Zaputil and put Smith on third with two gone. During the next at bat, Smith scored on a passed ball to put the Tigers up by their winning margin. That allowed their ace pitcher and Drexel University recruit Shyann Beach to take the win.
In game two, Korte tripled and Cari Collins homered to give the Tigers their winning margin.
Tonight, I went to Coe College in Cedar Rapids to cover the girls' regional soccer semifinal between C.F. and Cedar Rapids Washington. Wash won that game 2-1, but the Tigers tried to get the equalizer in the final minute on two corner kicks. Their best chance went over the cross bar with eight seconds left.
As I said, I'm on my way to the Des Moines area tomorrow for the boys' state soccer first round match. That'll be the only one I'll cover for state, not because we know Ankeny might wipe the field with them, but because we won't have enough room to put in any other game. In fact, we're so out of room, I'm not needed to do anything Friday.
Well, that's it for now. Watch this space for more of my musings.
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