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Sports
Boys’ basketball ready for Linn-Mar The Xavier Saints boys’ basketball team traveled to Davenport Assumption December 22 where they played the Knights, who are ranked no.5 in 3A. The Saints are looking to bounce back from a previous loss and break their two game losing streak. Assumption won handily beating the Saints 6753 in a non-conference game. Senior Trey Sampson led Xavier with 16 points and Junior Matt Nelson added 15 points. The boys played at Cedar Rapids Washington January 4 where Coach Ryan Luehrsmann went to high school and where he was also inducted in the Hall of Fame. Coach Luehrsmann and the Saints were able to pull away early in the second half with a 11-0 run, and ended up winning the game 56-42. Senior Corbin Woods scored 15 points, and Sampson scored 10 points to lead Xavier. “Our teamwork has been good, and we’ve been working hard in practices to get better. Coach Luehrsmann has done a great job getting us prepared for our games,” Sophomore Adam McDermott said. The Saints played at Cedar Rapids Kennedy on January 8. Xavier was defeated in this close MVC-matchup 44-41. Sampson
hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points for the Saints. Nelson chipped in with 10 points. The Saints played at home against Dubuque Wahlert on January 11. It was Future Saints Night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium. The boys’ basketball Future Saints greeted the team as they ran onto the court. The Saints outscored Wahlert, 23-7, in the 4th quartar to seal the Saints third win in the MVC. Sampson led all scorers with 17 points. Woods had 13 points for Xavier. “We’ve had great fan support so far this year, and we’re trying to continue to build on our solid start to the season,” Woods said. The team is 7-4 on the year and play tomorrow night at Linn-Mar. The Saints are looking for their first win against the Lions in school history. “We are just going to keep trying to get better every day in practice by focusing on the little things like rebounding and communication. We are going to work on taking quality shots and play with great intensity and enthusiasm,” senior Reggie Schulte said. Alex Fox Sports Writer
Xavier High School
Girls’ basketball bounces back On Saturday, December 22, the Xavier girls’ basketball team competed against class 3A Davenport Assumption. Senior Kayla Armstrong led the team with eight points and the Saint’s were seven points away from tying the game up at halftime. Davenport ultimately got the victory at the end of the game with a score of 51-36. On Friday, January 4, Xavier played against Cedar Rapids Washington in a home match. The Saints put up a strong fight with the Warrior’s, however, the Warrior’s won with a score of 57-49. The Saint’s had a tough battle in their game against West Des Moines Valley on Saturday, January 5. Junior Hayley Deutmeyer added 17 points to the score board which led the team in total points. The Saint’s were outscored in the fourth leading to Valley winning 66-64. The Saints hosted Cedar Rapids Kennedy at home on Tuesday, January 8. “We knew we needed to come out strong and ready to play and look for our open teammates. We looked to find our inside game and combined that with our outside game,” freshman McKenna Andersen said. The Saint’s outrebounded the Cougars 33-27 helping them to finish the game with a win and score of 60-51. “Overall, we did a great job
finishing out the game and making our free throws,” Andersen said. Xavier played in a MVC game against Dubuque Wahlert on Friday, January 11 in Dubuque. Senior Ashley Stulken helped the team to a victory of 52-41 scoring 12 points and getting 11 rebounds. “We are coming together when we need to. Everyone is fulfilling their roles on the team and in order to succeed in the third leg of the season this is exactly where we need to be,” Deutmeyer said. The Saints are now 8-6 on the season and play next on Friday, January 18 against Linn-Mar in the Ron Thillen Gymnasium.
Lizzy McWhinney Sports Writer
Junior Hayley Deutmeyer pulls up from the three point range. Amanda Wymore Photo
Richardson, Durin dive into Championship Season The Xavier swimmers at Washington High School are doing well, as is Washington’s whole team. The Warriors have moved up in the state ranks, and they are currently fourth. Nick Durin continues to succeed for Washington. He started out by winning the 200 freestyle relay against Cedar Falls and against West Des Moines Valley, who is currently ranked third in the state. Against Kennedy, Durin placed third in the 200 medley relay and the 200 IM, and he placed second in the 100 free and the 200 free relay. Finally, Durin finished up with the Jim Voss Invitational at Washington. In this eight team meet, Durin placed fifth in the 100 breast stroke, and second in the 200 medley relay, the 50 free, and the 200 free relay. Washington ended up winning against Cedar Falls and Kennedy, and they finished in
second place in the Jim Voss Invitational. Washington’s next meet will take place on January 19th. Kennedy has also continued to swim well. They picked up a win against Dubuque Hempstead, and they placed sixth at the Grayhound Invitational (14 team event) in Burlington, Iowa. John Richardson started off by winning the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay against Dubuque Hempstead. Against Washington, Richardson had one third place finish in the 100 free, and he came in second in the 200 medley relay, 100 backstroke, and the 400 medley relay. “I felt good about my times and it was a good way to finish my home meet career,” Richardson said. His fellow Xavier swimmer Evan Bednar swam in the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay. “I think I did very well. I
had personal best times in both events,” Bednar said. In the Grayhound Invitational, Richardson picked up a third and fourth place finish. Kennedy’s next meet will be on January 19 as well. Both teams are also starting to prepare for the Championship Season, as taper workout has begun. Districts will be held February 2 at Mercer Pool in Iowa City. “This is the time of the season that we have been working for all season. Workouts are shorter and more intense, which prepares our bodies to swim in the highly competitive championship races. We hope to taper as well as we did last year and qualify more people to the State Meet than last year,” Richardson said.
Kyle Dmello Sports Writer
Top: Sophomore Even Bednar swims the back stroke. Above: Senior John Richardson accompanied by his parents and escort Megan Lynch at Senior Night. Richardson Photos