The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 31

Metro Edition The Des Moines Register Page2C Thursday, December 18, 2008 DesMoinesRegister.com What you don't want to miss online today Replay Sean Heeler's online chat Roll Out the Mats: Wrestling Notebook Compiled by Dan McCool SraJ Des Moines Register columnist Sean 2i Keeler discussed the vacant Iowa State football coaching position Wednesday. An excerpt of what was written: jc4' k- A )IX yJ Comment From ChiClone: Pollard is playing this very close to the vest, who do you think is the best immediate impact coach (i.e. Retain players and win with current roster)? Keeler: Of the four 'alleged' shortlisters Todd Graham, Jay Norvell, Mark Farley and Steve Loney I'd have to say Graham. Assuming he brings his off. coordinator from Tulsa as well, which is not a guarantee, either.

Comment From snucka: Why does everyone think we need someone with Iowa ties as our new head coach? Keeler: Two words: Dallas Clark. Two more words: Robert Gallery. Sage Rosenfels. Todd Blythe. Etc.

There are lots of FBS-level players in the state, or guys who can be DEVELOPED into FBS players. But you have to have the contactsforesight to be able to bring them in. You can win WITHOUT Iowa kids, but you can't BUILD A PROGRAM without them the alternative is a roster littered with JUCOs, and that could prove risky after a while. Comment From Brad: Who do you think Pollard is leaning toward? Keeler: I think he's looking for someone he won't have to replace after two seasons, someone who CLEARLY doesn't have an eye or a hankering for another, more storied, spot. He's got to get this right, or he's next out the door.

Also, we hear he's moving quickly, which is smart. Comment From jabbar: What do you think the odds are of Farley being offered the postion and odds of him accepting if offered? Keeler: First, 40-60. Second, 60-40. And you could argue 50-50 on either question. I think Pollard has to be worried about the McDermott question a little that ex-UNI hire hasn't exactly paid off yet.

And Farley has to wonder about everything that Terry Allen went through at Kansas a few years ago. Get the news as soon as it happens Log on to DesMoinesRegister.comsports and sign up for breaking news text alerts. For example: The minute we find out who the next ISU coach is, we'll send a message to your cell phone and give you the scoop. HARRY BAUMERTTHE REGISTER Northern Iowa's Moza Fay, left, beat Iowa's Ryan Morningstar 3-2 last week. The effort helped Fay earn Western Wrestling Conference wrestler of the week honors.

NCAA rule change boosts Midlands TRUCKS FROM PAGE 1C cility's Web site Wednesday noting they were compelled to relinquish the Truck date because of especially difficult regional economic circumstances. Iowa Speedway has now secured two of the top three NASCAR series with the gold-standard Sprint Cup Series as the lone exception. "It is always exciting to go to a new venue and show the fans what the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is all about," NASCAR vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell said in a news release. "The Midwest has some of our sport's most loyal fans, and Iowa Speedway produces some incredible racing as we've seen with the NASCAR Camping World East and West Series. We look forward to racing there." So do at least some top-level racers.

NASCAR star Carl Edwards told The Des Moines Register recently that Iowa Speedway is "real special." "I feel like the fans in that area, they're hard-core racing fans," said the Columbia, native, who plans to race both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules full-time again this season. "There are more dirt tracks in Iowa than probably any other state in the country. I feel like when we go up there to race, the fans are really going to support this, so that's exciting." Iowa Speedway officials will hold a news conference this morning regarding the announcement. One of the topics to be addressed will be how the addition of another race affects season-ticket holders and the overall price structure for the 2009 slate. "The track is sensitive to that," said Iowa Speedway director of media relations Mike Beecher, "and is looking at arrangements to provide additional benefits to those fans who bought tickets at a discounted rate." 1 Iowa Speedway 2009 race schedule MAY 16: ASA Midwest Tour Super Late ModelsUSST Super Trucks MAY 17: NASCAR Camping World Series EastWest JUNE 19: IndyCar practice JUNE 20: Firestone Indy Light SerieslndyCar qualifying JUNE 21: Iowa Corn Indy 250 JULY 10: ARCA qualifyingStar Mazda Championship Series JULY 11: ARCA ReMax Series ARCA Truck Series JULY 31: NASCAR Nationwide PracticeUSAC Sprint Car Series AUG.

1: Nationwide Series SEPT 5: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SEPT. 19: USAR Pro Cup Series ASA Late Model Series Mi, ROOSEVELT at VALLEY, 7:30 tonight: Roosevelt is No. 3 and Valley is No. 8 in the Iowa Wrestling -Jam WRESTLING, FROM PAGE 1C Regional. The only automatic qualifiers are the champion of each weight class.

A selection committee determines the remaining 220 qualifiers. The tougher the Division I competition faced and one's ability to get ranked will help a wrestler find himself in St. Louis for the national Us. Am Coaches and Officials dual-meet rankings. I JONES BROTHERS INVITATIONAL, 10 a.m.

Saturday, Iowa Falls: Twin brothers Ron and Don Jones, who wrestled at Iowa Falls and later coached there, have a tournament named in their honor. WARTBURG'S DESERT DUALS, 10 a.m. Sunday: Wrestling in a ballroom? Only if it's the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas. Wartburg and Coe compete in the day-long meet. tournament in March.

"If you do well in a tough tournament, whether it's preseason, midseason or whatever, you have a much better chance of being selected to go to the NCAA Follow the NBA, NFL, college sports online Now you don't have to bounce around from Web site to Web site to find all your sports news. It's all at DesMoinesRegister.comsports. You can find the best Cyclones and Hawkeyes coverage as well as pro sports news, statistics, box scores and schedules from Stats, Inc. tournament," Kraft said. Kraft The quest for tough com i Whites.

Running blog Lance Bergeson writes that Drake Relays legend Suzy Favor Hamilton will speak in Des Moines on Jan. 16. r- -Vi- -SfHir- ijrirriitfrfaW I i I GUSTAVO MARTINEZ Junior, Marshalltown Martinez, 9-0 going into tonight's meet against Johnston, pinned No. 1 Jake Ballweg of Waverly-Shell Rock last Saturday. CODY SWIM Junior, Indianola Swim won his third straight Tiger Invitational championship at West Des Moines Valley last Saturday.

He is ranked No. 2 at 130. Iowa Scene: UNI ail-Americans HONORS: Northern Iowa defensive end James Ruffin was named a second-team Associated Press Football Championship Subdivision all-American. Panther defensive tackle Everette Pedescleaux earned third-team honors. Iowa State kick returner Leonard Johnson was named a second-team freshman all-American by Rivals.com.

DUBUQUE HIRES FOOTBALL COACH: Stan Zweifel has been hired as head football coach at the University of Dubuque. Zweifel was the offensive coordinator at Minnesota State University-Mankato. petition has pushed Midlands entry totals to the limit, Kraft said. "We're filled up," Kraft said. "I'm hopeful that our numbers will be south of 400.

We're looking to do 360-370. I've had a bunch of them (ask), and I've had to gently tell them, The Midlands took a hit recently with the advent of the Southern Scuffle in North Carolina. Several years ago, there was a tournament in Ames at the same time as the Midlands called the Midwest Championships. It was started by Iowa State coach Harold Nichols, later moved to Des Moines and then went away. "Nick got a little mad at us (one year) because every referee didn't concede to him," Kraft said, explaining why Nichols started his own tournament.

"He was going to run us out of business. He made that comment to me." Kraft thinks Midlands fans new and old are in for a treat this year. "It's going to be a barn burner," Kraft said. "It's not an average Midlands." fF Correction A photo accompanying Wednesday's Iowans in the NFL report incorrectly identified former Iowa State player Reggie Hayward of Jacksonville. Hayward is pictured at left.

VIKINGS' FIRST: Grand View University is in the NAI A top 20 for the first time. The Vikings are tied with Simon Fraser for 19th. FAY HONORED: Moza Fay of Northern Iowa was named wrestler of the week by the Western Wrestling Conference. No. 2 Fay beat No.

6 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa 3-2 last Thursday. SLUIK RANKED: Tiffany Sluik of Mason City is No. 5 at 11274 pounds in the Women's College Wrestling Association rankings. Sluik is a freshman at Jamestown (N.D.) College. Area eventsTVRadio TV times subject to change i'f Tim Johnson, 55, is in his 23rd year as part of the wrestling broadcast team for Iowa Public Television, his 11th as play-by-play man.

He works with Jim Gibbons and If V- MEN'S BASKETBALL 5:30 Mississippi State at Cincinnati (ESPN2) 6:00 Evansville at North Carolina (ESPN) 8:00 Louisville vs. Mississippi (ESPN) GOLF 2:00 -PGA: Chevron World Challenge (Golf) NHL 6:00 St. Louis at Washington (FSM) WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL 7:30 NCAA tournament semifinals (ESPN2) Radio NFL 7:15 Indianapolis at Jacksonville, KXNO-AM (1460) Dan Gable. How can you top a season-opening telecast where nearly 16,000 were on hand? Area events BOYS' SWIMMING 5:00 Lincoln, Southeast Polk atlndianola 5:30 Hoover at Ottumwa 5:30 Marshalltown at Roosevelt 6:00 Valley at Fort Dodge PREP WRESTLING 6:30 Ankeny at Lincoln 6:30 Dowling Catholic at Ames 6:30 East atWaukee 6:30 Indianola at Ottumwa 6:30 Johnston at Marshalltown 6:30 Roosevelt at Valley 6:30 S.E. Polk at Fort Dodge Television NBA 7:00 San Antonio at Orlando (TNT) 9:30 Phoenix at Portland (TNT) Auto Racing CREW CHIEF CHANGE: The 2003 NASCAR champion, Matt Kenseth, will have a new crew chief for 2009 in Drew Blickensderfer.

Kenseth's crew chief for the 2008 season, Chip Bolin, will return to his role as team engineer. Kenseth, who signed a multiyear contract extension last month, failed to win a race for the first time since 2001 and was 11th in the final standings. EVERNHAM CUTS: Gillett Evernham Motorsports will lay off about 65 employees in several departments as part of scaling back its Nationwide Series program next season. The No. 9 Dodge will run a partial schedule in the second-tier series.

The team will continue to field at least three Sprint Cup Series teams. "We are a Sprint Cup team first and foremost, and winning in that series needs to be our primary focus," CEO Tom Reddin said Wednesday. GEM lost sponsor Unilever to JR Motorsports and doesn't have enough sponsorship in place to run the full Nationwide schedule. REGISTER FILE PHOTO Former Iowa State wrestling coach Harold Nichols didn't think his team was getting a fair shake from the referees at Midlands so he started his own tournament as a protest. "Iowans are not looking to Johnson have the next wrestling show top the last one.

They're just looking for the next wrestling show." How much fun is your job? "When you can at any time in the event say 'What do you think, or 'How about that, and never be wrong, I don't know how you can have more fun than my position in the middle of Dan Gable and Jim Gibbons." How many telecasts will you do this season? "I'll do 17. When I do the NCAAs for ESPNU and ESPN, that's the equivalent of six (shows) in one weekend." Want to read more about wrestling during the season? Read reporter Dan McCool's blog and leave him your thoughts and opinions at: DesMoinesRegister.com sports How To Contact Us Bryc Miller, Executive Sports Editor, (515) 284-8288 or brmillerdmreg.com Mark Emmart, Deputy Sports Editor, (515) 284-8062 or memmertdmreg.com Gary Laka, Sports Online Editor, (515) 284-8573 or glakedmreg.com Contact a raportar: (515) 284-8065 Sports scores: Call (515) 284-8012 or (800) 532-1455 (Ext. 8012) General e-mail: sportsdmreg.com General fax: (515) 284-8391 hi.