EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have hired nine-year NFL veteran Nate Kaeding as a part-time kicking coach. Kaeding, a two-time Pro Bowl pick with the San Diego Chargers, has begun working with Vikings specialists this spring. He’s been at the practice facility a couple of times per week, with electronic communication between visits.

Coach Mike Zimmer said he anticipates Kaeding returning for training camp, and he left open the possibility of eventually creating a full-time role. The Vikings have struggled to find kicker stability since Zimmer arrived in 2014. New special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf called Kaeding “another set of eyes” for him.

Since last playing in the league in 2012, Kaeding has worked in business development in and around his hometown of Iowa City , Iowa, where he also kicked in college.

The Girls Individual State Tennis Meet gets underway today and continues through Thursday. The Class 1A Tournament is being played at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City. The Class 2A Tournament is being played at the Bettendorf High School Tennis Complex. Team Final Four play will be on Saturday in the Des Moines area.

In Class 1A Doubles teams from Glenwood, Shenandoah, and Kuemper Catholic are competing. Brooklyn Taylor and Brielle Smith of Glenwood, Nichole and Natalie Gilbert of Shenandoah, and Samantha Schwarte and Abby Boes of Kuemper Catholic will be competing with play beginning at 10:00am.

In Class 1A Singles play Isabel Schwabe of Kuemper Catholic, Macy Baker of Red Oak, and Sophie Walker of Red Oak will be in the field. Singles play also starts at 10:00am.

Shenandoah will play in the 1A Team Final Four on Saturday at the Johnston High School Tennis Complex. Their Semifinal pairing is against Cedar Rapids Xavier at 9:00am. Final matches will then be played at Noon.

Baseball

Audubon 13, Exira-EHK 3
IKM-Manning 16, Riverside 10
West Monona 10, Boyer Valley 2

Softball

IKM-Manning 10, Riverside 4
West Monona 4, West Harrison 1 (8 innings)

Regional Semifinals are on tap in Girls Class 3A Soccer tonight. Some area Class 1A and 2A games are on the schedule as well after being postponed from Tuesday night.

Class 3A

Region 1

Sioux City North @ CB Thomas Jefferson 5:00pm

Region 2

Sioux City East @ CB Abraham Lincoln 7:00pm

Class 2A

Region 2

Carlisle vs. Winterset 6:00pm (@ Earlham)

Class 1A

Region 2

St. Albert @ Underwood 6:00pm

Region 3

Grand View Christian @ North Polk 6:00pm
Creston @ Panorama 6:00pm
Chariton @ Des Moines Christian 6:00pm
Clarke @ WCV-NV-AC 6:00pm (@ West Central Valley)

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Jim Field.

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(Radio Iowa) — A proposed cross-country network of recreational trails called the Great American Rail Trail would follow a 465-mile path through Iowa. Existing trails cover about half that distance, according to the Rail Trail Conservancy which created the route. Lisa Hein, of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, says to finish the job, local and state groups need to step up efforts to connect trail systems. Hein says, “We have enough funding to do maybe three to ten miles a year and if we have 150 miles of connections that we need to still make to complete the Great American Rail Trail across Iowa, it’s going to take a few years.”

On average, Hein says building one mile of trail costs 300- to 400-thousand dollars. Some 53-percent of the Iowa route is made up of existing trails like the Lake Manawa Trail and the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, but there are still hundreds of miles of gaps in between. Mike Wallace, executive director of the Dallas County Conservation Board, says they plan to finish one of them — a nine-mile stretch between the High Trestle Trail and the Raccoon River Trail northwest of Des Moines.  “We know we can do at least another mile, but that will be done in 2020,” Wallace says. “One piece of the puzzle at a time, I guess.”

The Great American Rail Trail for hiking and cycling would travel from Council Bluffs in western Iowa to Davenport in the east. Nationwide, it would stretch 37-hundred miles from Washington, D-C to Washington state.

(Thanks to Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cesar Hernandez hit a go-ahead two-run homer, Nick Pivetta threw five tough innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 4-3. Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna hit homers in the first inning but the Cardinals blew a 3-0 lead in their 11th loss in 15 games.

CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito struck out 10 while winning his fifth straight start and the Chicago White Sox posted their second victory of the day, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3. Hours after Yolmer Sanchez hit an RBI single in the ninth inning to give Chicago a 2-1 win in the resumption of a suspended game, Giolito put on quite a performance.

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago White Sox employee of the month got to throw out a first pitch. And, to put it mildly, she was just a little bit off target. The rookie right-hander uncorked one of the most wayward first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and first-base line prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals. The ball went right off Darren Georgia’s lens, nowhere near the plate. He says he was OK, as was his camera.

BOSTON (AP) — The defense for the Boston Bruins is a matter of extremes: Two players are listed at 5-foot-9 and two more at 5-11. Then there is Zdeno Chara, who is 6-foot-9, and Brandon Carlo, who is 6-5. Whatever they are doing, it’s working. The Bruins have made it very hard to score and they lead the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 2 is Wednesday night.

The State Girls Golf Tournaments got off to a slow start due to rainy weather conditions. Play was suspended at each site for Day 1 play and Day 2 will consist of the resumption of first rounds followed by second round play.

Class 1A at American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown will resume at 9:30am Wednesday with golfers completing their Day 1 round before beginning Day 2’s 18 holes.

Class 2A play at Ames Golf and Country Club had not completed their rounds as of Tuesday evening with just a few holes left.

Class 3A at Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankeny suspended play with many players through about 12 holes after a delay to start the day as well. Play will resume at 8:30am Wednesday with completion of first round before 2nd round begins.

Class 4A at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames was suspended. Two groups will complete round 1 at 9:00am Wednesday with a shotgun start for the 2nd round at 10:00am.

Class 1A and 2A are set to contest Regional Girls Soccer games tonight. Class 1A is set to play Regional Quarterfinals and 2A Regional Semifinals. Here’s a look at the area schedule.

*Changes in Bold

Class 1A

Region 1

West Sioux 0, Bishop Heelan 10
Missouri Valley 0, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 10 (@ Heelan)
MOC-Floyd Valley 2, Unity Christian 5 (Moved to Northwestern College)
Western Christian 3, Sioux Center 0

Region 2

Riverside 0, Treynor 19
Logan-Magnolia 0, Harlan 3 (@ Treynor)
AHSTW 0, Tri-Center 2
St. Albert @ Underwood 6:00pm (PPD to Wednesday at 5:00pm)

Region 3

Grand View Christian @ North Polk 6:00pm (PPD to Wednesday)
Creston @ Panorama 6:00pm (PPD to Wednesday)
Chariton @ Des Moines Christian 6:00pm (PPD to Wednesday)
Clarke @ WCV-NV-AC 6:00pm (@ West Central Valley) (PPD to Wednesday)

Region 5

Greene County 0, Kuemper Catholic 9

Class 2A

Region 1

Spirit Lake 0, Spencer 10
Carroll 1, Denison-Schleswig 6

Region 2

Glenwood 1, Lewis Central 5
Carlisle vs. Winterset 6:00pm (@ Earlham) (PPD to Wednesday)

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their final girls soccer rankings for the 2019 season.

In Class 3A Waukee is top ranked. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln is ranked 5th.

In Class 2A ADM holds the top spot. Lewis Central is 7th and Winterset is 11th.

In Class 1A Davenport Assumption is #1. Treynor is 5th, St. Albert 10th, and Kuemper Catholic is 12th.

Full rankings here: GirlsSoccer-2019-finalrankings