With the Marion baseball team losing in its substate tournament final to upstart Independence last Wednesday, July 21, the 2009-2010 athletic school year officially came to an end at Marion and Linn-Mar high schools.

And, my oh my, what a school year it was for the athletic departments at these two top-notch schools, both athletically and academically.

The two Marion high schools can boast one state championship team, several other teams and individuals that qualified for state tournaments or meets, and too many all-conference performers - both in the Mississippi Valley and WaMaC conferences - to list in this limited space.

I have covered the athletes and teams at Marion and Linn-Mar for more than 23 years now, just the last eight months for the Marion Times. At the risk of being a called a homer, there may not be a finer collection of athletes, coaches and supportive parents and administrators anywhere in the state.

The coaches I have dealt with - there are 21 varsity sports teams at Linn-Mar, 20 at Marion - are all first-class. Again, they are too numerous to name in this space.

It would have been impossible for Activities Directors Scott Mahmens at Linn-Mar and Corby Laube at Marion to be any more accommodating to a lowly scribe looking for stories and results - not to mention phone numbers, email addresses or just a seat at the scorer's table - than those two were over the past school year.

And, of course, you can't argue with results.

The Linn-Mar girls' basketball team behind mega-talent Kiah Stokes and seniors Kayla Klopfenstein and DJ Norman finished 26-0 and won the Class 4A state championship. All three will have their college educations paid for, thanks to their abilities on the basketball floor - and in the classroom.

The Linn-Mar boys' basketball team finished third at the Class 4A state tournament, thanks in large part to contributions from future NCAA Division I athletes Matt Bohannon, Marcus Paige, Josh Montague and Shane Benton. All three are back for more in 2010-11.

The resurgent Linn-Mar football team won the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division title and advanced to the first-round of the Class 4A playoffs. Senior quarterback Will Roth will continue his football career at Northern Iowa and was also a valuable member of the basketball team. There are many, many other future college football players who will suit up for the team this fall.

Linn-Mar girls' volleyball team, led by all-stater Stokes, advanced to the first-round of the state tournament in downtown Cedar Rapids. The Linn-Mar sophomores Tyler McCann and Mitch Anderson finished sixth at the state tennis doubles tournament.

The Lions' boys' tennis and boys' golf teams joined the football and basketball teams as MVC Valley Division champions. The boys' track team finished fourth at the 4A state meet, led by hurdler and sprinter Kyle Dunn, one of the nation's best in his age-group. Dunn will return for an encore as a senior in 2011.

The Lions' girls' soccer team joined the girls' basketball team as division champions, and both the boys' and girls' programs won MVC All-Sports division titles when the finishes of every athletic team were tabulated in a specific formula.

The Marion volleyball team advanced to the semifinal round of the Class 3A state tournament, thanks to the efforts of all-staters Morgan Paige and JoAnna Forkner. Senior Alyssa Biery won the Drake Relays discus crown.

Paige's best sport is, of course, basketball. She is headed to the University of Wisconsin after leading the Indians to the state tournament for the second time in three years. She is Marcus Paige's older sister and the daughter of recently retired coach Sheryl Paige.

The Indians' football team, under longtime coach Tony Perkins, once again advanced to the playoffs after winning the Class 3A District 4 championship with an unblemished record. Senior Logan Pickering played in last Saturday night's Shrine Bowl All-Star game at Iowa State's Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

And finally, the Indians' baseball team won the WaMaC West Division title and finished just one game short of a state tournament appearance.

These accomplishments - and there are many, many others - are something the people of Marion can be proud of. Everyone involved in the athletic programs at Linn-Mar and Marion have proved to be nothing but winners and first-class individuals.

Sort of makes you anxious for 2010-11, doesn't it?