Boys’ soccer tourney throws it in at Muscatine

Muscatine hosts the Boys’ State Soccer Tournament for the tenth and final time this weekend and for the tenth straight year Bettendorf is part of the field. The Bulldogs take on Linn-Mar of Marion tonight in a class 2A quarterfinal round game.Bettendorf coach Ben Pennington says their feeder program has been so strong that he gets the benefits of that, and says he’s proud to be able to take this group back to state. Pennington expects a tough first round matchup. Pennington feels three things are needed to win the state tournament: good players, good health and good fortune. He says sometimes you need a little bit of luck and you need a break. He says sometimes you can create the break for yourself, but he says the teams are so even that each year is a new experience. A team must play three times in less than 24-hours to win the title and Pennington says keeping the players fresh is a must. He says you have to substitute earlier, even though the kids don’t like it, you have to keep the team fresher.The tournament begins this afternoon with the opening round in class 1A.