Week 2 Football Capsules

City High's Naeem Smith runs against Linn-Mar in a game Aug. 26 at Bates Field/Tork Mason For Your Prep Sports

Solon (1-0) at 1A No. 1 Regina (0-1)

Where: Regina, 7 p.m.

Last Season: Regina 21, Solon 13

Player to Watch: Regina senior quarterback Tommy Rapp (6-3, 190) accounted for nearly 300 yards of offense in his first career start under center, passing for 212 yards and two scores and rushing for 81 yards.

Key Stat: Regina allowed 382 rushing yards in its season opening loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier.

About Solon: The Spartans built a 20-0 lead and held on for a 26-21 win over 2A third-ranked Mount Vernon in their season opener. Kendrick Harris rushed for 111 yards and Blayze Griffis threw for 170 and two touchdowns.

About Regina: The Regals lost for just the third time in their last 85 games in week one, falling 35-26 at Class 3A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier. Isaac Vollstedt accounted for 162 total yards (97 receiving and 65 rushing) and three touchdowns last week.

No. 9 West High (1-0) at No. 10 Muscatine (1-0)

Where: Muscatine Community Stadium, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: Did not play.

Player to Watch: Muscatine senior running back Alphonso Soko (5-10, 185) showed why he is considered one of the state’s top playmakers last week rushing for 191yards and a score, catching two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown and returning a punt 83 yards for a score against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Key Stat: The 280 rushing yards for West High in its season-opening win over Southeast Polk were the most for the Trojans since rushing for 563 against Dubuque Hempstead in the opening round of the 2013 playoffs.

About Muscatine: The Muskies made a statement in week one rallying from a 22-15 halftime deficit for a 29-25 win over defending 4A runner-up Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Muscatine started 6-1 last season but allowed more than 47 points per game in a three-game losing skid to end the season.

About West High: The Trojans were impressive in week one, rolling up 541 yards of offense in a 42-17 win over Southeast Polk. West High flashed a balanced offense in week one, rushing for 280 yards and passing for 261. Matthew Huff ran for 170 yards and a touchdown and Evan Flitz passed for 244 and three scores.

No. 7 City High (1-0) at No. 6 Pleasant Valley (1-0)

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last Season: City High 13, Pleasant Valley 7 (2nd round of 4A playoffs)

Player to Watch: Pleasant Valley senior quarterback Terry Saul (5-10, 185) passed for 52 yards and rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a week one win.

Key Stat: Pleasant Valley averaged 257 rushing yards per game last season but managed just 137 yards on the ground in a 13-7 playoff loss to City High.

About Pleasant Valley: The Spartans rolled up 350 rushing yards and had touchdown runs of 38, 47 and 55 yards in a 31-7 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson last week. Junior fullback Arthur Braden led three players with more than 50 yards rushing with a team-high 162 on the ground.

About City High: Nate Wieland rushed for 124s yards in his return from a knee injury that sidelined him for the final seven games last season as City High defeated Linn-Mar 26-6 in week one. The Little Hawks had two players rush for 100 yards in week one as senior running back Bryce Frantz added 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Independence (0-1) at Clear Creek Amana (1-0)

Where: Clipper Field, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: Did not play.

Players to Watch: Clear Creek Amana junior defensive ends Tanner Cochran (6-0, 190) and Cole White (5-10, 200) each had three sacks last week against Mount Pleasant.

Key Stat: A Clear Creek Amana defense that held Mount Pleasant to 181 total yards faces an Independence team that had 82 yards of offense in a season-opening loss to West Delaware.

About Independence: Coming off an 8-2 season the Mustangs got off to a tough start falling to defending 3A semifinalist West Delaware 48-0 last week. Independence was held to 52 yards rushing on 31 attempts in week one.

About Clear Creek Amana: The Clippers picked up where they left off last season rushing for 308 yards in a 23-8 win over Mount Pleasant. Drake Brezina ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns as Clear Creek Amana rushed for 300 yards for the fifth time in its last seven games dating back to last season. The Clippers allowed just 43 rushing yards and had 10 sacks in the win.

West Burlington/Notre Dame (1-0) at 1A No. 2 West Branch (1-0)

Where: The Little Rose Bowl, 7:30 p.m.

Last Season: West Branch 38, West Burlington/Notre Dame 17

Player to Watch: A track standout in the spring West Burlington/Notre Dame senior Isaiah Trousil (5-11, 180) got his football season off to a strong start rushing for 149 yards on 20 carries in week one.

Key Stat: West Branch senior running back Luke Lenoch is on school record watch again this week. Lenoch needs 58 yards to become the all-time leading rusher at West Branch.

About West Burlington/Notre Dame: Coming off a 4-5 season last year the Falcons moved up a Class to 3A this season and opened with a 14-12 win over Mediapolis 14-12. The Falcons have been known for an explosive offense but it was their defense that shined in week one. West Burlington held Mediapolis to 117 total yards and one offensive score.

About West Branch: The Bears built a 26-0 lead and cruised to a 40-20 win over West Liberty in week one to run its regular season winning streak to 20 straight. Sophomore quarterback Beau Cornwell ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Lenoch ran for 178 yards and two scores as the Bears rolled up 386 yards on the ground.

Williamsburg Rallies Past Solon in Five Sets

By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Sarah Ferin will have to wait a little while longer for career victory number one.

After Tuesday’s five-set loss to Williamsburg the first-year Solon head coach doesn’t think that wait will be a long one.

“It’s coming, it’s coming,” Ferin said of her first win as a head coach. “I hoping we get it on Thursday.”

A late Williamsburg rally kept Solon from giving Ferin her first career win in its home opener Tuesday.

The Raiders (3-4) won the final two sets to rally for a 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 15-10 win over Solon.

Solon got 16 kills from Grace Keith and 13 from Jess Heick but couldn’t hold on to a two sets to one lead while dropping its third consecutive match to open the season.

“I think we have so much potential,” Keith said. “We are starting to put the pieces together, we can be something special we just have to figure it out.”

All three Williamsburg players that logged double digit kills had three in the decisive fifth set as the Raiders completed their comeback.

Mickala Stallman finished with a team-high 14 kills to pace Williamsburg which bolted to a 10-5 lead in the fifth.

“I think we just kind of slowed up sometimes,” Ferin said. “We missed some serves and had a couple of net violations that just kind of swayed it their way.”

Solon trailed 11-5 in the opening set but rallied for a 25-21 win behind the play of sophomore Abby Smith.

Smith had three kills and a pair of ace blocks in the opening set to help Solon to an early advantage.

“I feel like we are so close,” senior libero Grace McCarty said. “After last week at the quad we knew what we needed to fix, that was our game plan and it kind of showed out here.”

Williamsburg tied the match with a 25-22 win in the second set but Solon responded with a 25-20 win in the third behind five kills from Heick.

The Spartans had a chance to put the match away in the fourth but saw a 20-19 lead slip away.

Williamsburg ended the fourth set on a 6-2 run to even the match and used an early 7-0 run in the fifth set to take control.

“I think the first two we had a lot of confidence at the end of the match of the match everyone is tired,” Keith said. “At the end of the day it’s a good battle but the last two we didn’t get it done.”

Smith finished with six kills and four ace blocks for Solon while sophomore Rachel Nelson had 32 assists.

Solon returns to action on Thursday with a WAMAC match at Anamosa before taking part in the Cedar Rapids Washington invite this weekend.

“We are building and I’d rather have our losses come now than at the end of the season,” Ferin said. “We want to just keep on building but it was definitely an improvement.”

Solon             25 22 25 22 10

Williamsburg 21 25 20 25 15

(Kills-aces-blocks) 
Solon
Jess Heick 13-0-0, Grace Keith 16-0-2, Tara Lance 0-1-0, Grace McCarty 0-1-0, Rachel Nelson 4-2-0, Paige Gallagher 5-0-0, Ali Diersen 0-2-0, Abby Smith 6-2-4, Taylor Noonan 2-0-0, 46-8-6. Assists – Rachel Nelson 32.

Williamsburg
Caley Courneya 5-0-3, Brittni Gilbert 11-1-2, Molly Wetjen 13-2-0, Emily Simmons 5-1-0, Jazzmyn Newman 1-0-0, Talia McAtee 2-0-0, Mickala Stallman 14-1-1, Allison Watson 0-1-0, Team 51-6-4. Assists – Molly Wetjen 17, Mickala Stallman 16.

West Branch Not Deterred by Departures

West Branch seniors Claire Bridges, DaLana Kron and Abby Knoop.

By Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – After serving as an assistant coach at West Branch the past two seasons John Walsh is well aware who is missing from last year’s state semifinal squad.

Gone from the most success team in school history are 12 seniors including five starters and the team leader in kills, assists and blocks.

Walsh is mindful of the perception those departures have created for this year’s team. The Bear’s first-year head coach just isn’t buying it.

“Last season we had a really strong senior group and I think a lot of teams might be excited that we lost a big crew and think that we are going to be a weak team this year because of it,” Walsh said. “I know that we have good young players that have been trained well and they are going to step into those varsity roles and perform and I’m excited to see what they can do.”

There is no denying the heavy losses from last year’s team that won 36 games including the program’s first state tournament win.

All-state pick Hailey Poula, top blocker Bailey Lukavsky and setter Trystin Luneckas are among 12 graduated seniors.

Head coach Josh Lukavsky stepped away after leading the Bears to the state tournament three times in the past four seasons.

Everyone sees the losses.

What only those within the West Branch program have seen is the talent waiting behind those players.

“A lot of people are saying we have been hit hard by graduation which is true but we have so much potential, I wouldn’t look past us,” West Branch senior Abby Knoop said. “The young kids are really stepping up I have no doubt that we can get back to state if we put our minds to it and work hard every day.”

Knoop knows what it takes to get to the state tournament.

She finished second on the team with 261 kills last year and had a team-high 321 digs as West Branch went 36-6 including a win over Wapsie Valley in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.

Knoop joins senior DaLana Kron as the lone returning starters from last year's team.

Senior Claire Bridges who played in nine sets last year, is the only other varsity player back from last year.

“We are only inexperienced in a sense that people haven’t played varsity,” Kron said. “Everyone is definitely super talented and super experienced in the game of volleyball.”

Bridges, Kron and Knoop give West Branch a solid core of returning players.

That trio of seniors say there is plenty of talent coming up to keep the Bears atop the River Valley Conference.

“I think we have a lot of talent that people just haven’t seen and haven’t had the opportunity to see,” Bridges said. “I think people are going to be surprised.”

West Branch has already shown early this season it isn’t going anywhere.

The Bears went 4-1 at their own season-opening invitational winning eight straight sets before falling to Regina in the title game.

Built around Knoop, one of the top hitters in the RVC, West Branch is thinking about another postseason run.

“We have a really high upside with this group,” Walsh said. “We only have 11 players on varsity right now but we have some very talented players and I think that our biggest challenge is just going to be is getting them to gel and play as on unit because the talent is there. We are going to be a handful for any team that plays us.”

Football Rewind: Quarterbacks Shine in Debuts

By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – A lot of proven varsity players returned for West High this season.

One spot that remained a question mark leading up to Friday’s opener with Southeast Polk was the quarterback position.

Junior Evan Flitz offered a strong answer to the questions surrounding the quarterback position on Friday.

In his first varsity start Flitz completed 17-of-23 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns helping West High to a 42-17 win.

“We have 100 percent confidence in both Evan and Ethan (Postler) and we saw development in those guys all summer and we knew they both are varsity ready,” West High coach Garrett Hartwig said. “Evan stepped up and to be honest with you he played like we needed him to.”

The 6-0, 175-pound Flitz tossed a pair of scoring strikes to Oliver Martin and one to Devontae Lane in his varsity debut.

Flitz also ran for 21 yards as West High rolled up 541 yards of total offense.

“He did what he was supposed to and that wasn’t to try to do too much,” Hartwig said. “Were we shocked? No. Were we happy and a bit surprised? Yes.”

Flitz didn’t need much time to settle in.

He threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes to help West High build a 21-0 lead.

Flitz connected with Lane on a 7-yard scoring strike and hit Martin with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

“I give all the credit to coach (Andrew) Durham our offensive coordinator who has worked with all these guys all summer,” Hartwig said. “They were ready, they understood our game plan, they understood what we wanted to do. Evan is a smart kid and good player and he made it happen.”

Flitz wasn’t the only first-year quarterback to flourish in week one.

West Branch sophomore Beau Cornwell and Regina senior Tommy Rapp both had strong showings in their first career starts under center.

Cornwell ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass in Cooper Kabela in a 40-20 win over West Liberty.

Rapp threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 81 yards in a 35-26 loss to Class 3A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Rapp completed 10-of-25 passes and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Isaac Vollstedt.

WELCOME BACK: It didn’t take long for City High senior Nate Wieland to make an impact in his return from injury.

In his first game back from a knee injury that cost him the final seven games of last season Wieland raced 72 yards for a touchdown on the Little Hawks third offensive play of the season.

Wieland finished with 124 yards on the ground as City High opened with a 26-6 win over Linn-Mar.

CHASING HISTORY: West Branch senior Luke Lenoch moved closer to becoming the all-time leading rusher in program history on Friday.

Lenoch rushed for 178 yards in a 40-20 win over West Liberty and now needs 60 yards to pass Cade Jones for the most rushing yards in West Branch history.

OFFENSIVE PERFORMER OF THE WEEK: West High senior receiver Oliver Martin caught eight passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a 17-yard touchdown pass in a 42-17 win over Southeast Polk.

RUNNER-UP: Clear Creek Amana senior Drake Brezina rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-8 win over Mount Pleasant.

DEFENSIVE PERFOMER OF THE WEEK: Clear Creek Amana junior defensive ends Cole White and Tanner Cochran each had three sacks accounting for six of the Clippers 10 sacks in a win over Mount Pleasant.

RUNNER-UP: Solon senior Austin Kennedy made 10 tackles including nine solo stops as the Spartans held off Mount Vernon 26-21.

West High Boys Third at Prairie Invite

Your Prep Sports
CEDAR RAPIDS – The sixth-ranked West High boys cross country opened the season with a third place finish at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational on Saturday.

Host Cedar Rapids Prairie, ranked third in the Iowa Association of Track Coaches preseason rankings, won the team title with 61 points followed by No. 5 Waukee with 106 points and West High with 115.

Class 3A top-ranked Mount Vernon/Lisbon was fourth with 130 points while 4A No. 12 Cedar Falls was fifth with 133.

Freshman Kolby Greiner paced the Trojans with a fourth place finish in 16:50 while Ali Ali finished seventh in 17:12.

Clear Creek Amana finished 18th and Solon placed 19th at the meet.

Wyatt Sedlacek led Clear Creek Amana, placing 64th in 18:18.

Adam Smith paced Solon finishing 104th in a time of 20:00.

Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational
Team Scores – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 61; 2. Waukee 106; 3. West High 115; 4. Mount Vernon/Lisbon 130; 5. Cedar Falls 133; 6. Muscatine 137; 7. Marion 185; 8. Davenport West 204; 9. Cedar Rapids Washington 254; 10. Mason City 287; 11. Linn-Mar 290; 12. Pella 314; 13. Cedar Rapids Xavier 357; 14. Anamosa 384; 15. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 413; 16. Clear Creek Amana 425; 17. Monticello 435; 18. Fort Madison 483; 19. Solon 587; 20. Maquoketa 657.

Individual Results – 1. Sam Schillinger (CF) 16:24; 2. Jackson Lewis (WAU) 16:40; 3. Jeremy Fopma (MAR) 16:47; 4. Kolby Greiner (ICW) 16:50; 5. Alex Bautista (MUS) 16:52; 6. Myles Bach (MAR) 17:08; 7. Ali Ali (ICW) 17:12; 8. Jack Young (MV/L) 17:15; 9. Matt Lorenz (CRP) 17:16; 10. Max Laue (CRP) 17:16.

West High – 4. Kolby Greiner 16:50; 7. Ali Ali 17:12; 19. Andrew Murley 17:40; 42. Derek Nugent 18:13; 43. Jared Bailey 18:15.

Clear Creek Amana – 64. Wyatt Sedlacek 18:48; 71. Nick O’Connor 18:56; 91. Luke Wingert 19:27; 96. Cole Liebe 19:47; 103. Ben Oxley 19:59.

Solon – 104. Adam Smith 20:00; 106. Carl Richey 20:03; 114. Jorel Justus 20:15; 131. Luke Yetley 21:28; 132. Kenji Fisher 21:33.

West High Girls Win Prairie Invitational

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – Overnight rain showers made for a soggy course Saturday but couldn’t keep the West High girls cross country team from starting the season strong.

West High placed four runners in the top 12 on its way to the team title at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational, finishing 15 points in front of runner-up Cedar Falls.

West High Junior Bailey Nock

Bailey Nock finished third in 20:07 and Claire Ronnebaum was sixth in 20:23 as West High finished with 50 points, 15 points better than the runner-up Tigers.

Gabby Skopec added a 10th place finish in 20:50 and Jessie Skopec was 12th in 20:52 as the third-ranked Women of Troy topped the 20-team field that featured five teams that appeared in the top 12 of the Class 4A preseason poll by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches.

Ninth-ranked Cedar Falls was second followed by No. 8 Waukee and No. 12 Linn-Mar.

Class 2A top-ranked Monticello was fifth and 3A No. 1 Pella was seventh.

Solon finished 18th with 486 points followed by Clear Creek Amana with 531 points.

Sophomore Kaylie Barker placed 32nd in 21:35 to lead Clear Creek Amana while Sophie Nicol finished 66th in 22:42 to pace Solon.

Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational
Team Scores – 1. West High 50; 2. Cedar Falls 65; 3. Waukee 120; 4. Linn-Mar 135; 5. Monticello 158; 6. Muscatine 162; 7. Pella 209; 8. Cedar Rapids Prairie 236; 9. Fort Madison 285; 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 292; 11. Marion 317; 12. Mount Vernon/Lisbon 320; 13. Cascade 339; 14. Anamosa 376; 15. Mason City 383; 16. Southeast Polk 393; 17. Cedar Rapids Xavier 430; 18. Solon 486; 19. Clear Creek Amana 531; 20. Maquoketa 616.

Individual Results – 1. Brina Kraft (MUS) 20:01; 2. Reagan Gorman (CRW) 20:04; 3. Bailey Nock (ICW) 20:07; 4. Sierra Howardson (FM) 20:07; 5. Hannah Frazee (CRP) 20:15; 6. Claire Ronnebaum (ICW) 20:23; 7. Mackenzie Michael (CF) 20:41; Paige Holub (MON) 20:42; 9. Jordyn Patterson (MON) 20:49; 10. Gabby Skopec (ICW) 20:50.

West High – 3. Bailey Nock 20:07; 6. Claire Ronnebaum 20:23; 10. Gabby Skopec 20:50; 12. Jessie Skopec 20:52; 25. Deniz Ince 21:10.

Solon – 66. Sophie Nicol 22:42; 88. Erin Kerkhoff 23:23; 100. Ella Duster 24:01; 114. Nicole Shafer 25:10; 118. Haley Kluesner 25:53.

Clear Creek Amana – 32. Kaylie Barner 21:35; 122. Ally Loren 26:19; 123. Olivia Fairholm 26:20; 125. Emilie Harder 26:47; 129. Danielle Wnek 27:38.

Regina Sweeps West Branch to Cap Undefeated Tournament Run

By Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – Kara Kimm had a simple, one-word message for her team at the season-opening West Branch Invitational – undefeated.

The Regals got the message loud and clear.

Regina won five straight matches in straight sets including a 25-23, 25-18 sweep of West Branch in the title game to win the title at the eight-team invite.

“I told them after the first game, ‘undefeated’,” Kimm explained. “I told them I was going to say that all day long and they just looked at me and I said, ‘I’m serious this is going to be our day’ and boy they were awesome.”

Regina senior Sarah Lehman

Regina and West Branch each won four straight games without dropping a set to reach the title game.

The Regals rallied from an 18-12 deficit to win the opening set and never trailed in a 25-18 win in the second to snap a five-match losing skid to West Branch.

“We knew coming into it that we had put in all the work at practice and we knew we could take on all these teams,” Regina senior Grace Swenning said. “I thought we could do it, we have the mental and the physical toughness to do it this year.”

Regina was impressive all day.

The Regals rolled through pool play defeating Highland (21-12, 21-12), Central City (21-8, 21-12) and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (21-15, 21-9) and downed Winfield-Mount Union 25-15, 25-19 in the semifinals.

West Branch was equally impressive downing Lone Tree (21-17, 21-10), Montezuma (21-5, 22-20) and Winfield-Mount Union (21-12, 21-15) in pool play and defeating Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 25-16, 25-19 in the semifinals.

“We had times where with defense, ball control, owning the net, it was nice to see the way that we can play,” West Branch coach John Walsh said. “Then there were other times like that last match where it didn’t go so well.”

Regina took an early lead in the title match but West Branch used a 5-0 run to take an 8-6 lead.

The Bears stretched the lead to 18-12 with a 6-0 run that featured three kills and an ace block by senior Abby Knoop.

Knoop had six of her team-high eight kills in the opening set.

Regina senior Grace Swenning

Regina would rally.

The Regals cut the lead to 19-17 on a Katie Dunn kill and after a Knoop kill made it 20-17 Regina scored three straight points to pull even at 20.

“It was really the first time all day they had to fight so it was nice to see them come out and have some tenacity,” Kimm said. “I thought they might roll over and they came out and it was just a team effort."

West Branch scored three of the next four points to take a 23-21 lead on a Claire Bridges kill but Regina scored the final for points to win the set.

Sarah Lehman started the 4-0 run with a kill and Swenning had a critical ace serve that broke a 23-23 tie.

Junior Katrina Chambliss provided the set clinching kill to give Regina the win and the momentum.

“I was trying to find an open spot on the court but at the same time just keeping my serve in,” Swenning said of the ace serve. “It definitely gave us a big rush of excitement. I just wanted to keep my focus.”

Regina carried the momentum into the second set.

The Regals scored the first three points and never trailed while completing the sweep.

Lehman had five kills in the second set on her way to a match-high 11 kills while Olivia Wolfe added four kills and Chambliss had three.

“We trusted each other and we knew we could do it,” Lehman said. “We had the confidence that we could win but last year we were a slow starting team and we would always lose the first set. It’s really cool to come here and win 10 sets in a row.”

West Branch got four kills from Bridges to go with eight from Knoop in the title match.

“About everything that could wrong for us did in that last set and we scored 18 points,” Walsh said. “So it’s a testament to the grit and the way the girls handled pressure to stay in it as much as we can but we had our bad match at the wrong time of the day.”


Regina          25  25

West Branch 23  18

(Kills-aces-blocks)

Regina

Katrina Chambliss 3-0-0, Grace Swenning 1-3-0, Sarah Lehman 11-0-1, Olivia Wolfe 4-0-0, Katie Dunn 2-0-0, Morgan Parthemore 0-1-0, Josie Krueger 0-1-0, Team 21-5-1.

Assists – Grace Swenning 14.

West Branch

DaLana Kron 0-1-0, Sydney Lamont 1-0-0, Sophie Nopoulos 1-0-0, Abby Knoop 8-0-1, Kaiya Luneckas 2-0-1, Claire Bridges 4-0-0, Abbey Fryauf 2-0-2, Team 18-1-4.

Assists – Riley Vaughan 8, Sophie Nopoulos 4, Claire Bridges 2.

Late Defensive Stops Help Solon Hold Off Mount Vernon

Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports

SOLON – A lot of offense early and a big play on special teams in the middle gave Solon a lead in Friday night’s season opener with rival Mount Vernon.

The Spartans still needed a couple of late stops from its defense to hang on.

Solon stuffed Drew Adams on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 play with 2:12 left and Jack Stahle picked off an Adams’ pass in the final seconds to help the Spartans escape with a 26-21 win over Mount Vernon in the season opener for both teams at Spartan Stadium.

Solon senior Trevor Nelson

“When we need to stop them our intensity just increased so much,” Solon senior linebacker Trevor Nelson said. “Our intensity just flipped right there, the flip just turned and we knew we had it.”

Solon (1-0) built a 20-0 first-half lead and held on for its 15th straight win over its Highway 1 rival.

Few in the crowd of nearly 3,000 left before the final horn as defending 2A runner-up Mount Vernon (0-1) battled back.

Mount Vernon cut the lead to 26-21 when Adams threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Cale Snedden with 8:20 left.

The Solon defense never let them get any closer.

Mount Vernon had 221 of its 395 total yards in the second half, including 179 on the ground but could only muster 25 yards on its final two possessions as Solon closed the door.

“I was pleased with our kids and how they fought,” Solon coach Kevin Miller said. “They really dug in there in the fourth quarter and the end of the third quarter and we just found a way and that’s what good football teams do.”

Early on it didn’t look like Solon would be sweating in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans scored touchdowns on three consecutive first-half possessions to open up a 20-0 lead just more than 15 minutes into the game.

“I think we saw ourselves as kind of an underdog and I think they relished that role,” Miller said. “I think they have taken it kind of personal what happened last year when we didn’t compete at the level we want to and this group has worked really hard for the last eight or nine months.”

Graeson Dall started the scoring when he capped a six-play, 54-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.

Solon forced Mount Vernon to go three-and-out on its next possession and then marched 41 yards, in seven plays to take a 13-0 lead.

Nelson snagged a Blayze Griffis pass and powered over a defender into the end zone to put the Spartans up 13-0 with 1:09 left in the first quarter.

Less than five minutes later Nelson made it 20-0 when he took a short pass from Griffis, turned it up field and went 40 yards for a score.

“I turned around and it was just green grass,” Nelson said. “I had to make one move and I did and it worked out for me.”

Mount Vernon cut the lead to 20-6 before the half when Adams connected with Snedden on a 63-yard scoring strike.

Solon appeared to take control of the game when Bo Black took the second half kickoff and raced 84 yards for a touchdown to put the Spartans up 26-6.

Mount Vernon had other ideas.

The Mustangs went 70 yards in 10 plays and cut the lead to 26-14 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jack Cochrane.

Mount Vernon then made it 26-21 when Snedden hauled in a pass from Adams in the corner of the end zone with 8:20 to play.

Solon responded with a drive that didn’t produce points but took nearly five minutes off the clock.

The Spartans then handed the game over to its defense.

Solon stopped Adams just short of the line to gain on a quarterback sneak attempt at the Mount Vernon 40-yard line with 2:12 left.

Mount Vernon got the ball back at its own 30 with 29.3 seconds left but Stahle hauled in Adams desperation heave in the final seconds.

“Whenever you beat it a very good team like Mount Vernon it feels good,” Nelson said. “That’s the first game of the season and we are just going to build off that. We are just happy to get this win tonight.”

Kendrick Harris ran for 118 yards on 22 carries as Solon rushed for 137 yards.

Griffis threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

“We started off hot and then kind of plateaued but we got the job done,” Griffis said. “It’s big we have a lot of stuff to work on but coming away with a win was definitely important.”

Sam Moore ran for 130 yards to lead Mount Vernon while Cochrane added 62 yards on the ground and Adams ran for 61.

The junior quarterback also threw for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

                            Solon         Mount Vernon
First Downs           15                  19
Rushes-Yards         31-137          49-257
Passing Yards         169               138
Total Yards             306               395
Comp-Att-Int         14-22-0         8-22-1
Fumbles-Lost         0-0                5-1
Penalties-Yards      10-95            6-60

Solon                13 7  6  0  – 26
Mount Vernon  0   6  8  7  – 21

SOL – Graeson Dall 5 run (Adam Bock kick)
SOL – Trevor Nelson 10 pass from Blayze Griffis (kick failed)
SOL – Nelson 40 pass from Griffis (Bock kick)
MV – Cale Snedden 63 pass from Drew Adams (kick blocked)
SOL – Bo Black 84 kick off return (kick failed)
MV – Jack Cochrane 1 run (Sam Moore run)
MV – Snedden 16 pass from Adams (Tyler Elliot kick)

Rushing – SOL: Kendrick Harris 22-118, Blayze Griffis 7-17, Graeson Dall 1-5, Team 1-(-3). MV: Sam Moore 17-130, Jack Cochrane 18-62, Drew Adams 11-61, Sale Snedden 2-21, Team 1-(-17). Passing – SOL: Blayze Griffis 14-22-0 169. MV: Drew Adams 8-22-1 138.
Receiving – SOL: Trevor Nelson 4-55, Graeson Dall 4-44, Kendrick Harris 2-17, Bo Black 2-8, Jacob Coons 1-23, Grant Goldsberry 1-22. MV: Jack Cochrane 4-47, Cale Snedden 2-79, Colden Clark 1-6, Jack Bootsmiller 1-6.

West Branch Rolls Past West Liberty

Your Prep Sports

WEST LIBERTY – The West Branch football team began its season on a positive note by pounding West Liberty 40-20 on Friday

West Branch bolted to a 19-0 halftime lead and never looked back. The Bears led 33-7 after the third quarter.

Senior running back Luke Lenoch led the Bears with 178 rushing yards on 23 attempts. He now only needs 60 yards to break the school’s all-time school rushing record.

West Branch quarterback Beau Cornwall also exceeded the century mark on the ground, rushing for 117 yards on nine attempts.

As a team, the Bears had 47 rushing attempts compared to just seven passes.

West Branch only completed one pass in the game, but it resulted in a touchdown as Cornwell hooked up with Cooper Kabela for a 27-yard scoring strike.

                            West Branch          West Liberty
First Downs                22                         12
Rushing-Yards            47-390                  29-212
Passing Yards             27                          117
Comp-Att-Int              1-4-1                     14-26-1
Fumbles-Lost             0-0                          0-0
Penalties-Yards          3-25                        5-30

West Branch     0 19   14   7   –  40
West Liberty     0    0   7   13  –  20

Individual Stats
Rushing – West Branch: Lenoch 23-185, Cornwell 9-117, Donovan 10-87, Schiele 2-4, Rummelhart 1-3, Sparks 2-1.
Passing – WB: Cornwell 1-4-1 27, Rummelhart 0-3-0 0.
Receiving – WB: Kabela 1-27

Clear Creek Amana Runs Past Mount Pleasant

By Tyler Devine
Your Prep Sports

MOUNT PLEASANT – After a disappointing start to last season the Clear Creek-Amana football team began the 2016 season on the right foot.

The Clippers upended Mount Pleasant on the road Friday night 23-8, leading throughout the contest.

Clear Creek-Amana head coach Matt Hughes admitted to some struggles early on, but was pleased with the overall performance of his team.

Clear Creek Amana senior Drake Brezina

“We struggled a bit in the first quarter trying to figure out what our identity was,” Hughes said. “But we kind of fell back on Clear Creek-Amana football I think which is running the ball. Drake Brezina had almost 200 yards rushing. Matt Brimeyer, his backup, had almost 100. I think we had almost 300 yards rushing (as a team).”

Brezina finished with 199 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns and Brimeyer added 73 yards as the Clippers rolled up 308 yards on the ground.

Clear Creek Amana took a 13-0 halftime lead on a pair of second-quarter touchdown runs by Brezina.

The senior tailback started the scoring with a 9-yard scoring jaunt and added a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0.

Being ahead the entire game, the Clippers never felt the need to rely on its passing game and were able to stick to their brand of football.

“It was a really good performance for our offensive line and our backs and I’ll tell you what, it was an all-around great performance,” Hughes said. “Our receivers were blocking well, we didn’t have a lot of time to get our passing game going very well but fortunately for our offensive line we didn’t really need to complete a lot of passes because we were doing a good job in the trenches.”

Hughes also attributed much of Clear Creek-Amana’s success on Friday to the performance of the defense, which did not allow any points until the waning minutes of the game.

Clear Creek Amana held Mount Pleasant to 16 yards rushing and 146 yards of total offense in the game.

“It was probably one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen in my three, going on four years,” Hughes said. “Our defensive front just did an amazing job. I think we had over ten sacks in the game. They were just relentless, they kept coming after the quarterback and they tackled well.

“And obviously we made some mistakes. There are some things we can do better and learn from, but it’s week one.”

                         CCA         MP
First Downs        16           10
Rushing Yards    308         16
Passing Yards     22         130
Comp-Att-Int      3-9-1      8-14-0
Fumbles-Lost      1-1         1-1
Penalties-Yards    5-45       10-90

Clear Creek Amana   0  13  0 10 – 23
Mt. Pleasant               0  0    0  8  – 8

CCA – Drake Brezina 9 run (Tyreke Williams kick)
CCA – Brezina 58 run (kick no good)
CCA – Williams 32 field goal
MP – 55 pass from Zach Beason (2 pt. good Pat Canby pass from Zach Beason)
CCA – Cory Siders 9 pass from Ashton Carpenter (Williams kick)

Rushing – CCA: Drake Brezina 21-199, Matt Brimeyer 11-73. MP Pat Canby 5-10
Passing – CCA: Ashton Carpenter 3-9-1 22. MP: Zach Beason 8-14-1 130.
Receiving – CCA: Cory Siders 1-9.

Regina Falls to Xavier

By Pat Harty
Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – Regina head coach Marv Cook pointed the finger at himself after Friday’s 35-26 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier in the season opener for both teams.

“Honestly, I made three or four coaching errors in the first half that cost us, deciding to do some things with play calling,” Cook said after watching his team lose for just the third time in its last 85 games. “We probably should have obviously done something else. And then I started chasing the two instead of just kicking. Those are things I just have to get better at.”

The Class 1A Regals faced a daunting task against Xavier, which competes in Class 3A and returned most of its roster from last season, including star running back Maliki Wilson. Xavier also has nearly twice as many players on its roster compared to the Regals.

The Saints scored quickly as Wilson blasted through a huge hole at the line of scrimmage and raced 68 yards for a touchdown on his first carry of the game with 8 minutes, 56 left in the first quarter.

Wilson also helped secure the victory by scoring on a 62-yard run with 49.5 seconds left to play after Regina had trimmed the deficit to two points.

“Right before, I told my linemen, let’s not settle for a first down, we’re going to get this touchdown,” Wilson said of his third and final touchdown of the game. "I just had to go past one guy. The offensive line did all the work. I just did my job and they did their job.”

Wilson, who had been hobbled by cramps, used a stiff arm to get past a Regina defender on his final touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He was inspired to use the stiff arm after watching his friend, Muscatine running back Alphonso Soko, use it so effectively against Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Thursday.

“He gave that stiff arm and I said, `you know what, I’m going to try and do that tomorrow,’” said Wilson, who finished with 279 rushing yards and three touchdowns. “I, thankfully, got past the line. We were just trying to get a first down. Right in the huddle, I looked at all of my linemen and said let’s score. It just all opened up.”

Trailing 7-0, Regina countered with its own big play as senior Brady Bigley scored on a 69-yard run with 2:31 left in the first quarter. However, the point-after kick failed, keeping the Saints ahead 7-6.

Xavier expanded its lead to 14-6 on a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bryce Schulte with 4:33 left in the second quarter.

Regina then answered back as senior quarterback Tommy Rapp completed a 53-yard touchdown pass to running back Isaac Vollstedt with 3:35 left before halftime.

The Regals attempted a two-point conversion run, but it failed, giving Xavier a 14-12 lead at halftime.

Xavier started quickly on offense in the third quarter as Wilson scored on a 32-yard run with 10:24 left in the quarter.

The Regals refused to wilt, though, as Rapp and Vollstedt hooked up again for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 5:35 left in the third quarter. Cook chose to kick the extra point, which Sam Stein converted, trimming the deficit to 21-19.

Both teams traded touchdowns again before Wilson finally put the game out of reach with his long touchdown scamper in the final minute.

“I will tell them honesty, we played our hearts out,” Cook said. “We’re going watch film and see a lot of things that we need to clean up and coach up better. But they did everything we asked of them. They left their blood, sweat and tears out here. They played their hearts out.”

Rapp passed for 207 yards, while senior Jack Jensen caught seven passes for 119 yards. Jensen also made several nifty plays on defense from his cornerback position.

“It’s a testament to our kids and the way they play,” Cook said. “Guys stepped up and made plays. Jack Jensen and Isaac Vollstedt made some big plays. Tommy Rapp made some big plays for us. We had our chances in the first half. We got stopped on the goal line three straight plays. We had a turnover on the goal line, throwing the ball into the end zone.”

Cook was referring to when Regina failed to score after blocking a punt deep in Xavier territory late in the first quarter.

Rapp also threw three interceptions, including one that was intercepted in the Xavier end zone late in the second quarter.

Cook praised the Xavier coaching staff for pushing the right buttons on offense with regard to play calling.

“Our thought our defense did a good job,” Cook said. “We got lined up in the wrong spots a couple times and they took advantage of it. They’re a brilliant staff. Their coaches are really smart. They find a weak spot and they’re going to exploit it eventually. They made plays when they had to.”

The Regals will have to bounce back in a hurry with rival Solon up next on the schedule this coming Friday at Regina.

“We’ll come back to practice next week and pick up the intensity and focus on the next game,” Jensen said. We’ll learn what we did wrong and get better”

Regina entered Friday’s season opener having won 82 of its last 84 games overall and six consecutive state titles. Xavier was responsible for one of the two losses, edging the Regals 38-35 at Regina in the eighth game of last season.

Wilson said he didn’t feel comfortable about winning Friday's game until after he scored his third and final touchdown with less than a minute to play.

“I know things can happen in games,” Wilson said. “I know last year against Regina they kicked our butts and we had to fight back every possession.

“Both games were really good games. They’re a really good team. It’s a good rivalry.”

                                Regina            Xavier
First downs                16                  15
Rushes-yards              35-175          47-367
Passing yards             205                43
Fumbles-lost              1-0                 0-0
Penalties-yards          1-15                8-69
Punts                          5-35.2            5-37.4


Regina   6  6  7  7   –   26
Xavier    7  7  7 14  –  35

CRX – Maliki Wilson 68 run (Shane Scott kick)
ICR – Brady Bigley 69 run (kick failed)
CRX – Bryce Schulte 3 run (Scott kick)
ICR – Isaac Vollstedt 53 pass from Tommy Rapp (run failed)
CRX – Wilson 32 run (Scott kick)
ICR – Vollstedt 47 pass from Rapp (Sam Stein kick)
CRX – Bryce Schulte 3 run (Scott kick)
ICR – Tommy Rapp 3 run (Stein kikc)
CRX – Wilson 62 run (Scott kick)

Individual statistics  
Rushing – ICR: Isaac Vollstedt 14-83, Brady Bigley 3-66, Mason Simpson 2-18, Jake Phillips 9-12, Tommy Rapp 1-2, Mike Conlon 5-(-6). Xavier: Maliki Wilson 24-279, Erik Rodriguez 9-74, Quinn Schulte 2-7, Josh Gerke 2-7, Bryce Schulte 11-5.
Passing – Regina: Tommy Rapp 9-23-3-207, Mike Conlon 1-1-0 -2; Xavier: Bryce Schulte 3-9-43.
Receiving – ICR: Jack Jensen 7-119, Isaac Vollstedt 2-100, Jake Phillips 1-minus-2; Xavier: Brett Burns 1-32, Quinn Schulte 2-1.

West High Rolls Past Southeast Polk

By Susan Harman
Your prep sports

IOWA CITY – This was more like it.

Iowa City West showed off a multi-faceted offense before an overflow crowd on perfect summer night to win the season opener, 42-17, over Southeast Polk Friday at Trojan Field.

The Trojans suffered through a terrible start a year ago, losing five of their first six, but rallied in district play to make the playoffs. It was clear from the beginning that this team was too potent for that to happen.

“We’ve got guys people know about, and we’ve got guys who worked in the offseason and can make plays themselves. It’s a very unselfish team right now,” West coach Garrett Hartwig said.

The Trojans only had to punt twice. Once on the opening drive when a holding penalty nullified a touchdown run by Oliver Martin and another time after penetrating Ram territory.

Otherwise the Trojans moved the ball at will using seven different receivers and seven different ball carriers.

Hartwig was cagey before the season with his quarterback situation, but junior Evan Flitz started and was terrific. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. He had only one interception.

“We’ve got two varsity-level quarterbacks,” Hartwig said. “We have faith in Ethan (Postler) when he steps in there, and Evan is throwing like we expected him to.”
 
Everyone knew West would have great receivers with Martin and Devontae Lane returning, and they combined for 13 catches for 225 yards. Martin even passed for a TD to Lane in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

But West also showed the ability to run. Senior Matthew Huff gained 164 yards on 19 carries including a crucial 55-yard dash down the sideline to set up a West touchdown in the third quarter.

“We practiced a lot and coach told me he wanted to trust me with the ball and just to follow my holes, and that’s what I did,” Huff said. “The line blocked well for me. All I had to do was be patient. We worked on this all week.”

The Rams cut West’s lead to 21-10 with a touchdown in the third quarter. West responded with a four-play, 80-yard drive for a matching TD with the key play being Huff’s 55-yard run.

“I was tired at the end,” he said. “But I was just trying to get outside and follow my blocks. When the hole opened up I tried my best to get there. It was a big play and a big push for our offense because they were coming back.”

The Trojans rushed for 270 yards of their 528 total yards.

“It’s getting better,” Hartwig said. “We’ve got to get some things cleaned up. We had too many penalties.”

Southeast Polk used its speed and the individual talents of Jackson Cole and Altrell Durr to amass 391 yards and 21 first downs, but the Rams were never really in the game after West took a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Southeast Polk           0    3  7   7  –  17
Iowa City West          14  7  7  14  –  42

ICW – Devontae Lane 7 pass from Evan Flitz (Lucas Karwal kick)
ICW – Oliver Martin 11 pass from Flitz (Karwal kick)
ICW – Matthew Huff 5 run (Karwal kick)
SEP – Luke Williams 36 field goal
SEP – Adam Schwake 17 pass from Jackson Cole (Williams kick)
ICW – Martin 15 pass from Flitz (Karwal kick)
SEP – Joe Ginther 1 run (Williams kick)
ICW – Lane 17 pass from Martin (Karwal kick)
ICW – Andre White 64 run (Karwal kick)

                          SEP             West
First downs         21                24
Rushing-yards     34-196        41-270
Comp-Att-Int       17-35-1       18-24-1
Passing-yards      195             258
Punts-avg.            4-37.5        2-30
Fumbles-lost        1-0             0-0
Penalties-yards     5-40          8-50

Individual Statistics
Rushing – SEP: Altrell Durr 14-98, Jackson Cole 11-64, Joe Ginther 6-22, Mark Gbayee 2-7, Team 1-5. West: Matthew Huff 19-164, Andre White 6-77, Evan Flitz 8-21, Breyton McDole 3-7, Devontae Lane 1-1, Oliver Martin 3-0, Team 1-0.
Passing – SEP: Jackson Cole 17-35-2 195. ICW: Evan Flitz 17-23-1 241, Oliver Martin 1-1-0 17.
Receiving – SEP: Adam Schwake 6-71, Altrell Durr 5-65, Mark Gbayee 2-27, Austin Johnson 1-26, Ryan Mortale 3-6. ICW: Oliver Martin 8-151, Devontae Lane 5-74, Breyton McDole 1-12, Austin West 1-12, Traevis Buchanan 1-8, Evan Hermiston 1-4, Matthew Huff 1-2.