Wieland Returns Victorious as City High Knocks Off Linn-Mar 26-6

City High senior quarterback Nate Wieland avoids a Linn-Mar defender on Friday in City High's 26-6 win at Bates Field. Tork Mason/For Your Prep Sports

By Richard C. Lewis

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Nate Wieland’s return as City High’s quarterback was highly anticipated.

He did not disappoint.

The senior signal-caller, who missed most of last season to injury, set the tone with a 72-yard touchdown run on the opening possession, and the Little Hawks defense yielded only two field goals, as City beat Linn-Mar, 26-6, in the season opener on Friday night.

Wieland, injured in the first and fifth games last season, celebrated his return by gaining 124 yards on 14 carries and piloting the Little Hawks’ offense to two second-half scores that put the game out of reach.

“It was awesome, Wieland said to get back out on the field. “I’ve been waiting for this since the Ottumwa game last year, and it was just awesome to get back out here with the guys.”

City led just 6-3 at the half, but the Little Hawks took control with two touchdown runs by Bryce Frantz, who finished with 106 yards on 20 carries.

The defense, meanwhile, held Linn-Mar out of the end zone despite five Lions’ trips inside the 20-yard line.

“I liked our toughness,” said City coach Dan Sabers. “That’s my theme. Even going through the game, when it’s 13-6, and still undecided, I just was feeling pretty good about things. Yeah, we made some mistakes and all that, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort. I liked our toughness defensively. They weren’t able to do much with us after the beginning. I really feel pretty good about that.”

Linn-Mar kept to the ground for most of the first half, alternating rushing duties between Brennan McGaffe and Neme Siaway. The two combined for 85 yards in the opening two quarters, but the only points the Lions got was a 33-yard field goal by Austin Cochrane to take a 3-0 lead with 6:13 left in the first quarter.

City High players celebrate a big play during the Little Hawks' 26-6 win over Linn-Mar on Friday night at  Bates Field. Tork Mason/For Your Prep Sports.

City High wasted no time erasing that advantage. On the third play from scrimmage, Wieland kept the ball himself on a sweep. He found a sliver of daylight along the right side and tucked and tiptoed along the sideline for a 72-yard score to put the Little Hawks up, 6-3, with 5:03 remaining in the first.

“I read the (defensive end) coming across the line,” said Wieland, a Northern Illinois recruit. “We talked all week that if the end did that, we’re going to pull it, and I just had a ton of green in front of me, and the feeling that once you see that green, I had a ton of adrenaline going through me, and it was off to the races.”

“Well, you always like to get a big play like that,” City coach Sabers said. “It gets everybody all juiced up. You know, he’s that kind of an athlete. He’s got that speed to do that, 215 pounds with that kind of speed, that’s a real threat.”

Linn-Mar had two opportunities to retake the lead before halftime.

A 25-yard punt by Wieland near the end of the first quarter gave the Lions the ball at the City 45-yard-line. But City’s Vance Dillon picked off a Phillips’ pass in the right corner of the end zone to snuff out the threat.

In the second, Linn-Mar drove to the City 2-yard line, where the Lions faced a fourth and goal. Siaway plunged up the middle, but City’s defense denied him paydirt.

A 46-yard kickoff return by Naeem Smith to start the second half gave City the ball at the Linn-Mar 44. Six plays later, Frantz took it up the middle for a nine-yard TD, and City led 13-3.

Linn-Mar cut the deficit to 13-6 on a 26-yard field goal by Austin Cochrane. The points came after the Lions were whistled for an illegal procedure call on fourth and one at the City 7-yard line.

Linn-Mar had another chance in the third to tack on points, but quarterback Reese Phillips threw incomplete from the City 19-yard line. Phillips finished 6 of 21 for 76 yards and two interceptions.

A one-yard plunge by Frantz on fourth and goal with about 3 and a half minutes to go extended the Little Hawks lead to 19-6.

Dillon picked off a Phillips pass and returned it 66 yards for a TD to seal the deal.

The Little Hawks went 8-4 last year, advancing to the state playoffs before falling to Bettendorf, 31-7, in the quarterfinals. Jared Taylor, pressed into action with Wieland’s injury, passed for 2,054 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Wieland says the two talk regularly and have no issues.

“He helps me, I help him out. You know, it’s great. This doesn’t hurt our friendship any. You know, when he gets out on the field, we have a good time together, and hopefully we put in more formations when both of us are out there.”

It’s the 110th season for the Little Hawks. In that span, the team has compiled a 656-281 record, for a .700 winning percentage.

Add another win to that total.

                                                 City High               Linn-Mar 
First downs                                  13                         13
Rushes-Yards                               43-252                  41-154
Passing                                         27                         76
Comp-Att-Int                               3-8-0                     6-21-3
Fumbles-Lost                               3-1                        0-0
 Penalties-Yards                            6-60                     2-10

Linn-Mar    3   0   3   0    –    6 
City High    6   0   7   13  –   26

LM – Austin Cochrane 33 FG
ICH – Nate Wieland 72 run (Kick blocked)
ICH – Bryce Frantz 9 run (Miles Morrow kick)  
LM – Cochrane 29 FG
ICH – Frantz 1 run (Kick blocked)
ICH – Vance Dillon 66 Interception return (Morrow kick)

Team the Theme for Solon Cross Country

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports


SOLON – Not even one full day into preseason practice Emy Williams had a good feeling about her team.

The source of that feeling for the veteran Solon cross country coach had little to do with what she saw on her stop watch and everything to do with the attitude she from her runners.

“You could tell from day one when we walked into practice that there is a different feel with this team.” Williams said. “This is a team that is really a team.”

Williams, who leads both the boys and girls programs at Solon, is hoping that team mentality helps the young Spartans take a big step forward this season.

Solon returns one varsity regular on the boys team and has just three upperclassmen among three returning letter winners on the girls squad.

Even with limited experience Williams is excited about what both teams can accomplish.

“I’m super excited about this season,” Williams said. “Our leadership is really getting everybody involved and making everyone feel important. That is kind of our goal this year is to get the best out of everybody that they can be.”

The Spartans open the season at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Before the season officially begins senior Adam Smith has already seen improvement.

The lone returning runner from last year’s regular varsity lineup Smith has felt the increased feeling of team.

“If you get that tighter team bond it really helps you to know each other’s limits and you are able to push each other to those limits easier so I think it’s a huge factor,” Smith said. “From the slowest person it works all the way up. If they are pushing the person ahead of them it is the domino effect and it just keeps going up the line.”

Smith is seeking a breakthrough season after finishing 44th at the WAMAC meet last season.

Junior Carl Ritchie and sophomore Luke Yetley return as Solon attempts to improve on its ninth place team finish at the 16-team WAMAC meet.

“We lost five guys from last year so there are definitely spots to be filled but I think there are a few younger guys that are definitely ready to step in,” Smith said. “I think it really helps motivate especially those younger guys because they know there are a lot of spots open.”

Sophie Nicol returns with two years of varsity experience under her belt to lead a young Solon girls squad.

Nicol could be in for a strong season after placing 25th at the WAMAC meet a year ago.

“We are a really young team this year and a bunch of the young girls are stepping into the new positions,” Nicol said. “I believe in those girls and once they start believing in themselves I feel like we can really do some damage this year.

Seniors Haley Kluesner and Kiley Holubar return from a Solon squad that was sixth at the WAMAC meet and finished seventh at the 3A state qualifying meet a year ago.

Sophomore Erin Kerkhoff returns after placing 22nd at the WAMAC meet as a freshman along with classmate Calista Haasl.

“Our girls have kind of been building but again we have that great leadership that are ready to take the team to the next level,” Williams said. “There are kids that have been in the program for a while but are now stepping into those junior and senior leadership roles.”

What To Watch this Football Season

Ryan Murken

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports


The high school football season is already underway but don’t worry, you haven’t missed much.

A handful of games officially opened the season last week and week 1 began with some Thursday games this week.

The schedule heats up in a big way tonight with the first full Friday slate of the season.

Before games kick off tonight get caught up on what you need to know heading into the season.

New Look Playoffs

Fans will need to wait nine weeks to witness the biggest change in the prep football landscape.

After eight years of 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs in each class the playoff field is being cut in half.

There will be 16 playoff teams in all six classes this season with the opening round and quarterfinals being played on consecutive Fridays.

In Class 4A the top two teams from each of the eight districts will make up the 16-team field.

In 3A, 2A, 1A and A the top two teams from each of the seven districts will qualify for the postseason along with two wild cards teams.

Wild card teams will be determined using a set of criteria that begins with any teams in a tie for a district championship and includes district record and head to head competition.

The previously used point-differential tiebreaker has been changed from 13 points to 17 points and is fourth on the wild card criteria list.

District Shuffle

The revamped playoff format comes with a new two-year set of district assignments.

City High joins five Mississippi Athletic Conference teams in Class 4A, District 7.

The Little Hawks join Bettendorf as the only District 7 teams to win a playoff game last season.

West High and defending 4A runner-up Cedar Rapids Kennedy are the only teams in District 8 that won playoff games a year ago and the Cougars are the only District 8 team that posted a winning record last season.

Clear Creek Amana will have a rough road to a third straight playoff appearance in a loaded 3A, District 4.

Four teams in District four won at least five games last season including Davenport Assumption (quarterfinals) and West Delaware (semifinals).

Lucky Number 7?

Regina will try to add to its state record for consecutive state titles as it chases an unprecedented seventh straight state crown.

The Regals won its state title streak to six with a 35-28 win over Western Christian in last year’s 1A title game and have won 82 of 84 games during their title streak.

Regina hasn’t lost a playoff game since 2009, winning an all-time state best 30 consecutive postseason games.

Top talent On Display

Oliver Martin exploded onto the national scene this summer as one of the most coveted wide receiver prospects in the country.

The West High senior picked up scholarship offers from traditional powers Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State in addition to the home town Hawkeyes and most of the programs in the Big Ten.

Martin is the consensus top-ranked prospect in what is one of the deepest and most talented recruiting classes in state history.

Entering the season 16 Iowa seniors have verbally committed to FBS programs and area talented is well represented in that list.

City High senior quarterback Nate Wieland has committed to Northern Illinois and Solon senior tight end Jacob Coons is an Iowa commit.

West High senior offensive tackle Alex Kleinow committed to Iowa State over the summer and Regina two-way lineman Jared Brinkman verballed to Northern Iowa.

Regina and Xavier Ready Square Off in Season Opener

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – When losses come as infrequently as they have at Regina over the past six years any setback is bound to stick out.

No loss has stuck with current members of the Regina squad like last year’s 38-35 heartbreaker to Cedar Rapids Xavier.

The Saints scored 31 unanswered second-half points a season ago, capping an amazing comeback with a 35-yard field goal as time expired.

“That one still hurts,” Regina senior lineman Reagan Ries said. “We started out so well, we ran for almost 300 yards in the first half and we couldn’t finish the game.”

Regina gets a shot at redemption against Xavier on Friday when the perennial powers and newly formed rivals meet in the season opener for both teams at 7 p.m. at Saints Field in Cedar Rapids.

“This is what we have been working for all summer,” Regina senior Jack Jensen said. “We’ve been prepping for them all week but we’ve been thinking about this game for a lot longer than that.”

Regina shook off its loss to the Saints last season to finish 13-1 and claim a sixth consecutive state title.

The Regals have won 82 of 84 games during their title streak.

Last year’s loss to Xavier accounts for half of Regina's loss total the past six seasons.

Seeing a 35-7 halftime lead slip away makes last year’s loss stand out even more.

“We’ve had this one marked for a long time,” Ries said. “All summer has been about getting ready for these guys.”

Regina will certainly need to be ready on Friday.

Xavier is coming off a 9-1 season in which it advanced to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.

The Saints don’t have a state title during the last six years but have put together their own impressive run during that stretch.

Xavier is 55-16 over the past six seasons, a stretch that includes back-to-back 4A runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013.

“I have just a great amount of respect for them and the way that they run their program,” Regina coach Marv Cook said. “As a player that is what you want. You want to play in those types of environments so I’m excited for our kids.”

The first two meeting between the two Eastern Iowa power programs have been instant classics.

Regina scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes to earn a 21-7 win in the first meeting between the two teams in 2014.

Last year Xavier scored 17 fourth-quarter points to rally for the 38-35 win.

“That’s what high school football is all about,” Cook said of last year’s game. “Those kind of games.”

Friday figures to be another great one between the two teams.

Xavier returns two of the players that did the most damage against Regina last year in senior quarterback Bryce Schulte and senior running back Maliki Wilson.

Wilson ran for 1,273 yards last season, 149 of which came against Regina.

Schulte returns after passing for 1,516 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Schulte ran for 62 yards and three scores against the Regals last year.

“They are going to be disciplined they are going to run to the football they are going to be tough, they are going to play behind their pads and they are going to be smart so you have to match that,” Cook said. “You have to play clean football for 48 minutes or whatever it takes and then you have to match the physical play that they bring. It’s a great way to start the high school football season.”

Football and Family the Focus for Clear Creek's Carpenter

Clear Creek Amana senior Ashton Carpenter

By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Family and football.

Those two things and in that order have been among the most important things in Ashton Carpenter’s life for as long as he can remember.

The oldest of four children, all three of Carpenter’s siblings have medical conditions that stop them from competing in sports.

His 11-year old brother Oakley, who Carpenter called his best friend, suffers from interstitial lung disease.

Growing up watching his siblings battle health issues his time on the football field quickly provided a release for the Clear Creek Amana senior.

“It kind of takes my mind off things, it’s kind of my escape from it; I do it for them because I know they can’t,” Carpenter said. “I think something that goes along with it is just not taking a day for granted. Just knowing that we are only here for so long, and it really makes you come together and just cherish each moment with each other.”

Carpenter grew up in Waverly where he developed a love for sports.

His family moved to Iowa City when Carpenter was nine after Oakley was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease.

Since then Carpenter has bounced between schools in Waverly and the Iowa City area as his family moved to be near family in Waverly or the hospitals in Iowa City.

He was a running back on the City High freshman team that went 9-0 in 2013 and played sparingly for Waverly-Shell Rock in 2014.

Carpenter arrived at Clear Creek Amana before last season.

“Probably about 95 percent of kids that transfer don’t work out because they don’t know the system, they don’t know the people, they get frustrated and they leave,” Matt Hughes said. “We got so lucky with Ashton. He’s just an unbelievable person; he is a great kid, probably the most respectful kid I’ve ever been around. He’s just a joy to be around, and he’s a great athlete on top of everything else.”

Once he found a home at Clear Creek Amana Carpenter didn’t waste any time making an impact on the field.

He made 35.5 tackles, including six for loss, and picked off two passes from his outside linebacker spot to help Clear Creek Amana to a 5-5 record last season.

Carpenter also rushed for 93 yards and averaged a team-best 29.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

But It was what Carpenter did that can’t be quantified by statistics that showed up most last season.

“Ashton is maybe the best leader I have been around, and I’ve been doing it for 45 years so I’ve seen a few,” Clear Creek Amana coach Ronnie Hughes said. “He just does everything it takes to be a champion. To leading, to working hard, to doing whatever you ask him to do. He’s just amazing.”

Carpenter is hoping that last season was just the start.

He has moved from running back to quarterback for his senior season and is battling junior Dillon Sheely for the starting spot.

The thought of a player coming into a new school and in a matter of months gaining enough respect from teammates to run the team as the quarterback would be concerning to some coaches.

Hughes and his staff never gave it a second thought.

“He is the kind of kid that other kids want to play for not just play with, and that’s a huge thing in high school,” Clear Creek Amana offensive coordinator Matt Trosky said. “He is a likeable kid, but he is someone that the kids trust.”

It is the perspective Carpenter brings to the football field that the coaches believed would make him flourish under center.

“He is someone that sees the game and processes the game,” Trosky explained.

It is the outlook that Carpenter has away from the football field that has made him an instant leader.

Carpenter quickly won over coaches and teammates alike with his zest for the game and excitement for life.

“He has won the respect of all his coaches and more important he has won the respect of all his teammates,” Matt Hughes said. “They look up to him and are just hanging on every word he says.”

Carpenter is hoping for a big finish in his final season at Clear Creek Amana.

The 6-foot, 175-pounder wants to help the Clippers win a district title and a playoff game.

Really he just wants to play for his team and his siblings.

“Honestly I think it makes me a better player because I know if he had the chance to be able to come out here and do it he would give it everything he has,” Carpenter said. “It gives me a little more extra motivation when I come out here to know if I’m having a bad day or something or even with my injury that my brother would be doing everything he could to be out here.”

Strong Start Leads CCA Past Solon at Quadrangular

By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Sheyanne Koethe and her Clear Creek Amana teammates spent the past several weeks working on getting off to a good start.

Even in practice the Clippers never started as strong as they did on Thursday.

Clear Creek Amana scored the first seven points in its season opener against Solon and never looked back on its way to a 25-5, 25-21 win in the opening game of a quadrangular.

Clear Creek Amana seniors McKenna McCreedy, Lauren Helle, Sheyanne Koethe

“We have worked really hard on starting strong in the first six points at practice but you never expect it to go like that,” Koethe said. “We have worked a lot on starting strong and that’s what we did, we came out strong the first six points of the game.”

Clear Creek Amana finished 1-1 at the season-opening quadrangular dropping their second match 25-16, 25-13 to Class 3A second-ranked Mount Vernon.

Solon (0-2) fell to 3A No. 10 Center Point-Urbana 25-20, 25-19 in their final match.

“It was good to see the speed and this level of competition on the first night,” first-year Solon coach Sarah Ferin said. “It shows us what we need to do and will certainly help prepare us for the rest of the season.”

Koethe got the Clippers off to the start they had been working toward.

The senior Libero had a three ace serves during the 7-0 spurt to open the season that put Solon in a hole it could never dig out of.

“To be quite honest we have been working on starting better because this summer we learned we aren’t starting very well and we were the team that was getting down by seven or eight points, so we were trying to prevent that,” Clear Creek Amana coach Jackie Clubb said. “It looked like we came through with doing that tonight.”

Koethe gave Clear Creek Amana a 3-0 lead with back-to-back ace serves before a Solon error made it 4-0 and forced a Spartan timeout.

Another Koethe ace, a Solon error and a kill by Shauntina Willams put Clear Creek up 7-0.

“Serving is kind of my thing, I love going back to serve,” Koethe said. “I feel like I’m in control back there so I came out thinking about getting the first ball over and in and then being aggressive.”

Clear Creek Amana was just getting going.

The Clippers used another seven-point run to take a 14-2 lead and took a 22-3 advantage with a 8-0 spurt.

Lauren Helle, Riley Hennes and Mackenzie Justice all had two kills in the opening set.

"We are not set on one set lineup, I’ve never been that type of coach,” Clubb said. “Whatever we need that’s what we put in and they handled that very well.”

Clear Creek Amana jumped to a 3-1 lead in the second set and never trailed while completing the sweep.

Solon pulled to within 24-21 on an ace block and kill by Taylor Noonan on consecutive plays but could get no closer.

“It was a lot of nerves,” Ferin said. “We just couldn’t get into a rhythm we finally did a little more in the second set.”

Hennes and Justice led Clear Creek Amana with six kills in the win over Solon while Helle added four and Koethe collected 13 digs.

Helle had four kills and Koethe had 11 digs in the loss to Mount Vernon.

“We need to serve receive pass well and stay in system and kind of run our kind of offense and not let two or three points get scored on us at a time at we will be fine but Mount Vernon is a great team,” Clubb said. “We have a lot of respect for them.”

Clear Creek Amana 25 25

Solon                       5   21

(Kills-Aces-Blocks)

Clear Creek Amana

Sheyanne Koethe 2-3-0, Riley Hennes 6-1-0, Shauntina Williams 3-0-0, Lauren Helle 4-0-2, Karsyn Stratton 2-0-0, Mackenzie Justice 6-1-0, Jordan Neely 0-1-0, Team 23-5-2.

Assists – Zoey Boehme 8, Riley Hennes 4, Sheyanne Koethe 2.

Solon

Grace Keith 3-0-0, Jess Heick 0-0-0, Abby Smith 1-1-0, Rachel Nelson 0-0-0, Taylor Noonan 1-1-0, Grace McCarty 0-0-0, Paige Gallagher 0-0-0, Ali Dierson 0-0-0, Team 5-1-1.

Assists – Rachel Nelson 5.


Clear Creek Amana 16 13

Mount Vernon          25 25

(Kills-Aces-Blocks)

Clear Creek Amana

Sheyanne Koethe 1-0-0, Zoey Boehme 1-0-0, Shauntina Williams 2-0-0, Lauren Helle 4-0-0, Karsyn Stratton 0-1-0, Jane Willms 2-0-0, Team 10-1-0.

Assists – Riley Hennes 5, Zoey Boehme 3.

Mount Vernon

Rory Light 1-0-0, Catherine Yeoman 4-0-0, Libby Ryan 0-3-0, Katie Wycoff 1-1-0, Wynne Vandersall 4-1-0, Ella Brase 1-0-0, Kaitlyn Volesky 4-0-0, Team 15-5-0.

Assists – Bailey Sullivan 7, Ella Brase 5.

West High Golfers Show Early Promise at Challenging Finkbine

By Tyler Devine

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Finkbine Golf Course provided a tough challenge for the Boys golf teams of City High, West High and Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls ended the evening on top with a 160 followed by West High with 168 and City High with 188.

West High senior Kyle Jenkins

However, if Thursday’s season opener was any indication, the West High golf team is going to enjoy some success this fall.

West High’s top two golfers struggled a bit with their short game, which is to be expected this early in the season, but both were still sitting pretty at the end of their respective rounds.

Senior Kyle Jenkins led the way for West shooting a one-under 37 on the day and was a medalist for the Trojans.

Jenkins’ long game helped him recover from a couple of bad shots in his short game, but he also used a little bit of luck to his advantage.

City High sophomore Mason Shawver

“My driver is mainly what saved me,” Jenkins said. “It was going straight most of the time. I had one bad hole and then I was trying to recover from that. I got lucky on my last putt (on the 18th hole) and birdied for a 37.”

West sophomore Kyle Spence, who finished with a four-over 40, also struggled a bit from short range, but he will take what he can get on a tough course like Finkbine.

“I struck the ball pretty well,” Spence said. “I missed a few short putts which was frustrating because I like to take advantage of good ball-striking days. Overall, 40 isn’t too bad around here so I’ll take it.”

For the Little Hawks’ top two golfers, the fast greens and a couple of bad shots on the first two holes did not help matters.

For City sophomore Mason Shawver, who shot a nine-over 45, unfamiliarity with the course also made the round a bit more challenging.

“I think I did pretty well,” Shawver said. “I haven’t played this course that much this year but it was good to be out here, it’s a nice course.

“I had a little trouble getting the ball up and down, the greens ended up being a little faster than I thought but I think I handled it pretty well.”

City senior Alex Kooker didn’t quite hit his goal of shooting a 45, but maintained that there were some positives aspects to his game to take with him the next time out.

“My first couple holes went really well,” Kooker said. “I got a good par and bogey after hitting a bad drive on number two. After that it kind of fell apart a little. My chipping game and putting weren’t the best. I was kind of aiming for bogey golf, shooting for a 45 and ended with a 49.

“Not the best round but definitely positives to take out of it. The main thing I think is just to work on the short game.”