West High junior Ethan PostlerBy Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Garrett Hartwig proclaimed in the preseason that West High had a pair of varsity ready quarterbacks.

Juniors Evan Flitz and Ethan Postler have spent the first six weeks of the season proving their coach right.

Flitz passed for 892 yards and eight touchdowns in the first five games of the season before an injury forced him to miss last week’s game with Burlington.

Postler stepped in and completed all five of his passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns, leading West High to a 59-7 win in his first career start.

West High junior Evan Flitz“I’ve said all year that we have two quarterbacks that can compete at this level,” Hartwig said. “That’s a credit to both of those guys and the way that they prepare themselves.”

Flitz threw for at least 210 yards in each of his first three starts.

The 6-1, 175-pound junior has completed 64 percent of his passes on the season while throwing eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

Flitz left West High’s 39-20 loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie with a leg injury that sidelined him for the Burlington game.

Postler was nearly perfect in his place.

“I get reps in practice even when Evan is healthy,” Postler said. “Every single game I feel ready to go.”

Postler capped West High’s first two drives against Burlington with touchdown passes.

His first pass of the game was a 5-yard touchdown strike to fullback Breyton McDole that came on a play-action roll out on third and goal.

He only got better from there.

On the second play of the ensuing drive Postler hit senior Oliver Martin on a short out route that Martin turned into a 9-yard gain.

Five plays later Postler hit a streaking Martin in stride for a 47-yard touchdown.

“Definitely you want to get your quarterback in a rhythm a little bit with some shorter throws so he feels confident,” Martin said. “We stated it off with some shorter routes and did a few running plays and got him into the game a little bit and he felt comfortable and just started playing.”

The 6-foot-5, 170-pound Postler added a 20-yard touchdown pass to Martin on a slant route.

Postler’s final pass of the day was a 37-yard completion to junior Traevis Buchanan down the center of the field.

“My first varsity start of course I’m going to be a little nervous,” Postler said. “I knew my teammates believed in me and my coaches believed in me so I just played my game.”

Hartwig called Flitz day-to-day leading up to Friday’s meeting with defending 4A runner-up Cedar Rapids Kennedy (4-2) at Kingston Stadium.

Regardless of who gets the start on Friday the Trojans have showed they will have a qualified quarterback taking the snaps.

“They are still competing but Ethan has looked good in practice and Evan has stayed glued in and he’s getting his reps as much as he can,” Hartwig said. “We don’t know yet for sure but either way we are going to put a guy out there that we have complete confidence in.”