By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The statistics Isaac Vollstedt put up last season jump off the page.

More than 1,100 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, seven 100-yard games and 7.4 yards per carry.

The stats for Vollstedt tell a story of success but they don’t tell the whole story.

Vollstedt piled up those stats despite battling injuries that sidelined him for close to half the season.

A fully healthy and extra motivated Vollstedt returns to the Regina backfield this season the headliner in a strong Regal skill position group.  

“He had an unbelievable junior year while fighting injuries the whole time and missing games,” Regina coach Marv Cook said. “He is looking great now and I think he’s in for just an incredible senior season.”

A broken hand and later a fracture in his elbow sidelined Vollstedt for four complete games and parts of two others.

That couldn’t stop the 6-foot, 200-pound Vollstedt from chewing up 1,114 yards on the ground, 10th most in Class 1A.

“It was frustrating at times knowing that I could be out there with all my friends, the guys that I’ve been working with all year,” Vollstedt said. “Of course, I want to be out there with the guys all the time.”  

An impressive performance in the 2015 state title game set high expectations for Vollstedt entering his junior season.

He rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in a 35-28 win over Western Christian in the 2015 1A title game.

Vollstedt entered the title game with five carries for 85 yards before exploding onto the scene on the state’s biggest stage.

“He showed up in the championship game his sophomore game and was a difference maker as a sophomore,” Cook said. “He hadn’t played much before that which shows how smart of a coach I am.”

That title game breakthrough was supposed to be just the start for Vollstedt who was expected to explode as a junior.

Instead Vollstedt’s junior season started with a fizzle.

He had two touchdown catches in a season-opening loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier but broke his hand in a week two win over Solon and missed the next game and a half.

After sitting out a week three win over Wapello, Vollstedt ran for 177 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries all after halftime in a win over Sigourney-Keota.

“The coaches at first didn’t really trust me carrying the ball with the broken hand,” Vollstedt said. “At halftime of the Sigourney game they talked about it gave me a shot and I got the ball a few times that game.”

Vollstedt was just starting to get rolling, running for 100 yards in three straight games, when injury struck again.

He suffered a compression fracture in his elbow while putting up 182 yards and a touchdown against Wilton and sat out the final three weeks of the regular season.

When Vollstedt finally got back on the field he made the most of every touch, rushing for 612 yards and nine touchdowns in four playoff games.

We didn’t let him play for three games and finally coach (Alex) Kanelli said ‘trust me he will be fine’,” Cook said. “He came back and he was unbelievable.”

The unbelievable finish included 100-yard games in four straight contests to end the season including a 199-yard, three-touchdown effort in a quarterfinal win over Pella Christian and 189 yards and three scores in a title game loss to Western Christian.

“It changes everything having him back there,” Regina senior Jake Phillips said. “He is such a great athlete, he pulls off runs that I don’t think anyone can do. He’s a great player and it’s great to have him in our corner.”

Vollstedt is healthy and is ready to build on his stats from last season.

Dating back to the 2015 title game Vollstedt is averaging 124 rushing yards per game and has scored a touchdown in eight of 10 games.

 “It helps a lot of having the momentum from last year and I’m hoping to carry that into this year and build off that,” Vollstedt said. “I feel like I know the system better and I know my job and my responsibilities better and I feel like I can do more for the team.”

Vollstedt wants to play in every game this season preferable 13, which would mean a return to the Class 1A title game.

A year after having its string of six consecutive state titles snapped with a 47-34 loss to Western Christian last season Vollstedt and the Regals have their sights set on starting a new title streak.

“It’s still in the back of my mind,” Vollstedt said of the title game loss. “You know that feeling that you were one step short and we know what we need to do to hold the state championship trophy instead of the runner-up this year.”