A Closer Look at The Week Eight Football Matchups
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
City High (2-5) at 4A No. 4 Bettendorf (6-1)
Where: TouVelle Stadium in Bettendorf, 7:15 p.m.
Last Season: Bettendorf 44, City High 7
Player to Watch: Bettendorf junior quarterback Carter Bell (5-10, 170) has passed for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns with an interception and rushed for 488 yards and eight touchdowns.
Key Stat: City High has averaged 9.5 points in four losses to Bettendorf since 2014.
About the Little Hawks: City High was held to a season-low 145 total yards in a 21-16 loss to Muscatine last week.
The Little Hawks dropped back-to-back district games after opening district play with a 41-29 win over Clinton
Senior quarterback Bryce Hunger has thrown for 1,455 yards and 10 touchdowns with Zach Jones hauling in 64 passes for 910 yards and seven scores.
Hunger has also rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns but City High has been held to 72 yards rushing in its past two games combined.
About the Bulldogs: Bettendorf has rattled of six straight wins since a season-opening loss to West Des Moines outscoring opponents by an average of 47-9 during the win streak.
The Bulldogs haven’t allowed an opponent to gain more than 287 yards of offense in a game this season and are holding teams to an average of 214 yards per game.
Bell is completing 69 percent of his passes in his first season leading a Bettendorf offense that averages 391 yards per game.
Nijel McIntosh has rushed for 672 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 10.8 yards per carry and Ben Wilson has caught 23 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
Linn-Mar (1-6) at 4A No. 2 West High (7-0)
Where: Trojan Field, 7:15 p.m.
Last Season: West High 50, Linn-Mar 7
Player to Watch: Linn-Mar junior running back Alex Hess (5-10, 161) has rushed for a team-high 519 yards and two touchdowns and has caught 15 passes for 196 yards and three scores.
Key Stat: Over its last 15 games dating back to last season, West High is averaging 40.5 points per game and has scored more than 47 points seven times.
About the Trojans: One of only two remaining unbeaten teams in Class 4A, West High continued its impressive season with a 34-20 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Friday.
The Trojans are among the most explosive offensive squads in the state, averaging better than 43 points and 467 yards per game.
Senior quarterback Evan Flitz has passed for 1,669 yards and 16 touchdowns while Andrew White and Trumell Roberts have combined to rush for 770 yards and six touchdowns.
About the Lions: Linn-Mar picked up its only win of the season over Ottumwa in week 5 and has dropped back-to-back games to Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Prairie since.
The Lions allowed an average of 383 rushing yards per game during its back-to-back losses to Kennedy and Prairie and have allowed 38 points or more in three of their last four games.
Senior quarterback Trot Carey has thrown for 829 yards and six touchdowns with Aaron Nibaur catching 18 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown.
Davenport Assumption (5-2) at Clear Creek Amana (2-5)
Where: Clipper Field, 7:15 p.m.
Last Season: Davenport Assumption 33, Clear Creek Amana 20
Player to Watch: Davenport Assumption senior running back Ryan Wohlers (6-2, 200) has rushed for 804 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Key Stat: Davenport Assumption is holding opponents to 91 passing yards per game and has eight interceptions on the season.
About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana dropped to 2-3 in 3A District 4 play with a 35-0 shutout against Marion last week and has been outscored 70-6 in back-to-back losses.
After averaging 450 yards per game in consecutive wins over Maquoketa and Center Point-Urbana the Clippers have been held to 381 yards in the past two games combined.
Senior quarterback Ethan Postler has thrown for 1,270 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes and senior Darius Moore has 39 receptions for 538 yards and three touchdowns.
About the Knights: Assumption went 1-2 during a challenging three-game stretch to open the season but has won four straight games since by a combined score of 173-27.
The Knights knocked off 4A No. 9 North Scott 17-10 in the season opener before back-to-back losses to 4A No. 4 Bettendorf and 3A No. 7 West Delaware.
In four games since the week-three loss to West Delaware the Knights have given up just 151 yards per game while holding opponents to 78 rushing yards and 6.8 points per game.
Senior quarterback Jayce Levy has passed for 806 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 496 yards and 12 scores.
Tipton (3-4) at 1A No. 6 West Branch (7-0)
Where: The Little Rose Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
Last Season: West Branch 28, Tipton 14
Player to Watch: West Branch junior quarterback Beau Cornwell leads Class 1A with 1,627 passing yards and has thrown 16 touchdown passes with just three interceptions.
Key Stat: West Branch has had at least 130 yards rushing and passing and scored a rushing and passing touchdown in every game this season.
About the Bears: After back-to-back last minute wins West Branch caught its breath in a 49-7 win at North Cedar last week and can clinch the District 3 title with a win over its Cedar County rival on Friday.
West Branch enters averaging 38.3 points and 404 yards per game behind the play of Cornwell who is completing 67 percent of his passes.
Ben Thompson has been the top target for Cornwell, catching 35 passes for 601 yards and 10 touchdowns.
About the Tigers: Tipton snapped a two-game losing skid with a 15-6 win over Durant last week.
The three wins for Tipton have come against teams with a combined record of 4-18 with the Tigers adding victories over Louisa-Muscatine and Jesup.
The Tigers have been stingy on defense, holding opponents to 19.3 points per game and have held four opponents to 14 points or fewer.
Columbus (2-5) at 1A No. 4 Regina (5-2)
Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.
Last Season: Regina 42, Columbus 7
Player to Watch: Columbus senior quarterback Abel Mena (5-8, 170) has rushed for a team-high 759 yards and eight touchdowns and passed for 386 yards and four scores.
Key Stat: Regina is averaging 10.2 yards per offensive play during its current five-game winning streak.
About the Regals: Regina ran its winning streak to five with a 43-6 win over Van Buren last Friday in which the Regals scored 37 points in the opening quarter.
During its current five-game winning streak Regina has outscored opponents by an average of 47-9.4 while averaging 427 yards per game.
Senior Isaac Vollstedt leads Regina with 669 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns and is averaging 10.1 yards per carry.
About the Wildcats: Columbus snapped a five-game losing skid with a 28-14 win over Highland last week as Mena rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wildcats had allowed at least 30 points in five straight games before holding Highland to 14 in its second win of the season last week.
Mena has been the man for the Wildcats this season accounting for 78 percent of his team’s total offense and 12 of the 13 touchdowns for Columbus this season.
West Burlington (2-5) at 3A No. 1 Solon (7-0)
Where: Spartan Stadium, 7:30
Last Season: Solon 42, West Burlington 0
Player to Watch: West Burlington junior Tanner Snodgrass (6-2, 180) has rushed for a team-high 589 yards and also leads the Falcons with 49 tackles.
Key Stat: West Burlington is averaging 31 points in its two wins and has scored 38 total points in its five losses.
About the Spartans: Solon continued its impressive run with a 33-0 win over Mount Pleasant last week. The Spartans have posted five shutouts and haven’t given up more than seven points in a game this season.
Solon has forced more turnovers (22) than it has allowed points (14) and has scored six defensive touchdowns in seven games.
The offense for the Spartans has continued to pick up steam, going over 400 yards in three of its last six games.
Sophomore Cam Miller has passed for 1,102 yards and 16 touchdowns with Payton Bandy and AJ Coons combining for 29 receptions for 570 yards.
About the Falcons: West Burlington started 2-1 in district play with wins over Fairfield and Keokuk but has lost its last two games to Mount Pleasant and Washington by a combined score of 87-3.
The Falcons were holding opponents to 258 yards per game through six weeks before giving up 625 total yards in a 73-0 loss to Washington last week.
West Burlington has passed for just 256 yards and one touchdown this season and doesn’t have a receiver with more than 90 yards.