Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – For three months last fall Solon lived out a dream season.

Solon strolled to 11 consecutive wins to open the season, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 37 points per game and posting a state-best six shutouts.

It took less than 24 minutes of the Spartans Class 3A semifinal matchup with Cedar Rapids Xavier for the dream to change to a nightmare.

Solon fell into a 35-point hole halftime hole it could never dig out of in a 35-7 loss to the eventual 3A champion Saints.

“It was just kind of a bad dream,” Solon quarterback Cam Miller said. “To this day I vividly remember everything about that game, everybody here still remembers that.”

Nine months later the Spartans haven’t forgotten how last season ended.

On Friday Solon gets a chance to put that nightmare behind it.

Solon opens the season at home against rival Mount Vernon as the Spartans seek a return to the Class 3A semifinals.

“There is probably not a day that I don’t think about that game,” Solon senior Adam Bock said. “It really stuck with us emotionally. We want to get back there and that’s what this season is about. We are coming to prove ourselves again.”

Solon has the returning talent to make another UNI-Dome run.

Eight starters return led by Division I recruits Coal Flansburg and Bock along with Miller at quarterback and the Spartans top receiver in junior AJ Coons.

Also returning for Solon is the disappointment of a stinging season-ending loss that endured the offseason.

“It definitely left a very bitter taste in my mouth, I don’t really like to talk about it to be honest with you,” Flansburg said. “I never watched that game on film. It was just really heartbreaking but it’s pretty motivating too. It definitely gets me fired up when I think about it.”

A year ago the defense was the Spartans’ strength, holding opponents to 5.5 points and 143 yards per game.

There are notable departures from that defense that ranked among the best in the storied history of the Solon program most notable all-state defensive tackle Tyler Linderbaum who is turning heads as a true freshman at Iowa.

Solon must replaced its entire starting defensive line and secondary but brings back perhaps the best set of linebackers in the state led by Flansburg and Bock.  

Bock is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound South Dakota State commit that led the Spartans with 71.5 tackles last season.

Flansburg is a massive 6-foot-1, 235-pound middle linebacker committed to Iowa State.

“They are very aggressive, very physical type players,” Solon coach Kevin Miller said of the senior linebackers. They are very skilled and they move well. We’ve had some great linebackers and they certainly rank up there with the likes of James Morris and some of those other guys for sure.”

Solon expects to take a step forward on offense this season.

The Spartans bring back two starters on the offensive line in seniors Kale Altman (6-0, 230) and Rocky Lensing (6-2, 280).

If the Spartans can fill in the other spots on the line they will be in business with a strong group of skill position players returning led by Miller at quarterback.

Miller (6-1, 200) threw for 1,831 yards and 25 touchdowns with six interceptions as a sophomore starter last year.

“We are giving him more to process, I think we’ve evolved more as an offense,” Kevin Miller said of his son the junior quarterback. “We are giving him more freedom to do some different things with our pass game and within our read schemes as well. We feel comfortable that he has a pretty good handle of what we are trying to do.”

Miller has a stable of weapons at his disposal starting with his top target from a year ago in 6-foot-4 junior receiver AJ Coons.

Coons caught 23 passes for 552 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago while Bock was third on the team with 21 receptions for 295 yards and three scores.

Senior Hunter Kula returns at running back after rushing for 854 yards and 10 touchdowns while sharing carries last year.

Bock and Flansburg combined for 284 yards and nine touchdowns on 45 carries last season.

“We are going to be lot different for sure but we have a lot of talented guys,” Cam Miller said. “We lost quite a few linemen but once we get those spots filled I think we will be alright. We have great athletes that’s for sure.”