Muscatine Scores 34 Unanswered Second-half Points in Win Over City High
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
MUSCATINE – Peaks and Valleys. Highs and Lows. Wonderful and cruel.
City High got a not-so-friendly reminder of how quick the game of football can go from one of those to the other on Friday night.
One week after rallying for a thrilling 23-22 win over Dubuque Hempstead the Little Hawks watched as Muscatine (4-1) scored 34 unanswered second-half points in a shocking 46-17 win in the Class 4A, District 4 opener for both teams in Muscatine.
“This game can be wonderful and it can be cruel,” City High coach Dan Sabers said. “Right now we are dealing with the cruel and we will see how well we respond.”
Just how quickly can things go from wonderful to cruel?
Seven days ago City High rallied from a one-point halftime deficit against the Mustangs.
On Friday it was just 19.4 seconds that flipped everything from the lead to the momentum to the Muskie sideline.
City High (2-3) took a 17-12 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Ben Steve with 6.4 seconds left in the first half.
The Little Hawks had a five-point lead, the ball and momentum to open the second half.
It all changed on the first play of the second half as Max DePrenger lost control of the ball while returning the second half kickoff and Muscatine junior linebacker Daylon Shelangoski recovered and raced 30 yards for a touchdown.
“We felt pretty good at halftime,” Sabers said. “That play on the kickoff was just huge.”
The fumble return touchdown by Shelangoski put Muscatine on top 19-17 just 13 seconds into the half and started a string of 34 consecutive points by the Muskies.
Wonderful to cruel just like that.
“The whole first half I felt good about the way that we were playing but we hadn’t had a couple of plays to get our momentum going and that just really got us going,” Muscatine coach Jake Mueller said. “There is no question that was a huge shot in the arm for us that just really turned the tide as far as the momentum goes. It was huge.”
It was all wonderful for Muscatine following the huge play on the opening kickoff.
Muscatine scored touchdowns on all four second-half possessions including a pair of 10-play, scoring drives.
Timothy Nimely rushed for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including 133 in the second half as Muscatine rolled up 297 yards on the ground.
“That was a big play that changed the momentum there is no question about that but at the same time you have to give them credit,” Sabers said. “They have a nice attack, Nimely is just a tough guy for us to tackle and that’s a nice ball club. Coach Mueller does a good job and we’ve always had trouble stopping them.
It looked like it could turn into a shootout early as both teams scored touchdowns in the opening 93 seconds.
Nimely capped a 5-play, 79-yard drive on the Muskies opening possession with a 3-yard TD run just 46 seconds into the game.
City High answered back when junior running back Tonka Hickman raced 60 yards to the end zone on the Little Hawks’ second play from scrimmage.
City High took a 14-7 lead with 3:13 left in the first quarter with its best drive of the game.
The Little Hawks went 57 yards in 11 plays capped by a Hickman 1-yard plunge.
City High was 3-for-3 on the third down on the touchdown drive that featured eight carries for Hickman for 26 yards.
“I feel very good about what Tonka brings to us,” Sabers said. “I think he’s running very well right now.”
Muscatine pulled to within 4-12 on a 33-yard touchdown strike from Carson Orr to Cooper Zeck. City High answered with a 15-play drive that took more than five minutes off the clock and ended with the field goal by Steve with 6.4 seconds left.
“We did some good thing on offense, Raph (Hamilton) made some good decisions and he ran it, got some first downs and that drive before half,” Sabers said. “I still think this team is trying to figure out how to finish a game.”
It was all Muscatine the rest of the way.
After 14 points in the opening quarter City High managed just the late field goal by Steve the rest of the way.
Muscatine held City High to just 104 yards of total offense in the second half.
“To me the defensive was huge,” Mueller said. “It really shut the door on them and I was really pleased with how we played. Defensively we just got after it in the second half and we made it tough on them.”
Hickman finished with 136 yards on 26 carries for City High while Hamilton added 53 yards rushing and was 8-of-14 passing for 74 yards.
City High will host upstart Davenport North (4-1) at Bates Field next Friday.
“We’ve got to come back there is just no other option,” Sabers said. “I just told the guys ‘you are a football player’ you’ve got to come back that’s part of it.”
ICH MUS
First downs 15 19
Rushes-yards 45-223 42-297
Comp-Att-Int 9-15-1 7-13-0
Passing yards 79 132
Total yards 302 429
Punts-Avg. 3-28.7 2-30
Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-35 5-43
Muscatine 6 6 14 20 – 46
City High 14 3 0 0 – 17
MUS – Timothy Nimely 3 (Kick failed)
ICH– Tonka Hickman 60 run (Ben Steve kick)
ICH – Hickman 1 run (Steve kick)
MUS – Cooper Zeck 33 pass from Carson Orr (Pass failed)
ICH – Steve 26 field goal
MUS – Daylon Shelangoski 35 fumble return (Carson Borde kick)
MUS – Zachary Hardy 17 pass from Orr (Borde kick)
MUS – Nimely 4 run (Borde kick)
MUS – Zeck 1 run (Borde kick)
MUS – Sam Wieskamp 25 run (Kick failed)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING – ICH: Tonka Hickman 26-136, Raph Hamilton 7-53, Max DePrenger 6-21, Quincy Wells 4-12, Doug Burtch 2-1. MUS: Timothy Nimely 36-237, Sam Wieskamp 1-25, Eli Gaye 1-24, Carson Orr 3-10, Cooper Zeck 1-1.
PASSING – ICH: Raph Hamilton 8-14-1 74, Quincy Wells 1-1-0 5. MUS: Carson Orr 7-13-0 132.
RECEIVING – ICH: Malik Kimber 4-36, Max DePrenger 3-32, Jacob Means 1-12, Jonah Waikel 1-5. MUS: Cooper Zeck 3-49, Eli Gaye 2-61, Zachary Hardy 2-22.
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