Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

City High (2-6) at 4A No. 7 West High (7-1)

Where: Trojan Field, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: West High 52, City High 6

Last Week: West High defeated Muscatine 58-14. City High fell to Linn-Mar 49-14.

Player to Watch: West High sophomore quarterback Marcus Morgan has completed 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception in six games.

Key Stat: In its last three games the West High defense has held opponents to .2 yards per carry allowing 14 total rushing yards on 65 carries.

About the Trojans: Since a 10-7 loss at Bettendorf in week two West High has rattled off six consecutive wins while outscoring opponents 233-35.

West High has been among the best defensive teams in the state this season allowing 10.4 points and 207 total yards per game and holding all eight opponents to 17 points or fewer.

Senior defensive tackle Landon Green has a team-high 36.5 tackles and leads Class 4A in both tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (9).

West High is averaging 38.8 points per game during its current six-game winning streak and has scored 31 points or more in five of those six games.

Morgan leads the Trojan offense and his top target has been senior Jalen Gaudet who ranks four in 4A with 794 receiving yards on 29 receptions.

About the Little Hawks: City High will be looking to snap a four-game losing skid when it travels to West High for the annual Battle for the Boot.

The Little Hawks won the last meeting at West High 20-7 back in 2016 and have won four of the last six games at West High.

Since a come-from-behind 23-22 win over Dubuque Hempstead in week four City High has been outscored 157-73 in four district losses.

Sophomore quarterback Raph Hamilton leads the City High offense and has thrown for 828 yards and four touchdowns.

Junior running back Tonka Hickman has rushed for 771 yards and seven touchdowns while Malik Kimber has caught a team-high 21 passes for 347 yards and three scores.

1A No. 1 Dike-New Hartford (8-0) at Regina (5-3)

Where: Regal Field, 7:30 p.m.

Last Season: Did Not Play

Last Week: Regina defeated Jesup 42-22. Dike-New Hartford defeated South Hardin 54-0

Player to Watch: Dike-New Hartford junior running back Cade Bennett (5-10, 166) has rushed for 995 yards and 12 touchdown and is averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

Key Stat: Dike-New Hartford has held opponents to under 100 yards of total offense in six of eight games this season including all four district contests.

About the Wolverines: Dike New-Hartford has been as impressive as any team in Class 1A this season outscoring opponents by an average of 45.9 to 4.3.

The Wolverines lead Class 1A in scoring, rank third in yards per play (7.6) and average better than 347 yards of offense per game and have still been even more impressive on defense.

Dike-New Hartford has five shutouts and has allowed more than six points in a game just one time, giving up 22 in a win over Class 2A sixth-ranked Union.

The Wolverines are holding opponents to 95.6 total yards per game while allowing 60 rushing yards a game on just 2.4 yards per carry.

Junior quarterback Drew Sonnenberg (6-2, 170) has passed for 935 yards and 13 touchdowns with his top receiver Cade Fuller catching 19 passes for 326 yards and three scores.

Seniors Owen Goos (6-3, 241) and Daniel Graves (6-0, 211) have combined for 29.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks to lead the Wolverine defense.

About the Regals: The playoffs start a week early for Regina which in all likelihood needs a week nine win to keep its’s season alive.

At stake for the Regals in the regular season finale is a District 6 title and a 14-year streak of playoff appearances that dates back to 2004.

Injuries have forced Regina to shuffle its lineup for much of the season but the Regals are getting healthy at the right time.

Sophomore quarterback Ashton Cook passed for a career-high 345 yards in his first start since week two as Regina put up a season high 42 points and 547 yards of total offense last week in a win over Jesup.

Cook has a strong group of pass catchers at his receiver led by sophomore Alec Wick who has a team-high 51 receptions for 643 yards and senior Bryce Barnett who has 27 receptions for 406 yards and started two games at quarterback while Cook was out.

Fairfield (4-4) at 3A No. 3 Solon (8-0)

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last Season: Solon 43, Fairfield 0

Last Week: Solon defeated Keokuk 57-6. Fairfield lost at Washington 24-22

Player to Watch: Fairfield senior running back Tristin Waugh (6-2, 240) has rushed for 1,069 yards and 12 touchdowns and ranks second on the team with 247 receiving yards on eight receptions.

Key Stat: Solon has forced 26 turnovers (an average of more than three per game) and has scored three defensive touchdowns.

About the Spartans: Solon has already secured at least a share of the Class 3A district 6 title and a 14th consecutive playoff berth and is looking for a second straight unbeaten regular season.

The Spartans have been dominant defensively again this season holding opponents to 10.6 points and 195 total yards per game while forcing 26 turnovers.

Solon has scored at least 34 points in every game since a 7-0 win over West Liberty in week two and is averaging better than 45 points per game during that stretch.

Junior quarterback Cam Miller his completing 59 percent of his passes and has passed for 1,231 yards and 21 touchdowns with AJ Coons catching a team-high 45 passes for 675 yards and 11 scores.

About the Trojans: Fairfield had a two-game winning streak snapped with a two-point loss to Washington last week that ended any outside hopes of a postseason berth.

The Trojans four losses have come to teams with a combined 24-8 record including losses to a pair of 7-1 non-district foes in Clear Creek Amana and Oskaloosa.

Waugh and Leone Gichure (5-10, 170) provide a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield, combing to rush for 1,542 yards.

Waugh is the workhorse and has rushed for more than 100 yards nine times in the last 14 games.

Senior quarterback Carson Crile (6-4, 200) has passed for 861 yards and seven touchdowns with Landon Kooiker the top receiver with 20 receptions for 327 yards and two touchdowns.

1A No. 6 West Branch (7-1) at Dyersville Beckman (4-4)

Where: Dyersville, 7:30 p.m.

Last Season: Did Not Play

Last Week: West Branch defeated Cascade 26-6. Dyersville Beckman defeated North Cedar 28-7

Player to Watch: Dyersville Beckman senior Owen Grover (6-1, 192) has rushed for 1,064 yards and 12 touchdowns and leads the Blazers with 71.5 tackles including 11.5 for loss. 

Key Stat: In its last two games West Branch is holding opponents to .5 yards per carry and eight rushing yards per game.

About the Bears: West Branch scored 26 unanswered points to earn a 26-6 win over then No. 10 Cascade last wee to keep its hopes of a district title alive.

The Bears need Cascade to down Bellevue to set up a three-way tie atop the District 4 standings and could open the door for West Branch to host an opening round playoff game.

Since a 28-20 to No. 3 Bellevue in its district opener on September 21 West Branch has been impressive, outscoring opponents 106-20 in three consecutive wins.

Senior quarterback Beau Cornwell has passed for 1,379 yards and 16 touchdowns while Tanner Lukavsky has rushed for a team-high 843 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging better than 9.2 yards per carry.

About the Blazers: After back-to-back losses to District heavyweights Bellevue and Cascade Beckman got back on track last week with a 28-7 win over North Cedar.

Grover is among the best two-way players in Class 1A and is the key to the Blazers success on both sides of the ball.

He ranks sixth in Class 1A in rushing with 1,064 yards and averages 5.6 yards per carry and is the top tackler for a Beckman defense that allows 20.4 points per game.

Senior quarterback Seamus O’Connor has passed for 959 yards and five touchdowns for Beckman with Shawn Deutmeyer and Jackson Feldman combining for 33 receptions for 557 yards.

Clear Creek Amana (7-1) at Central DeWitt (5-3)  

Where: Birney Field in DeWitt, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: Clear Creek Amana 29, Central DeWitt 14

Last Week: Clear Creek Amana fell to North Scott 45-7. Central DeWitt defeated Clinton 34-14

Player to Watch: Central DeWitt senior Easton Necker (6-2, 190) leads 3A in rushing with 1,386 yards and is averaging eight yards per carry.

Key Stat: Necker is averaging 238 yards per game in five Central DeWitt wins and has been held to 65 yards per game in the Sabers’ three losses.

About the Clippers: Despite its lopsided loss to North Scott last week Clear Creek Amana is in line to secure its first playoff berth since 2015.

Clear Creek Amana is 10th in the Class 3A RPI ratings entering week nine and can lock up a postseason appearance with a win in its regular season finale.

In order to finish the regular season with a win the Clippers will need to bounce back quickly and shore up a run defense that allowed a season-high 197 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against North Scott.

Clear Creek Amana has been strong against the run this season, holding opponents to 102 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry.

Offensively Clear Creek Amana is led by senior quarterback Andrew Rohret who has rushed for a team-high 825 yards and 12 scores and passed for 747 yards and nine touchdowns.

About the Sabers: Central DeWitt has been one of the biggest turnarounds in the state this season.

A year after going 1-8 the Sabers have already won five games and can put a cap an impressive season with a win over the Clippers.

Led by a big offensive line the Clippers have found an identity as a power running team.

The Sabers rank fifth in Class 3A in rushing at 256 yards per game and rank third in 3A averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

Necker is the workhorse while Devin Hurdle and Zach Hinkle have combined to rush for 502 yards and six touchdowns while averaging better than seven yards per carry.

Liberty High (2-6) at Clinton (3-5)

Where: Coan Field in Clinton, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: Did Not Play

Last Week: Liberty High lost at Davenport Assumption 27-0. Clinton lost to Central DeWitt 34-14

Player to Watch: Clinton senior quarterback Kalvin Godette (5-9, 180) has passed for 851 yards and eight touchdowns and leads the River Kings in rushing with 541 yards and five touchdowns.

Key Stat: Liberty High was +7 in turnover margin while going 2-2 in its first four games and is -11 in turnover margin during its current four-game losing streak.

About the River Kings: Clinton opened the season 3-1 but has lost four consecutive district games by an average of nearly 28 points per game.

The River Kings averaged 27 points per game and scored at least 27 points three times while going 3-1 in non-district play.

During its four-game district losing skid Clinton hasn’t scored more than 14 points in a game and is averaging just seven points per game.

Godette has the ability to get the offense going in a hurry. The senior quarterback averages 12.3 yards per completion and 6.1 yards per carry and has accounted for 13 touchdowns.

Patrick Mullholland (17-297) and Ulyssess Patterson (14-157) are the top two targets for Godette.

About the Lightning: Liberty High will look to close its first varsity season on a high note and with the first road win in program history when it travels to Clinton for its season finale.

The Lightning will be seeking to snap a four-game losing skid after being shutout for the second consecutive game in a 27-0 loss to Davenport Assumption last Thursday.

Liberty High had its best game running the football against a district opponent last week rushing for 154 yards against Assumption.

Sophomore Max Tafolla (6-0, 205) carried the load last week with 21 carries for 95 yards to push his season total to 288 yards.

Liberty High will attempt to build on that performance this week against a Clinton defense that is giving up 260 yards per game on the ground during district play.