Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The coaching resume for Solon head coach Kevin Miller stacks up with the best.

Miler is closing in on 200 career wins in his 20 plus years as a head coach. He’s won four state championships, had one of the state’s longest winning streaks and been to the playoffs 14 consecutive years.

With so many big wins in his coaching career Friday’s 57-14 win over Fairfield was a little extra special to Miller.

However, this particular win was special to Kevin Miller the former Solon quarterback as much as it was to Miller the current head coach.

At halftime on Friday Miller joined his former teammates near midfield as Solon honored the 1988 team that won the first state title in school history.

Miller quarterbacked that 1988 team to a 20-16 win over Emmetsburg in the 1988 2A title game for the first state tile in any sport in Solon history.

“To recognize our 88 team that I was a part of and then the 2008 team it’s meaningful to me,” Miller said. “It’s about the relationships. It’s always been about here relationships whether that’s with me and our current players or me as a former player.”

In the 30 year since the Miller-led Spartans won the 2A title in 1988 Solon has claimed 19 state titles in all sports including four more football titles in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Miller was the head coach for all four of those consecutive championships including the 2008 team that was also honored at halftime on Friday.

“Everybody feels like the relationships are what makes Solon special, everyone feels like they are a part of something, a part of the tradition,” Miller said. “My grade for instance, that era they felt like they kind of helped create this tradition along with the teams prior to when I played. That’s what makes Solon tradition special and what it is. To be able to carry on that tradition as a coach and to see our players live it that is something really special to me that is really near and dear to me.”

Boot Notes: For the first time in 20 years the Boot will stay on the West side of Iowa City for two years in a row.

West High won the annual Battle of the Boot 54-13 on Friday over the City High, the Trojans’ first back-to-back wins in the series since winning three in a row from 1997 to 1999.

The 54-13 win came after a 52-6 West High win last season, marking the first time either team has scored 50 points in consecutive boot games.

The only other time a team scored 50 points was a 54-14 City High win in 1984.

Liberty Closes on High Note: It didn’t take long for fans to see the identity Liberty High was carving out in its first season as a varsity football team as a power running team.

The Lightning closed its debut season with its most impressive performance.

Liberty High (3-6) rushed for 445 yards on 73 carries and did not attempt a pass in a 42-21 season-ending win over Clinton.

The Lightning had three players go over 100 yards rushing and averaged 6.1 yards per carry while putting up season highs for total yards and points.

Kaleb Williams led Liberty High with 199 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries whiel Max Tafolla added 127 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries and Jack Ankenbauer had 102 yards and two TDs on 15 carries.

Playoff Regulars: Three of the area playoff qualifiers have postseason strings of nine years or longer.

Solon is making its 14th consecutive playoff appearance while West Branch will play a postseason game for the 11 year in a row.

West High stretched its playoff streak to nine consecutive years and is seeking a third consecutive state title game appearance. 

Regina streak: Regina ended the season 5-4 with a 56-28 loss to top-ranked Dike-New Hartford on Friday ending a string of 14 consecutive playoff appearances which included a stretch of eight straight title game trips.

The loss ended a stretch of 57 consecutive district wins for Regina and marked the first time since 2003 the Regals missed the playoffs.

1,000 and Counting: A pair of area runners cracked the 1,000-yard mark with big games on Friday and both will have a chance to build on their rushing totals in the playoffs.

Clear Creek Amana senior quarterback Andrew Rohret ran for 199 yards in a week 9 win over Central DeWitt to push his season total to 1,024 yards.

Rohret ranks 10th in Class 3A in rushing yards and his 15 rushing touchdowns are the third most in Class 3A.

West Branch junior running back cracked the 1,000-yard mark with his 186-yard effort against Dyersville Beckman.

Lukavsky has rushed for 1,029 yards on the season and leads Class 1A with 9.6 yards per carry.

Regina Offense Gets Cooking: Regina sophomore quarterback Ashton Cook had a career-high passing total for the second week in a row, throwing for 369 yards and two scores in a 56-28 loss to Dike-New Hartford.

Cook completed 24-of-42 passes in a wild game that featured 995 yards of total offense.

Three Regina receivers had more than 100 yards led by senior Scott Arendt who caught seven passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Alec Wick had eight grabs for 103 yards and Bryce Barnett caught five passes for 106 yards.

Offensive Performer of the week: Clear Creek Amana senior quarterback Andrew Rohret continues to come up with big performances.

Rohret had perhaps his best game yet in the regular season finale accounting for six touchdowns in a 53-26 win over Central DeWitt.

The senior quarterback rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, completed 7-of-12 passes for 79 yards and two scores and returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.

Best of the rest: West Branch senior quarterback Beau Cornwell completed 22-of-31 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns and added 43 yards rushing in a 48-24 win at Dyersville Beckman.

Solon senior running back Hunter Kula rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including a 99-yarder,in a 57-14 win over Fairfield.

West Branch junior receiver Trey Eagle caught eight passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-24 win at Dyersville Beckman.

Defensive performer of the week: The offensive player of the week Andrew Rohret gave Clear Creek Amana a big lead in Friday’s regular season finale with Central DeWitt and teammate Mitch Evans made sure that lead stood up.

Evans returned an interception 85 yards for a score and added an 88-yard kick off return for a touchdown in a 53-26 win.

Evans added three tackles including two solo stops as Clear Creek Amana secured a spot in the Class 3A playoffs.

Best of the rest: Regina senior linebacker Nick Milder had a team-high 9.5 tackles including eight solo sopts in a 56-28 loss to Dike-New Hartford.

Liberty High junior linebacker Dawson Zimmerman had eight tackles including six solo stops and two tackles for loss in a 42-21 win over Clinton.

West High senior defensive back Noah Aanestad had 2.5 tackles and picked off a pass in 54-13 win over City High.

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