Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Linn-Mar (5-2) at City High (2-5)

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

Last season: Linn-Mar 49, City High 14

Player to watch: Linn-Mar senior quarterback Marcus Orr has been among the best in Class 4A this season completing 66 percent of his passes for 1,104 yards and 12 touchdowns without an interception.

Key stat: Better than a third of the receptions for Linn-Mar’s 6-foot-6 senior receiver Will Zahradnik have gone for touchdowns. Zahradnik has 22 receptions for 372 yards and eight scores.

About the Lions: In this third season at Linn-Mar head coach Paul James is in the process of pulling off one of the more impressive turnarounds in the state this season.

Linn-Mar has already equaled its win total from the past two seasons combined and can clinch a share of the 4A, District 4 title with a win on Friday.

Orr has been the key for the Lions on offensive, averaging bettering 220 passing yards per game, but is surrounded play potential playmakers.

Bricen White (5-10, 180) has rushed for 581 yards and four touchdowns and four Lions have more than 150 yards receiving let by Zahradnik and senior Trey Martin (5-11, 165) who has 19 receptions for 209 yards.

About the Little Hawks: City High returns home for back-to-back games at Bates Field to close out the regular season after a rugged start to the season that included five of seven road games including trips to Ames, Dubuque Hempstead, Davenport North and Pleasant Valley.

The Little Hawks are coming off consecutive road losses to Davenport North and Pleasant Valley after a 10-7 win over Muscatine in its district opener.

City High has averaged just 75 rushing yards per game over the last two weeks but will look to get senior tailback Tonka Hickman on track against a Linn-Mar defense that has allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of its last two games.

Hickman has rushed for 636 yards and nine touchdowns this season while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

West High (2-5) at Muscatine (1-6)

Where: Muscatine, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: West High 58, Muscatine 14

Player to watch: Muscatine junior running back Timothy Nimely (5-9, 185) has rushed for 709 yards and seven touchdowns this season while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.  

Key stat: West High averaged 70 rushing yards per game over its first five games but has more than doubled that total to 153 yards per game on the ground in its last two games.

About the Muskies: Muscatine has lost four straight following a 35-19 at District 4 leader Linn-Mar last week.

Despite featuring a pair of potent playmakers in Nimely and junior receiver Eli Gaye (5-10, 170) the Muskies are averaging less than 14 points per game and have scored 13 or fewer points four times.

Muscatine has used three quarterbacks this season with the trio combining to pass for 673 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Junior Jake Draves took over the quarterbacking duties for the Muskies’ first two district games with junior Zander Morgan and senior Sam Wieskamp seeing action along with Draves in the loss to Linn-Mar.

About the Trojans: West High got back on track with a 21-14 win over Davenport North in its home finale last week and will close the regular season with back-to-back road trips.

The Trojans have been solid defensively this season holding opponents to 21.6 points and 296 total yards per game and have been at their best during district play allowing 16.3 points and 258 yards per game.

Junior quarterback Marcus Morgan has passed for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 177 yards and two more scores.

Junior Tyuss Bell has gone over 100 yards rushing in each of the past two games and has rushed for a team-high 265 yards this season while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Keokuk (5-2) at No. 2 Solon (7-0)

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last season: Solon 57, Keokuk 6

Player to watch: Keokuk junior quarterback Corey Skinner (5-11, 185) has passed for 1,045 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 366 yards and three scores.

Key stat: Solon is holding opponents to 9.7 points per game and hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game this season.

About the Spartans: Solon can lock up the Class 3A, District 6 title at home on Friday after taking control of the district race with consecutive road wins over Washington and Mount Pleasant the last two weeks.

After trailing Washington 20-7 at the half the Spartans outscored opponents 63-0 over the next five quarters before allowing a pair of late touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Mount Pleasant last week.

Senior quarterback Cam Miller (6-1, 205) has thrown for 1,394 yards and 15 touchdowns and has rushed for a team-high 448 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Senior receivers AJ Coons and Jace Andregg have combined to catch 58 passes for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns.

About the Chiefs: At 5-2 Keokuk has already completed one of the biggest turnaround seasons in the state.

The Chiefs, who went 1-17 over the past two seasons, opened the year with four straight wins before being outscored 96-13 in back-to-back district losses to Washington and Mount Pleasant.

The Chiefs got back on track with a 61-0 win over Fairfield last week in which it put up 510 yards of total offense.

Skinner leads a Keokuk offense that is averaging 31 points per game and has multiple playmakers at his disposal in senior running back Braylon Martinez (5-7, 135) and junior receiver Anthony Potratz (6-4, 185).

Martinez has rushed for 532 yards and four touchdowns while Potratz has caught 15 passes for 323 yards and seven touchdowns.

Davenport Assumption (5-2) at Liberty High (5-2)

Where: Liberty High, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: Davenport Assumption 27, Liberty High 0

Player to watch: The Davenport Assumption offense goes as senior quarterback Tyler Kulhanek (5-9, 160) goes. Kulhanek has passed for 691 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 633 yards and seven touchdowns.

Key stat: A Liberty High offense that ranks eighth in Class 3A averaging 259 rushing yards per game faces a Davenport Assumption defense that is giving up 126 yards per game on the ground.

About the Lightning: One of the top games in all of Class 3A this week the matchup between the heavyweight ground games of Liberty High and Davenport Assumption will likely serve as an elimination game in the Class 3A playoff race.

Liberty High sits a game back of Davenport Assumption and North Scott in the District 5 standings but has risen to 18 in the RPI standings and could earn an at-large playoff berth with consecutive home victories over Assumption and Clinton to close out the regular season.

Senior running backs Kaleb Williams and Jack Ankenbauer stepped up last week in the absence of junior leading rusher Max Tafolla, combining for 251 yards on 37 carries in a 14-12 win at Central DeWitt.

Williams has rushed for 665 yards and five touchdowns this season while Ankenbauer has 265 yards and two scores.

About the Knights: Davenport Assumption needs a win over Liberty High to remain unbeaten in District 5 play and set up a winner-take-all showdown with North Scott in the regular season finale.

The Knights lost back-to-back games to Solon and Cedar Rapids Xavier by a total of 21 points to close non-district play but have rattled off three straight district wins by an average of 21 points per game.

Senior Grant Simpson (6-2, 215) and junior Simon Weitz (6-0, 165) have been the top targets for Kulhanek this season combing to catch 28 passes for 434 yards and four touchdowns.

A key for Assumption on Friday will be senior middle linebacker Seth Adrian (6-0, 220) who has made a team-high 58 tackles and will be critical in slowing the Liberty High running game.

Clear Creek Amana (4-3) at No. 5 North Scott (6-1)

Where: Eldridge, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: North Scott 45, Clear Creek Amana 7

Player to watch: North Scott senior quarterback Jake Matthaidess (6-0, 170) has passed for 720 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for a team-leading 500 yards and seven touchdowns.

Key stat: Clear Creek Amana is allowing 231 rushing yards a game during its three losses and has held teams to 56 yards per game on the ground in its four wins.

About the Lancers: North Scott has rattled off three consecutive district wins by an average of 26 points per game following a 21-3 loss to top-ranked Western Dubuque in its non-district finale.

The Lancers are tied atop the Class 3A, District 5 standings with Davenport Assumption and host the Knights in the regular season finale for both teams.

Matthaidess has provided much of the offense for the Lancers this season accounting for 12 touchdowns.

Senior running back Quentin Allison (5-8, 175) has rushed for 497 yards and five touchdowns and senior receiver Ty Anderson has (6-6, 175) been the top target for Matthaidess with 26 receptions for 389 yards and three scores.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana dropped to 1-2 in District 5 play last week with a 27-14 loss at Davenport Assumption.

The Clippers were held below 100 yards rushing for the first time since the season opener in its loss at Assumption, finishing with 98 yards on the ground.

Clear Creek Amana has averaged 429 total yards in its four wins but has managed just 248 yards of offense in its three loss.

Junior quarterback Ryan Navara has passed for 967 yards and 10 touchdowns with Tom Johnson catching a team-leading 16 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown.

No. 6 West Branch (7-0) at Cascade (3-4)

Where: Cascade, 7 p.m.

Last season: West Branch 26, Cascade 6

Player to watch: Cascade senior running back Colby Holmes (5-10, 175) has rushed for 725 yards and seven touchdowns and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

Key stat: West Branch senior receiver Trey Eagle ranks third in Class 1A with 10 receiving touchdowns and is one of only five players in 1A with double figure receiving scores.

About the Cougars: After opening the season 1-4 Cascade has won back-to-back games over Northeast and rival Dyersville Beckman.

Cascade averaged just 10.8 points per game during its 1-4 start but has scored 36 points in each of its last two wins.

Holmes has been the focal point of the Cougar offensive revival. The senior running back has gone over 100 yards in four of the last four games and has averaged 153 yards per game and scored four touchdowns during the Cougars’ consecutive wins.

Junior quarterback Jackson McAleer (6-5, 175) has passed for 515 yards and four touchdowns with Carter Green (6-1, 190) catching 12 passes for a team-high 184 yards and three scores.  

About the Bears: One of only seven remaining unbeaten teams in Class 1A, West Branch climbed to second in the RPI rankings with two regular season games to play and can wrap up the District 4 title with a win over Cascade.

The Bears have rolled through three district opponents, winning game by an average of 29 points while averaging better than 45 points.

West Branch is coming off perhaps its most impressive defensive performance of the season holding Northeast to 114 total yards in a 42-0 win in which the Rebels averaged just 2.43 yards per play.

Junior quarterback Gavin Hierseman has completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,063 yards and 14 touchdowns while Tanner Lukavsky has rushed for 765 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jesup (2-5) at No. 10 Regina (6-1)

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Regina 42, Jesup 22

Player to watch: Jesup junior receiver Brody Kresser (5-6, 112) has caught 26 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns.

Key stat: Regina ranks sixth in Class 1A averaging 398 yards of total offense per game.

About the Regals: Regina stretched its winning streak to six with a 37-28 win over North Linn last week and is averaging 47 points per game during its current win streak.

Since its season-opening loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier the Regals have scored at least 30 points and had 319 yards of offense or more in every game.

Junior quarterback Ashton Cook (6-4, 181) has been the catalyst for the Regina offense passing for 1,695 yards and 19 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Alec Wick leads 1A with 58 receptions for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns while Josh Dutchik has caught 26 passes for 403 yards and three scores.

About the J-Hawks: Jesup opened the season 2-2 but has lost three consecutive games to opening district play and is coming off a 50-16 loss to top-ranked Dike-New Hartford last week.

The J-Hawks are averaging 17.7 points per game but have scored more than 16 points just twice this season.

Junior quarterback Jase Pilcher (6-1, 163) leads the Jesup offense and has passed for 1,068 yards and 10 touchdowns this season with eight interceptions.

The top two receivers for Pilcher have been Kresser and senior Cooper Fuelling (6-0, 168) who has caught a team-high 29 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior Tanner Cole (5-9, 142) has rushed for 487 yards and three touchdowns and junior Jerret Delagardelle (5-5, 145) has run for 210 yards while averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

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