Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Veteran West Branch coach Butch Pedersen has an explanation for most of the impressive stats his defense has put up this season.

A stout front seven has been key in holding opponents to 3.3 yards per rushing attempt and the Bears’ aggressive attacking style helps account for the 18 turnovers and 12 sacks West Branch has come up with through eight game.

There is one number Pedersen can’t really explain – seven. As in seven defensive touchdowns.

“I’ve never had that before, never,” Pedersen said. “That’s seven touchdowns now in eight games. That’s incredible.”

The seventh defensive touchdown of the season for the West Branch came on Friday in perhaps the Bears’ best defensive performance of the season.

Trey Eagle returned a fumble 33 yards for a score in a 26-7 win in which West Branch allowed just 143 total yards and just 2.65 yard per play.

Even Eagle, a senior defensive back who has also returned an interception for a score this season, can’t exactly explain the defensive scoring spree that included a safety on Friday.

“I’m not sure you can exactly explain it but we have been able to create our own breaks with our aggressiveness,” Eagle said. “It’s just really fallen our way this year and we are doing a great job with that.”

Four different Bear defenders have found the end zone this season.

Senior linebacker Tanner Lukavsky has returned three interceptions for scores to go with the two defensive scores from Eagle.

Wyatt Goodale returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown and junior defensive end Jeff Bowie scooped up a fumble and rumbled a school-record 93 yards for a score in a week-seven win over Northeast.

West Branch has scored a defensive touchdown in six of eight games this season including each of its last four.

Anytime a West Branch defender gets his hands on the football he is immediately looking for the goal line.

“We see a fumble we are all racing to it,” Eagle said. “We all want to get the end zone, we have fun with it and we are competitive with it. We all want to make each other better by doing that and it has really worked out for us.”

There is some explanation for the defensive scores.

One is the Bears all-around defensive excellence this season.

West Branch is holding opponents to 14.5 points and 194 yards per game this season and is allowing less than 4.3 yards per play.

“We do a lot of stunts, a lot of twists and we show a variety of different secondary formations and coverages and I think the multiplicity of the defense is really hard for other schools to figure out,” Pedersen aid. “We give a lot of looks.”

Much of that has started with the West Branch defensive line led by the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Bowie who leads the Bears with 16.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

“The line does a great job getting pressure and they end up forcing the quarterback to make a bad throw or they get in there and strip the ball themselves,” Eagle said. “It really starts with them.”

DISTRICT CHAMPS: Solon and West Branch didn’t waste any time locking up spots in the postseason.

Both teams secured playoff spots by clinching district titles with week eight wins and are in line to host an opening round game in the postseason.

Solon (8-0) clinched the Class 3A, District 6 title with a 42-0 win over Keokuk while West Branch (8-0) locked up the Class 1A, District 4 crown with a 26-7 victory at Cascade.

Regina (7-1) will face top-ranked Dike-New Hartford (8-0) in a winner-take-all matchup for the 1A, District 6 title this Friday.

RPI UPDATE: Liberty High (6-2) has moved into the top 16 of the Class 3A RPI rankings following its week eight win over Davenport Assumption.

The Lightning are No. 16 in the 3A RPI rankings that are used to determine at-large playoff qualifiers while Solon is No. 1 in the 3A rankings.

West Branch is second and Regina is sixth in the Class 1A RPI Rankings.

1,000-Yard Receiver: No rusher in the Your Prep Sports area has reached the 1,000 yard mark this season but the area has its first 1,000-yard receiver.

Regina junior Alec Wick cross the 1,000-yard plateau with a six-catch, 105-yard performance in a 35-6 win over Jesup.

Wick ranks second in Class 1A in receptions (64), receiving yards (1,012) and touchdowns (13) and is one of only six players in the state with 1,000 receiving yards.

Offensive performer of the week: Tate Crane made big plays on both sides of the ball to help West High to a 31-16 win over Muscatine.

Crane was at his best on offense where he caught eight passes for 99 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver and also made an impact as a defensive back.

The senior had 5.5 tackles, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble in the West High win.

Best of the rest: Regina junior quarterback Ashton Cook completed 17-of-24 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-6 win over Jesup.

Solon senior running back Seamus Poynton ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in a 42-0 win over Keokuk.

West High junior wide receiver Grahm Goering had nine catches for 109 yards in a 31-16 win over Muscatine.

Defensive performer of the week: Grant Henderson came up with the play of the season for the West High defense in what proved to be a career game for the senior defensive back.

Henderson had two interceptions, including one he returned 98 yards for a touchdown that locked up a 31-16 win over Muscatine.

The senior also had 4.5 tackles in the win.

Best of the rest: Liberty High senior linebacker Kaleb Williams had 8.5 tackles, including a team-leading seven solo stops, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble in a 14-7 win over Davenport Assumption.

West High junior Ian McAreavy had a team-high 14 tackles including nine solo stops in a 31-16 win over Muscatine

West Branch senior linebacker Tanner Lukavsky had a team-high nine tackles including seven solo stops in a 26-7 win over Cascade.

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