Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Class 4A No. 8 Iowa City West (2-0) at Class 4A No. 9 Dubuque Senior (3-2)

Where: Dalzell Field in Dubuque, 7:15 p.m. on Thursday

Last Season: Dubuque Senior 23, West High 21

Player to Watch: Dubuque Senior linebacker Seth Bullock (6-2, 200) leads the Rams with 39 tackles, 20 solo stops, 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss and has also returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown.

Key Stat: West High is averaging 8.2 yards per play this season after averaging 11.7 yards per offensive snap in a week-two win over City High.

About the Rams: Dubuque Senior has already been tested against some of the top teams on the eastern side of the state emerging from a challenging stretch to open the season 3-2.

The Rams sandwiched a 17-14 home win over Cedar Rapids Prairie around one score losses to Cedar Falls in the season opener and seventh-ranked Dubuque Hempstead in week three.

After the 1-2 start the Rams have won back-to-back games over Cedar Rapids Washington and Waterloo West by a combined score of 86-7.

Junior quarterback Jack Gilligan (6-0, 185) directs the Ram offense and has thrown for 483 yards and two scores and rushed for 159 yards and three more touchdowns.

Senior Cain McWilliams (5-9, 160) is among the most productive backs in the state rushing for 598 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

About the Trojans: West High returns to the field after a nearly month-long layoff to face a ranked team on the road.

After struggling early offensively in the season opener against Liberty High the West High offense was razor sharp its last time out, putting up 56 points and 409 total yards in a win over City High.

West High will attempt to shake off any rust that built up during its three plus weeks away from the field but the Trojans have the talent offensively to overcome led by senior quarterback Marcus Morgan (6-3, 185).

In two games Morgan has passed for 429 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 115 yards and two more scores.

Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-2) at Liberty High (1-1)

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

Last Season: Did not play.

Player to Watch: Cedar Rapids Prairie senior running back Nick Pearson (5-10, 180) ranks ninth in Class 4A in rushing with 588 yards and has nine touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Key Stat: Liberty High held its first two opponents to an average of 144 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. Prairie enters Friday night average 217 yards per game on the ground on 5.7 yards per carry.

About the Lightning: Liberty High snagged some momentum before its three-week break, holding off Cedar Rapids Jefferson 7-3 in a defensive battle in week two.

The Lightning were solid defensively to open the season, holding opponents to 293 total yards and 15 points per game in its 1-1 start to the season but sputtered offensively producing just one touchdown in the first two games.

Revving up the offense starts with getting some consistency in the running game where Liberty High would benefit from a healthy Max Tafolla.

The senior tailback played sparingly in the week-two win over Jefferson after leaving the opener against West High with an injury.

Quarterback James McKinney rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in the win over Jefferson.

About the Hawks: Cedar Rapids Prairie has posted a pair of impressive wins after opening the season by losing back-to-back games by a combined total of four points.

The Hawks fell to Cedar Rapids Kennedy 35-34 in week one and dropped a 17-14 decision at eighth-ranked Dubuque Senior in week two but has rebounded with home routs of Cedar Falls (34-21) and Linn-Mar (42-0) the past two weeks.

Running the football is always the focus for Prairie with its unorthodox single wing offense but the Hawks have had success throwing the ball this season with junior quarterback Dionte Fliss (6-0, 180) who has completed 61 percent of his passes while throwing for 514 yards and four scores.

Three Hawks have at least nine receptions led by junior tight-end Gabe Burkle (6-7, 235) who has team-highs of 10 receptions and 155 yards and junior Elijah Ward (6-1, 165) who has nine catches for 145 yards and two scores.

City High (1-1) at Linn-Mar (0-3)

Where: Linn-Mar Stadium, 7:15 p.m.

Last Season: Linn-Mar 62, City High 14

Player to Watch: Linn-Mar senior running back Bricen White (5-11, 185) has rushed for a team-high 221 yards and a touchdown this season and also leads the Lions with eight receptions for 90 yards.

Key Stat: Linn-Mar put up 501 total yards and 62 points in a win over City High last season. The 62 points were the most allowed by the Little Hawks last season.

About the Little Hawks: City High returns to action for the first time since falling to West High 56-20 on September 4.

Even with the loss in the Battle for the Boot matchup the Little Hawks showed signs of being a much-improved team during a 1-1 start that included a 35-14 win over Davenport Central in the season opener.

Senior quarterback Raph Hamilton is completing 62 percent of his passes while throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns with junior Gable Mitchell the top target with six receptions for 104 yards and a score.

Junior Jamari Newson has rushed for a team-high 161 yards and two touchdowns and Hamilton has rushed for 124 yards and two more scores.

About the Lions: It has been a rough season for Linn-Mar after the Lions went 6-4 and reached the playoffs for the first time in five seasons last fall.

Linn-Mar opened the season with back-to-back losses to ranked teams, falling to 4A No. 7 Dubuque Hempstead 28-7 in the opener and dropping a 24-20 week-two contest to 3A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier.

The Lions then missed two weeks while in quarantine due to COVID-19 procedures before falling to Cedar Rapids Prairie 42-0 in their first game back last Saturday.

Junior quarterback McKade Jelinek (6-0, 185) has passed for 159 yards and rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

Oskaloosa (1-4) at Clear Creek Amana (3-2)

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

Last Season: Did not play.

Player to Watch: Oskaloosa junior receiver William Schultz (5-9, 160) has caught 17 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns and is averaging nearly 20 yards per receptions.

Key Stat: Over the past four games the Clear Creek Amana defense has 11 interceptions while allowed a combined total of 24 completed passes.

About the Clippers: Following a 1-2 start the Clippers have posted back-to-back district wins outscoring Benton Community and Newton by a combined score of 90-17.

The Clippers have shown an explosive offense all season averaging 363 total yards and 33 points per game while averaging 6.9 yards per play.

Senior quarterback Ryan Navara has thrown for 680 yards and five touchdowns and has rushed for 199 yards and five more touchdowns.

Alex Figueroa has rushed for a team-leading 528 yards and six touchdowns while Gage Freeman has run for 158 yards and two scores.

Senior Tom Johnson has caught a team-best 21 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown with Harrison Rosenberg catching 13 passes for a team-high 273 yards and four touchdowns.

About the Indians: A playoff qualifier each of the past four seasons the Indians opened the season 1-1 but have dropped three consecutive games to open district play.

Oskaloosa fell to Benton Community 14-13 in overtime in its district opener and has been outscored 125-39 in loss to district leaders Grinnell and Cedar Rapids Xavier.

Despite the recent setbacks the Indians have been solid defensively this season, holding four of five opponents to 330 total yards or fewer.

Senior quarterback Reed Brown (5-8, 150) has thrown for 722 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 70 more yards and two scores.

Brown has a pair of dangerous receiving threats in Schultz and senior Cooper Spry (5-8, 135) who has caught 16 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Class 2A No. 5 Mount Vernon (5-0) at Solon (3-2)

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last Season: Solon 35, Mount Vernon 7

Player to Watch: Mount Vernon senior quarterback Brady Ketchum (5-10, 185) has passed for 1,007 yards and 10 touchdowns and has also rushed for 103 yards and two scores.

Key Stat: Mount Vernon has scored more than 14 points against Solon just one time in the previous 10 meetings between the two teams and Solon has outscored the Mustangs 88-21 in the previous three meetings.

About the Mustangs: Mount Vernon is in the midst of a major bounce back season after missing the postseason for the second straight year and finishing below .500 for the first time since 2013 with a 4-5 mark last fall.

The Mustangs opened the season with a 27-14 win over 2A eighth-ranked Camanche and can take sole possession of first place in 2A, District 6 with a win over Solon.

Mount Vernon has been solid on offense, averaging 29.4 points and 363 total yards per game but the biggest improvements for the Mustangs this season have been on defense.

The Mustangs are holding opponents to 266 total yards and 11 points per game and haven’t allowed more than 369 yards or 20 points in a game this season.

Junior tailback Trenton Pitlik (5-11, 185) has rushed for 563 yards and seven touchdowns and senior Collin Swantz (5-8, 150) has caught a team-high 31 passes for 400 yards and eight touchdowns.

About the Spartans: Solon is seeking its 18^th consecutive win over its Highway 1 rival and this meeting comes with the district lead on the line.

The Spartans have rattled off three consecutive wins in district play outscoring opponents 112-13 after opening the season with back-to-back losses.

Solon has been especially impressive defensively during its three-game winning streak holding opponents to 2.8 yards per play and just 116 total yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Timmons has passed for 477 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception and has also rushed for 333 yards and five scores.

Senior running back Jackson Ryan has rushed for a team-high 539 yards and five touchdowns while junior Hayden Taylor has run for 337 yards and a touchdown while averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

West Branch (3-2) at Durant (3-1)

Where: Durant, 7 p.m.

Last Season: Did not play.

Player to Watch: Durant sophomore running back Nolan DeLong has rushed for 893 yards and 11 touchdowns and is averaging 12.6 yards per carry. DeLong also leads the Wildcats with 29 tackles, four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.

Key Stat: After allowing an average of 254 rushing yards in its first two games this season West Branch has allowed just 78 yards per game over its last three contests.

About the Bears: West Branch has followed up a rare two-game losing skid with back-to-back blowout wins over Wilton and Maquoketa Valley.

After averaging 12.7 points and 257 total yards per game during a 1-2 start to the season the West Branch offense has shifted into high gear the past two weeks.
West Branch is averaging 8.3 yards per play, 417 total yards and 46.5 points per game during its two-game winning streak.

Senior quarterback Gavin Hierseman has passed for 915 yards and seven touchdowns and has rushed for three more scores.

Sophomore tailback Andy Henson has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and has run for a team-high 477 yards and four touchdowns this season.

About the Wildcats: Durant had a three-game winning streak to open the season end with a 24-17 loss at Dyersville Beckman last week.

The Wildcats outscored North Cedar, Louisa-Muscatine and Wilton by a combined score of 125-28 during its 3-0 start and allowed just 136 total yards per game.

Durant gave up a season-high 384 yards in last week’s loss to Dyersville Beckman including a season-high 174 yards through the air.

DeLong is the focal point of the Durant offense but senior quarterback Keagen Head (6-1, 175) has been solid throwing for 399 yards and five touchdowns with out an interception and rushing for 248 yards and three more scores.

The top target for Head is senior receiver Tony Dillabough (6-0, 165) who is averaging 31 yards per catch on five receptions and has a pair of touchdowns.

Class A No. 3 Regina (4-1) at Columbus (2-3)

Where: Columbus Junction, 7 p.m.

Last Season: Did not play.

Player to Watch: Columbus senior running back Will Schwab has rushed for 508 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Key Stat: Regina is averaging 458 total yards and 53.7 points per game during three district wins.

About the Wildcats: After posting one win in the previous two seasons combined Columbus has showed significant improvement this season while posting wins over Louisa-Muscatine and Highland.

The Columbus offense relies heavily on the production of its senior tailback Schwab who has averaged 187 rushing yards and scored six total touchdowns in two wins and been limited to 44 yards per game and no scores in the Wildcats’ three losses.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Hoback (5-5, 125) has passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns with senior Tucker Bright (6-0, 150) his top target hauling in eight passes for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Freshman running back Kaden Amigon (5-10, 145) has showed big play ability, averaging 8.1 yards per carry while rushing for 274 yards and four touchdowns.

About the Regals: Since a 45-13 loss to Class 4A fifth-ranked Pleasant Valley in the opener Regina has been on a rampage, ripping off four straight wins including three consecutive lopsided district victories.

The Regals have outscored district opponents 161-42 after a 56-26 win over tenth-ranked Lisbon last week.

It has been the Regina offense that has impressed during the Regals’ four-game winning streak putting up over 420 yards in each of its last three games.

Regina is averaging 8.6 yards per play during its three district wins. Senior running back Theo Kolie has rushed for 629 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 7.6 yards per carry and senior quarterback Ashton Cook has thrown for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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