Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

West High

Head coach: Garrett Hartwig (8^th season, 52-24)

Assistant coaches: Tyler Meade, Andrew Durham, Josh Flammang, Stephen Breitbach, Paul Breitbach, Bobby Thompson, Tyler Warner, Corderol Campbell, John Kwaitkowski, Conner Greene, Ty Haren, John Gluesing, Tim Sturgell, Barry Westemeyer, Mitch Yoerger, Noah Breitbach, Brendon Panther, Justin Preuschl

Last season: 6-1 (Class 4A Quarterfinal)

Returning starters: Boaz Abramoff, Sr., LB/TE; Mason Applegate, Sr., DL/TB; Liam Becher, Sr., DL/OL; Nick McDonnell, Sr., DB/WR; Taylon Mann, Sr., DL/FB; Brett Pelfrey, Sr., DL/OL; Will Towler, Sr., DL/OL

Other returning letterwinners: Owen Aanestad, Sr., DB/WR; Gary Chen, Sr., DL/OL; Jack Clark, Sr., DB/WR; Noah DeSaulniers, Sr., DB/WR; Nate Gudenkauf, Sr., DB/WR; Christian Janis, Jr., DB/WR; Matt Jetton, Jr., LB/K

Newcomers to watch: Chris Colgan, Sr., DL/OL; TJ Donovan, Jr., LB/TE; James Gannon, Jr., DL/OL; Ryan Goodman, Jr., DL/OL; Ashton Honore, Soph., LB/RB; Seth Overton, Soph., DB/WR; Bryan Torres, Jr., DL/WR; Ryne Vander Leest, Sr., LB/TE; Jack Wallace, Fr., QB

Playoff history: 19 appearances (1994-1999, 2002-2003, 2009-2018, 2020). West High won Class 4A state titles in 1995, 1998 and 1999.

Circle the date: October 8 vs. Bettendorf. West High opens a challenging three-game stretch to end the season that features a road trip to Cedar Rapids Prairie and a regular season finale against 2020 semifinalist Pleasant Valley by hosting its old MAC rival Bettendorf for the first time since a 42-15 Bulldog win in 2019.

Headliner: Senior Mason Applegate was among the best defensive lineman in the state last season making 32.5 tackles with 12.5 for loss and two sacks in seven games. This season the 5-foot-11, 200-pound standout will add offensive duties to his list as he takes over as the Trojans every down running back.

Unsung heroes: Senior lineman Liam Becher, Will Towler and Brett Pelfrey have more than 40 career combined starts and are the leaders of what could be one of the best offensive line groups in recent West High history.

Keep an eye on: Junior Christian Janis is a stellar athlete that Hartwig says has the ability to play as many as five positions. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Janis has drawn praise from the West High coaches for his playmaking ability and will be a threat where ever he lines up.

Biggest question: How will the offense adapt to life after Marcus Morgan? A three-year starter Morgan was one of the best quarterbacks in the state and the unquestioned leader of the Trojan offense. Not only must West High replace Morgan but they also will be looking for replacements for its top three pass catchers and running backs from a year ago. There is talent, albeit unproven talent on the roster which has the benefit of leaning heavily on a strong returning offensive line.

Quotable: “We think we have a standard of work ethic that doesn’t allow you to want anything else than the highest level,” Hartwig said. “It’s easy to say you want to be in the state championship, it’s easy to say you want to win every game but we don’t even talk about that. We talk about let’s have a good lift, let’s have a good practice, let’s have a good period here and when you work hard it becomes harder not to have those high expectations.”

2021 Schedule

August 27: Cedar Rapids Kennedy

September 3: at Muscatine

September 10: at Dubuque Hempstead

September 17: Davenport North

September 24: at City High

October 1: Davenport Central

October 8: Bettendorf

October 15: at Cedar Rapids Prairie

October 22: Pleasant Valley

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