Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Solon

Head coach: Lucas Stanton (2^nd season, 7-3)

Assistant coaches: Aaron Hadenfeldt, Joe Wilcox, Brad Wymer, Matt Turner, Aaron Kampman, Mark Sovers, Curt Miller, Frank Haege, JT Timmons, Dan Coons

Last season: 7-3 (2A quarterfinals)

Returning starters: Carson Miller, Sr., RB/LB; Gage Marty, Sr., OL/DL; Cayden Knipper, Sr., OL/DL; Logan Sieverding, Sr., WR/DB; Jake Quillin, Sr., WR/DB; Parker Pentico, Sr., WR/DB; Blake Timmons, Jr., QB/DB; Brent Lumpkin, Sr., K/P/WR.

Other returning letterwinners: Lucas Kampman, Sr., TE/DE; Trin Eidahl, Sr., WR/DB; Brady Mullen, Sr., WR/DB; Jacob Timmons, Sr., WR/DB; Grant Gerdin, Sr., WR/DB; Mike Pipolo Sr., RB/DB; Dade Altman, Sr., OL/DL; Landon Hummel, Sr., OL/DL; Josh O’Neill, Sr., OL/DL; Josh Olney, Sr., OL/DL; Colin Werner, Sr., WR/DB; Elias Miller, Sr., OL/DL; Oliver Burns, Sr., RB/DB; Brody Kerkhoff, Sr., TE/LB; Tino Longo, Sr., RB/LB; Brandon Hoit, Sr., WR/DB; Michael Purdy, Sr., RB/DB; Sean Stahle, Jr., RB/DB

Newcomers to watch: Brett White, Soph., FB/LB; Adam Smith, Jr., OL/DL; Austin Bell, Jr., OL/LB; Oaken Foster, Jr., WR/DB; Rhyse Wear, Jr., WR/DB; Mac McCarty, Jr., RB/LB

Playoff history: 31 appearances (1984-1988, 1990-1995, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005-2020) Solon won 2A state titles in 1988, 2007, 2008, 2009 and won a 3A title in 2010.

District: Class 3A, District 5

District favorite: Solon. Yes, Solon lost to Washington last season as the Demons went 8-1 while reaching the Class 3A round of 16 but the Spartans return a little more while Washington breaks in a new head coach.

Circle the date: October 1 at Washington. The District 5 title could very well be on the line when the Spartans travel to Case Field in week six seeking redemption for a 33-18 loss to the Demons last season.

Headliner: Senior Gage Marty was a third team Class 2A all-state pick last season as an offensive lineman in his first season as a full-time starter and will anchor what should once again be a strong Solon group up front on both sides of the ball.

Unsung hero: Senior two-way lineman Cayden Knipper got a taste of varsity action two seasons ago as a sophomore before developing into a force on both sides of the ball last season. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Knipper made 20.5 tackles including five for loss last season.

Keep an eye on: Injuries forced Jake Quillin to miss parts of last season but the senior cornerback still flashed his potential as a playmaker picking off two passes. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Quillin is the Spartans top returning tackler with 25 tackles, including 23 solos last season.

Biggest question: Who steps up for the Spartans at the skill positions around junior quarterback Blake Timmons? Timmons returns following a strong debut season in which he accounted for 1,717 total yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore. The question for Solon is who are the weapons for Timmons to work with in 2021. The Spartans lost a 1,000-yard rusher and its top receiver with the graduation of Jackson Ryan and Colton Hoffman but Stanton likes his list of returners.

Quotable: “Having a normal summer where we are getting to work together and piece things together all summer, I am definitely a lot more comfortable,” Stanton said. “The first year there is a lot of challenges that come as a head anyway taking over a program and then you throw the COVID stuff on top of it there were a lot of things every single day that we were doing that was COVID related. This year our focus is just on the football stuff. I feel like it’s almost my first year again just because we are getting to do things the normal way.”

2021 Schedule

August 27: West Liberty

September 3: at Mount Vernon

September 10: Williamsburg

September 16: at Davenport Assumption

September 24: West Burlington/Notre Dame*

October 1: at Washington*

October 8: Fairfield*

October 15: at Grinnell*

October 22: Keokuk*

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