Editor’s Note: One of the new features in Your Prep Sport’s football coverage this season is the Upon Further Review Column from Director of Content Ryan Murken.

In this weekly follow up column Murken will highlight some observations and offer analysis of Your Prep Sports area teams.

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Welcome back high school football, welcome back fans and full stadiums and welcome to City High Mitch Moore.

The story from a sweltering yet electrifying opening week in the Your Prep Sports area was the debut of the new Little Hawk leader.

While City High’s 41-0 win over cross-town rival Liberty High in its first game under Moore made headlines it was the City High defense that had my attention.

The intrigue in this game for me was how each team would look schematically on both sides of the ball under new coaching staffs.

What jumped out immediately was the new-look City High defense led by defensive coordinator Todd Mcghghy.

The Little Hawks looked fast. They were organized and most noticeably they were aggressive.

Ultra aggressive.

At times almost appearing chaotically aggressive.

That’s the plan actually – organized chaos.

“We are always going to be a team that brings pressure and we like it call it ‘organized chaos’,” Moore said. “We know what we are doing, we know where we are bringing pressure from we aren’t just pulling something out of a hat and calling a blitz we are very calculated in how we do things but it’s a staple of what we want to be as a team that brings pressure and puts pressure on the quarterback.”

City High showed a three down lineman look for most of the night and  senior TayShon McDaniels (6-2, 232) showed good burst as a defensive tackle twice running down ball carries from behind.

But the Little Hawks causing most of the chaos were linebackers Ben Kueter, John Klosterman (5-10, 205) and Alex Knudtson (5-10, 200).

City High brought pressure from all over the field. Kueter up the middle and off the edge.

Klosterman and Knudtson through gaps.

Others came free at times as well. The pressure was seemingly relentless.

“We put so much pressure on their quarterback and most quarterbacks at this level can’t handle it,” City High senior safety Gable Mitchell said. “It creates a lot of sacks and creates a lot of sacks and made the quarterback get it out quick.”

Consider a few numbers.

Liberty High averaged just under 200 yards on the ground (199.7) on 5.9 yards per carry in the previous three meetings between the two teams.

While winning the last two games in the series the Lightning averaged 197 rushing yards on 6.4 yards per pop.

On Friday Liberty High finished with 84 rushing yards, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

Most importantly, Liberty High averaged 24 points per game against City High in the last three meetings.

On Friday City High posted its first shutout against anyone since blanking Burlington 38-0 on October 9 of 2015, a span of 49 games.

“That’s the backbone of who we are, we are an aggressive football program,” Moore said. “We have in my eyes the best defensive coordinator in the country at the high school level in Todd McGhgy he is a relentless coach. These guys are so prepared every day for everything that they were doing we just had to play. We just had to calm our emotions and play ball.”

Liberty High Has It’s QB 

Staying on the cross-town showdown Friday in North Liberty the Lightning appear to have found something special in junior quarterback Tye Hughes.

The stats for Hughes don’t jump off the page – 9-of-19 for 101 yards and an interception but what did stand out was the stuff that doesn’t show up in a stat book, toughness, moxie competitiveness and leadership.

Hughes has good size at 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds, a smooth throwing motion, quick release and showed good athleticism running for 28 yards.

He was under pressure and took some big hits but kept coming back and while there were a few turnovers but he made solid reads.

Despite playing late in an abbreviated season a year ago Hughes is relatively new to the varsity level and looked like he could flourish in the new spread Liberty offense of coordinator Scott Chandler.

Hughes showed nice touch on deep balls to Ja’Quez Hall and Amari Thigpen for chunk plays in the passing game and as the offense gets more time together should be dangerous.

Watch Out For Wallace 

Speaking of young quarterbacks West High seems to have a good one in freshman Jack Wallace.

Wallace has the size (6-3, 200) and arm strength to excel at the varsity level and should build on a solid debut in which he completed 10-of-20 passes for 108 yards and touchdown.

For a freshman to start at quarterback at West High he has to be talented. I’m excited to watch Wallace grow under West High coaches Garrett Hartwig and offensive coordinator Andrew Durham.

What a Debut for Matt Haddy 

The game of the week was in Marion where Clear Creek Amana rallied from a 35-23 fourth-quarter deficit to down Marion 36-35 in the debut for head coach Matt Haddy.

Not only did Haddy win head coach debut the first-year Clear Creek Amana coach called his shot.

Haddy didn’t predict a come-from-behind week one win but consider this preseason quote from Haddy who saw his team set up the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a blocked up.

“We are putting a huge, huge premium on special teams,” Haddy said two weeks ago. “We have spent a ton of time these first few days on special teams and I am big believer that is an area when more high school football teams lose games than they win and we want to be the opposite. That is an area that I think can maybe set us apart against the Xaviers or the Pellas of the world is trying to win games and make that big play on special teams.”

Well done coach Haddy and the Clippers.

Bearing Down on Defense 

While four new head coaches in the Your Prep Sports area rolled out fresh looks on Friday one veteran coach stayed old school to pick up a week one win.

Long-time West Branch coach Butch Pedersen and his Bears used a dominant defense to stifle Lisbon 12-6 holding the Lions to 113 total yards on just over 3 yards per offensive snap.

With a first-year quarterback and some youth on the offensive line Pedersen knew his young team would need to be stout defensively to navigate a tough two-week stretch to open the season.

West Branch is halfway there after an impressive opening-week effort on defense against a Lisbon team that returned its quarterbacks, top two rushers and top three receivers from a 7-3 squad that averaged 366 yards and 36 points per game last season.

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