Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

5A No. 5 City High (7-1) at Davenport Central (3-5)

Where: Brady Street Stadium, 7:15 p.m. (Thursday)

Last season: City High 35, Davenport Central 14

Player to watch: Davenport Central senior Nate Hummel (5-10, 200) has done it all for the Blue Devils this season passing for 658 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for a team-high 960 yards and 15 scores and catching seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: During its current four-game losing streak Davenport Central is allowing 529 total yards and 343 rushing yards and 44.3 points per game.

About the Blue Devils: Davenport Central opened the season 3-1 but has lost its last four games while being outscored by an average of nearly 30 points per game.

The Blue Devils have been solid offensively behind the do-everything Hummel, averaging 342 total yards and 24.8 points per game.

Hummel has accounted for 1,706 yards of total offense, more than 62 percent of the offensive output for Davenport Central this season and has scored 18 of the Blue Devils’ 27 touchdowns.

Charles Jones (6-0, 175) and Dylan Graves (6-0, 175) give Davenport Central a pair of strong receiving options.

Jones has caught 18 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns and Graves has 24 receptions for 237 yards and a score.

Where Davenport Central has struggled this season is on defense where the Blue Devils are allowing 429 total yards and 255 rushing yards per game.

About the Little Hawks: City High bounced back from a week seven loss to ninth-ranked Pleasant Valley by setting single game school records for points and margin of victory in a 76-0 win over Davenport West last week.

The Little Hawks have posted shutouts in four of eight games this season and are allowing just 7.5 points and 164 total yards per game while limiting opponents to just 3.2 yards per play.

City High got its passing game going last week throwing for a season-high 321 yards and six touchdowns with six different players catching touchdown passes against the Falcons.

Sophomore quarterbacks Quinton Tran (5-10, 160) and Drew Larson (6-1, 165) have continued to share duties this season and have both been effective.

Tran has thrown for 642 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception and rushed for 171 yards and a score and Larson has passed for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown.

5A No. 9 Pleasant Valley (6-2) at West High (2-6)

Where: Trojan Field, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: Pleasant Valley 38, West High 24

Player to watch: Pleasant Valley junior defensive lineman Andrew DePaepe (6-5, 240) is a four-star prospect with more than a dozen power five offers and has team-highs of four sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss among his 21 tackles this season.

Key stat: After allowing 329 rushing yards to Cedar Rapids Prairie in a season-opening loss Pleasant Valley has allowed a total of 500 rushing yards in its last six games, an average of just over 71 yards per game.

About the Trojans: West High returned to action last week after it was forced to forfeit its week seven game against Bettendorf due to Covid-19 concerns and fell to tenth-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie 50-14.

The Trojans would like nothing more than to end an uncharacteristic season on a high note on Friday against the Spartans.

West High senior Mason Applegate (6-0, 190) became the first Trojan to rush for more than 1,000 yards during the regular season since 2004 and has gained 1,099 rushing yards on just 108 carries this season an average of 10.2 yards per carry.

Applegate left the Prairie game with an injury and his availability for Friday will play a major role in the game plan for the Trojans.

Freshman quarterback Jack Wallace has passed for 602 yards and three touchdowns with senior Nate Gudenkauf catching a team-high 15 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.

About the Spartans: Pleasant Valley enters as one of the hottest teams in Class 5A and riding a five-game winning streak that features consecutive wins over rival Bettendorf, previously unbeaten City High and Dubuque Senior last week.

Senior quarterback Barrett Lindmark (5-11, 185) returned from an injury last week and rushed for a team-high 128 yards and a touchdown in a 28-14 win over Dubuque Senior.

Using its patented triple option offense Pleasant Valley ranks third in Class 5A in rushing with 277 yards per game on the ground and have seven players with more than 100 yards and a touchdown this season.

Junior fullback Rusty VanWetzinga (6-1, 220) has rushed for 358 yards and four touchdowns and also has 44 tackles from his linebacker spot.

Sophomore Tyge Lyon (6-0, 174) has rushed for 325 yards and two scores and junior Makhi Wilson (6-1, 170) has 283 yards and four touchdowns.

Liberty High (2-6) at Clinton (2-6)

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

Last season: Did not play.

Player to watch: Clinton senior quarterback Jai Jensen (6-3, 202) has passed for 1,647 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 311 yards and four scores.

Key stat: Liberty High senior running back Darius Willis-Newell has rushed for 100 yards or more in four of the last five games and is averaging 160 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry during that stretch.

About the Lightning: Liberty High had its two-game winning streak snapped and its postseason hopes squashed last week with a 20-18 home loss to Burlington but can finish the season on a high note with a road win over Clinton.

The Lightning have made major strides since the start of the season especially on offense where they are averaging 19 points and 283 total yards per game.

Liberty High is coming off a 352-yard effort against Burlington, it’s second highest yardage output of the season.

Junior quarterback Tye Hughes has thrown for 1,016 yards and seven touchdowns while Willis-Newell has rushed for 945 yards and nine scores.

Senior Luke Meyers has been the top target for Hughes this season catching 24 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns and also leads the Lightning with three interceptions.

About the River Kings: Clinton stopped a 24-game losing streak that dated back to 2018 with a 28-0 win over Maquoketa in week four and added a 49-7 win over Mount Pleasant last week.

The River Kings had been outscored 154-34 in district losses before the 42-point win at Mount Pleasant last week.

Clinton has been productive on offense this season putting up 20.3 points and 316 total yards per game.

The offense runs around Jensen who ranks fifth in Class 4A in both passing yards and touchdown passes.

Five Clinton players have at least 11 receptions for 150 yards led by senior Zach Connell (5-9, 170) who has caught a team-high 20 passes for 509 yards and four touchdowns and junior Addison Binnie (6-0, 172) who has 19 receptions for 496 yards and seven touchdowns.

Clear Creek Amana (5-3) at Newton (5-3)

Where: H.A. Lynn Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Clear Creek Amana 41, Newton 14

Player to watch: Newton senior quarterback Zayvier Arguello (6-2, 205) has passed for 994 yards and nine touchdowns and has also rushed for a team-leading 578 yards and 12 scores.

Key stat: Newton is allowing an average of 102 rushing yards per game in its five wins and has allowed an average of 212 yards per game on the ground in its three losses.

About the Clippers: The hope of securing an automatic playoff spot were squelched last week with a home loss to Pella but Clear Creek Amana remains very much in the 4A postseason picture.

Sitting at 14^th in the RPI rankings entering the final week of the regular season Clear Creek Amana can likely secure an at-large spot in the playoffs with a win at Newton.

The Clippers will look to shore things up defensively on Friday after allowing an average of 358 total yards and 31 points in back-to-back losses to district leaders Cedar Rapids Xavier and Pella.

Offensively the Clippers have continued to impress putting up 314 total yards and 26.6 points per game but have been held to 16 points in its past two games combined.

Senior quarterback Ben Swails leads the way passing for 1,326 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushing for 289 yards and four scores.

Harrison Rosenberg has been the top target for Swails with a team-high 37 receptions for 689 yards and nine touchdowns.

About the Cardinals: Newton has been one of the best turnarounds in the entire state this season going from a winless season a year ago when it lost eight games by an average of nearly 25 points to battling for a playoff spot in the regular season finale.

The Cardinals won four straight games to open the season and have gone 1-3 in district play but have been competitive in losses to Pella (24-14), Cedar Rapids Washington (43-23) and Cedar Rapids Xavier (48-24).

The biggest reason for the turnaround for the Cardinals this season has been the defense. After allowing 41.9 points per game last season Newton is holding teams to 20.3 points and 229 total yards per game. Even in its three district losses Newton has allowed an average of 308 yards per game.

Arguello leads a Newton offense that is putting up 318 yards and 29.9 points per game.

Sophomore tailback Cody Klein (5-10, 155) has rushed for 572 yards and four touchdowns and senior Keith Moko (6-2, 175) is the top receiving threat with 346 yards and three touchdowns on 17 receptions.

Keokuk (2-6) at 3A No. 3 Solon (8-0)  

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Keokuk sophomore quarterback Lucas Swainey (6-1, 165) has passed for 369 yards and two touchdowns and has also rushed for a team-high 407 yards and six scores.

Key stat: The four turnovers committed by Solon in a win over Grinnell for last week were more turnovers (3) than the Spartans had in the first seven games of the season combined.

About the Chiefs: Keokuk snapped a four-game losing skid last week with a 26-21 win over West Burlington that gave Keokuk its first district win of the season.

The Chiefs had been outscored 135-32 in district losses to Fairfield, Grinnell and Washington before its win over the Falcons last week.

Keokuk is allowing 38.8 points and 355 total yards per game this season and has given up 38 or more points in each of its six losses this season.

Swainey leads a Keokuk offense that averages 13.8 points and 223 total yards per game.

Senior running back Equilius Lee has rushed for 316 yards and two touchdowns while Khalyl Tate (5-10, 205) has added 286 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Diego Garcia (6-1, 165) is the top pass catcher for the Chiefs with 20 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns.

About the Spartans: Solon remained unbeaten and locked up the District 5 title with a 35-17 come-from-behind win over Grinnell last week.

The Spartans scored 35 of the final 42 points in the game after falling into an early 10-0 hole in the second quarter.

Solon has continued to be excellent defensively all season holding opponents to 12 points and 186 total yards per game and is allowing just 85 rushing yards per contest.

On offense the Spartans have relied heavily on the combination of juniors Sean Stahle and Blake Timmons.

Timmons has passed for 1,098 yard and 16 touchdowns with three interceptions and has also rushed for 698 yards and eight scores.

Stahle has rushed for a team-leading 936 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 7.5 yards per carry and has also caught eight passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Cardinal (5-3) at West Branch (6-2)   

Where: The Little Rose Bowl, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cardinal senior quarterback Maddux Jones (6-3, 180) ranks third in Class 1A with 1,705 passing yards and is second with 22 passing touchdowns and has also rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

Key stat: Jones is averaging 213 passing yards per game and faces a West Branch defense that has held six of eight opponents below 100 yards passing and hasn’t allowed more than 159 passing yards in a game this season.

About the Bears: West Branch bounced back from a week seven loss to rival Regina with a 28-12 win over Wilton in the regular season finale to secure a home playoff game.
After allowing season-highs in points and total yards in the loss to Regina the Bear defense got back to business on Friday holding Wilton to 12 points and 250 total yards.

West Branch is allowing just 12.8 points and 224 total yards per game this season and has been especially stingy against the pass allowing just 89 yards per game while picking off nine passes.

Look for a heavy dose of junior running back Andy Henson on Friday. The 205-pound Henson is coming off a career-high 236-yard, four-touchdown effort against Wilton to push his season total to 1,108 yards and 14 touchdowns.

About the Comets: Cardinal came roaring out of the gate this season outscoring opponents 266-80 during a 5-0 start but has been outscored 131-62 in a three-game losing skid to end the regular season.

The three losses for Cardinal have all come to playoff teams including a pair of setbacks to ranked opponents in third-ranked Sigourney/Keota and No. 7 Pella Christian.

A key for the Comets is being able to stop the run. In its five wins this season Cardinal held opponents to 108 rushing yards per game but surrendered 275 yards per game on the ground in its three losses.

Senior Ian Liles (5-10, 170) has rushed for a team-high 496 yards and 10 touchdowns while Griffin Greiner (6-0, 175) has added 342 yards and is averaging 11.4 yards per carry.

The top targets for Jones are Greiner, who has 33 receptions for 624 yards and 10 touchdowns and Landon Becker (6-1, 160) who has 26 catches for 436 yards and five scores.

Cascade (4-4) at 1A No. 4 Regina (8-0)

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cascade junior running back Jack Menster (5-10, 175) has rushed for 965 yards and 18 touchdowns in six games while averaging 8.9 yards per carry and has also caught five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Cascade is averaging 245 rushing yards per game on 7.4 yards per carry while Regina is holding opponents to 110 yards per game on the ground and 3.4 yards per attempt.

About the Regals: Regina put a cap on an unbeaten regular season with a 34-16 win over Durant last week that stretched the Regal’s winning streak to 19 in a row dating back to last season.

The Regals have been impressive all season defensively allowing just 180 total yards and 8.5 points per game.

Regina has held opponents to eight points or less three times this season and hasn’t allowed more than 16 points in a game and hasn’t give up more than 268 yards of offense in a game this season.

Senior Aidan Udell leads the Regina defense with 48.5 tackles and has 6.5 tackles for loss and tree sacks while fellow senior Josh Gaffey has 30.5 tackles and three sacks.

Junior Levi Daniel has rushed for 935 yards and 12 touchdowns in just six games this season while junior quarterback Jack Tierney has thrown for 627 yards and eight touchdowns.

About the Cougars: A year after going 6-3 and winning an opening-round playoff game Cascade survived a challenging schedule to return to the Class 1A playoffs this season.

The 4-4 record is a big deceiving with the four losses coming to teams with a combined 26-6 record including district setbacks to sixth-ranked Dyersville Beckman, Waterloo Columbus and MFL Mar-Mac.

Cascade received a forfeit win over Postville in its regular season finale so the Cougars will be playing for the first time since a 44-26 loss to MFL Mar-Mac on October 8.

The Cascade offense relies heavily on the production of Menster but is run by senior quarterback Justin Roling (6-3, 175) who has passed for 724 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 112 yards.

Tanner Simon (5-10, 170) has rushed for 378 yards and five scores and junior Luke Ruggeberg (5-11, 185) is the top target for Roling with 18 receptions for 293 yards sand five touchdowns.

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