Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

5A No. 4 City High (9-1) at 5A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (10-0)

Where: Kingston Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior defensive back/wide receiver Jeron Senters (6-0, 160) leads the Cougars with 34 receptions for 496 yards and six touchdowns, has a team-high five interceptions and has returned a punt for a touchdown.

Key stat: Cedar Rapids Kennedy has 20 rushing touchdowns this season and has at least one rushing touchdown in every game. City High has allowed five rushing touchdowns all season and has held eight of 10 opponents without a rushing touchdown.

About the Cougars: The lone remaining unbeaten team in Class 5A, Cedar Rapids Kennedy is seeking its second state semifinal appearance in the past three seasons.

A quarterfinalist a year ago, the Cougars returned to the quarterfinals with a 23-9 win over Dubuque Senior last week rushing for 328 yards in its second win of the season over the Rams.

Half of the 10 wins for Cedar Rapids Kennedy this season have come to 5A playoff qualifiers as the Cougars own victories over Bettendorf, Cedar Falls and Johnston in addition to Dubuque Senior.

Long known for a power running game, Cedar Rapids Kennedy has been balanced offensively in 2021 and enters the quarterfinals averaging 32.9 points and 372 total yards per game.

The Cougars are averaging 191 rushing yards and 181 passing yards per game this season.

Junior tailback Jazan Williams (5-11, 180) has rushed for 1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry and senior fullback Alex Koch (5-11, 200) has added 233 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries.

Senior quarterback Carson Blietz (6-0, 180) runs the offense and has been efficient, completing 61 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,588 yards and 17 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Senters and senior Brenden Linde (6-4, 215) are the top two targets for Blietz with Linde adding 29 receptions for 474 yards and seven touchdowns.

Senior Hayden Klett (5-11, 200) has 17 receptions for 246 yards.

Where Cedar Rapids Kennedy really excels is on defense where the Cougars are holding opponents to 12.6 points and 221 total yards per game on just 4.3 yards per play.

Kennedy is especially stingy against the run, allowing just 93 rushing yards per game on 3.3 yards per carry.

Junior Ryker Stelling (6-0, 200) has a team-high 68.5 tackles but watch for Koch and Andrew Meyers (6-0, 200) on defense.

Koch has 6.5 sacks and a team-high 25 tackles for loss while Meyers has 8.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.

About the Little Hawks: City High advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 with an impressive 47-21 win over ninth-ranked Urbandale last week and is seeking its first trip to the state semifinals since finishing runner-up in 2010.

The Little Hawks have won three straight games following a week-seven loss to eighth-ranked Pleasant Valley and are averaging 62 points per game during that stretch.

City High put up 440 yards of total offense while scoring 47 points last week against an Urbandale defense that hadn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game and entered the postseason holding opponents to 8.8 points per game.

The Little Hawks are averaging 44.4 points and 394 total yards per game this season with a balanced offense that is producing 196.5 rushing yards and 197.6 passing yards per game.

Sophomore quarterbacks Quinton Tran (5-10, 160) and Drew Larson (6-1, 165) have split time all season and have both been efficient.

Tran has completed 74 percent of his passes while throwing for 822 yards and 10 touchdowns while Larson is completing 63 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,140 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Nine different City High players have more than 100 receiving yards this season led by senior Gable Mitchell (5-9, 170) with 22 receptions for 388 yards and four touchdowns and junior tight end Ben Kueter (6-1, 192) who has 20 catches for 347 yards and eight scores.

The City High running game has been equally balanced with seniors Darren Richardson (5-11, 195) and Joey Bouska (5-8, 170) and junior Ronnie Major (5-9, 140) all rushing for more than 300 yards.

Richardson leads the way with 739 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging nearly 8 yards per carry.

An aggressive defense has been the strength of the team for City High all season.

City High is allowing just 8.8 points and 171 total yards per game this season and has allowed more than 200 yards of offense in a game just three times this season.

The Little Hawks have been tough against the run holding teams to 88 rushing yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry.

Kueter leads City High with 83 tackles including 8.5 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss while Mitchell has 56.5 tackles and senior linebacker John Klosterman (6-0, 205) has 49.5 tackles with 11.5 for loss.

3A No. 3 Solon (10-0) at 3A No. 5 West Delaware (9-1)

Where: Brown Field in Manchester, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: West Delaware senior running back/linebacker Wyatt Voelker (6-0, 215) has rushed for 834 yards and 12 touchdowns and leads the Hawks with 56.5 tackles, five sacks and 18 tackles for loss.

Key stat: A Solon offense averaging 412 total yards per game and 7.8 yards per play faces a West Delaware defense that is giving up 189 total yards per game and just 3.7 yards per play.

About the Hawks: West Delaware advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season with a 48-0 win over Grinnell last Friday in its postseason opener.

The Hawks have won eight straight games since a 23-21 loss to Class 4A second-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier in week two and have outscored opponents 327-72 during that stretch.

West Delaware is seeking its first trip to the state semifinals since 2015 after dropping quarterfinal contests to Solon (54-14) in 2017 and eventual 3A champion North Scott (24-21) last season.

The Hawks faced one of the more challenging schedules for a 3A team this season posting consecutive wins over 4A quarterfinalists Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock in the two weeks following the loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier.

West Delaware also added a 25-14 win over ninth-ranked Independence in week eight.

Despite the challenging schedule the Hawks have put up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball.

West Delaware is averaging 38.9 points and 391 total yards per game ranking second in 3A with 285 rushing yards per game.

The West Delaware offense is led by senior quarterback Kyle Cole (6-1, 174) who has accounted for 1,938 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns.

Cole has completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing for 936 yards and eight touchdowns and has rushed for a team-high 1,002 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Voelker has added 834 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground while Conner Funk (5-8, 171) has rushed for 297 yards and five scores.

Will Ward (5-11, 197) is the top target for Cole in the pass game catching a team-high 25 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns while senior Jackson Woellert (6-4, 207) has 11 receptions for 209 yards and two scores.

As good as the offense has been the defense is the calling card for West Delaware.

The Hawks have allowed more than 14 points in a game just twice this season, to Decorah and Cedar Rapids Xavier, and are holding opponents to 10.2 points per game.

West Delaware is allowing just 189 total yards per game and hasn’t give up more than 278 yards of offense in a game this season.

The Hawks have been especially tough to run against, holding opponents to 76 rushing yards per game and just 2.4 yards per carry.

West Delaware has held all 10 opponents under their rushing yards per game average this season and hasn’t allowed more than 164 yards per game on the ground in a game.
Senior Isaac Fettkether (5-11, 187) has 48 tackles including 13 for loss while senior Raub Loecke (6-0, 175) has 40.5 stops.

About the Spartans: Solon is making a third consecutive quarterfinal appearance and is seeking its second trip to the UNI-Dome in the past three seasons.

The Spartans finished runner-up in Class 3A in 2019 and well to eventual champion Waukon 24-8 in the 2A quarterfinals last season.

Solon has been impressive all season rattling off 10 consecutive wins while outscoring opponents 448-119.

The Spartans advanced to the quarterfinals with its second victory of the season over Davenport Assumption on Friday downing the Knights 24-17 in the opening round.

Solon has been among the most impressive offensive teams in Class 3A this season ranking third in 3A in rushing yards with 258 per game while averaging 44.8 points and 412 total yards per game.

The Spartans have shown balance this season averaging 155 passing yards per game behind junior quarterback Blake Timmons (5-10, 175).

Timmons has completed 50 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,314 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions and has also rushed for 830 yards and nine scores.

Senior Jacob Timmons (6-4, 180) has caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown for the Spartans.

Junior tailback Sean Stahle (5-10, 162) joins Blake Timmons in a patented Solon running game that has been among the most effective in 3A this season.

Stahle has rushed for 1,112 yards and 17 touchdowns this season while averaging 7.1 yards per carry and has also caught nine passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

Solon has been equally impressive on defense holding opponents to 12.6 points and 201 total yards per game.

The Spartans are allowing just 103 rushing yards per game while limiting teams to 3.8 yards per carry.

Sophomore linebacker Brett White (6-2, 210) has a team-high 70.5 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss while senior Logan Sieverding (5-11, 170) has 32 tackles and joins Jacob Timmons and Michael Pipolo (5-9, 165) in tying for the team lead with three interceptions.

The Spartans have forced 21 turnovers in 10 games this season including 18 interceptions.

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