Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Even at a perennial power like Regina going 9-1 with a playoff victory is a successful season.

That is what the Regals did a year ago rattling off nine straight wins to open the season before a 21-7 loss to MFL Mar-Mac in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.

Was it a successful season? Sure.

Satisfying? Not exactly.

“I told the kids and I told the parents 9-1 is a great season but for us it is also disappointing because we wanted to go further than we went,” Regina coach Jason Dumont said. “I know the screen saver on a lot of the kids’ phones is that scoreboard from that last game. It’s a motivator.”

For a program that has won state titles eight of the last 12 seasons the expectation is playing deep into the postseason every fall.

So, the second-round loss to MFL Mar-Mac that kept the Regals out of the UNI-Dome for just the second time since 2009 was a jolting end to the season and spurred an internal reset among players.

“We talked back in the spring about our expectations,” Regina senior Ronan Poynton said. “We had a players only meeting about everything and we talked about goals and I think that helped a little with everybody.”

With last season’s disappointing finish in the past (mostly) Regina is focused on a more Regina-like postseason this fall.

“We did talk about how last season ended a lot but at the same time it’s a new year and there is no looking back now,” Poynton said. “We’ll let each other know about that from time to time but mostly it’s just in the back pocket.”

The Regals bring back nine starters from last year’s team highlighted by a strong group of skill position players on both sides of the ball.

“We know we didn’t finish how we wanted to last year so coming into this year we wanted to make sure that everyone that was coming back had the same goal,” Regina senior Jack Tierney said. “We wanted to make sure we were all going to put in the work in the offseason to get to where we want to be at the end of this season.”

As it often does at Regina, it starts on defense for Regina.

The Regals bring back a solid nucleus led by Poynton and Levi Daniel at linebacker along with Tierney, a four-year starter in the defensive backfield along with senior defensive end Chris Waikel.

Regina must replace its top four tacklers from a year ago two of which that played on the defensive line.

“We have a lot back on the back end so when it comes to the linebackers and the defensive backs we feel good about that,” Dumont said. “We have two good defensive ends that we feel really good about that and we have to find a couple of interior lineman. We graduate two good one’s last year. That is where we have to develop some kids. I like what we’ve got but they are going to be young and they are going to be inexperienced.”

Poynton and Daniel each made 29.5 tackles a year ago and combine to give the Regals an imposing pair of linebackers.

Waikel had 5.5 tackles for loss a year ago and Tierney has made 41.5 career tackles and picked off two passes last season.

“The standard here is that defensively we are dominant,” Poynton said. “The last couple of years we have been really solid and we are bringing back most of our skill position guys on defense in the secondary and at linebacker so I think we are going to be just as good if not better.”

The Regals have a centerpiece to build around offensively in Daniel and return skill position players around him.

Junior quarterback Gentry Dumont is back after missing the final six games with an injury and Tierney returns after accounting for 1,500 yards of total offense and 14 touchdowns after taking over full-time under center.

Junior Jackson Naeve is the top returning receiver after catching nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown last season.

“I think we are going to be a very deadly weapon on offense,” Daniel said. “We lost a lot of linemen but I think the guys that are coming in behind them are going to step up.”

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.