Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

When does fall officially start?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question.

Of course I could check a calendar to see which day the autumnal equinox lands on but no one comes to Your Prep Sports to read about tilt of the earth’s axis.

So, the question is, for you, when is it fall?

In our house Labor Day weekend signals the start of fall.

Summer gets a few extra weeks following the first day of school in case we need to cram in an extra trip to the pool or another summer activity.

Once Labor Day weekend hits it is fall – my favorite time of year.

Part of the reason in enjoy fall is the way it fits into my job as director of content at Your Prep Sports.

It isn’t just the enjoyment that I get from the return of high school sports after the August break it is the fall routine I settle into each year that makes it a special time of year.

I still get a rush from the chaos of football Friday night’s and love working with our YPS team on those nights.

That’s just the start.

Friday nights end with me combing the scores from across the state.

Saturday is spent collecting more information from games and Sunday’s begin the prep for the next week.

I love that three-day process during which I have many thoughts about area football in my mind.

This column is an opportunity for me to drop those thoughts onto paper for our readers as well as opine about players, coaches and teams.

I’ve had a lot on my mind as a went through my Friday to Sunday (and now into Labor Day Monday) weekly football routing.
Here is some of what’s been rattling between my ears.

All seven Your Prep Sports area teams will reach the playoffs.

Prior to the start of the season I was confident City High, Regina, Solon and West Branch were headed back to the postseason.

I said on the Seven Nation Podcast (listen every Wednesday) two weeks ago I thought West High would rebound from a two-win season and was a postseason team and the Trojans have proved that through two weeks.

Liberty High has been the biggest riser through two weeks in my initial projections going from a playoff qualifier to a potential district champ and high seed in my mind.

That leaves Clear Creek Amana which was a playoff team last season but resides in perhaps the toughest district in Class 4A.

The Clippers are 1-1 and have Cedar Rapids Xavier, Cedar Rapids Washington and Pella (which is currently 2-0 albeit with losses to good teams) in its district.

There is a lot of football to be played but I think the defensive improvement for CCA under first-year coordinator Ted Haag is real and the Clippers are a playoff team.

The Quarterback Play in Iowa City has been incredible

I mentioned this after week one but it is going to fun to watch the quarterbacks in Iowa City develop of the next few years.

The quarterback play has been very good all around the Your Prep Sports area but what Graham Beckman, Drew Larson and Jack Wallace have done through two games has been especially impressive.

A case could be made no quarterback state-wide has been more impressive through two games than Beckman.

The first-year Liberty High starter has accounted for 648 total yards and seven touchdowns in back-to-back wins over ranked 5A opponents.
Larson has been excellent throwing for 501 yards while completing 78 percent of his passes and Wallace has been great as well throwing five touchdowns without an interception.

It is easy to forget those three are a first-year starting junior (Beckman), a second-year starting junior (Larson) and a sophomore (Wallace).

Class 3A looks interesting

I’ll start by giving credit where it is due – I was impressed by Mount Vernon during and after its win over Solon on Friday.

The Mustangs have some impressive players up front and at the skill positions including junior quarterback Joey Rhomberg who was even better during a postgame interview than he was while throwing for more than 200 yards and a touchdown.

The Mustangs’ streak-snapping win over Solon on Friday shook up my view on the eastern side of 3A.

Solon will have its hands full the next two weeks with Williamsburg and Davenport Assumption but should still be the Class of 3A, District 5.

I have no idea what to make of 3A, District 4 that features Assumption (1-1), Benton Community (2-0), Central DeWitt (2-0) and Mount Vernon (2-0).

What do we learn from week three?

This is one I’ve had in my mind quite a bit since taking a look at the week 3 schedule last Saturday morning.

Obviously with each game played there is more date available to analyze each team.

However, I think there is even more to be learned for several area teams in week three.

Start with Solon who despite the loss to Mount Vernon on Friday should be a major player in 3A down the stretch. How do the Spartans bounce back against a Williamsburg team that has as good a two-game resume to open the season as any team in the state?

Regina will get a test from RVC rival Mid-Prairie which is 2-0.

Led by former West High coach Brian Sauser Ames comes to Bates Field for the Little Cy-Hawk series 2-0 and with the most productive passer in 5A in Dallas Sauser.

West High (Dubuque Hempstead) and Liberty High (Western Dubuque) both face 0-2 opponents that on paper they should have an advantage over but lost to last season.

Clear Creek Amana must bounce back from a heartbreaker at Independence with another tough road trip to Washington (2-0).

A lot to look forward to in week three.

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