Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Davenport North (0-5) at City High (3-2)

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

Last season: City High 42, Davenport North 0

Player to watch: Davenport North senior quarterback Nolan Mosier (6-4, 220) has completed 43 percent of his passes while throwing for 800 yards and five touchdowns this season and has also rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: City High is holding opponents to 30 rushing yards per game in its three wins this season and has allowed an average of 172 yards per game on the ground in two losses.

About the Wildcats: Davenport North won more than one game just once from 2008 to 2016 but has won at least three games each of the past five seasons posting a pair of winning seasons during that stretch.

A 4-5 squad a year ago, the Wildcats have started the season with five consecutive losses to opponents with a combined record of 19-6.

Davenport North is allowing 37 points per game surrendering 42 or more points in losses to 4A power North Scott, West High and Class 5A top-ranked Pleasant Valley.

Mosier leads a Wildcat offense average 227 total yards and 10.4 points per game.

Freshman tailback Drew Sheedy (5-5, 155) has rushed for a team-high 174 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.4 yards per carry and junior Ahmad Shropshire (5-8, 165) has added 124 yards and a touchdown.

Junior Koen Fleming (5-9, 160) is the top receiving option with 12 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns and senior Denison Franklin (6-5, 185) has caught eight passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

About the Little Hawks: City High bounced back from a 34-0 loss at 5A second-ranked West Des Moines Dowling with an impressive 49-0 win over cross-town rival West High last week.

The Little Hawks rushed for a season-high 233 yards in the win over West High while rolling up a season-best 476 yards of total offense.

Junior quarterback Drew Larson leads a City High offense that has put up more than 400 yards of total offense in four of five games this season and is averaging 411 yards and 40 points per game on 8.2 yards per play.

Larson has passed for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes and has also rushed for 127 yards and four touchdowns.

Four different Little Hawks have caught at least 11 passes this season led by senior Akili Mattox who has 17 receptions for 382 yards and four touchdown.s

Ronnie Major has caught 14 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns and has also rushed for a team-high 290 yards and five scores.

West High (3-2) at Davenport Central (1-4)

Where: Brady Street Stadium, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: West High 36, Davenport Central 21

Player to watch: Davenport Central junior Tatum Roselle (5-9, 160) has completed 48 percent of passes while throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns and has also rushed for a team-high 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Key stat: West High rushed for 417 yards and five touchdowns in a 36-21 win over Davenport Central last season.

About the Blue Devils: Since picking up a 19-12 win at Cedar Rapids Jefferson in week three Davenport Central has been outscored by a combined total of 90-0 in back-to-back losses to Davenport West and Bettendorf.

The Blue Devil offense centers around its junior quarterback Roselle who leads Davenport Central in both rushing and passing and has accounted for five of the team’s seven touchdowns this season.

Senior Romain Hudson (5-8, 210) has rushed for 117 yards and three different Blue Devils have caught touchdown passes.

Jake Jantzi (5-9, 160) is the top receiver with 11 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown while Ben Strang (6-3, 190) has caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown and Charles Jones (6-1, 210) has four receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Davenport Central is allowing 221 rushing yards and 325 total yards per game while giving up 39.6 points per contest.

The Blue Devil defense is led by junior Walid Botcho (6-1, 195) who leads the team in tackles (28.5), sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (6.5).

About the West High: West High had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 49-0 loss to cross-town rival City High last Friday.

After averaging better than 318 total yards and 41 points per game in wins over Muscatine, Dubuque Hempstead and Davenport North the Trojans were limited to 117 total yards in the shutout loss to City High.

West High will look to get its offense back on track against a Davenport Central defense that has allowed 42 points or more four times this season.

The West High offense is led by sophomore quarterback Jack Wallace who has passed for 878 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 55 percent of his passes.

Senior Christian Janis has been among the top receivers in the state this season hauling in 21 passes for 508 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sophomore Mason Woods has nine receptions for 130 yards.

Senior Davontae Morris has rushed for a team-high 197 yards and four touchdowns and junior Ashton Honore has run for 106 yards and a touchdown while leading the Trojans in tackles for loss (16) and sacks (4.5).

Class 4A No. 4 Liberty High (4-1) at Mount Pleasant (0-5)

Where: Maple Leaf Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Liberty High 56, Mount Pleasant 0

Player to watch: Mount Pleasant senior quarterback Jacob Richtman (6-0, 160) completed 68 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions through four games.

Key stat: Liberty High has scored 21 offensive touchdowns this season and 10 different plays have found the end zone.

About the Panthers: Mount Pleasant has lost 10 consecutive games dating back to last season after falling to Fort Madison 46-0 in its Class 4A, District 3 opener last week.

The Panthers have lost six consecutive games to 4A, District 3 opponents following the loss to Fort Madison last week and have been outscored 304-17 in those losses.

Prior to its shutout at Fort Madison last week Mount Pleasant had been solid offensively averaging 22.3 points and 335 total yards through four games.

The Panther offense led by Richtman scored at least 20 points in each of its first four games before being shut out last Friday.

Senior Zerek Venghaus (5-9, 185) has rushed for a team-leading 138 yards and two touchdowns and three different Panthers have caught at least 20 passes.

Wyatt Woodsmall (5-10, 175) leads the team with 32 receptions for 392 yards and four touchdowns while Carter Amos (6-2, 200) has 25 receptions for 217 yards and Garrett Cook (5-10, 165) 20 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown.

About the Lightning: Liberty High gave itself an early edge in the Class 4A, District 3 race with a 20-16 come-from-behind win over defending district champion North Scott last week.

The Lightning have won back-to-back games since a week-three loss at Western Dubuque while climbing to fourth in the Class 4A rankings.

Liberty High is averaging 375 total yards and 33.2 points per game while posting 6.3 yards per play this season.

Junior quarterback Graham Beckman has passed for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception and has rushed for 168 yards and three scores.

Senior Trey Gregoire has rushed for a team-high 310 yards and three touchdowns and senior Garrett Gregoire leads a group of five players with at least 10 receptions with 19 grabs for 412 yards and five touchdowns.

Defensively Liberty High is holding opponents to 316 total yard and 18.4 points per game and is led by junior Devin Anderson with 29 tackles while Trey Gregoire has 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Cedar Rapids Washington (2-3) at Clear Creek Amana (3-2)

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

Last season: Clear Creek Amana 20, Cedar Rapids Washington 19

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Washington senior Michael Blank (5-11, 160) has caught a team-high 20 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns, averages 25.5 yards per kick return including a 79-yarder for a touchdown and averages 14.4 yards per punt return and has a 55-yard touchdown return.

Key stat: Cedar Rapids Washington allowed four total rushing yards in its two wins this season and has given up an average of 214 yards per game on the ground its three losses.

About the Warriors: Just as it did a year ago Cedar Rapids Washington opened the season with consecutive wins over Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Marion before losing three straight games to Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Xavier.

Cedar Rapids Washington has been outscored 95-18 during its current three-game losing streak that has come against teams with a combined 13-2 record.

The Warriors have used two quarterbacks this season with sophomore Malik Epps-Keller (5-10, 150) and junior Stephen Cain (6-0, 170) sharing time under center.

Epps-Keller has thrown for 330 yards and four touchdowns and Cain has passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Watts McBride (6-0, 185) has rushed for a team-leading 272 yards and four touchdowns and caught three passes for 44 yards.

Senior Chase Mahoney (6-2, 205) leads the Warrior defense with 34 tackles and has returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns as Cedar Rapids Washington has forced 11 turnovers.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana righted the ship following a 55-7 week-four loss to fourth-ranked Liberty High with a 28-14 come-from-behind win at Oskaloosa last week in its Class 4A, District 4 opener.

After allowing season-highs in rushing yards, total yards and points against Liberty High the Clipper defense returned to its usual solid play against Oskaloosa holding the Indians to 213 total yards on 3.6 yards per play.

Clear Creek Amana is holding opponents to 245 total yards and 17.6 points per game this season and allowing 4.9 yards per play.

The defense is led by senior linebackers Brock Sherman and Nick Johnson who have combined for 79 tackles and sophomore Brody Clubb who has 31 tackles including 5.5 for loss.

Senior quarterback Jackson Schmidt has passed for 322 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 523 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior Sam Pettinger has rushed for 259 yards and five touchdowns and senior Andrew Schlemme has caught five passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Washington (2-3) at 3A No. 9 Solon (3-2)

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

Last season: Solon 44, Washington 21

Player to watch: Washington senior running back Tayven Stuart (5-11, 185) rushed for 435 yards and seven touchdowns in the first four games of the season averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Stuart also caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Solon has limited opponents to 3.5 yards per play this season and hasn’t allowed more than 4.5 yards per play in a single game this season.

About the Demons: After opening the season with back-to-back wins over Burlington and Mount Pleasant Washington has lost three straight games including a 28-21 loss to Grinnell in its district opener last week.

Washington gave up a total of 34 points in its two wins to open the season but has allowed 32 points per game during its three-game losing streak.

The Demons are allowing 157 rushing yards and 327 total yards per game this season and are surrendering nearly 179 rushing yards per game in its three losses.

Washington is led offensively by senior quarterback Ethan Patterson (6-2, 160) who has passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 207 yards.

Four Washington players all have at least three receptions, 40 yards and a touchdown led by senior Jude Brown (6-2, 195) with seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The Demon defense is led by senior James Strabala (6-1, 175) who has a team-high 36 tackles and senior DeShaun Westphal-Edwards (6-3, 245) who has seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

About the Spartans: Solon won its second straight game last week posting its second shutout of the season with a 36-0 win at West Burlington in its Class 3A, District 5 opener.

Dating back to last season Solon is 6-0 in District 5 play outscoring opponents by a combined total of 290-51.

Solon has been impressive defensively this season holding opponents to 198 total yards, 80 rushing yards and 13 points per game.

Junior linebacker Brett White leads the team with 47 tackles including 6.5 for loss and senior Quinton Heineman has 21 tackles.

Senior quarterback Blake Timmons has passed for 561 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 197 yards and eight touchdowns.

White lead the team with 497 rushing yards and has seven touchdowns while averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

Louisa-Muscatine (0-5) at Regina (3-2)

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Regina won by forfeit

Player to watch: Louisa-Muscatine senior Chris Day (6-0, 170) has rushed for a team-high 430 yards and three touchdowns through four games, leads the Falcons with six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown and has a made a team-high 27 tackles including two for loss.

Key stat: Eight different Regina players have combined for 10 interceptions two of which have been returned for touchdowns.

About the Falcons: Louisa-Muscatine has lost 16 consecutive games dating back to 2020 after a 56-0 loss to third-ranked Durant last week.

The Falcons averaged 19 points per game through the first three games but have been shut out by unbeaten teams West Branch and Durant in back-to-back district losses.

Day leads the way for Louisa-Muscatine on both sides of the ball.

On offense junior Jesse Reinier (5-9, 165) has rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns and senior Seth Barajas (5-8, 175) has added 133 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Spencer Kessel (6-1, 250) has 18.5 tackles including two for loss while Barajas has two sacks and three tackles for loss.

About the Regals: Regina bounced back from a 17-7 loss at Mediapolis in its district opener with a 37-13 homecoming win over Wilton last Friday.

The Regals continued their solid defensive play in the win over the Beavers holding Wilton to 249 total yards.

Regina is allowing just 211 total yards and 16.4 points per game this season and is giving up just under 4 yards per play.

Senior linebacker Ronan Poynton has made a team-high 37 tackles while juniors Jack Clark (26.5 tackles) and Drew Streb (23.5) have combined for 50 tackles, including five for loss.

Offensively Regina has begun to find its footing of late behind junior quarterback Gentry Dumont and senior tailback Levi Daniel.

Daniel rushed for 106 yards and two touchdown last week against Wilton and leads Regina with 205 yards on the season.

Dumont has completed 53 percent of his passes while throwing for 517 yards and seven touchdowns with just three interceptions and has run for a touchdown.

Junior Jackson Naeve has emerged as the top target for Dumont with 20 receptions for 265 yards and six touchdowns.

Class 1A No. 1 West Branch (5-0) at 1A No. 3 Durant (5-0)

Where: Durant, 7 p.m.

Last season: West Branch 28, Durant 14

Player to watch: Durant senior running back Nolan DeLong (6-1, 191) has rushed for a state-leading 1,429 yards and is averaging 10.9 yards per carry and run for 17 touchdowns. DeLong has also made a team-high 34 tackles with five going for loss, recovered a fumble and averages 40.1 yards per punt.

Key stat: DeLong has averaged 181.4 rushing yards per game in his career racking up 5,624 yards and 64 touchdowns in 31 games while posting four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

About the Wildcats: Durant has been one of the best stories and biggest surprises of the season thus far going from two wins a year ago to 5-0 and a number three ranking in Class 1A.

The first four wins of the season for Durant are all over 3-2 teams in Sigourney/Keota, Cascade, Northeast and Wilton.

DeLong garners much of the attention, and rightfully so, but the all-state senior has had help this season.

Durant has been solid defensively allowing 11.4 points and 257 total yards per game while holding opponents to 130.5 rushing yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Isaac Nielson has completed 9-of-16 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown and has rushed for 51 yards and two scores.

Brady Meincke (5-6, 135) leads the team with seven receptions for 98 yards.

DeLong is the top tackler while senior Garrett Hollenback has 27.5 tackles and leads the Wildcats with seven tackles for loss and two sacks and junior Ryan Wulf (5-8, 145) has made 23 tackles.

About the Bears: West Branch took over the top spot in the Class 1A Associated Press poll this week for the first time this season following an impressive 35-13 win over previously unbeaten Mediapolis last Friday at the Little Rose Bowl.

The Bears have been dominant all season outscoring opponents 275-46 during their unbeaten start and limiting teams to 140 total yards and 9.2 points per game on just 3.5 yards per play.

A West Branch run defense that has been incredibly stout this season will get a major test from the DeLong-led Durant offense.

West Branch is holding teams to 64 rushing yards per game and just 2.3 yards per carry and hasn’t allowed more than 92 rushing yards in a game this season.

The West Branch offense is led by senior quarterback Tye Hughes who has passed for 568 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 210 yards and four touchdowns.

Senior tailback Andy Henson has rushed for 568 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Carver Boelk has been the top receiving threat for West Branch with 12 receptions for 267 yards and five touchdowns.

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