Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Drew Larson didn’t catch any touchdown passes in Friday’s win over Davenport North.

It was just back to a normal day of throwing and running for touchdowns and making tackles for the do-everything City High junior.

Larson continued what has been an impressive breakthrough junior season with another stellar all-around outing on Friday accounting for 344 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as the Little Hawks improved to 4-2.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Larson completed 15-of-20 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 35 yards and a score as City High rolled up a season-high 583 yards of total offense.

Through five games Larson has proved himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

Larson ranks second in Class 5A with 1,470 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns and is also second with 20 total touchdowns and 1,647 total yards.

Larson is completing 68 percent of his passes this season, ranks third in 5A in yards per completion at 15.6 and leads 5A with a 156.4 quarterback rating.

Perhaps most impressive Larson has done all that while also playing a key role on defense.

As a safety Larson ranks fourth on the team with 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and leads City High with two interceptions.

“I love playing and being on the field at all times,” Larson said. “Just helping my team in any way that I can.”

News and Notes

West High Offense Explodes: A week after being shutout in the Battle for Boot the West High offense got going in a big way on Friday.

The Trojans has season-highs in rushing yards (224), rushing touchdowns (7), total yards (443), yards per play (9.6) and points (62) in a 62-7 win at Davenport Central.

Six different Trojans rushed for a touchdown on Friday led by senior Davontae Morris who had a pair of rushing scores.

The 62 points were the most points for West High since a 63-14 win over Ottumwa on October 21 of 2106 and the seven touchdowns were the most rushing touchdowns since the Trojans had nine in a 69-7 win over Dubuque Hempstead on October 30 of 2013.

Spartan Shutout: Solon posted its second consecutive shutout on Friday blanking Washington 44-0 a week after a 36-0 win at West Burlington.

It was the third shutout in six games for Solon and the first back-to-back shutouts for Solon since the Spartans since 2017.

The three shutouts tie for the most for Solon in a season since 2019.

Beckman’s Busy Night: Liberty High junior quarterback Graham Beckman is off to a stellar start in his first season leading the Lightning offense but hasn’t had a night like Friday in his young career.

Beckman completed 15-of-19 passes for 307 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a 68-6 win at Mount Pleasant.

Four different Liberty High receivers made touchdown receptions on Friday with Christian Barney, Garrett Gregoire and Wyatt Williams all catching a pair of touchdown passes from Beckman.

On the season Beckman has passed for 1,481 yards and 18 touchdowns with two interceptions.

District Races/RPI Update: District races are heating up for area teams with just two regular season games remaining in the smaller classes.

West Branch (6-0, 3-0) leads Class 1A, District 5 with Regina (4-2, 2-1), Mediapolis (5-1, 2-1) and Durant (5-1, 2-1) all a game back.

The Bears host Regina on Friday and close the season against Wilton (3-3, 0-3) while Regina closes at Durant.

Solon (4-2, 2-0) current leads Class 3A District 5 and sits at No. 10 in the Class 3A RPI rankings while Liberty High (5-1, 2-0) leads 4A, District 3 and is sixth in the 4A RPI rankings.

City High (4-2) is No. 10 and West High (4-2) is No. 13 in the 5A RPI rankings.

Players of the week

Offensive Player of the Week: West Branch senior running back Andy Henson rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-13 win over third-ranked and previously unbeaten Durant.

Defensive Player of the Week: West High senior defensive back Seth Overton picked off a pass and recovered a fumble in a 62-7 win over Davenport Central.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Solon senior Grant Knipper made 5-of-6 PAT attempts and a 21-yard field goal in a 44-0 win over Washington.

Helmet Stickers

Offense: City High senior running back Ronnie Major rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 90 yards and a score in a 55-0 win over Davenport North.

Offense: Liberty High senior receiver Garrett Gregoire caught three passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a 68-6 win over Mount Pleasant.

Defense: Regina senior Chris Waikel had 3.5 tackles including a sack and two tackles for loss in a 50-0 win over Louisa-Muscatine.

Defense: West High junior linebacker Ashton Honore had five solo tackles, two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss among his team-leading 7.5 tackles in a 62-7 win at Davenport Central.

Special teams: West High freshman place kicker Adam Salem made 8-of-9 PATs in a 62-7 win over Davenport Central.

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