Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Class 5A No. 1 Pleasant Valley (6-0) at City High (4-2)

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

Last season: Pleasant Valley 31, City High 14

Player to watch: Pleasant Valley senior quarterback Caden McDermott (5-9, 190) has passed for 414 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 392 yards and seven touchdowns.

Key stat: Pleasant Valley is averaging 297 rushing yards per game and has rushed for at least 203 yards in every game this season while City High is allowing 85 rushing yards per game and hasn’t given up more than 193 yards in a game this season.

About the Spartans: A 5A quarterfinalist a year ago Pleasant Valley is outscoring opponents 235-48 during its 6-0 start to the season.

Pleasant Valley is holding opponents to 8 points and 208 total yards per game this season and is allowing just 94 rushing yards per game.

The Spartans have held four opponents under 10 points this season and haven’t given up more than 14 points in a game this season.

The Pleasant Valley defense is led by junior Tate Lyon (5-11, 210) who has a team-high 37 tackles while Rusty VanWetzinga (6-1, 220) has made 35 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and sophomore Joey VanWetzinga (6-2, 250) has two sacks and a team-high nine tackles for loss.

Pleasant Valley ranks fourth in Class 5A in rushing at 297 yards per game and has three players with at least 374 rushing yards.

Tyge Lyon (5-9, 180) leads the team with 417 rushing yards and two touchdowns while McDermott is second on the team with 392 yards and Makhi Wilson (6-1, 180) has rushed for 374 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 13.9 yards per carry.

The Spartans have completed just 26 passes this season with junior Coy Kipper (5-10, 150) leading the team with nine receptions for 225 yards and five touchdowns.

About the Little Hawks: Following a 34-0 loss to second-ranked West Des Moines Dowling on September 16 City High has posted a pair of shutout wins over West High (49-0) and Davenport North (55-0).

The Little Hawks are averaging 42.5 points and 439.5 total yards per game while posting 8.4 yards per play.

Junior quarterback Drew Larson directs the City High offense completing 68 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,470 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Senior Akili Mattox leads five players with at least 100 receiving yards with 19 receptions for 435 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 22.9 yards per reception.

Ronnie Major has rushed for a team-high 409 yards and eight touchdowns and has caught 17 passes for 328 yards and three scores.

Carsen Newton has caught 15 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

City High is holding opponents to 14.8 points and 211 total yards per game while giving up 4.4 yards per play.

Ben Kueter leads the Little Hawks with 55.5 tackles with 4.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss while Evan Lampe has 38 tackles with four tackles for loss.

West High (4-2) at Bettendorf (1-5)

Where: TouVelle Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last season: Bettendorf won by forfeit

Player to watch: Bettendorf senior running back Isaiah Martinez (5-10, 180) has rushed for 518 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

Key stat: Bettendorf is allowing 235.2 rushing yards per game while West High is coming off a 224 rushing yard, seven touchdown performance against Davenport Central.

About the Bulldogs: Bettendorf has won five games in back-to-back seasons and has won at least five games each of the past 14 seasons.

The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing skid to open the season with a 48-0 win over Davenport Central in week five before falling to top-ranked Pleasant Valley 44-14 last week.

Bettendorf is allowing 349 total yards and 26.7 points per game and has give up 27 points or more in four of six games.

Senior linebacker Aiden Maurer (6-0, 205) leads the Bulldogs with 48.5 points while Sam Beecher (5-8, 205) has 37.5 tackles.

Junior quarterback Charlie Zimmerman (5-10, 165) leads the Bettendorf offense that is averaging 257 total yards and 21.2 points per game.

Zimmerman has passed for 493 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions and has rushed for 136 yards.

Elijah Mendoza (5-7, 165) has caught a team-high 24 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns.

About the Trojans: West High bounced back from a 49-0 loss to rival City High win week five with a 62-7 win at Davenport Central last week.

The Trojans put up season-highs in points (62), rushing yards (224), rushing touchdowns (7) and total yards (443) in the win over the Blue Devils last week.

Sophomore quarterback Jack Wallace directs a West High offense that is averaging 303 total yards and 34 points per game.

Wallace has passed for 1,086 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions with senior Christian Janis his top target with 25 receptions for 565 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bryan Torres has caught 11 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns while Mason Woods has 10 receptions for 153 yards.

West High is holding opponents to 291.5 total yards and 21.2 points per game and is led by junior linebacker Ashton Honore who has 46 tackles including 23.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks.

Senior Ryne VanderLeest has 37 tackles while junior Santana Miller has 33 tackles with 6.5 for loss.

Class 4A No. 9 Fort Madison (6-0) at Class 4A No. 4 Liberty High (5-1)

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

Last season: Liberty High 24, Fort Madison 16

Player to watch: Fort Madison senior quarterback Aidan Boyer (6-2, 175) has completed 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 244 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Liberty High is averaging 39 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in every game this season while Fort Madison is allowing just 8.7 points per game and has not allowed more than 13 points in a game this season.

About the Bloodhounds: After going nine years without a winning season before a 7-2 campaign in 2020, Fort Madison has continued its recent upward swing starting 6-0 for the second consecutive season.

Last season the Bloodhounds opened 6-0 before a 24-21 loss to Liberty High started a string of three consecutive losses to end the season.

This year Fort Madison has been impressive on both sides of the ball during its unbeaten start but has been especially stingy on defense holding teams to 198 total yards and 8.7 points per game.

The Bloodhounds have forced 10 turnovers and recorded 50.5 tackles for loss including 24 sacks thus far and are led defensively by Hayden Segoviano (5-10, 200) with 45.5 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Sophomore Brody Cashman (5-10, 170) has five sacks and seven tackles for loss and Daniel Sokolik (6-0, 240) has three sacks and nine tackles for loss.

The Fort Madison offense led by Boyer is averaging 305 total yards and 25.3 points per game.

Junior running back Teague Smith (5-11, 195) has rushed for 488 yards and six touchdowns.

Three different Bloodhound receivers have at least 19 receptions led by Leif Boeding (5-11, 150) with 20 receptions for 358 yards and three touchdowns.

Kane Williams (5-7, 150) has 29 receptions for 282 yards and five touchdowns and Henry Wiseman (5-10, 150) has caught 19 passes for 303 yards and three scores.

About the Lightning: The Lightning pushed its winning streak to three and remained unbeaten in Class 4A, District 3 action with a 68-6 road win at Mount Pleasant last Friday.

Liberty High continued to cruise offensively putting up more than 500 yards for the second time in three games while scoring a season-high 68 points.

Junior quarterback Graham Beckman leads a Liberty High offense that is averaging 396 total yards and 39 points per game while averaging better than seven yards per play.

Beckman has passed for 1,481 yards and 18 touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Trey Gregoire has rushed for a team-high 362 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

Senior Garrett Gregoire leads five Liberty High players with at least 12 receptions with 22 catches for 514 and seven touchdowns.

Christian Barney has caught 22 passes for 232 yards and five touchdowns and Lucas Meyer has 18 receptions for 265 yards and two scores.

4A No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier (6-0) at Clear Creek Amana (3-3)

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

Last season: Cedar Rapids Xavier 34, Clear Creek Amana 7

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Xavier senior running back Michael Cunningham (6-0, 190) has rushed for 754 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 8 yards per carry and has caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Cedar Rapids Xavier is 81-7 over the past eight seasons and hasn’t lost more than two games in a season since 2014.

About the Saints: Defending Class 4A runner-up Cedar Rapids Xavier is off to an impressive start outscoring opponents 217-28 during a 6-0 start.

During its unbeaten start the Saints have relied on their traditional stingy defense and power running game on offense.

Cedar Rapids Xavier is holding opponents to 177.5 total yards and 4.7 points per game this season and has posted three consecutive shutouts after blanking Pella 47-0 last week.

The Saints have outscored North Scott, Cedar Rapids Washington and Pella 102-0 during its three-week shutout streak.

Senior Thomas Sundell (6-0, 190) leads the defense with 40 tackles while Jevin Rexroth (6-0, 175) has 22.5 tackles and has a team-high two interceptions.

On offense Cedar Rapids Xavier is led by junior Ronan Thomas (6-1, 170) who is completing 63 percent of his passes while throwing for 635 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions.

Cunningham has rushed for a team-high 754 yards while Coleton Beasler-Weber (6-0, 184) has added 281 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Aidan McDermott (6-2, 192) is the top receiving target with 23 receptions for 328 yards and six touchdowns.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana had a late rally come up short last week in a 27-24 loss to Cedar Rapids Washington to drop to 1-1 in Class 4A, District 4 play.

The Clippers continued to be solid defensively and are holding teams to 19.2 points and 260 total yards per game including 133 rushing yards per outing.

Senior linebackers Brock Sherman and Nick Johnson continue to lead the way defensively.

Sherman has made a team-high 52 tackles including 10 for loss and Johnson has 37 tackles with three for loss.

Sophomore linebacker Brody Clubb has made 35.5 tackles with two sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Sophomore quarterback Cale Berry replaced injured senior Jackson Schmidt against Cedar Rapids Washington last week and completed 5-of-9 passes for 67 yards and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Junior Sam Pettinger has rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns while senior Andrew Schlemme has caught six passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

3A No. 7 Solon (4-2) at Fairfield (4-2)

Where: Fairfield, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Solon 56, Fairfield 7

Player to watch: Fairfield senior quarterback Tate Allen (5-11, 75) has completed 57 of his passes while throwing for 1,023 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions and has rushed for a team-high 439 yards and five touchdowns.

Key stat: Solon has posted back-to-back shutouts and is allowing 7.3 points per game in Class 3A, District 5 games dating back to last season.

About the Trojans: After going winless in 2019 and winning one game in 2020 Fairfield went 5-4 a year ago and is off to a 4-2 start this season following a 53-7 win over West Burlington last week.

Fairfield has won three straight following a 1-2 start with one-point wins over Knoxville (29-28) and Keokuk (16-15).

The Trojans have been solid defensively holding opponents to 18 points, 101.7 rushing yards and 280.3 total yards per game.

Lucas Knoczal (5-10, 175) leads the Fairfield defense with 20 tackles including two for loss while Max Weaton (6-5, 220) has 13.5 tackles and two sacks.

Allen leads a Fairfield offense that is averaging 29.5 points and 324 total yards per game.

Miles McEntee (5-11, 185) has rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns and Hunter Cecchini (6-1, 205) has added 180 yards and a touchdown while averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

Weaton has caught a team-high 29 passes for 415 yards and eight touchdowns while Tallon Bates (5-9, 145) has nine receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns averaging 31.9 yards per catch.

About the Spartans: Since back-to-back losses to unbeaten teams 3A fourth-ranked Mount Vernon and 2A top-ranked Williamsburg the Spartans have won three consecutive games by a combined score of 115-10.

Solon has posted back-to-back shutouts of District 5 opponents West Burlington and Washington following a 44-0 win over the Demons on Friday.

On defense the Spartans are allowing just 10.8 points per game this season and are led by junior linebacker Brett White who has a team-high 53.5 tackles including 7.5 for loss and three sacks.

Junior Ben Kampman has 22 tackles with a team-high five sacks and eight tackles for loss.

The Solon offense is led by senior quarterback Blake Timmons who has passed for 677 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 217 yards and eight touchdowns.

White has rushed for 587 yards and eight touchdowns while Sean Stahle has rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Oaken Foster has caught a team-leading 16 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns while Ryan Rasmussen has 10 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown and Stahle has eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Regina (4-2) at Class 1A No. 1 West Branch (6-0)

Where: The Little Rose Bowl, 7 p.m.

Last season: Regina 26, West Branch 8

Player to watch: West Branch senior running back Andy Henson has rushed for 784 yards and 19 touchdowns and has caught 11 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.  

Key stat: Regina is averaging 204 rushing yards per game in its four wins this season and has averaged just 37 yards per game in its two losses.

About the Regals: Following a 17-7 loss to Mediapolis in its district opener Regina has posted back-to-back wins over Wilton and Louisa-Muscatine by a combined total score of 87-13.

The Regals are averaging 29.7 points and 259 total yards per game while posting 5.5 yards per play.

Junior quarterback Gentry Dumont has passed for 619 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions with junior Jackson Naeve his top receiver with 22 receptions for 343 yards and seven touchdowns.

Senior tailback Levi Daniel has rushed for a team-high 355 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging 8.1 yards per carry.

Defensively, Regina is holding opponents to 211 total yards and 16.4 points per game through five games and is allowing 4 yards per play.

The Regals have forced 12 turnovers, including 10 interceptions returning two for touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Ronan Poynton leads Regina with 37 tackles while juniors Jack Clark and Drew Streb have made 27.5 and 25.5 stops.

About the Bears: West Branch has been among the most dominant teams in Class 1A this season outscoring opponents 324-59 during its unbeaten start to the season.

The Bears are 3-0 in District 5 play a lead three teams with one district loss including Regina.

West Branch has been impressive defensively to start the season holding teams to 9.8 points and 145 total yards per game while allowing just 3.6 yards per play.

Henson leads West Branch with 34.5 tackles including seven for loss while Kinnick Boelk has 18 tackles and Jaxson Kaalberg and Logan Wright have combined for five sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

West Branch has been perhaps even more impressive on offense outing up 54 points and 345 total yards per game while averaging 7.2 yards per play.

Senior quarterback Tye Hughes has passed for 704 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception and has also rushed for 255 yards and five touchdowns.

Carver Boelk has been the top target for Hughes with 14 receptions for 278 yards and five touchdowns while Trenton Schutte has caught 10 passes for 121 yards and Kinnick Boelk has 12 receptions for 104 yards.

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