Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

City High

Head coach: Mitch Moore (3rd season)

Assistant coaches: Ryan McKim; Ben Slife; Ja’Korey Walker; Tim Casey; Tyler Eads; Jordan Hanrahan; Aaron Stalkfleet; Chayse Schultz; Greg Brown; Nikolai Hill

Last season: 6-4 (Class 5A first round)

Returning starters: Drew Larson, Sr., QB/SAF; Carsen Newton, Sr., WR; Conner Cross, Jr., WR; Trey Dervrich, Sr., OL; Joe Cook, Sr., OL; Tyler Rindells Jr., OL; Calin Wagner, Jr., OL; Dom Salibi, Jr., RB; Sam Kueter, Sr., TE/DL/LB; Holdon Clay, Sr., LB; Oliver Kniss, Sr., SAF; Jake Mitchell, Sr., SAF; Tono Cornell, Sr., DL; Dax Judge, Sr., DL; Jayln Ford, Jr., DL; Kael Kurtz, Sr., SAF.

Other returning letterwinners: Jeremiah Madlock, Sr., WR; Elijah Davis, Jr., OL; Parker Sutherland, Jr., TE/WR; Noah Seidel, Sr., WR.

Newcomers to watch: Dieme LiPanda, Jr., OL; KP Estrema, Soph., LB; Ty Carruthers, Soph., RB; Iyon Harris, Soph., CB; Davion Lucket, Soph., RB/CB.

Playoff history: 30 appearances (1986, 1988-1990, 1992-2001, 2003-2013, 2015, 2016, 2020-2022). City High won 4A state titles in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2009.

Circle the date: September 1 at Liberty High. You’d better believe this one is circled for the Little Hawks following a 36-19 loss to the Lightning in last season’s season opener at Kinnick Stadium. The two teams have split the past two meetings with City High winning 41-0 at Liberty High in the 2021 opener.

Headliner: Senior quarterback Drew Larson is a three-year starter that has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks and most productive overall players in the state. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Larson has passed for 3,187 yards and 35 touchdowns in two varsity seasons while rushing for 406 yards and six touchdowns.

Ready for a breakthrough: Junior running back Dominic Salibi (5-10, 170) sparkled in his limited role last season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in wins over Davenport West and Davenport Central. Salibi rushed for 420 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 8.2 yards per carry last season as a sophomore.

Unsung hero: Senior receiver Carsen Newton isn’t going to impressive with his physical stature but as the 5-foot-7, 140-pounder demonstrated last season he is going to make plays. Newton caught a team-high 39 passes last season good for 497 yards and six touchdowns.

Keep an eye on: Senior Sam Kueter (6-4, 200) has made the move from defensive end to inside linebacker and should be a focal point of the defense for City High. Kueter ranked fourth on the team with 28.5 tackles as a defensive lineman last season and had 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Remember the name: Parker Sutherland. At 6-foot-6 and 203 pounds Sutherland has the size and speed combination that makes him a tough matchup at tight end and an intriguing prospect.

Biggest strength: Depth. The Little Hawks might not be the deepest team in the state but this could be the deepest City High team under head coach Mitch Moore. All 16 returning starters are upperclassmen and there is a strong group of extremely talented newcomers that should push for playing team.

Biggest question: How do the new linebackers acclimate? Anytime you lose a player the caliber of Ben Kueter there is an immediate question of who fills that spot. City High didn’t just lose its leading tackler Kueter at linebacker but also Evan Lampe who was second on the team with 58.5 stops. Together those two graduated linebackers had 152 tackles last season. City High has talent returning at linebacker with seniors Holdon Clay (5-10, 180) and Sam Kueter. How quickly those linebackers get up to speed will be a key for City High which faces a tough early-season schedule.

Quotable: “We had a lot of ups and downs (last year) and we left a lot on the field, we didn’t perform to our highest capabilities and that’s a driving thing this year,” City High senior linebacker Holdon Clay said. “We’ve talked a lot about how disappointing it was going out in the first round against Johnston so we are really working hard and pushing each other to the max and trying to get as far as we can this year.”

2023 Schedule

Date/Opponent/Record in 2022

August 25: Joliet Catholic, Illinois (8-3)

September 1: at Liberty High (9-2)

September 8: at Ames (6-4)

September 15: West High (4-5)

September 22: Cedar Rapids Kennedy (7-3)

September 29: at Davenport Central (1-8)

October 5: at Davenport North (1-8)

October 13: Linn-Mar (6-4)

October 20: at Bettendorf (3-6)

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