Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Class 5A No. 9 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (2-2) at City High (2-2)

Where: Bates Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Kennedy junior quarterback Vincenzo Gianforte (6-0, 190) has completed 78-of-120 passes for 1,181 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception and has rushed for a touchdown.

Key stat: City High averaged 75.5 rushing yards in back-to-back losses to open the season and has averaged 227.5 rushing yards in consecutive wins the last two weeks.

About the Little Hawks: Since being outscored 89-27 in consecutive losses to Joliet Catholic and Liberty High to open the season City High has responded with back-to-back rivalry wins over Ames and West High.

The Little Hawks have found footing in their running game the last two weeks behind senior Miles Parlet (5-9, 185) who has posted back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances.

Parlet rushed for 206 yards on 38 carries in the win over Ames and ran for 220 yards on 34 carries against West High and leads the team with 442 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Junior quarterback Bobby Bacon (6-1, 165) leads a City High offense that is averaging 25 points and 388 total yards per game.

Bacon has completed 44-of-74 passes for 620 yards and three touchdowns with one interception and has rushed for two touchdowns.

Carsen Newton (5-7, 140) leads City High with 27 receptions for 279 yards and two touchdowns and Jeremiah Madlock (6-0, 175) has 14 receptions for 328 yards and two touchdowns.

City High is allowing 31.3 points and 346 total yards per game including 170 rushing yards per contest.

Senior linebacker Holdon Clay (5-10, 180) leads City High with 31.5 tackles and senior defensive back Jake Mitchell (5-5, 135) has 25 tackles with four tackles for loss.

About the Cougars: After opening the season with back-to-back losses to unbeaten West Des Moines Dowling and one-loss Pleasant Valley the Cougars have outscored Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Washington 79-7 in consecutive wins.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy allowed 37 points, 355 total yards and 279 rushing yards per game in the back-to-back losses to open the season the Cougars have allowed a total of 159 rushing yards and 287 total yards in its two wins.

The Cedar Rapids Kennedy defense is led by senior linebacker Calvin White (6-0, 210) who has a team-high 25.5 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss while senior Owen Anderson (5-10, 175) has 23 tackles with 3.5 for loss.

Senior Anthony Huber (6-0, 200) has a team-high two sacks and BJ Henry (6-0, 195) leads the Cougars with seven tackles for loss.

Gianforte leads an explosive Cougar offense that is averaging 33.8 points and 423 total yards per game.

Senior Cyrus Courtney (6-2, 195) is one of the top receivers in the state and leads the Cougars with 35 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns.

Trevor Scott (5-9, 185) has rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns and Jacob Doyle (6-1, 205) has run for 204 yards and a touchdown.

Class 5A No. 8 Ankeny (2-2) at West High (2-2)

Where: Trojan Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Senior receiver Devon Akers (6-6, 210) has caught 17 passes for a team-high 351 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 20.6 yards per reception.

Key stat: Ankeny has a combined 32-8 record over the past four seasons with four of those losses coming to Southeast Polk and West Des Moines Dowling.

About the Trojans: After a loss at cross-town rival City High last week West High will look to get back on track when it returns to Trojan Stadium where it is 2-0 this season.

The Trojans are averaging 25.5 points and 297 total yards per game this season after posting season-low outputs in points (8), total yards (218) and yards per play (4.4) in the loss at City High.

Junior quarterback Jack Wallace (6-3, 210) has completed 59% of his passes this season while throwing for 831 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.

Senior Todd Rent (5-8, 160) leads West High with 115 rushing yards and a touchdown and junior Butali Butali (5-8, 155) has rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Mason Woods (6-2, 200) and Izaiah Loveless (5-11, 165) have been the top targets for Wallace this season.

Woods has caught a team-high 18 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown and Loveless has 14 receptions for 331 yards and three touchdowns.

West High is allowing 25.5 points and 363 total yards per game including 209 rushing yards per contest.

Senior linebacker Santana Miller (5-11, 205) leads the Trojans with 36 tackles including two for loss and junior Declan Bunn (5-10, 180) has 24.5 tackles with 2.5 for loss.

About the Hawks: Ankeny won the state title in 2020, finished runner-up in 2021 and has won at least nine games each of the past three seasons while racking up a combined 30-6 record.

The Hawks are off to a 2-2 start this season with losses to unbeatens West Des Moines Dowling and Southeast Polk.

Ankeny is averaging 22.5 points and 317 total yards per game behind junior quarterback Luke Anderson (6-0, 170).

Anderson has completed 56-of-98 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions and has rushed for a touchdown.

Junior Evan Irlmeier (5-8, 140) joins Akers to form a solid pass catching combo and has caught a team-high 19 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Daniel Larmie (5-8, 170) leads the Hawks with 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns sand junior Caden Henkes (6-1, 172) has rushed for 235 yards.

Ankeny is allowing 35.3 points, 212 rushing yards and 409 total yards per game but is coming off its best defensive effort of the season in a 16-10 win over Johnston.

The Ankeny defense is led by senior Dylan Daugherty (5-11, 185) who has a team-high 35 tackles and senior Connor Kayser (6-4, 215) with 24 tackles.

Senior Angelo Wernau (5-8, 167) has 20.5 tackles and a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss with a sack.

Liberty High (1-3) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-2)

Where: John Wall Field, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Prairie senior running back Casey Kelley (5-10, 160) has rushed for 535 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry and has nine receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat: Dating back to last season Liberty High has allowed 139 rushing yards in its 10 wins and has given up 297 rushing yards per game in its five losses.

About the Hawks: Cedar Rapids Prairie opened the season with back-to-back wins over Cedar Falls and Dubuque Senior before dropping its last two games to defending 5A champion Southeast Polk and Pleasant Valley.

The Hawks allowed a touchdown in every quarter in a 28-23 loss at Pleasant Valley last week.

Cedar Rapids Prairie is averaging 24.8 points and 311 total yards per game and has been balanced offensively with 139 rushing yards and 172 passing yards per game.

Senior quarterback Will Phillips (6-4, 185) has completed 55-of-91 passes while throwing for 688 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions.

Five Hawks have at least eight receptions and 80 receiving yards led by senior Apollo Payne (6-3, 195) who has a team-high 19 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns.

Denzil Green (6-2, 190) has caught nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Collin Velky (5-11, 210) leads Cedar Rapids Prairie with 34.5 tackles including 11.5 for loss while junior Quinton Alexander (5-11, 195) has 23.5 tackles with three sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

LaMarious Clark (5-10, 180) has 29.5 tackles and Wyatt Vlasek (5-11, 180) has 28.5 tackles with 4.5 for loss.

About the Lightning: A difficult schedule to start the season continues for Liberty High with a second consecutive road trip.

The Lightning let a 7-0 halftime lead slip away in a 35-19 loss at Cedar Falls last week and will be playing a fifth consecutive game against an opponent that is .500 or better to open the season.

Liberty High is allowing 35 points and 341 total yards per game this season while giving up 207 rushing yards per game.

The Lightning defense has been led by senior linebackers Gavin Benton (5-11, 90) and Devin Anderson (5-11, 200).

Benton has a team-high 29 tackles and leads the Lightning with 7.5 tackles for loss and Anderson has 22.5 tackles.

Senior defensive back Charlie Keenan (5-11, 160) has accounted for half of the turnovers forced by the Lightning defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Liberty High has been impressive offensively averaging 31.8 points and 428 total yards per game on 5.8 yards per play.

The Lightning have run an average of 73 offensive plays per game.

Senior quarterback Graham Beckman (6-1, 194) has completed 104-of-165 passes for 1,273 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The top targets for Beckman have been junior Sutton Koller (5-11, 165) who has 37 receptions for 459 yards and six touchdowns and junior Dallas Miller (5-10, 160) with 32 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns.

Owen Drapeaux (6-1, 196) has rushed for a team-high 143 yards, Koller has run for 124 yards and three touchdowns and Beckman has rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Class 3A No. 8 Solon (3-1) at Grinnell (3-1)

Where: Grinnell, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Solon 51, Grinnell 7

Player to watch: Grinnell junior quarterback Brady Coffman (6-2, 195) has completed 36-of-59 passes for 552 yards and six touchdowns with one interception and has rushed for 170 yards and four touchdowns.

Key stat: Solon had a 329 to 59 advantage in rushing yards over Grinnell in a 51-7 win over the Tigers in Solon.

About the Spartans: Solon stretched its winning streak to three following a season-opening loss to Davenport Assumption with its best win of the season last week in the form of a 37-20 win over previously second-ranked Mount Vernon.

The Spartans posted season-highs of 246 rushing yards and 399 total yards in the win over the Mustangs.

Solon is averaging 255 total yards and 23 points per game this season but has averaged 39 points and 360 total yards over the past two weeks.

Junior quarterback Tyler Bell (6-1, 180) has completed 30-of-60 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Sophomore quarterback Conlan Poynton (5-10, 175) is the Spartans leading rusher after running for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Mount Vernon.

Nash Kotar (6-1, 185) leads the Spartans with nine receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Solon has been strong defensively holding teams to 15.8 points, 134 rushing yards and 319 total yards per game.

Senior linebacker Brett White (6-0, 210) leads the team with 38.5 tackles including 10.5 for loss and senior Brayden Moore (5-9, 185) has 20 tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack.

About the Tigers: Grinnell has won back-to-back games over Oskaloosa and Washington after a 40-0 loss to Bondurant-Farrar in week two.
The Tigers have outscored opponents 95-27 in their three wins this season while getting off to their best start since opening 4-1 in 2020.

After averaging 114 yards of total offense in its first two games this season the Tigers have put up an average of 411 total yards in its back-to-back wins the last two weeks.

Three Tigers have at least 92 yards receiving led by senior Carson Penyich (6-4, 180) with nine receptions for 157 yards.

Braden Johnson (6-3, 220) has 10 receptions for 92 yards and three touchdowns and Evan Mahoney (5-10, 155) has seven catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

Kinnick Johnson (5-9, 200) has rushed for a team-high 204 yards and two touchdowns.

The Grinnell defense is led by sophomore Jack Gallagher (6-0, 175) with 23.5 tackles including six for loss while Johnson has 15 tackles and leads the team with three sacks and eight tackles for loss.

Senior Maxwell Mintle (5-10, 180) has 15 tackles with six tackles for loss and two sacks.

Oskaloosa (2-2) at Clear Creek Amana (0-4)

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

Last season: Clear Creek Amana 28, Oskaloosa 14

Player to watch: Oskaloosa sophomore quarterback Kayne Boender (5-10, 150) has completed 67-of-107 passes for 725 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions and has rushed for a touchdown.

Key stat: Clear Creek Amana has defeated Oskaloosa in each of the past three seasons outscoring the Indians by a total of 113-30 in those three wins.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana has increased its totals in rushing yards, total yards and points in each of the first four games and will be looking for a breakthrough offensively and its first win of the season on Friday.

After managing just 43 rushing yards and 191 total yards in a 15-0 loss to Marion in the opener the Clippers have made steady progress pushing those totals to 127 rushing yards, 312 total yards and 27 points last week against Benton Community.

Senior quarterback Quinton Tran (5-9, 165) has completed 47-of-89 passes for 552 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and has rushed for 99 yards.

Senior Jackson Stevens (5-10, 155) has rushed for 270 yards and four touchdowns and has caught nine passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Owen Rosenberg (6-2, 180) has caught a team-high 18 passes for 179 yards and senior Haiden Hardy (6-2, 165) has 13 receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

As the Clipper offense looks to get rolling the defense will seek to continue a solid start that has seen the Clippers allowing 28.3 points and 280 total yards per game.

Junior Ben Haughey (5-10, 175) leads Clear Creek Amana with 19.5 tackles including four for loss and two sacks while junior defensive end Brody Clubb (6-4, 255) has 16 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

About the Indians: Coming off a one-win season last fall the Indians have already eclipsed their win total after opening the season with back-to-back wins over Washington and Des Moines Hoover.

Oskaloosa has lost its last two games following the 2-0 start, falling to Grinnell and dropping a 30-28 contest to Ottumwa last week.

The Indians have been improved offensively behind Boender and are averaging 22 points and 284 total yards per game.

Sophomore AJ Walker (5-10, 180) has rushed for a team-high 337 yards and five touchdowns while averaging six yards per carry.

Three Oskaloosa receivers have at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards led by senior Wyatt Grubb (6-0, 230) who has caught 22 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns.

The Indians have allowed 76 points in consecutive losses but have been solid defensively holding teams to 24.5 points and 262 total yards per game.

Sophomore Kaiden Parker (5-6, 150) leads the team with 23.5 tackles while junior Grady Kool (6-4, 185) has 18 tackles with a team-high six tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Class 1A No. 3 Regina (4-0) at Cascade (0-4)  

Where: Cascade, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Cascade junior Nathan Schockemoehl (6-2, 180) leads the Cougars with 20 receptions for 236 yards and a touchdown and has a team-high 42.5 tackles including 29 solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss and has an interception.

Key stat: Regina senior quarterback Gentry Dumont leads Class 1A in passing yards (1,033), yards per completion (19.5), is third in passing touchdowns (11) and fourth in total touchdowns (12).

About the Regals: Regina continued its impressive start to the season with a 49-12 win over Durant in its district opener last week and has now outscored opponents 189-44 during its 4-0 start.

The Regals have been impressively efficient on offense averaging 47.3 points and 421 total yards per game while averaging 9.1 yards per play.

Dumont (6-2, 205) leads the Regina offense and is averaging 11.9 yards per pass attempt this season.

Senior Jackson Naeve (6-1, 180) has been the top target for Dumont catching a team-high 19 passes for 447 yards and seven touchdowns.

Naeve has also rushed for 109 yards and four touchdowns and has returned a kick off for a touchdown.

Seniors Alex Jensen (5-7, 140) and Ty Joss (6-0, 175) have each emerged as strong pass catching options along with Naeve.

Jensen has 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown and Joss has 10 receptions for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

A Regina defense that is holding opponents to 11 points and 184 total yards per game is led by senior lineman Jack Clark (6-2, 215), Ian Udell (6-0, 210) and Drew Streb (6-2, 235).

Clark has 18.5 tackles and a sack, Udell has 15.5 tackles with a team-high 5.5 for loss and Streb has 14 tackles with 4.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.

About the Cougars: Cascade was shutout for the second consecutive game and dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 38-0 loss at West Branch in its district opener.

The Cougar offense led by senior quarterback Will Hosch (5-11, 185) is averaging six points and 193 total yards per game.

Hosch has completed 45% of his passes while throwing for 530 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions and has rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Juan Alvarado (5-6, 155) has rushed for a team-high 128 yards for the Cougars while Schockemoehl has been the top target in the passing game.

Sophomore Brody Otting (6-0, 165) has six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown and senior Ty Frasher (5-11, 185) has caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

The Cascade defense is led by Schockemoehl and sophomore Eli Fritz (5-10, 155) who has 19.5 tackles.

Senior Cass Hoffman (5-10, 165) has 18 tackles including 2.5 for loss and a sack.

West Branch (2-2) at Dyersville Beckman (0-4)

Where: Dyersville Beckman, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Junior Tanner Ostwinkle (6-2, 185) Dyersville Beckman with 24.5 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks.

Key stat: West Branch forced two turnovers in back-to-back losses to open the season and has forced six turnovers in consecutive wins the past two weeks.

About the Bears: West Branch stretched its winning streak to two and evened its record at 2-2 with its most impressive performance of the season, a 38-0 shutout of Cascade last week.

The Bears continued to make improvement on offense last week and are averaging 22.3 points and 235 total yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Brennen Dale (6-0, 175) has completed 27-of-44 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in two starts and has rushed for 41 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Zach Capper (5-10, 180) has rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown and sophomore Cooper Gates (5-11, 185) has run for 116 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Cale Seydel (5-10, 165) and senior Jake Swisher (5-10, 170) have each caught nine passes and senior Joe Hamann (6-0, 170) has caught seven passes for a team-high 128 yards and two touchdowns.

West Branch is allowing 18.5 points and 314 total yards per game and the defense is led by senior linebacker Reese Trepanier (6-1, 210) and senior Shae Farmer who each have 19 tackles.

Senior Bradyn Sexton (6-3, 170) has 15.5 tackles and senior Trenton Schutte (6-0, 185) has 15 tackles with two for loss and a sack.

About the Blazers: Dyersville Beckman dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 47-7 loss at Wilton in its district opener last week.

The Blazers have been outscored 166-13 in losses to Waterloo Columbus, Monticello, Alburnett and Wilton.

Dyersville Beckman is allowing 334 total yards and 186 passing yards per game this season.

The Blazer defense is led by Ostwinkle and sophomore Cody Hageman (6-0, 185) who has 15.5 tackles and three tackles for loss and junior Benton Boge (6-1, 165) has 15.5 tackles.

Sophomore Carter White (6-0, 155) and senior TJ Thier (5-10, 170) have both started games at quarterback this season and have combined to complete 29-of-70 passes for 305 yards with eight interceptions.

Isaac Burlage (5-11, 165) has rushed for a team-high 149 yards and a touchdown and Cole Hirsch (6-1, 180) has 10 receptions for 53 yards while Boge has 10 catches for 106 yards.

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