Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Cedar Rapids Prairie (4-4) at West High (4-4)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Trojan Field

It all comes down to this.

The final week of the regular season pits a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference rivals in a win or go home matchup.

Cedar Rapids Prairie (4-4) is No. 13 in the Class 5A Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) standings entering the final week of the regular season.

West High (4-4) is four spots back at No. 17 in the RPI with the top 16 teams in the standings following Friday night reaching the playoffs.

That makes Friday’s winner a likely playoff team and the loser most likely on the outside looking in.

Prairie has won back-to-back games in the series including a 49-28 win over the Trojans in Iowa City last season a game in which Prairie rushed for 333 yards and West High passed for 323 yards.

Friday’s matchup should be one of the best in the state on Friday with a playoff spot on the line.

Players to Watch

West High

Senior linebacker Santana Miller has been excellent for West High all season.

If the Trojans are to extend their season for another week they will likely need Miller to be stellar again on Friday night.

Miller has a team-high 65 tackles on the season after posting a career-high 15 stops in a week eight loss at Pleasant Valley.

The 5-foot-11, 205 pound Miller has 33 solo stops and two tackles for loss along with a fumble recovery and two interceptions.

Miller has shown a knack for the big play over the course of his career and has three defensive touchdowns this season.

Against a versatile Prairie offense Miller is a key due to his ability to stop the run as well as make plays in coverage.

Expect a big game from the Trojans top defender on Friday.

Cedar Rapids Prairie

Senior tailback Casey Kelley has been excellent for Prairie this season and senior quarterback Will Phillips is the one that makes the Hawk offense go but senior receiver Apollo Payne is the player to keep an eye on Friday.

Payne has been as good as any pass catcher in the state this season and enters the regular season finale ranked second in 5A in receiving yards and third in touchdown catches.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Payne has caught 42 passes for 803 yards and eight touchdowns this season averaging 19.1 yards per grab.

It’s easy to focus on Kelley and the Prairie run game but that’s what sets up Payne for big plays.
West High will need to keep No. 4 in front of them on Friday as they try to slow down a potent Prairie pass attack

Keys to the Game

West High

Start Strong.

The season is on the line for West High on Friday and the Trojans need to come out from the opening kick off and play like that.

In each of its four losses this season West High has trailed after the first quarter.

Playing from a behind against a team like Cedar Rapids Prairie, that has the ability to the run the ball to set up its passing game, can be a challenge.

West High needs to get off to a strong start on Friday to keep the crowd into the game and to put the pressure on a Prairie team that is also playing to keep its season alive.

Cedar Rapids Prairie

Run the ball successfully.

This isn’t the run heavy, single wing Cedar Rapids Prairie of past seasons the Hawks are throwing the ball much more under first-year head coach Kyle Knock.

Prairie ran the ball on more than 70 percent of its plays over the past five seasons but is closer to 50-50 run and pass under Knock running the ball 229 times and throwing it 171 through eight games.

Even with that balance the Hawks are at their best when they are hammering away in the run game.

Prairie is averaging 198.5 rushing yards per game in its four wins this season while that number drops to just 89.8 yards per game on the ground in four loses.

Standout senior running back Casey Kelley has been a big part of that equation rushing for an average of 151 yards per game in four wins and being limited to 88.5 yards per game in four losses.

The run game becomes even more relevant for Prairie against a West High defense that has allowed 225 rushing yards per game in four losses and held opponents to 123.5 yards per game on the ground in four wins.

Both Teams

Get a stop. Or Two.

These two teams have played six times since 2015.

Look back at those scores.

49-28 Prairie last season.

50-14 Prairie in 2021.

48-28 West High in 2017.

38-21 West High in 2026 and 39-20 Prairie in 2016.

These teams are going to score points.

Prairie is averaging nearly 26 points per game this season and has scored 20, 49, 38 and 48 in wins this season.

The Hawks have a nearly 1,000-yard running back, a quarterback in Will Phillips with nearly 1,500 yards passing and one of the best receivers in 5A in Apollo Payne (42 receptions, 803 yards).

West High is averaging 32.3 points per game.

The Trojans have put up 35, 42, 44 and 58 points in wins this season.

West High has a veteran quarterback in Jack Wallace and it’s own set of offensive weaponry.

Points are going to be scored on Friday but it will be the defense that can come up with the most stops that will likely lift their team to victory.

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