Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Jack Wallace is well on his way to rewriting the passing records at West High.

A rare four-year starter, Wallace should become the Trojan’s career passing leader sometime midway through the season entering the year 870 yards shy of Marcus Morgan’s career passing yardage total.

Wallace already holds the single-game yardage record after throwing for 458 yards in a 45-38 season-ending loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie last October.

The yards and the records that Wallace has racked up are fine but the focus for the senior signal caller this season is something he hasn’t yet done – lead the Trojans to the postseason.

“There is pressure for sure but we see it more as an opportunity,” Wallace said. “This senior class we’ve been on the edge the last two years but we feel like we are right there and we can get over the edge this year.”

Led by Wallace West High has posted back-to-back 4-5 seasons, narrowly missing the postseason each year.

With 14 starters returning, led by Wallace and senior two-way standout Mason Woods, the Trojans are intent on returning to the postseason for the first time 2020.

“We have a common understanding of what we have to do,” Woods said. “We are going to take it game-by-game and not worry about the future. We will just put one foot in front of the other and we have a lot of talent on this team so if we can do that we will be fine.”

West High has been close to clinching playoff spots each of the past two seasons.

The Trojans lost three straight games to close out 2022, including consecutive losses to Pleasant Valley and Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Last season West High was 4-3 before again dropping consecutive games to Pleasant Valley and Cedar Rapids Prairie down the stretch.

The late-season setbacks from last season have provided consistent motivation for West High this fall.

“I think it motivates all of us,” Wallace said. “It just comes down to the little things. We had chances to beat Pleasant Valley and Prairie both years but it’s just a few little things. If we can clean up a few things we can go from 4-5 to 7-2, 8-1 or above.”

Four of the five losses for West High last season came to playoff teams yet the Trojans still had a shot at the playoffs late.

West High led at halftime in a 38-25 loss at Pleasant Valley and committed three turnovers and allowed two kick off returns for touchdowns in a season-ending 45-38 loss to Cedar Rapids Prairie.

“We’ve been just on the outside looking in and some of it has to do with our schedule but when it came down to it we didn’t win the games we needed to win,” West High coach Garrett Hartwig said. “I broke it down last year on film and eight to 10 plays spread out through different games determines the difference between 6-3 or 7-2 or certainly 5-4 or 4-5 and a lot of it was self-inflicted stuff.”

West High believes it has the group to snap a three-year postseason drought this fall.

Wallace returns to lead an offense that also brings back its top pass catcher in Woods, it’s top rushing in senior Butali Butali (5-9, 165) and senior tight end Nick Caylor (6-3, 215).

A Minnesota State recruit, Wallace (6-2, 225) had the best season of his career last year completing 57 percent of his passes while throwing for a career-high 1,807 yards and 13 touchdowns while also running for a team-high six touchdowns.

“I feel like I’ve become more efficient in the passing game,” Wallace said. “We kind of lived off the deep ball the past few years and I feel like we are getting more efficient and I’m hitting my reads a lot quicker.”

An Iowa recruit, Woods (6-2, 220) headlines the list of returning weapons around Wallace after catching 35 passes for 535 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Butali averaged 6.7 yards per carry last season while rushing for a team-high 429 yards and two touchdowns.

Caylor caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown and junior Julian Manson (6-1, 220) caught six passes for 54 yards.

“I really like this group, I feel like we have more depth,” Wallace said. “We’ve had some studs but we haven’t had the depth we do this year where we have six to eight guys that can step in and play a role.”

West High returns six starters on defense including six of its top 10 tacklers for last season.

Senior linebackers Declan Bunn (5-10, 200) and Sterling Warren (6-1, 200) will be defensive leaders along with Manson and Woods.

Bunn ranked second on the team with 55 tackles last season including 6.5 for loss.

The secondary will be a strength for West High with juniors Adrian DeWaard (5-11, 175)

and Ethan Headings (6-1, 185) leading that group after combining for 43 tackles and four interceptions last season.

West High also returns its punter and place kicker from a year ago in senior Evan Anderson (5-10, 220) junior Adam Salem (5-10, 150).

The question for the Trojans is on the lines where juniors Collin Whitters (6-3, 300) and Titan Ross (5-9, 230) lead a group high on size and talent but lacking experience.

“In 5A football you have to be able to run the ball and you have to be able to stop the run,” Hartwig said. “We have players that have put in a really strong offseason and should be pretty good. They are athletic and they should be good.”

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