Week 9 Football Capsules: Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Games
Bettendorf (8-0) at City High (5-3)
Where: Bates Field, 7 p.m.
Last season: City High 42, Bettendorf 21; 1st Round Playoffs Bettendorf 32, City High 21
Player to watch: Bettendorf senior quarterback Jackson Laver (6-2, 180) has passed for 1,132 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 227 yards and five touchdowns.
Key stat: City High limited Bettendorf to 121 rushing yards and 3.8 yards carry in a week-nine win last season and allowed 268 yards and 7.2 yards per carry in a playoff loss the following week.
About the Little Hawks: City High will look to bounce back in the regular season finale after having a five-game winning streak snapped with a 28-27 loss to Linn-Mar last week.
Three of the last five games for City High have been decided by a single point with City High going 2-1 in the games.
In all three of those games City High has scored a touchdown in the final 30 seconds and went for the two-point conversion and the lead all three times.
City High has been among the best offensive teams in 5A this season averaging 445 total yards and 38.8 points per game while producing 7.5 yards per play.
Senior quarterback Bobby Bacon has completed 71 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,590 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Three players have at least 20 receptions and 300 yards receiving led by senior tight end Parker Sutherland with 23 receptions for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
Dominic Salibi has caught 22 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns and Chayse Newton has 27 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore Dawson Kahl leads a balanced rushing attack with 709 yards and 12 touchdowns while Gabe Egeland has rushed for 600 yards and nine touchdowns.
Freshman linebacker Sheldon Marshall leads the Little Hawks with 56.5 tackles including six for loss while junior Blaine Heick has 43.5 tackles.
Senior Jalyn Ford has 31 tackles including eight for loss and three sacks.
About the Bulldogs: The lone remaining undefeated team in Class 5A, Bettendorf survived a scare at home last week against Cedar Rapids Prairie with a 48-47 overtime win.
Bettendorf has been impressive on both sides of the ball during its eight-game win streak to open the season.
The Bulldogs are averaging 35 points and 354 total yards per game while averaging 6.8 yards per play.
Senior quarterback Jackson Laver leads an offense that has scored 30 or more points five times this season.
Bettendorf is averaging 209 rushing yards per game behind senior Jacob Whipple (5-11, 175) who has rushed for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Will Taylor (5-11, 210) who has added 551 yards and nine touchdowns rushing.
Junior Hayden Morrison (6-1, 175) has been the top threat in the passing game catching 36 passes for 628 yards and five touchdowns.
Cole Odefey (6-4, 205) has 19 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively the Bulldogs are holding opponents to 17 points and 246 total yards per game while surrendering 5 yards per play.
Bettendorf has been stingy against the run allowing 139 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry.
Senior linebacker Sam Beecher (5-8, 205) leads the team with 47 tackles while sophomore Gavin Stecker (6-1, 190) has 45 tackles with 6.5 for loss.
Senior Amari Washington (6-4, 260) has 36 tackles and leads the team with 14 tackles for loss and four sacks.
West High (5-3) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (3-5)
Where: John Wall Field, 7 p.m.
Last season: Cedar Rapids Prairie 45, West High 38
Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Prairie senior quarterback Wyatt Eash (6-1, 180) has completed 64 percent of his passes (119-of-185) while throwing for 1,473 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions and has rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Key stat: West High is averaging 10.8 yards per offensive snap during its current three-game winning streak.
About the Trojans: West High opened the season 2-3 but has rattled off three consecutive wins to put itself in prime position to nab its first postseason berth since 2020.
Since back-to-back losses to City High and Ankeny the Trojans have posted wins over Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Pleasant Valley by a combined score of 153-62.
West High has been explosive offensively all season averaging 43.1 points and 447 total yards game while putting up 8.1 yards per play.
Senior quarterback Jack Wallace has played as well as any signal caller in the state, throwing for 2,304 yards and 29 touchdowns with four interceptions while rushing for 304 yards and seven touchdowns.
Mason Woods has caught 44 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns and Julian Manson has 36 receptions for 665 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Senior Butali Butali has rushed for 586 yards and five touchdowns and Campbell Janis has added 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively West High is allowing 30.5 points and 379 total yards per game and giving up 6.2 yards per play.
Manson leads the team with 56 tackles and senior linebacker Declan Bunn has 55 tackles with 3.5 for loss.
Ethan Headings has 39.5 tackles and Sterling Warren has 31 stops for the Trojans.
About the Hawks: Cedar Rapids Prairie enters week nine ranked 21st in the 5A RPI ratings and needing a win for a chance to reach the postseason for a 13th consecutive season.
The Hawks have faced a challenging schedule with eight of nine games coming against teams that are currently .500 or better.
Cedar Rapids Prairie has a win over Southeast Polk and is coming off a 48-47 overtime loss to top-ranked Bettendorf.
The Cedar Rapids Prairie offense led by senior quarterback Wyatt Eash is averaging 385 total yards and 30.6 points per game while posting 6.3 yards per play.
Junior Bjay Bush (5-8, 180) has rushed for a team-high 539 yards and Quinton Alexander (6-0, 185) has rushed for 299 yards and four touchdowns.
Denzil Green (6-2, 175) has been the top pass catcher for the Hawks with 36 receptions for 372 yards and three touchdowns and David Fason (6-1, 235) has 33 receptions for 467 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Defensively Cedar Rapids Prairie is allowing 28.8 points and 310 total yards per game while giving up 6.7 yards per play.
Alexander leads Prairie with 42 tackles including 6.5 for loss and Tyler Beck (6-1, 205) has 39.5 tackles with five for loss.
Liberty High (7-1) at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (5-3)
Where: Kingston Stadium, 7:15 p.m.
Last season: Liberty High 56, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 0
Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Jefferson junior receiver LJ Nyenow (6-2, 190) has caught 37 passes for 724 yards and seven touchdowns and is averaging 19.6 yards per reception.
Key stat: Liberty High has had more than 400 yards of total offense in six of eight games this season and has three games with at least 500 total yards.
About the J-Hawks: Cedar Rapids Jefferson opened the season 4-0 but dropped three straight games to Cedar Rapids Washington, West High and Cedar Rapids Prairie.
The J-Hawks got back on track with a 35-0 win over Davenport Central and are currently 22nd in the 5A RPI ratings and need a win to reach the postseason.
Junior quarterback Vernon Benda (6-0, 200) leads a Cedar Rapids Jefferson offense that is averaging 26.6 points and 272 total yards per game.
Benda has completed 58 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,398 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions and has rushed for two touchdowns.
Nyenow has been the top target in the passing game while senior Dayten Guy (5-11, 200) has 21 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns and Jermaine Robinson (5-8, 155) has 12 receptions for 142 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior Ishara Kalolero (5-8, 190) leads the J-Hawks with 670 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Cedar Rapids Jefferson is allowing 268 total yards and 21.1 points per game and is giving up 5.8 yards per play.
The J-Hawks have been solid against the run holding teams to 143 rushing yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry.
Eli Szabo (6-2, 170) has a team-high 73 tackles with seven for loss and Nelson Evans IV (6-6, 300) leads four J-Hawks with double digit tackles for loss with a team-high 12.5.
About the Lightning: Liberty High pushed its winning streak to five with a 63-9 win at Waterloo West last week.
The Lightning were second in the 5A RPI ratings this week and can lock up a home playoff game with a win on Friday.
Liberty High has been among the most productive offensive teams in the state this season averaging 40.8 points and 443 total yards per game on 7.9 yards per play.
Junior quarterback Reece Rettig has completed 75 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,886 yards and 23 touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 265 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior Dallas Miller has 47 receptions for 678 yards and six touchdowns and Owen Drapeaux has rushed for a team-high 676 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Sutton Koller has 24 receptions for 617 yards and nine touchdowns and has rushed for 370 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense the Lightning are allowing 27.6 points and 358 total yards per game and 6.3 yards per play.
Koller leads the team with 50 tackles including 4.5 for loss and has two interceptions while Ethan Barber has a team-high six tackles for loss among his 21 tackles.
Clinton (3-5) at Clear Creek Amana (5-3)
Where: Clipper Field, 7:30 p.m.
Last season: Clear Creek Amana 49, Clinton 0
Player to watch: Clinton senior quarterback Jordan Coleman (6-2, 180) has completed 49 percent of his passes while throwing for 937 yards and nine touchdowns and has also rushed for a team-high 391 yards and seven touchdowns.
Key stat: With nine passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns senior quarterback Jordan Coleman has produced 16 of the 17 offensive touchdowns for Clinton this season.
About the Clippers: Following a 1-2 start to the season Clear Creek Amana has won four of its last five games to put itself in the middle of the 4A playoff race.
The big win for the Clippers was last week, a 28-24 road win over Cedar Rapids Xavier that helped vault CCA to 12th in the 4A RPI ratings.
With a win in the regular season finale on Friday Clear Creek Amana can secure its first trip to the postseason since 2021.
Led by junior quarterback Conlan Poynton the Clipper offense is averaging 25.8 points and 318 total yards per game while producing 6.5 yards per play.
Poynton has completed 64 percent of his passes while throwing for 846 yards and nine touchdowns and has rushed for a team-high 785 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Senior Owen Rosenberg has been the top target in the passing game with 36 receptions for 464 yards and two touchdowns.
Tay Seals has caught 10 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns and Cale Nash has 26 receptions for 155 yards.
Defensively the Clippers are allowing 296 total yards and 20.9 points per game and are giving up 5.1 yards per play.
Dylan Schrock leads the team with 50.5 tackles including eight for loss and Trace Robertson has a team-high 11 tackles for loss and four sacks among his 49.5 tackles.
Rosenberg has 22 tackles a team-high seven interceptions.
About the River Kings: It has been a season of growth for Clinton which has already matched its highest win total since 2018.
With three wins the River Kings need just one more victory this season to match its win total from the previous five seasons combined.
Clinton posted back-to-back wins over Oskaloosa and Burlington earlier this month and had that streak snapped with a 49-14 loss at North Scott last week.
Behind the play of senior quarterback Jordan Coleman the Clinton offense is averaging 16.7 points and 213 total yards per game and 4 yards per play.
Junior Konnor Schroeder (5-10, 166) has caught 18 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown, sophomore Jordan Gruhn (6-2, 186) has 21 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore Cooper Belitz (6-1, 215) has 14 receptions for 125 yards and three touchdowns.
Clinton is allowing 41.6 points and 333 total yards per game on defense while giving up 7.3 yards per play.
The River Kings are allowing 205 rushing yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry.
Sophomore Ethan Carpenter (5-11, 175) has a team-high 38.5 tackles with five for loss and two sacks and senior Jaxon Spooner (5-10, 167) has 27 tackles with 3.5 for loss.
Solon (6-2) at South Tama (0-8)
Where: STC Stadium, 7 p.m.
Last season: Solon 52, South Tama 0
Player to watch: South Tama senior quarterback Cody Blocker (5-10, 170) has completed 53 percent of his passes while throwing for 348 yards and has also rushed for a team-high 450 yards and three touchdowns.
Key stat: Solon senior tailback Eddie Johnson needs 15 yards rushing on Friday to break the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
About the Trojans: South Tama is seeking to avoid a second consecutive winless season after dropping a to 0-8 with a 56-26 loss to Benton Community last week.
The Trojans are averaging 191 total yards and 12.8 points per game while posting 4.4 yards per play.
Senior quarterback Cody Blocker leads the offense while sophomore Eric Medina (6-0, 200) has rushed for 239 yards and four touchdowns and caught nine passes for 154 yards.
Sophomore Michael Henry (5-11, 175) has rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns and junior Nick Upah (6-1, 180) has 11 receptions for 105 yards.
Defensively South Tama is allowing 40.6 points and 343 total yards per game while surrendering 7.4 yards per play.
Sophomore Kyle Youngbear (5-10, 200) leads the South Tama defense with 59.5 tackles including a sack and Upah has 55 stops with a sack.
Marcus Bear (5-10, 185) has 44 tackles and leads the Trojans with five tackles for loss and three sacks.
About the Spartans: Solon stopped a two-game losing skid by scoring a season-high 61 points in a 42-point win over Fairfield last week.
The Spartans will look to close out the regular season on a high note while locking up a spot in the 3A playoffs.
Led by senior quarterback Ty Bell the Solon offense is averaging 32.1 points and 381 total yards per game and is averaging 6.7 yards per play.
Bell has completed 66 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,359 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Sophomore Maddox Kelley has a team-high 39 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns and Karsyn Regennitter has caught 24 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior tailback Eddie Johnson leads Solon with 985 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns and has caught eight passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Solon is holding opponents to 273 total yards and 14.8 points per game while giving up 4.9 yards per play.
Kelley leads the team with 42.5 tackles while junior Tripp Johnson has 33 tackles with 4.5 for loss and Oliver Owens and Kyler Jensen each have six tackles for loss.
West Branch (2-6) at Sigourney/Keota (7-1)
Where: Sigourney, 7 p.m.
Last season: Did not play
Player to watch: Sigourney/Keota senior Isaac Bruns (6-0, 190) has rushed for 1,285 yards and 21 touchdowns and has also caught five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Key stat: Sigourney/Keota has run the ball on nearly 91 percent of its offensive snaps this season rushing 327 times and throwing 33 passes.
About the Bears: West Branch lost its final four games of the regular season but earned the fourth spot in Class 1A, District 5 to reach the postseason for the 17th consecutive season.
The Bears enter the postseason averaging 17.9 points and 232 total yards per game while producing 4.8 yards per play.
Junior Cooper Gates has rushed for a team-high 492 yards and five touchdowns and Keaton Gates has added 113 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
Conner Capper has been the top receiving threat with 24 receptions for 212 yards and Brandon Pedersen has caught 13 passes for 245 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively West Branch is allowing 27.9 points and 301 total yards per game and surrendering 5.8 yards per play.
Gates leads the team with 47.5 tackles with 10.5 for loss and seven sacks and Capper has 41.5 tackles with 5.5 for loss.
Senior Tate Frantz has 36 tackles with 9.5 for loss and Lincoln Naber has 31 tackles with seven for loss and 3.5 sacks.
About the Cobras: Sigourney/Keota won seven consecutive games following a season-opening loss to 2A unbeaten PCM on its way to winning the Class 1A, District 6 title.
The Cobras need an opening-round win to post a sixth consecutive season with at least eight victories.
Behind its run-heavy offense the Cobras are averaging an impressive 41.8 points and 377 total yards per game while averaging 8.4 yards per play.
Sigourney/Keota does most of its damage on the ground, rushing for 313 yards per game while averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Senior Isaac Bruns leads the team in rushing but four players have at least 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Junior Brayden Wood (6-0, 181) has completed 15-of-24 passes for 343 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 229 yards and four touchdowns.
Brady Clark (5-7, 151) has rushed for 317 yards and two touchdowns and Ike Molyneux (5-9, 181) has rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively Sigourney/Keota is allowing just 16.9 points and 250 total yards per game while giving up 5.7 yards per play.
The Cobras have been tough against the run allowing just 76 rushing yards per game and holding teams to 3.3 yards per carry.
Sigourney/Keota has forced 15 turnovers in eight games and is led by senior Ashton Schwab (5-11, 180) who has 29 tackles with 5.5 for loss.
Regina (7-1) at Pleasantville (6-2)
Where: Pleasantville, 7 p.m.
Last season: Did not play
Player to watch: Pleasantville sophomore quarterback Braylon Bingham (6-2, 180) has completed 55 percent of his passes (91-of-165) while throwing for 1,570 yards and 21 touchdowns with six interceptions and has rushed for 275 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.
Key stat: Pleasantville has a yard per play differential of +2, holding opponents to 5.2 yards per play defensively while averaging 7.2 yards per play on offense.
About the Regals: Regina bounced back from a loss at Dyersville Beckman in week seven with a 20-8 win over Wilton in the regular season finale.
The Regals finished in a three-way tie with Wilton and Beckman in 1A, District 5 but finished third via the tie-breaker scenario.
Regina has been solid defensively all season holding five of eight opponents to 17 points or fewer.
The Regals are allowing 16.6 points and 218 total yards per game while giving p just 4.3 yards per play.
Will Aitchison leads the Regals with 47.5 tackles including three for loss while Spencer Winders has 39.5 tackles.
Edwin Gangba has 35 tackles and senior Leren Fernandez has a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss.
Offensively Regina enters the postseason averaging 29.3 points and 367 total yards per game and 6.8 yards per play.
Junior quarterback Kyle Tracy has completed 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,441 yards and 16 touchdowns and has rushed for 477 yards and six touchdowns.
Sophomore Savion Miller has rushed for 677 yards and five touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 172 yards.
Tate Wallace has been the top target in the pass game with 37 receptions for 573 yards and six touchdowns.
About the Trojans: Pleasantville is making its fifth consecutive playoff appearance after a runner-up finish in Class 1A, District 6.
The six wins this season are the most for Pleasantville since it finished 8-3 in 2017.
Sophomore quarterback Braylon Bingham directs a Trojan offense that is averaging 33.7 points and 342 total yards per game.
Sophomore JJ Phillips (5-9, 160) has rushed for 465 yards and five touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior Owen Rule (5-9, 175) has added 303 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Sophomore Brayden Kennedy (5-11, 190) has been the top receiving target with 27 receptions for 532 yards and seven touchdowns and junior Logan Roff (5-10, 165) has caught 20 passes for 385 yards and eight touchdowns.
Pleasantville is allowing 20.3 points and 255 total yards per game while holding opponents to 151 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry.
Sophomore Zane Mullenix (5-8, 175) leads the team with 42.5 tackles including nine for loss while Bingham has 38 tackles and a team-high five interceptions.
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