Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The 2024 football season is nearing the finish line.

The season will conclude on Friday with the final state championships games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

It was an incredible season in the Your Prep Sports area with all seven area teams advancing to the playoffs highlighted by Liberty High reaching the Class 5A semifinals.

Before the season comes to an end we take a look back at some of the best plays, performances, games and moments from the 2024 season as well as handing out some individual awards.

Best individual offensive performance: West High senior Jack Wallace against Pleasant Valley. A four-year starter, Wallace came up with the best game of his career when the Trojans needed it most completing 21-of-26 passes for 373 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 66 yards and two touchdowns as West High cemented a playoff spot with a 49-35 win over the Spartans.

Best individual offensive performance part 2: Clear Creek Amana junior Conlan Poynton against Oskaloosa. Poynton had a season filled with big games but the junior quarterback was all the offense the Clippers needed in a 32-13 win over Oskaloosa. Poynton accounted for five touchdowns, four rushing and one passing and finished with 132 passing yards and 102 rushing yards in the win.

Best individual defensive performance: Solon junior Kyler Jensen against Benton Community. Jensen was all over the field in a 34-27 playoff win over the Bobcats making a career-high 16.5 tackles including 14 solo stops. The junior linebacker had two tackles for loss, including a fourth-quarter sack and blocked a field goal in the opening-round playoff win.

Best individual defensive performance part 2: West Branch junior Cooper Gates against Regina. Few players single-handedly affected a game on defense the way Gates did in the Bears’ 28-10 loss at Regina. Gates had 3.5 sacks among his five tackles for loss and finished with 9.5 tackles including six solo stops.

Best individual overall performance: Liberty High senior Dallas Miller against Southeast Polk. On the state’s biggest stage Miller turned in an all-time performance in a 38-35 loss to the Rams in the Class 5A semifinals at the UNI-Dome. Miller caught eight passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for seven yards and threw a 49-yard touchdown pass. On defense Miller had 1.5 tackles and an interception and returned four kickoffs for a total of 75 yards.

Best individual overall performance part 2: Clear Creek Amana senior Owen Rosenberg against Cedar Rapids Xavier. Rosenberg made huge plays in all three phases of the game to help Clear Creek Amana to a 28-24 road win over the Saints. Rosenberg had 10 receptions for 121 yards on offense and averaged 37 yards on two kickoff returns. On defense Rosenberg had two interceptions including the game-clincher inside the five yard line.

Best individual overall performance part 3: West High junior Julian Manson against Bettendorf. In a season filled with outstanding performances Manson was never better than he was in a 21-16 win over Bettendorf in the opening round of the 5A playoffs. Manson caught four passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns and made a team-high 13.5 tackles including a tackle for loss.

Best individual clutch performance: West Branch junior Nolan Staker against Sigourney-Keota. The third quarterback to start a game for the Bears this season Stake came up huge in a stunning opening-round upset at Sigourney-Keota. Staker completed 9-of-14 passes for 228 yards and five touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown in a 41-33 win.

Best individual breakthrough performance: City High sophomore Dawson Kahl against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Kahl had 24 carries for 117 yards through the first four games of the season but his breakout game came in a week-five win at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The sophomore tailback rushed for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries in a 43-42 win over the Cougars.

Best backup performance: City High senior Gabe Egeland against Davenport North. Egeland is not a prototypical ‘backup’ as the senior got carries all season while rushing for 693 yards and nine touchdowns. However, when Egeland needed to step in as the lead back against the Wildcats he responded – rushing for 274 yards and five touchdowns on 32 carries and catching two passes for 22 yards in a 56-27 win.

Best play call: Regina against West Branch. Trailing 10-7 with under a minute remaining in the first half Regina dug into its bag of tricks with the ‘sprawl’ play in which all five linemen dove to the ground at the snap. Quarterback Kyle Tracy threw a backwards pass to receiver Drew Greve who then threw back to Tracy with blockers in front. The result was a 43-yard touchdown pass that gave Regina a 14-10 halftime lead and started a string of 21 unanswered points in a 28-10 Regal win.

Best play call part 2: Liberty High against Southeast Polk. Call it the sprawl part two. Trailing Southeast Polk 38-28 and facing fourth-and-16 Liberty High ran nearly the exact play that worked for Regina. The result was the same as well as quarterback Reece Rettig caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from receiver Dallas Miller.

Best individual offensive play: City High senior Bobby Bacon against Ankeny Centennial. If you haven’t seen the 36-yard touchdown pass from Bacon to Dominic Salibi in an opening-round playoff loss to Ankeny Centennial – find it. Bacon avoided a sack in the back field, rolled back across the field and on the run threw a pass 45 yards to Salibi perfectly placed between a pair of defenders. (Bacon’s second touchdown of the game, a 12-yarder to Parker Sutherland from the left hash to the right side of the endzone, was almost as impressive).

Best individual defensive play: Owen Rosenberg against North Scott. Rosenberg ranked second in the state this season with eight interceptions including one he returned 90 yards for a touchdown against Marion. However, the best defensive play by Rosenberg was his first-quarter pick against North Scott. Rosenberg closed the ground on a North Scott receiver, turned his head in time to find the ball and timed his jump to perfection before wrestling the ball away from the receiver in the end zone.

Best individual special teams play: West Branch junior Reese Gingerich against Durant. The junior place kicker broke a more than 20-year-old school record with a 49-yard field goal against the Wildcats. The previous West Branch record for longest field goal of 48 yards was set by Josh Griebahn in 2002.

Biggest individual offensive play: Parker Sutherland against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The catch itself was spectacular as the 6-foot-6 Sutherland went up and over three defenders to snag the go-head two-point conversion pass from Bobby Bacon and got both feet down in the corner of the end zone. The significance of the reception that resulted in a 43-42 win and made City High 4-2 on the season was even bigger as the Little Hawks won their next two games and advanced to the 5A playoffs.

Biggest individual defensive play: Logan Laubenthal against Cedar Falls. Laubenthal had a couple of huge interceptions for the Lightning this season including one that closed out a regular season win over Ankeny. His fourth-quarter pick against the Tigers totally changed the momentum of a game that Liberty High went on to win 49-42, a victory that started an eight-game Liberty High winning streak that sent the Lightning to the 5A semifinals.

Biggest individual special teams play: Brandon Pedersen against Sigourney-Keota. West Branch fell into a 14-0 hole in its first-round playoff game but Pedersen swung the momentum with a 92-yard kick off return for a touchdown right down the center of the field providing the spark in a 41-33 Bear upset.

Best team offensive performance: Liberty High against West High. There are a lot of games that could fit into this category but it’s hard to get past what the Lightning did offensively in the season opener with a first-year head coach and new starting quarterback. Liberty High put up 565 yards and 56 points while averaging 8.6 yards per play against 5A quarterfinalist West High.

Best team defensive performance: Clear Creek Amana against Benton Community. After allowing 42 and 47 points in back-to-back losses to Solon and Williamsburg the Clipper defense came up with its best performance of the season in a 21-10 road win at Benton. Clear Creek Amana held a Bobcat offense that averaged 30.4 points and 231 rushing yards per game on the season to 229 total yards and a season-low point total while racking up four sacks and nine tackles for loss and forced four turnovers.

Best comeback: Clear Creek Amana against Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Clippers rallied twice, from down 17-7 at the half and then from down 24-21 with 3:42 remaining, taking the lead for good on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Conlan Poynton to Cale Berry with 62 seconds remaining.

Biggest win: Clear Creek Amana over Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Clippers kept their playoff hopes alive and made a statement in the process with a 24-21 win over Cedar Rapids Xavier. Clear Creek Amana had been outscored 148-21 in its previous four matchups with the Saints but outscored Xavier 21-7 in the second half to erase a 10-point halftime deficit.

Best game: City High against West High. What else would it be but the annual Battle for the Boot? City High converted the go-ahead two-point conversion with 22 seconds remaining and West High had a chance to win the game 20 seconds later but had a 32-yard field goal fall short in a wild 40-39 City High win at Trojan Field. The two teams combined for 878 total yards, 44 first downs and one punt in a game that went back-and-forth from the opening kick.

Biggest upset: West Branch over Sigourney-Keota. One of the biggest postseason stunners in recent history saw fourth-seeded West Branch, which had lost four in a row to end the regular season, outscore one seed Sigourney Keota 20-6 in the second half on its way to a 41-33 win in the opening-round of the playoffs.

Best finish: City High against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. For the second week in a row City High scored a touchdown with under a minute to play and went for a two-point conversion and the win rather than a PAT and the tie. Parker Sutherland hauled in the two-point conversion pass from Bobby Bacon with 25 seconds remaining as City High overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 43-42.

Best drive: Liberty High against Cedar Falls. After watching a 14-point fourth-quarter lead disappear Liberty High responded with one of its best and most efficient drives of a season filled with efficient drives. The Lightning needed eight plays and 81 seconds to go 80 yards with the winning touchdown coming on a 7-yard touchdown run by Reece Rettig with 20 seconds remaining in a 49-42 win over the Tigers.

Breakthrough offensive performer: Regina junior Kyle Tracy. Tracy flourished in his first season leading the Regina offense establishing himself as one of the most productive dual threat quarterbacks in the state. Tracy passed for 1,901 yards and 19 touchdowns, rushed for 751 yards and nine more touchdowns and caught a 43-yard touchdown pass.

Breakthrough defensive performer: West High junior Julian Manson. A starter as a sophomore last season Manson made the move to linebacker this fall and simply took his game to another level. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Manson nearly tripled his tackle total from a year ago, making a team-high 86.5 stops including 34 solos. Manson also had a major breakthrough on offense where he caught 52 passes for 867 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Most improved offensive player: Solon senior Tyler Bell. Last season Bell made major strides from the first game to the last game and the improvement continued for the senior quarterback this fall. Bell passed for a career-highs of 1,831 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Most improved defensive player: Regina senior Spencer Winders. After making an impact with his special teams play last season Winders developed into a key member of the Regina secondary this fall and ranked second on the team with 57 tackles and 42 solo stops to go with a fumble recovery.

Most versatile: West Branch senior Connor Rios. There were a lot of area players asked to fill multiple roles for their teams this season. Few players boast a stat line as unique as Rios who started games at quarterback, receiver and defensive back. Rios passed for 676 yards and four touchdowns, rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. The senior also had 17 tackles and recovered a fumble and returned a kickoff.

Most consistent: Regina senior Will Aitchison. Few players were asked to do more for their team than Aitchison and even fewer consistently delivered like the Regina two-way standout. Aitchison caught 31 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns, led Regina with 66 tackles including 49 solo stops and four for loss, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble.

Coach of the year: Scott Chandler. In his first season as head coach Chandler directed Liberty High to the best season in program history. Liberty High won a program-record 10 games, advanced to the 5A playoffs for the first time and made its state semifinal debut.

Offensive newcomer of the year: Liberty High junior Reece Rettig. Among the most pressing questions for Liberty High entering the season was how to replace the production of graduated quarterback Graham Beckman. Rettig answered those questions quickly. Rettig completed a stagger 73 percent of his passes (185-of-253) while throwing for 2,719 yards and 32 touchdowns with just three interceptions and rushed for 482 yards and six touchdowns in his first season behind center.

Defensive newcomer of the year: Solon sophomore Maddox Kelley. In his first varsity season Kelley had an immediate impact ranking second on the team in tackles and leading the Spartans with four interceptions from his defensive back spot. Kelley had 50 tackles, including 38 solo stops, picked off four passes and recovered two fumbles.

Unsung hero: Regina senior Matt Colony. It is easy to overlook the play of lineman and few lineman in the area were more vital to their team’s success than Colony who was a standout on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Regals. Colony ranked fourth on the team with 41 tackles including eight for loss and 4.5 sacks and was an anchor on a Regal offensive line that helped Regina average 333 total yards and 26.3 points per game.

Freshman of the year: City High’s Marshall Sheldon. To say that Sheldon hit the ground running in his debut season would be a massive understatement. In his first varsity game the 6-foot, 173-pound linebacker had a team-high 9.5 tackles including seven solo stops and lever let up leading City High with 69 tackles on the season including 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Biggest under the radar impact: Liberty High senior Owen Drapeaux. Much of the praise for a dynamic Liberty High offense was heaped on the likes of quarterback Reece Rettig and explosive receivers Sutton Koller and Dallas Miller and with good reason. However, the impact Drapeaux had on both sides of the ball was a huge key during the Bolts breakthrough season. Drapeaux rushed for a team-high 910 yards and 14 touchdowns and ranked fourth on the team with 44 tackles including six for loss and two sacks.

Comeback player of the year: Solon sophomore Lucas Feuerbach. An injury cut short a promising debut season for Feuerbach who started two games as a freshman. As a sophomore the two-way lineman showed his impressive potential ranking sixth on the team with 28.5 tackles including 22 solo stops with five tackles for loss.

Lineman of the year: City High senior Tyler Rindels. Following an 0-2 start to the season City High found its footing behind an offensive line led by Rindels. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Northern Illinois recruit led a City High offensive line that emerged as one of the best in the state and helped the Little Hawks average 256 rushing yards per game over the final eight games.

Offensive MVP: West High senior Jack Wallace. In his fourth season leading the West High offense Wallace was incredible, leading the state in passing yards and finishing fourth in passing touchdowns while directing the Trojans to a 6-5 record and a spot in the 5A quarterfinals. Wallace completed 71 percent of his passes (182-of-258) while throwing for 2,792 yards and 33 touchdowns with just four interceptions and also rushed for 428 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensive MVP: Liberty High senior Sutton Koller. The improvement of the Liberty High defense played a huge role in the postseason run for the Lightning and Koller was right in the middle of that late-season defensive surge. The senior safety led Liberty High in tackles in four of his final seven games including each of the final two contests. An impact player on offense (1,388 total yards and 18 touchdowns) Koller was perhaps even more instrumental on defense where he led Liberty High in total tackles (76.5) and solo stops (48) and ranked second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and had two interceptions.

Most Valuable Player: Liberty High senior Dallas Miller. This award could easily go to Koller or the two teammates could share but any way you look at it the senior two-way standouts were at the center of the best season in program history. Like Koller, Miller was huge on both sides of the ball for the Lightning. Miller ranked fifth in the state with 1,078 receiving yards on 65 receptions and caught 10 touchdown passes, rushed 121 yards and passed for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Miller averaged 23.7 yards per return on 19 kickoff returns and 17.6 yards on five punt returns. On defense Miller had 26 tackles and tied for the team lead with four interceptions.

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