Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matt Hughes era officially opened at West Branch with a win.

Win one for Hughes was a 35-21 victory over River Valley Conference rival West Liberty at the Little Rose Bowl on Friday and it came in impressive, smash-mouth style.

West Branch rolled up 372 rushing yards and scored all five touchdowns on the ground as it won it season opener for the first time since 2023.

The 372 rushing yards and five touchdowns were the most for West Branch since the Bears ran for 398 yards and five scores in a 35-20 win over Pleasantville in the opening round of the 2023 postseason.

Four different Bears scored a rushing touchdown on Friday as West Branch pulled away for a 14-point win.

Junior tailback Keaton Gates rushed for 274 yards and two touchdowns scoring on touchdown runs of 31 and 7 yards.

The 274 yards were a career-high for Gates who rushed for a total of 165 yards and a touchdown last season as a sophomore.

Senior Cooper Gates rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown and senior quarterback Nolan Staker added 23 yards and a touchdown.

Brennen Dale added a 12-yard touchdown run.

News and Notes

A two-pointer for 1-0: Liberty High used a late two-point conversion to down Cedar Falls 15-14 in its season opener.

Senior quarterback Reece Rettig connected with sophomore Leo Rozz for the go-ahead two-point conversion following a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Schroeder with 1:01 remaining.

Dating back to last season Liberty High is now 6-1 in games decided by eight points or less.

A Blanking in the Boot: West High snapped a four-game losing streak in the Battle for the Boot with a 30-0 win over City High on Friday at Bates Field.

The Trojans did it with defense, posting its first shutout in the Boot series since a 44-0 win in 2012 while holding the Little Hawks to 207 total yards and 4.1 yards per play.

“We prepared really well for them,” West High senior defensive back Ethan Headings said. “We were prepared and I feel like we came out ready and dominated their offense.”

Sophomore defensive linemen Ashten Holmes and Cooper Prochaska had sacks in the West High shutout and senior defensive back Henry Elser had an interception to stop a Little Hawk drive.

It was the first shutout for West High since a 44-0 win at Cedar Rapids Jefferson on September 28 of 2023.

“They just did their jobs and that is all we can ask of them,” West High coach Garrett Hartwig said of his defense. “They are talented kids.”

Boot Bounce Back: The 30-0 West High win on Friday came after a 40-39 loss to the Little Hawks last season at Trojan Stadium

Last year’s thriller ended with West High place kicker Adam Salem missing on a potential game-winning field goal.

How about this bounce back for Salem in his final Boot game.

Salem connected on all three of his field goal attempts, including a 33-yarder to help West High snap its skid in the series.

The senior kick opened the scoring with a 25 yard field goal and added another 25 yarder as time expired in the first half to give West High a 13-0 halftime lead.

Regina’s Revenge: Regina had its season end with a 21-14 loss to Wilton in the Class 1A quarterfinals last fall.

The Regals didn’t have to wait long for a measure of revenge.

Regina outscored Wilton 21-0 in the fourth quarter to break open a one-point game on its way to a 42-20 win over the Bears in Wilton in the season opener for both teams.

The Regals rushed for 233 yards and five touchdowns in the win as Savion Miller, Aaron Honore and Gabe Hegelheimer all had rushing touchdowns.

Clippers Clicking: Clear Creek Amana had everything rolling early as the Clippers jumped out to a 35-0 first-quarter lead in a 63-0 win over Davenport West.

Five different Clippers has rushing touchdowns as Clear Creek Amana rolled up 328 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

The 328 rushing yards were the most for the Clippers since running for 371 in a 28-21 win over Oskaloosa on September 22, 2023.

Texton Bollers rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown, Noah Collis ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns and Conlan Poynton ran for 82 and two touchdowns.

Players of the Week

Offensive player of the week: West Branch junior Keaton Gates rushed for a career-high 274 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 win over West Liberty.

Defensive player of the week: Give it to the entire West High defense highlighted by seniors Jackson Law and Julian Manson who combined for 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in a 30-0 shutout of City High.

Special teams player of the week: Clear Creek Amana senior Ethan Vice averaged 39.7 yards per return on three punt returns including a 79-yard return for a touchdown in a 63-0 win over Davenport West.

Helmet stickers

Offense: Solon senior quarterback Eli Kampman completed 15-of-25 passes for 272 yards and five touchdowns and also rushed for 36 yards in a 36-13 win over Davenport Assumption.

Offense: Regina junior tailback Savion Miller rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-20 win over Wilton.

Offense: Solon junior Kaden Hoeper had five receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns and also had 1.5 tackles and an interception in a 36-13 win over Davenport Assumption.

Defense: Clear Creek Amana junior defensive lineman Teagan Heisdorffer had four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in a 63-0 win over Davenport West.

Defense: West Branch senior defensive back Griffin Seydel had 2.5 tackles, including two solo stops, and intercepted two passes in a 35-21 win over West Liberty.

Defense: Liberty High senior linebacker Landon Bell had 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in a 15-14 win over Cedar Falls.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating