Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

City High (0-0) at West High (0-0)

Where: Trojan Stadium, 7 p.m.

Last season: West High 30, City High 0

City High player to watch: Junior linebacker Marshall Sheldon (6-1, 195) is the heart and soul of the City High defense and has been among the most productive players at his position in the state over the past two seasons. Sheldon has racked up 143.5 tackles in his first two varsity seasons and is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he led the Little Hawks with 19 tackles for loss.

West High player to watch: Senior quarterback Reece Wheeler (6-0, 175) is back to lead the West High offense after ranking fourth in Class 5A last season in both passing yards and touchdown passes. Wheeler completed 61 percent of his passes (122-of-201) last season while throwing for 2,280 yards and 22 touchdowns with just five interceptions and also rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns.

Key stat: West High nearly doubled up City High in rushing production in a 30-0 win over the Little Hawks last season running for 243 yards and three touchdowns while limiting City High to 123 rushing yards.

About the Trojans: West High is coming off an 8-3 season that included a trip to the Class 5A quarterfinals.

The Trojans return 11 starters from last year’s quarterfinal team that posted the highest win total since 2019.

Four starters return on the West High offensive line led by junior Iowa commit James Barnett (6-2, 275). Seniors Jordi Zioka (6-1, 305) and Lucas Benitez (5-9, 260) and junior Alex Sterba (5-11, 225) also return up front for the Trojans.

Wheeler leads the West High offense after accounting for nearly 2,500 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns last season.

Senior Cade Towler (5-11, 170) is the top returning target for Wheeler after catching 11 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown last season.

On defense West High returns six of its top 12 tacklers from last season but must replace its top four tacklers.

Senior defensive backs AJ Hodge (6-1, 175) and Neil James (6-2, 180) combined for 48.5 tackles last season while senior defensive linemen Kingstone Ross (5-11, 210) and Graham Towler (5-11, 190) combined for 43.5 tackles and nine tackles for loss.

About the Little Hawks: City High had a string of four consecutive winning seasons snapped with a 2-7 performance last fall.

The Little Hawks are seeking a big-time bounce back this fall with 11 returning starters back and the addition of several key newcomers.

Transfer quarterback Jackson Grabinski (6-0, 205) takes over the offense while Regina transfer all-stater Savion Miller (5-10, 200) joins the backfield after rushing for more than 1,000 yards last season.

City High returns its top receiver from last season in senior Chayse Newton (5-8, 160) who caught 60 passes for 728 yards and six touchdown last season.

The Little Hawks return a pair of big pieces up front in tackles Preston Mensah (6-4, 300) and junior Lucas Goodrich (6-5, 280) who join senior center Toby Friday (5-8, 195) as experienced pieces on the offensive line.

Sheldon returns to lead the City High defense from his inside linebacker spot along with junior Seth Barnett (5-10, 195) who had 21.5 tackles with 6.5 for loss last season.

Junior Lawrence Jones (5-10, 262) returns on the defensive line after making 5.5 tackles for loss and junior Coden Kurtz (5-11, 180) and senior Shepherd Stanton (6-2, 170) are back in the secondary after combining for 30.5 tackles.

Liberty High (0-0) at Cedar Falls (0-0)

Where: Cedar Falls Stadium ,7 p.m.

Last season: Liberty High 15, Cedar Falls 14

Player to watch: Cedar Falls senior defensive end Izzah Grandon (6-2, 211) is among the best in the state at his position. Grandon ranked second on the team with 64.5 tackles including a team-high 21.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks and forced three fumbles last season.

Key stat: The 15 points for Liberty High in a season-opening win over Cedar Falls last season were the fewest points for the Lightning in a win since a 7-3 victory at Cedar Rapids Jefferson on September 3 of 2020.

About the Tigers: Cedar Falls went 7-3 last season falling to West High in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs.

The Tigers were among the best defensive teams in 5A a year ago allowing 16.7 points per game and return three of their top six tacklers from that defense.

Senior defensive lineman Izzah Grandon leads the way after making 64.5 tackles last season while senior linebacker Brady Kies (5-11, 195) ranked third on the team with 61.5 tackles including seven for loss and had two interceptions and senior defensive back Will Fever (5-11, 160) had 35 tackles a year ago.

The Tigers held five opponents to 15 points or less and allowed more than 21 points just one time last season.

Cedar Falls must replace its starting quarterback, top rusher and top receiver from a year ago but returns junior Carsen Gary (6-1, 188) who rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns and ranked second on the team with 28 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.

About the Lightning: Liberty High is 21-4 over the past two seasons and has made back-to-back state semifinal appearances following an 11-1 season a year ago that ended with a 5A runner-up finish.

The Lightning return 10 starters from last year’s runner-up team that posted the most wins in program history.

Five of the top seven tacklers return from a Liberty High defense that held opponents to 267 total yards and 19.4 points per game in 2025.

Senior linebackers Alex Strunk (5-11, 185) and Eric Strunk (5-11, 185) each return along with senior defensive back Adrian Clerry (5-10, 170) and junior Cooper Lester (6-1, 188) and senior defensive lineman Cash Hennings (6-2, 190).
Alex Strunk ranked second on the team with 52.5 tackles last season while Eric Strunk had 32.5 tackles and the two tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks.

Clerry had 28 tackles and two interceptions, Hennings had 26.5 tackles with six for loss and Lester had 24 tackles.

Senior quarterback Emerson Berner (6-2, 185) leads a Liberty High offense that returns four of its top five receivers in senior Pryor Reiners, Clerry and seniors Brody Beaver and Leo Rozz.

Reiners caught 55 passes for 631 yards and seven touchdowns last season, Clerry had 40 receptions for 357 yards and four touchdowns and Rozz caught 28 passes for 299 yards and three scores.

Beaver had 30 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 648 yards and six touchdowns.

Solon (0-0) at Davenport Assumption (0-1)

Where: Jack and Pat Bush Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Solon 36, Davenport Assumption 13

Player to watch: Davenport Assumption senior quarterback Luke Jobgen (6-1, 180) completed 59 percent of his passes last season (48-of-81) while throwing for 528 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for a team-leading 737 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Key stat: Solon averaged 7.9 yards per play and had touchdowns of 73 and 80 yards in a 36-13 win over Davenport Assumption last season.

About the Spartans: Solon is coming off an 11-1 season that ended with a 29-10 loss to eventual 3A state champion Nevada in the state semifinals.

The Spartans return 11 starters from last year’s state semifinal squad including its top five receivers and three of its top five tacklers.

Senior Maddox Kelley (5-10, 185) takes over at quarterback after earning all-state honors as a receiver last season when he led Solon with 50 receptions for 702 yards and 14 touchdowns and also rushed for 371 yards and 12 scores.

Seniors Kaden Hoeper (6-2, 190) and Cody Milliman (6-2, 200) return at receiver along with junior Owen Bock (6-1, 180).

Hoeper caught 42 passes for 691 yards and nine touchdowns last season and also 22.5 tackles and an interception while Milliman caught 35 passes for 516 yards and four touchdowns and had 23.5 tackles and three interceptions.

Bock caught 13 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior defensive lineman Lucas Feuerbach (6-2, 260) returns after ranking third on the team with 53 tackles including 12 for loss and four sacks last season.

Senior defensive end James Thomsen (6-3, 230) had 39 tackles with a team-high 12.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks and Simon Einwalter had 25.5 tackles with 12 for loss.

About the Knights: Davenport Assumption went 5-4 a year ago and opened the 2026 season with a 16-13 loss to Geneseo (Illinois) last Friday.

Last season the Knights won five of their final seven games following back-to-back road losses to Solon and Geneseo to open the season with its only two losses in that span coming to 3A playoff qualifiers Dubuque Wahlert and Mount Vernon.

Jobgen returns to lead a Davenport Assumption offense that averaged 32.1 points per game over the final seven games of the season.

Junior Lane Pennington (5-9, 175) rushed for 599 yards and eight touchdowns last season while averaging 6.2 yards per carry and also ranked second on the team with 45 tackles, recovered a fumble and had an interception.

Junior Cale Shovlain (6-1, 160) ranked fifth on the team with 25.5 tackles a year ago and had an interception.

In the season-opening loss to Geneseo, Pennington rushed for 69 yards and had a team-high 8.5 tackles and Shovlain had seven tackles and returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown.

Clear Creek Amana (0-0) at Davenport West (0-0)

Where: Brady Street Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Clear Creek Amana 63, Davenport West 0

Player to watch: Davenport West senior linebacker Easton Smith (5-8, 180) led the Falcons with 83.5 tackles last season including 6.5 for loss and recovered a fumble.

Key stat: The five losses for Clear Creek Amana last season came to opponents with a combined 44-13 record.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana is seeking a postseason return after missing the 4A postseason last season following a 4-5 campaign that featured three losses to state semifinalists.

The Clippers return 11 starters from last year’s squad a list that includes junior quarterback Texton Bollers (6-2, 180), two of their top running backs last season in seniors Noah Collis and Ian Kelley, their top pass catcher in senior speedster Tay Seals (5-10, 145) and their second leading tackler in junior linebacker Nolan Dao (6-1, 195).

Bollers takes over the offense after passing for 461 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 259 yards in spot starts last season.

Kelley rushed for 263 yards and Collis added 182 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Seals caught a team-best 27 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns and also averaged 39.7 yards per kick return with two touchdowns.

Dao is back to lead a defense that returns four of its top seven tacklers from last season after making 34 tackles with 4.5 for loss last fall.

Kelley had 26.5 tackles, senior defensive end Joe Vaske (6-2, 196) had 24 tackles with 3.5 for loss and Seals had 21 tackles.

About the Falcons: Davenport West went 0-9 last season and has lost 19 games in a row dating back to 2023.

The Falcons will look to build around a defense that returns four of its top six tacklers from last season.

Smith returns after leading the Falcons in tackles while senior Lucas Workman (6-3, 235) had 48.5 tackles including 1.5 for loss a year ago.

Junior Shonn Bell Jr. had 29 tackles last season and junior Sawyer Williams (6-0, 150) had 19 tackles with 2.5 for loss.

Davenport West must replace its starting quarterback and top two rushers from last season but returns its top two pass catchers in senior Markus Streufert (6-0, 180) and junior Dallas Wakefield IV (6-2, 180).

Streufert had 12 receptions for 127 yards while Wakefield IV had 12 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Wilton (0-0) at Regina (0-0)

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Regina 42, Wilton 20

Player to watch: Wilton senior quarterback Gunner Edwards (5-11, 180) completed 57 percent of his passes last season (162-of-282) while throwing for 1,873 yards and 17 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and also rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns.

Key stat: Regina and Wilton have played seven times over the past five seasons with the Regals going 6-1 in those games while holding the Beavers to an average of 12.4 points per game.

About the Regals: Regina went 12-1 last season falling to West Lyon 34-27 in the Class 1A state title team.

The Regals return 11 starters from last year’s state runner-up squad that averaged 45.7 points and 381 total yards per game.

Regina brings back four starters on the offensive as seniors Simon Shetler (6-0, 235), Porter Shetler (6-0, 235) and Devin Szanajda (6-4, 240) return along with junior Nathan Parizek (6-5, 260).

The Regals must replace their starting quarterback and top rusher but have talent returning that both spots.

Senior two-way standout Tate Wallace (6-4, 240) caught 40 passes for 611 yards last season and junior Gabriel Hegelheimer (6-0, 205) will take on a larger role in the backfield after rushing for 294 yards and six touchdowns last season.

On defense four of the top six tacklers return led by Wallace, a Minnesota recruit who led the Regals with 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last season.

Senior linebacker Luke Hamilton (5-11, 175) led Regina with 55 tackles a year ago while senior linebacker Roan Eckhoff (6-2, 225) had 38.5 tackles and senior defensive end Will Litton (6-6, 225) had 37.5 tackles with 12.5 for loss.

Senior defensive back Kaleb Moeller (6-0, 170) returns after making 24 tackles last season.

About the Beavers: Wilton has posted one of the most successful two-year stretches in program history going 19-5 over the past two seasons with back-to-back state semifinal appearances.

Two seasons ago the Beavers went 10-2 falling to eventual state champion Grundy Center in the 1A semifinals.

Last season Wilton went 9-3 with a loss to eventual 2A state champion Carroll Keumper in the 2A semis.

Wilton is 27-7 over the past three seasons and is seeking another strong campaign this year behind a solid group of returning starters.

Edwards headlines the list of returners that also includes the Beavers top rusher in senior Noah Gray (5-10, 170) and top pass catcher in senior Bryer Putman (6-5, 195) from last season.

Gray rushed for a team-high 98 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught eight passes for 136 yards and a touchdown last season while Putman caught 36 passes for 679 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Five of the top nine tacklers return for Wilton led by senior linebacker Corban Burford (5-10, 200) who ranked third on the team with 52 tackles including six for loss.

Senior Thatcher Murguia (5-10, 185) had 37 tackles with 3.5 for loss and senior Oliver Grings (5-10, 160) added 35 tackles and four interceptions while Gray had 34.5 stops and Putman tied for the team lead with six interceptions.

West Branch (0-0) at West Liberty (0-0)

Where: West Liberty High School, 7 p.m.

Last season: West Branch 35, West Liberty 21

Player to watch: West Liberty senior Briggs Collins (6-3, 170) rushed for a team-leading 494 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and also caught 11 passes for 98 yards and ranked second on the team with 53.5 tackles including four for loss.

Key stat: All six losses for West Liberty last season came to playoff teams that had a combined record of 46-17.

About the Bears: West Branch went 7-3 last season under first-year head coach Matt Hughes falling to Wilton 30-7 in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

The Bears return a pair of starters from last year’s playoff team in senior running back/linebacker Keaton Gates and two-way lineman Shay Kinsinger.

Gates was a second-team all-state selection last season after rushing for 1,289 yards and 13 touchdowns and also fifth on the team with 39 tackles including four for loss.

Kinsinger had 14 tackles last season including two for loss and will anchor a young West Branch offensive line that will also include junior Garrett Tsinger.

About the Comets: West Liberty is coming off a 3-6 season that ended with a 42-8 loss to PCM in the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs.

With a solid group of returning starters that includes junior quarterback Devin Mericle (6-5, 212), Briggs, junior receiver Madden Meek (5-10, 180) and seniors Landon Wainwright (6-2, 175) Enrique Michel-Toribio (5-8, 170) and

Miles McConnaha (6-2, 173) the Comets could be in for a breakthrough season under former Regina coach Jason Dumont.

Mericle completed 58 percent of his passes last season while throwing for 1,661 yards and 9 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Meek ranked third on the team with 23 receptions for 240 yards and two touchdowns last season and also ranked sixth on the team with 27.5 tackles and had two interceptions.

Wainwright led the Comets with 72 tackles last season including four for loss and had two interceptions.

Michel-Toribio ranked third on the team with 53.5 tackles including 5.5 for loss while McConnaha had 31.5 tackles including a team-high six for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Sophomore Pierre Shield (5-11, 145) had 23 tackles and led the Comets with four sacks last season.

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