Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

A week two trip to Dubuque Hempstead presented all the opportunities for a let down for West High.

The Trojans were coming off an emotional win over cross-town rival City High in week one.

West High had to deal with its first road trip of the season that featured a lengthy weather delay.

None of it could slow down the Trojans.

West High rattled off 46 unanswered points over the final three quarters on its way to a 53-7 over Dubuque Hempstead at Dalzell Field in Dubuque.

West High racked up 650 yards of total offense while averaging 11.8 yards per play in the win while improving to 2-0 for the second consecutive season.

The Trojans snapped a 7-7 first-quarter tie with a 28 yard field goal by Jadon Vanderpuye before rattling off three second-quarter touchdowns to take a 32-7 halftime lead.

Senior quarterback Reece Wheeler accounted for 327 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in the win.

Wheeler completed 10-of-13 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Neil James caught three passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns and Tayten Wheeler had three receptions for 45 yards while Cade Towler caught two passes for 39 yards.

West High limited Dubuque Hempstead to just 58 rushing yards and 188 total yards in the win.

News and Notes

City High Bounces Back: City High wasted no time getting back on track following its 30-29 week-one loss at West High.

The Little Hawks rolled up 514 yards of offense and rolled to a 49-21 win over Bettendorf (1-1) in its home opener at Bates Field.

Senior quarterback Jackson Grabinski completed 12-of-13 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown and ran for 55 yards and two scores and junior Chris Kabaiza threw for 84 yards and two touchdowns as the Little Hawks averaged 7.5 yards per play.

Chayse Newton caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown and Arrow Westerdahl and Wyatt Byrd each had touchdown receptions.

Solon shutout: Another game, another dominating defensive performance by Solon.

The Spartans held Williamsburg (1-1) to 97 yards of total offense and just 2.5 yards per play while posting its first shutout of the season in a 42-0 win over the Raiders.

The shutout was the fourth in the last 10 games for Solon dating back to last season and marked the eighth time in the past 10 games the Spartans have held their opponent under seven points.

Savion’s Strong Start: City High senior running back Savion Miller continued his stellar start to the season with his second consecutive 100-yard game.

Miller rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown and added five receptions for 70 yards in the 49-21 win over Bettendorf.

Two games into the season Miller leads Class 5A with five rushing touchdowns and ranks third in 5A with 294 rushing yards.

Miller has also caught six passes for 78 yards .

West High revs up run game: After rushing for 91 yards against City High in a season-opening win West High shifted its run game into high gear against Dubuque Hempstead. West High rushed for 385 while averaging 9.4 yards per carry in a 53-7 win over the Mustangs in Dubuque.

The 385 rushing yards were the most for West High since it rolled up 467 yards on the ground in a 53-7 win over Cedar Rapids Washington on October 6 of 2023. Junior Atari Brown and senior Nazareth Shaw each posted the first 100-yard games of their careers on Friday. Brown rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown and Shaw added 112 yards on nine carries. Senior Reece Wheeler added 74 yards and three touchdowns and junior Rowan Harris rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Players of the Week

Offensive player of the week: City High senior quarterback Jackson Grabinski accounted for 238 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to lead the Little Hawks to a 49-21 win over Bettendorf. Grabinski completed 12-of-13 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Defensive player of the week: West High senior linebacker Moses DeWaard had a huge game in a 53-7 road win at Dubuque Hempstead. DeWaard had a team-high eight tackles including seven solo stops and three tackles for loss and added an interception.

Special teams player of the week: West Branch junior Jonah Drake returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and had a 27-yard punt return in a 38-17 win over Davenport North.

Helmet stickers

Offense: West High senior quarterback Reece Wheeler completed 10-of-13 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns in a 53-7 win at Dubuque Hempstead.

Offense: Solon senior wide receiver Kaden Hoeper caught four passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Williamsburg.

Offense: Clear Creek Amana senior Ian Kelley rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns and also had 4.5 tackles with a tackle for loss in a 38-17 win over Davenport North.

Offense: West Branch freshman receiver Thomas Pedersen had four receptions for 95 yards including a 77-yard touchdown catch in a 49-6 loss to Regina.

Defense: Regina senior Roan Eckhoff had five tackles with four solo stops, three tackles for loss and a sack in a 49-6 win over West Branch.

Defense: City High junior linebacker Tremaine Flowers recorded a tackle for loss and recovered two fumbles in a 49-21 win over Bettendorf.

Defense: West High senior defensive end Jack McLaskey had four tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in a 53-7 win at Dubuque Hempstead.

Defense: Liberty High sophomore linebacker Carter Lester had a team-high 10 tackles, with six solos, 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack in a 21-14 loss to Southeast Polk.

Special teams: Regina junior Ryan Tracy returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in a 49-6 win over West Branch.

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