Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Over the past several seasons West High has done two things as well as nearly any team in Class 4A – win games and pump out ultra-productive wide receivers.

If senior Tate Crane has his way the Trojans will build on both of those traditions this fall.

The senior captain is seeking to give West High a 1,000-yard receiver for the fifth consecutive season as the Trojans seek another deep playoff run after advancing to the Class 4A state quarterfinals or further each of the past three seasons.

“We have had a lot of great players at the receiver spot and a lot of success as a team these last few years,” Crane said. “There are definitely expectations for that spot every year and I want to keep that going, it comes down to showing up every day, working hard and being the best you can.”

West High returns just four starters from last year’s team that went 9-2 and lost to Bettendorf in the quarterfinals though few 4A programs have reloaded better than the Trojans in recent years.

Perhaps no position at West High has been stocked better than wide receiver during that span.

Current Iowa receiver Oliver Martin started an impressive string of recent receiver success with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2015.

Many thought the receiver production at West High would plummet after Martin moved on.

Instead the position has flourished with two more 1,000-yard seasons from the Trojan’s number one target the past two seasons.

Traevis Buchanan topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2017 and Jalen Gaudet got 37 passes for 1,061 yards a year ago as the Trojans go-to receiver.

Crane spent his first three seasons as an understudy to those standouts but gets his chance to shine in the same role as a senior.

“I played with Jalen last year and Traevis a little bit and Oliver when I was a freshman and seeing those guys practice every day, I learned a lot from them,” Crane said. “I definitely tried to following a lot of the things they were doing.”

Each of the last two seasons a senior has stepped up big as the Trojans’ top receiver.

Buchanan had 549 yards as a junior before his breakthrough season and Gaudet had 634 yards before cracking the 1,000-yard barrier last year.

Crane has followed a similar path making 27 receptions for 326 yards and three scores last season but appears poised for his own breakout senior season.

“He has worked his butt off this offseason,” West High junior quarterback Marcus Morgan said. “I have watched him work, I have worked with him and he will be a really good receiver for us this year.”

Crane has done the work leading into his senior season.

He spent the spring working on his game, catching passes from Morgan any time they could get together.

Now with a year of varsity experience under his belt the senior is ready to shine.

“Going into last year I was a little unsure what was going to come up but I tried to show up every day and work hard,” Crane said. “Going in this season and having some experience under my belt I feel like I know what I am going to see.”

Crane figures to be a key piece of the West High offense and will also see time at defensive back.

He may be most valuable as a leader.

Crane was voted a captain and will help West High attempt to return to the UNI-Dome and the state semifinals for the third time in four seasons.

“The tradition we have, that comes a lot with leadership,” Crane said. “The last few years you see that leadership from the senior class and that is a big focal point for me this year to try to really lead this team to where we want to be.”

The past receiver success has shared a common theme, strong quarterback play.

Crane should have that with the return of Morgan who threw for 1,875 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore last season.

The 6-foot-2 junior now has a full grasp of a West High offense that scored 28 points or more eight times in its final nine games last season.

“The tradition has helped because guys come in and work,” Morgan said. “They work had because we want to be as good as the last team, we want to keep the tradition going so guys are coming in and working hard.”

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