Aaron Viner

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – After a shutout loss a week ago, Iowa City Regina was not about to let it linger in their memories.

The Regal defense started the game out strong, and the offense was equally effective, as they made quick work of Anamosa on Friday night, claiming a 56-25 victory.

“Last week, Xavier was a good team and we had a tough game,” Regina junior quarterback Ashton Cook said. “We just wanted to start off clean and fresh and get back to playing Regina football.”

Ashton Cook was a star for the Regals (1-1) on the night, completing 20 of 21 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns, and head coach Marv Cook said he felt seeing the offense gel in the first half was refreshing.

“We came off a high-quality opponent last week, and we felt we did a lot of positive things, but we saw a lot of things we needed to clean up,” Regina head coach Marv Cook said. “Unfortunately for Anamosa, I thought we were really clicking in the first half. I thought our passing game really helped lead our running game.”

After forcing Anamosa into a three-and-out to open the game, Regina dug into their bag of tricks, calling for a flea flicker on the first offensive play of the game.

Cook found junior receiver Alec Wick for a 43-yard touchdown.

“Before the game we were looking forward to that play all day,” Ashton Cook said.

On the ensuing possession, Regina forced another three-and-out, punctuated with a third-down sack by senior Josh Dutchik.

Following the punt, the Regals marched down the field, where Cook notched his first rushing touchdown of the night from six yards out.

Another Anamosa three-and-out set up the second big strike play for the Regina duo of Cook and Wick, this time connecting on a 45-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.

Wick followed up his second touchdown with an interception, which set up another touchdown drive for the Regals, capped off by a Theo Kolie 13-yard run.

Regina led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter, and a large part of the success was the defense, Marv Cook said.

“We needed to play as a unit. It just takes one guy to break down and not set the edge or be out of his rush lane,” Marv Cook said. “A big point of emphasis the last week was communication and making sure everyone was on the same page.”

Another pair of scores within the first two minutes of the second quarter put the Regals well in front, as Regina piled on the points to hold a 56-7 lead at half.

Anamosa got some positive momentum going in the second half, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback, as the Regals cruised to the 31-point win.

Regina takes on Pella Christian next week, as they look to avenge a 24-21 loss from last season. That loss is what Marv Cook said he felt kept Regina out of the playoffs last year, making this game even more important.

Wick, who ended the game with 5 catches for 112 yards, said playing like they did on Friday night will be key for getting win No. 2 next week.

“We just need to play our game,” Wick said. “We just need to play our football and have fun.”

Anamosa        0    7   6  12  –  23

Regina            28  28   0  0  –   56

Regina Scoring plays

ICR – Alec Wick 43 pass from Ashton Cook

ICR – Ashton Cook 9 run

ICR – Wick 45 pass from Cook

ICR – Kolie 13 run

ICR – Cook 6 run

ICR – Nic Hein 6 pass from Cook

ICR – Josh Dutchik 15 pass from Cook

ICR – Kolie 43-yard run

Regina stat leaders

PASSING – Ashton Cook, 20-21-0 288

RUSHING – Theo Kolie, 69, Ashton Cook 15, Levi Quinlan 8

RECEIVING – Alec Wick 5-112 yards; Levi Quinlan 5-74 yards, Josh Dutchik 2-40 yards, Nic Hein 6-35 yards, Sam Atchison 2-27 yards

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