Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The list of what is lost from West High’s 2020 state quarterfinal team is long.

An all-state quarterback, 96 percent of the Trojans’ rushing yards and the top two tacklers from last season’s 6-1 squad have all graduated.

The top returning pass catcher had one reception for two yards last season.

West High is aware of the losses but the Trojans aren’t planning on taking a step back in 2021.

“There were a lot of great guys that we lost from last year and we don’t have that many returning starters but we love our team,” Senior Boaz Abramoff said. “We have some guys that are maybe a little undersized or a little unknown but we don’t care about that and coach doesn’t care about that. We just care about putting the work in every day and we are ready to go.”

West High has holes to fill after the graduation of 29 seniors but the Trojans aren’t conceding a thing following their fourth winning season in five years.

Among the notable departures are all-state quarterback Marcus Morgan and virtually every skill position player to see the field a year ago.
Despite the departures West High enters its opener on August 27 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy optimistic.

“The best attribute a kid can have is they show up and work hard every day and that’s what this group has done since December when we started our offseason lifting,” West High coach Garrett Hartwig said. “When kids are willing to do that they have a chance. They are very coachable, inexperienced, but that’s what happens when you have a really good class before you.”

The reasons for optimistic are legit.

Few teams in Eastern Iowa have reloaded annually the way West High has during a five-year stretch in which the Trojans are 41-12.

“Hartwig always emphasizes starting with the basics coming into the camp and nothing changes,” Abramoff said. “We are here now, we are who we are and we get to work. Every year we follow that same thing from day one. Being a senior it has never changed. We are always going to focus on being our best, being tough and trying to win.”

The formular for success at West High hasn’t changed but the Trojans make look a little different on the field this fall.

After the graduation of Morgan, a three-year starter at quarterback, West High has had a two-player battle for the quarterback spot during fall camp.

Whoever emerges at quarterback will be working behind a veteran offensive line that figures to be the strength of the team.

Senior Mason Applegate (5-11, 200) will take over at tailback after earning all-conference honors as a defensive tackle last season.

“I feel like we are more a stereotypical Iowa football team and that is no slander at all, I love that type of football and that’s what we’ve always wanted to be and want to be and we’ve worked to be that and I think we have been that in a lot of ways,” Hartwig said. “When you have a capable tailback like Mason we think can be and an o-line that has a lot of returners coming back it’s exciting for us as coaches to think about what we could have in our run game.”

North Dakota recruit Liam Becher (6-6, 305) headlines a list of three returning starters on the offensive line that have combined for more than 40 career starts.

Seniors Brett Pelfrey (5-10, 220) and Will Towler (5-11, 190) are back alongside Becher after starting last season.

“We have a D1 tackle, we have three or four linemen that have played a lot of football, it’s too bad last year was a truncated year because they would have even more experience,” Hartwig said. “They are already playing at the level and the understanding of the concepts and schemes that we need them to play.”

The defense will be anchored by Applegate who ranked third on the team with 32.5 tackles including 12.5 for loss last season and Abramoff (5-11, 215) who was fourth on the team with 29.5 tackles from his inside linebacker spot.

Senior Taylon Mann (5-10, 215) is back along the defensive line and senior Nick McDonnell (5-11, 175) saw time in the secondary a year ago.

“I think we are going to surprise some people,” Abramoff said. “We are going to look a little different but I think we still have all the qualities to be successful. We have worked hard since the end of last season and we have a lot of talented young guys that have put in the work and I think we are really going to surprise people.”

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