Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

What Stood Out?

West Branch Rallies on the Road

West Branch had a shot at some redemption against Mediapolis after the Bulldogs knocked the Bears out of the 1A playoffs a year ago.

That’s great and all but the Bears’ come-from-behind win at Mediapolis on Friday meant a lot more than revenge.

West Branch (4-1) used a 10-play, 83-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drive to erase a late 21-17 deficit on its way to a 24-21 win over Mediapolis in a 1A, District 5 matchup.

The win puts West Branch in a tie with Regina atop the District 5 standings at 2-0 and positions the Bears well for a postseason return.

For West Branch the schedule sets up well the rest of the way.

The Bears go to Regina on October 8 to likely determine the district champion but has its other two remaining district games against Wilton (4-1) and Durant (1-4) at the Little Rose Bowl.

What Were We Watching?

The Boot

City High had lost five in a row to rival West High and won the annual Battle for the Boot since 2016.
The Little Hawks emphatically changed that on Friday.

City High continued its impressive start to the season with a 56-7 win over West High in the most lopsided final score in the history of the Boot series.

The 56 points were the most ever for West High in a Boot game and match the most points for either team in the series after West High put up 56 in a win last season.

City High rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense on Friday while improving to 5-0 on the season.

The Little Hawks rushed for 379 yards, had a pair of 100-yard rushers and scored their fifth defensive touchdown of the season while winning the Boot Game at Bates Field for the first time since 2015.

Where Was the Focus?

Another Unbeaten Foe For Regina

Another week, another unbeaten foe for Regina, another impressive Regina performance.

Last week Regina opened district play with a 34-0 shutout out of Mediapolis.

On Friday the Regals improved to 2-0 in Class 1A, District 5 play with a 35-7 win over previously unbeaten Wilton.

Regina was balanced offensively on Friday getting 204 passing yards and two touchdowns from junior quarterback Jack Tierney and 132 yards on the ground and three scores from standout tailback Levi Daniel.

That type of offensive balance, along with a defense that is as good as any in Class 1A, makes Regina not only the district favorite but a state title contender.

Who Stepped up?

Darren Richardson

The City High senior tailback had the best game of his career on Friday against rival West High rushing for 201 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries.

Richardson had touchdown runs of 5, 4, 30 and 11 yards and has now rush for 453 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

What’s Next?

Three games to keep an eye on next week

Clear Creek Amana (4-1) at Cedar Rapids Washington (2-3) – There haven’t been any gimmees on the Clippers schedule and a Thursday night trip to Kingston Stadium to face the Warriors could be as tough as any game to date.

Mount Pleasant (1-4) at Liberty High (0-5) – It hasn’t been the start to the season that Liberty High envisioned but the schedule softens starting this week and a playoff berth is still very much in reach if the Lightning can close out the season with four consecutive wins.

Solon (5-0) at Washington (1-4) – Likely the only thing standing in the way of the fifth unbeaten regular season in six years for the Spartans is a trip to Washington for a rematch of last year’s 33-18 win for the Demons.

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