Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

5A No. 2 City High (6-0) at Pleasant Valley (4-2)   

Where: Pleasant Valley, 7:15 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Pleasant Valley junior quarterback Caden McDermott (5-9, 185) has rushed for a team-leading 562 yards and eight touchdowns in the Spartans’ option attack and has also passed for 130 yards and two scores.

Key stat: Pleasant Valley is averaging 258 rushing yards per game while City High is allowing just 76 yards per game on the ground.

About the Spartans: A state semifinalist a year ago Pleasant Valley has rattled off three consecutive wins after a 1-2 start to the season.

The Spartans fell to top-10 teams Cedar Rapids Prairie and Linn-Mar early in the season but has rebounded with three consecutive wins including a 14-13 win over rival Bettendorf last week.

Pleasant Valley relies on a stingy defense and its patented triple option offense to control the ball and the pace of the game.

Led by the running of McDermott and junior fullback Rusty VanWetzina (6-1, 220) who has rushed for 256 yards the Spartans have six players that have rushed for more than 100 yards this season.

Pleasant Valley is holding opponents to 108 rushing yards and 209 total yards per game and is allowing just 11.3 points per game.

Since giving up 329 rushing yards to Cedar Rapids Prairie in the season opener no team has rushed for more tan 86 yards against Pleasant Valley and the Spartans haven’t allowed more than 226 total yards in a game.

About the Little Hawks: City High continued to steamroll its way through the regular season posting its third shutout of the year in a 42-0 win over Davenport North last Thursday in Davenport.

Through six games City High is allowing 76 rushing yards, 157 total yards and just 4.8 points per game while forcing 13 turnovers.

Junior linebacker Ben Kueter (6-3, 220) leads the way with 51 tackles including a 5A-leading 233 tackles for loss while senior safety Gable Mitchell (5-9, 170) has 34 tackles and senior linebacker John Klosterman (6-0, 205) has 31.5 stops.

Sophomore quarterbacks Quinton Tran and Drew Larson have combined to throw for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Four Little Hawks have rushed for more than 150 yards led by senior Darren Richardson who has 456 yards and nine touchdowns while senior Joey Bouska has 287 yards and four scores.

Liberty High (1-5) at 4A No. 6 Fort Madison (6-0)

Where: Fort Madison, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Fort Madison senior quarterback Landes Williams (5-10, 160) has competed 75 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,392 yards and 14 touchdowns and has also rushed for 380 yards and eight scores.

Key stat: After allowing 365 total yards and 29.5 points per game over its first two games Liberty High has held its last two opponents to 282 total yards and 10.5 points.

About the Lightning: Liberty High snapped a five-game losing skid to start the season with an emphatic 56-0 win over Mount Pleasant last week.

Despite the 0-5 start the Lightning are still very much in the playoff picture and can put itself in the drivers’ seat to earn the second automatic postseason berth from 4A, District 3 with a win at Fort Madison.

Liberty High is coming off its most efficient offensive performance of the season on Friday when it scored a season-high 56 points while averaging a season-best 9.2 yards per play.

The Liberty High defense has been solid all season holding teams to 23 points and 337 total yards per game and posted its first shutout since a 56-0 win over Clinton on October 25 of 2019 last week.

About the Bloodhounds: Fort Madison snapped a string of nine consecutive losing seasons with a 7-2 mark a year ago and is poised to surpass that win total this season.

The Bloodhounds have put up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball during their 6-0 start averaging 400 yards of total offense and 40.6 points per game.

Williams makes it all go for Fort Madison on offense but has playmakers around him including senior running back Jakob McGowan (6-0, 185) who has rushed for 393 yards and six touchdowns.

Senior Tate Johnson (5-10, 180) has caught a team-high 37 passes for 543 yards and six touchdowns while junior Kane Williams (5-7, 150) has caught 26 passes for 387 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively the Bloodhounds have been stout against the run holding opponents to 83.5 yards per game on the ground while limiting foes to 224 total yards and 9 points per game.

4A No. 10 Clear Creek Amana (5-1) at 4A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier (5-1)

Where: Saints Field, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Cedar Rapids Xavier 30, Clear Creek Amana 7

Player to watch: Cedar Rapids Xavier senior quarterback Alex Neal (6-1, 190) has completed 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 816 yards and two touchdowns and has also rushed for 243 yards and a team-leading nine touchdowns.

Key stat: Cedar Rapids Xavier is 103-12 over the past five seasons with a pair of Class 3A state titles in 2017 and 2018.

About the Clippers: Clear Creek Amana stretched its winning streak to four and improved to 2-0 in Class 4A, District 4 play with a come-from-behind 20-19 win over Cedar Rapids Washington last Thursday.

It was the third one-point win of the season for Clear Creek Amana which has trailed in the fourth quarter of each of its one-point wins.

The Clippers continued to show its improvement defensively in the win over the Warriors allowing 254 total yards.

After giving up more than 375 yards and higher than 6.9 yards per play in three of its first four games the Clippers have allowed 258 total yards and 4.8 yards per play in its last two games.

On offense the Clippers have continued to rely on the senior trio of Ben Swails, Gage Freeman and Harrison Rosenberg.

Swails has passed for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 250 yards and four scores with Rosenberg making 24 receptions for 508 yards and seven touchdowns.

Freeman has rushed for 491 yards and eight touchdowns and has also caught 15 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown.

About the Saints: Among the most successful programs in the state at any level of the past decade Cedar Rapids Xavier is once again a state title contender.

The Saints were 10-1 a year ago and fell to eventual state champion North Scott 17-10 in the 3A semifinals.
Cedar Rapids Xavier is 23-4 over the past three seasons with three of those losses coming to North Scott including a 20-8 loss to the Lancers last month.

As always, the Saints have been stellar on defense holding opponents to 92.5 rushing yards, 233 total yards and 11.2 points per game.

On offense the Saints have relied on the play of its senior quarterback Neal and a strong running game that is churning out better than 166 yards per game on the ground.

Junior Michael Cunningham (6-1, 180) has rushed for a team-leading 421 yards and five touchdowns.

Junior Aidan McDermott (6-2, 190) is the top target for Neal and leads the Saints with 36 receptions for 409 yards and a touchdown while Trysten Vasquez (6-3, 200) has caught nine passes for 159 yards.

Fairfield (5-1) at 3A No. 3 Solon (6-0)  

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Fairfield junior quarterback Tate Allen (5-10, 150) has passed for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns and has also rushed for 231 yards and a team-high eight scores.

Key stat: Solon has outscored Fairfield 208-34 while going 4-0 against the Trojans in wins in four consecutive years from 2016-2019.

About the Trojans: After going 1-16 the previous two seasons combined and losing its final seven games a year ago Fairfield has been one of the better stories in Class 3A this season and the biggest surprise in District 5.

Fairfield has won three straight since its lone loss of the season, a 55-14 setback at 4A sixth-ranked Fort Madison in week three.

The Trojans are holding opponents to 258 total yards and 23.7 points per game but perhaps its biggest strides this season have come on offense where they are averaging 31.2 points and 307 total yards per game.

Allen is the leader of the offense and accounting for 19 of the Trojans 25 offensive touchdowns this season but has had help.

Senior Teddy Metcalf (5-7, 180) has rushed for a team-high 353 yards and two touchdowns while junior Max Weaton (6-2, 170) has caught a team-leading 31 passes for 422 yards and seven touchdowns.

About the Spartans: Solon continued its impressive regular season run last week with a 44-21 road win at Washington that moved the Spartans to 2-0 in District 5 play.

The Spartans have been among the best offensive teams in the state this season averaging 450 total yards and 45 points per game.

Solon has scored 38 or more points five times this season and has four games with more than 450 yards of total offense.

Junior quarterback Blake Timmons is the catalyst passing for 953 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception while also rushing for 519 yards and six scores.

Junior tailback Sean Stahle has rushed for a team-high 662 yards and nine touchdowns while three Spartans have more than 160 receiving yards led by senior Jake Quillin who has caught a team-high 10 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns.

West Branch (5-1) at 1A No. 3 Regina (6-0)

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Regina junior running back Levi Daniel (6-2, 185) has rushed for 593 yards and nine touchdowns and is averaging better than 148 yards per game on the ground at a clip of 6.2 yards per carry.

Key stat: West Branch has outgained opponents by an average of 76 yards per game on the ground, Regina by 119 yards per game. Which team is closer to that margin on Friday could go a long way in determining who comes out on top.

About the Bears: Two long-time rivals and conference foes will meet in a regular season game for the first time since 2013 on Friday.

Regina won the previous meeting 30-20 in the Class 1A quarterfinals in 2019 and won the last regular season meeting between the two traditional powers 41-16 back in 2013.
West Branch has won four in a row since a week two loss to Waterloo Columbus after picking up consecutive district wins over Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis and Durant.

The Bears have relied on a strong running game led by junior Andy Henson and a stout defense to put themselves in the thick of the postseason race.

Henson has been stellar this season rushing for 840 yards and 10 touchdowns while also leading the Bears with 26 tackles and nine tackles for loss.

On defense West Branch is holding opponents to 194 total yards and 10.7 points per game and is allowing just 107 rushing yards per game.

About the Regals: Regina received its second win of the season via forfeit last week after Louisa-Muscatine (0-6) elected to cancel its contest with the Regals.

Combine that with a forfeit win over Mid-Prairie back on September 10 and the Regals have played just two in the last four weeks.

When it has hit the field Regina has been sharp, posting back-to-back wins over District 5 contenders Mediapolis and Wilton by a combined score of 69-7.

Regina has been elite on the defensive side of the ball this season holding opponents 6.9 points and 179 total yards per game on just 3.5 yards per play.

The Regals have been efficient offensively putting up over 366 yards of offense per game led by Daniel and junior quarterback Jack Tierney.

Tierney has passed for 370 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 213 yards and two scores. Seniors Sam Aitchison and Carson Jensen have been the top two targets combing for 23 receptions for 371 yards and two touchdowns.

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