Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

No. 1 Williamsburg (6-0) at No. 4 Solon (5-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Spartan Stadium

The Class 3A, District 5 title is up for grabs in week seven in a top-five matchup between WAMAC Conference rivals at Spartan Stadium in Solon.

Williamsburg and Solon clash for the fourth straight season on Friday with the winner putting itself in the drivers’ seat in District 5.

Last year’s Class 2A runner-up, Williamsburg has been impressive in its jump to Class 3A this season opening with six consecutive wins while outscoring opponents 277-88.

The Raiders have won two of the last three matchups with Solon including a 38-25 win in Williamsburg last season.

Solon has won five in a row since a season-opening loss to Davenport Assumption, a streak that includes wins over Mount Vernon, Benton Community and Grinnell who are all ranked in the top 20 of the 3A Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

Players to Watch

Solon

Brett White has been one of the most productive linebackers in the state since entering the Solon lineup as a sophomore.

The Solon senior middle linebacker has perhaps never been better than he was last week.

White had 16.5 tackles, 10 of which were solo stops, including five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in a 16-13 double overtime win over Benton Community.

Solon will likely need another big game from White to take down top-ranked Williamsburg on Friday.

White has made 17.5 tackles, with three tackles for loss and two sacks in the past two games with Williamsburg including 11.5 tackles with two for loss last season.

After allowing 408 total yards and 34 points in a season-opening loss to Davenport Assumption the White-led Spartan defense has surrendered just 9.8 points and 247 total yards during its current five-game winning streak.

Williamsburg

The Raiders have one of the best all-around players in the state in Iowa commit Derek Weisskopf but junior Rayce Heitman is the Raider to watch on Friday.

Heitman is the definition of a game breaker.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Heitman has the ability to make an impact in every phase of the game, score a touchdown at any time or shift the momentum with a play on offense, defense or special teams.

Heitman has scored nine touchdowns this season, four on offense, two on defense and three on special teams.

He has rushed for 18 yards and a touchdown and caught 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense Heitman has a team-high 46.5 tackles including seven for loss with three sacks from his linebacker spot and has two interceptions returning both for touchdowns.

Heitman may be at his best on special teams.

He is averaging 24.3 yards per punt return and has returned two punts for touchdowns and averages 29.3 yards per kick off return with a 90-yard touchdown return.

Keys to the Game

Solon

Grind It Out

Solon has already demonstrated it is comfortable playing in tight, low-scoring games.

The Spartans defeated Clear Creek Amana 7-3 and is coming off a 16-13 double overtime win over Benton Community last week.

Another game with a similar script would likely benefit Solon on Friday.

Solon doesn’t want to get into a track meet with a Williamsburg team averaging 46.2 points per game and 7.7 yards per play on the season.

The Spartans are excellent defensively, especially in the front seven with seniors Ben Kampman, Brett White and Brayden Moore leading the way.

Look for Solon to lean on its defense on Friday while trying to control the ball and grind the game down.

Williamsburg

Start Strong

Sure, every team wants to get off to a fast start but for Williamsburg in this matchup getting an early lead would be a huge boost.

First off Williamsburg has an elite defense so getting an early lead allows the Raider defense that includes 3A sack leader Micah Lang to pin its ears back.

Equally importantly the Raiders will want to try to take the energy out of Spartan Stadium which should be charged up with a district title on the line.

Finally, if the Raiders can make Solon play from behind it takes the Spartans out of their element offensively as Solon wants to establish the run after rushing for better than 175 yards per game over the last four.

Both Teams

Turnovers.

Of course turnovers can be a turning point in any big game but holding onto the ball is of the utmost importance against an aggressive Williamsburg defense.

Williamsburg has been among the best teams in the state at forcing turnovers the past several seasons.

The Raiders have forced 14 turnovers in six game this season (2.3 per game) after forcing 40 takeaways in 13 games last season (3.1 per game) on its way to a state runner-up finish.

In 2021 Williamsburg forced 27 turnovers (2.3 per game).

Williamsburg is +9 in turnover margin this season committing just five turnovers but has had a problem holding onto the ball against Solon.

The Raiders had four turnovers in a win over Solon last season and committed four in a 28-14 loss to Solon in 2021.

Solon is +3 in turnover margin this season but had five turnovers in the win over Benton Community last week.

Williamsburg has scored four defensive touchdowns this season and has a defensive score in each of the past two games against Solon.

Weisskopf has 10 career interceptions and has returned a pick 52 yards for a touchdown this season.

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