City High (1-2) at West High (2-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Trojan Field

Rivalries in prep football don’t get any better than the Battle for the Boot.

City High and West High hook up for another edition of the cross-town showdown on Friday at West High.

City High has won three straight in the series including a 23-8 win at City High last season.

The three-game City High win streak follows a four-year streak for West High that saw the Trojans win the Boot game four consecutive years from 2017-2020.

The two teams have split the last 10 games in the series.

The last 10 meetings at West High are an even 5-5.

Friday should be another exciting chapter in one of the best rivalry games in the state of Iowa.

Players to Watch

West High  

Jack Wallace

Wallace is 0-3 as a starter in the Battle for the Boot and the senior signal caller would like nothing more than to get win number one in his final appearance in the Boot game.

Last season Wallace completed 12-of-23 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions in a 23-8 loss at City High.

Wallace enters his final Battle for the Boot playing the best football of his career.

The Minnesota State recruit has thrown for at least 218 yards in each of his last four games dating back to last season, completing 69 percent of his passes in that span while throwing for 1,230 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Wallace has weapons on the outside in receivers Mason Woods and Julian Manson and has showed an ability to use his legs this season (70 rushing yards and four touchdowns) and appears poised to put on a show in his final appearance in the cross-town rivalry.

City High  

Bobby Bacon

Is it a little cliched to have to the two starting quarterbacks as the players to watch in the breakdown of a big game?

Perhaps.

But here’s the deal. Wallace and Bacon are two of the best quarterbacks in the state, both multi-year, senior starters capable of putting a team on their back.

This game will be far more than a battle of quarterbacks but look for impressive performances from both of these standout senior signal callers.

Bacon was spectacular in his first ever appearance in the Battle for the Boot last season completing 17-of-23 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown in a 15-point Little Hawk win.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Bacon has completed 69 percent of his passes this season throwing for 636 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.

Expect a spirited effort from the Little Hawk’s offensive leader on Friday.

Keys to the Game

West High

Get Out Fast

West High hasn’t scored a first-half point in the Battle for the Boot since Grahm Goering returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in a 56-20 West High win in 2020.

Since that game City High has outscored West High 72-0 in the first half of the previous three meetings.

West High doesn’t have to win the first half Friday to win the game but the Trojans need to be within striking distance.

That will require a strong start.

Last season West High was outscored 85-26 in the first half of its five losses. The Trojans trailed Liberty High 35-26 at the half win a week-one loss this season.

Motivation and intensity are never an issue in this series.

In front of what should be a raucous home crowd look for West High to take some chances on both sides of the ball early on Friday as it looks to flip momentum to the home sideline before halftime.

City High  

Get Some Pressure

City High didn’t have a sack in either of its first two games.

The result was a pair of losses in which opposing teams scored a combined 99 points.

Yes, Joliet Catholic used the run more than the pass in a week one win over the Little Hawks and yes Liberty High played with lead from the opening drive and 36 of its 56 offensive snaps were running plays in a week-two victory.

However, the point remains that City High didn’t get to the quarterback in 20 pass attempts against Liberty High as the Lightning put up 472 total yards.

Last week that changed as senior defensive end Jalyn Ford and junior defensive end Raphael Etuma each had a pair of sacks in a 53-14 win over Ames.

Ford and Etuma will both be big on Friday if City High is to put pressure on Wallace.

Ford had a sack in City High’s win over West High last season and has six sacks in his career.

If City High allows Wallace to sit in the pocket unpressured he can pick a defense apart and the best defense against West High taking deep shots to its electric receivers Woods and Manson is a pass rush that forces the ball out early.

Both Teams

Run the ball.

Really?

In a game that features two of the best quarterbacks in the state and loaded pass catching groups the key is to run the ball?

Yes. At least that’s what history tells us.

In the past 15 editions of the Battle for the Boot the team with more rushing yards is 14-1.

Only once in that span, a 36-32 West High win in 2019, has a team won this game while being outgained on the ground.

During its current three-game winning streak City High holds an 887-246 edge in rushing yards, including a 255-69 advantage last season.

When West High won four in a row from 2017-2020 the Trojans outgained City High 841-595 on the ground.

The game is changing, teams are throwing more, the quarterbacks are outstanding and West High had a pair of Power 5 receivers.

All of that is true.

But in rivalry games like this one the line of scrimmage still matters and the team that wins up front usually wins the game.

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