Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – City High head coach Mitch Moore knows the Little Hawks have big shoes to fill at the quarterback spot.

Graduated senior Bobby Bacon left City High with a slew of school records and the program’s all-time leading passer.

Rather than thrusting the pressure of replacing Bacon on one player the Little Hawks are employing a group effort at quarterback.

Sophomores Coden Kurtz and Chris Kabaiza will share quarterback duties as City High looks to return to the Class 5A postseason for the fifth consecutive season under Moore.

“Those two are partners, they are going to lean on each other and they are going to push each other,” Moore said of Kabaiza and Kurtz. “It takes a little off their shoulders that they don’t have to be the guy and together they are just elevating each other.”

Moore has used the two-quarterback approach before.

Drew Larson and Quinton Tran shared quarterback duties in Moore’s first season at City High in 2021 leading the Little Hawks to a 10-2 record and a 5A semifinal appearance.

Moore sees some similarities in the quarterback duo this season.

“Their maturity showed from day one,” Moore said. “They embraced the leadership role, I think Chris can be special he has some enduring qualities that I just haven’t seen in a lot of quarterbacks because he’s so multi-faceted. Coden is just your consummate winner.”

Kabaiza and Kurtz each have their own skillset and own set of strengths.

However, they both have the ability to be dual threat quarterbacks that can run and throw.

“As a defense playing against us you never know what is going to come at you,” Kurtz said. “You have to be ready for everything.”

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Kabaiza is an elusive athlete.

“I just want to try to make plays,” Kabaiza said. “Good luck trying to tackle me.”

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Kurtz had 13 tackles and an interception last season as a defensive back and will be a key part of the Little Hawk secondary again this season.

His first focus is on quarterback where he’s intent on proving their won’t be the drop off in production many expect with the graduation of Bacon.

“A lot of people don’t think we are going to be very good at the quarterback position but we are here to prove people wrong,” Kurtz said.

Kurtz and Kabaiza will have an experienced receiving corps at their disposal.

Junior Chayse Newton (5-8, 146) had a team-high 36 receptions for 426 yards and three touchdowns last season and senior Jack Lampe (6-0, 160) caught 12 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

“There are people to rely on in our offense,” Kabaiza said. “As a sophomore when you have seniors to rely on when I need to make a play it helps a lot.”

While Kabaiza and Kurtz will split reps neither see the rotation as a competition.

“With both of us being sophomores we’ve known each other since sixth grade and we’ve always been friends,” Kurtz said. “We aren’t trying to beat each other out we are going to work together to try to win games.”

While Kabaiza and Kurtz take over the reins of the offense another sophomore, Marshall Sheldon, returns to lead the defense.

Sheldon returns at linebacker after making a team-high 69 tackles last season and joins senior Blaine Heick (6-2, 190) who had 64 tackles last season to give the Little Hawks a dynamic linebacker duo.

“We have to play as a unit and that’s been our focus,” Moore said. “Then getting 11 guys around the ball. This is still high school football in Iowa, teams are going to run the ball and we don’t need to get so caught up in some cute coverage, play your coverage and get to the ball.”

Senior defensive lineman Raphael Etuma (6-2, 220) and Kane Willey (6-0, 220) will be anchors up front for City High.

Etuma had a team-high 11 tackles for loss and three sacks last season while Willey had nine tackles for loss and two sacks among his 33 tackles.

“Raph and Kane can be all over the place,” Moore said. “I think that will really give us some multiple looks with two guys you know can get home from any position.”

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