Week 7 Rewind: Area Teams Set Up For Important Games In Week 8
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Entering the final two weeks of the regular season the postseason picture is beginning to become clear for several area teams.
Several area teams set up huge late season games with week-six wins last Friday.
For other teams the playoff picture is a big more muddled.
This week’s rewind will attempt to breakdown the postseason opportunities for each area team with either one or two regular season games remaining.
We start with the most clear cut of the postseason paths for teams in the Your Prep Sports area.
Class 1A top-ranked Regina (7-0, 4-0) clinched the 1A, District 6 title last Friday with a 44-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (6-2, 3-1).
Last season’s 1A runner-up, Regina can wrap up a second consecutive unbeaten regular season with a win at Louisa-Muscatine (1-6, 0-4) on Friday.
West Branch (3-4, 2-2) had perhaps the biggest week-six win for area teams on Friday with a 23-7 victory at Anamosa that put the Bears in the hunt to host a first-round playoff game.
With a win over Bellevue (3-4, 2-2) on Friday at the Little Rose Bowl and an Anamosa loss to second-ranked Alburnett the Bears would finish second in District 5 and host a 2A postseason opener on October 23.
In Class 3A Solon (7-0, 3-0) hosts Mount Pleasant (7-0, 3-0) on Friday and can clinch the District 4 title with a win.
Solon is number one in the current Class 3A RPI rankings while Mount Pleasant is third.
A 35-28 loss at Newton last Friday stopped Clear Creek Amana (5-2, 2-1) from taking control of the Class 4A, District 4 race but the Clippers can clinch the second playoff spot in District 4 with a home win over Pella (4-3, 2-1) on Friday.
Clear Creek Amana is 11th in the 4A RPI standings while Pella is currently No. 15.
Things are a little more complicated in Class 4A.
Liberty High (4-3) is No. 15 in the 5A RPI rankings used to determine postseason qualifiers while West High (4-3) and City High (3-4) currently sit outside the top-16 in the RPI rankings released on Monday.
West High is 20th and City High is 21st.
There are huge games coming for all three on Friday.
Liberty High travels to City High (3-4) for what will amount as a postseason elimination game.
The Lightning close the season at Muscatine (0-7) which is 36th in RPI while City High closes at Ottumwa (2-5) which is currently 28th.
West High (4-3) hosts No. 11 Cedar Rapids Prairie (5-2) on Friday before closing the regular season at No. 27 Linn-Mar (2-5).
News and Notes
Prime Time Pryor: Liberty High senior receiver Pryor Reiners continued his monster season with an impressive 14-reception, 177-yard, two-touchdown effort in a 27-26 loss to Pleasant Valley.
Reiners ranks in the top five in Class 5A in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns.
The senior leads 5A with 54 receptions, ranks third in 5A with 695 receiving yards and is fourth with eight receiving touchdowns.
1,000-yard Watch: West Branch senior Keaton Gates is the first area running back to hit the 1,000-yard mark.
Gates crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season with a 167-yard, two-touchdown effort in a 23-7 win over Anamosa.
Gates has now rushed for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns this season entering week eight.
Several other area players are closing in on 1,000 yards on the season.
Regina junior Gabe Hegelheimer has rushed for 869 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 9.5 yards per carry.
West High junior Atari Brown has rushed for 779 yards and five touchdowns through seven games.
City High senior Savion Miller has rushed for 714 yards and ranks third in Class 5A with rushing 13 touchdowns.
Solon senior quarterback Maddox Kelley has rushed for 649 yards and 14 touchdowns in seven games.
Bollers on a Roll: Clear Creek Amana junior quarterback Texton Bollers remained red hot throwing for a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to Newton.
Friday was the third consecutive game for Bollers with over 230 passing yards and a touchdown with Bollers averaging 290 passing yards per game during that span.
Bollers has completed 98-of-153 passes (64%) this season and leads Class 4A with 1,535 passing yards and ranks second with 14 passing touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Players of the Week
Offensive player of the week: Regina junior quarterback Aiden Gaffey had the best game of his career in a 44-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Gaffey completed 13-of-17 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers. Gaffey also rushed for 16 yards as the Regals rolled up 455 yards of total offense while averaging a season-high 13.8 yards per play.
Defensive player of the week: City High senior defensive back Shepherd Stanton had a huge game in helping the Little Hawks to a 56-7 win over Des Moines East.
Stanton had three interceptions, returning one 30 yards for a touchdown, and added a tackle helping City High limit the Scarlets to 169 yards of total offense.
Special teams player of the week: Solon senior Maddox Kelley racked up over 100 yards in punt return yards helping the Spartans to a 49-13 win over Washington.
Kelley averaged 25.2 yards on four returns in the win with a long of 41 yards while accumulating 101 return yards.
Helmet stickers
Offense: City High senior Savion Miller ran for 159 yards and four touchdowns and also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in a 56-7 win over Des Moines East.
Offense: Solon senior running back Jackson Burk rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in a 49-13 win over Washington.
Offense: Liberty High senior Emerson Berner completed 29-of-44 passes while throwing for 329 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-26 loss to Pleasant Valley.
Offense: Regina junior Gabe Hegelheimer rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in a 44-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Offense: Clear Creek Amana senior Myles Howell caught five passes for 100 yards in a 35-28 loss at Newton.
Offense: West High junior Atari Brown ran for 149 yards and a touchdown and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in a 48-21 win over Davenport Central.
Defense: West Branch senior Shay Kinsinger had 4.5 tackles with three solo stops and two sacks in a 23-7 win over Anamosa.
Defense: Solon senior James Thomsen had four tackles, including three solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss in a 49-13 win over Washington.
Defense: Regina senior Roan Eckhoff had a team-high 12.5 tackles including seven solo stops in a 44-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Defense: Regina senior Tate Wallace had six tackles, four solo stops, with two tackles for loss and a sack and caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown in a 44-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Defense: Clear Creek Amana junior Nolan Dao had five tackles with four solo stops and caught three passes for 30 yards in two touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to Newton.
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