Regina mixes it up, wallops West Marshall

IOWA CITY - Top-ranked Iowa City Regina figured to handle unranked West Marshall with relative ease Friday night, and the Regals did not disappoint.

Featuring an offense with enough different formations to light up a PlayStation console, the Regals used the fleet feet of Nick Phillips and the arm of Nathan Stenger to dominate the Trojans, 47-6, in a 1A District 6 game.

'We just try to do what our coaches tell us, and they do a great job preparing us,” Stenger said.

'That's one thing we've found is these guys are real smart,” Regina Coach Marv Cook said. 'We did a little bit of this and that and used some (formations) we haven't used in a few weeks, and they executed it.”

The level of competition changes drastically next week when 3A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier visits for a non-district game.

'We've been working our tails off,” linebacker Justin Hunter said. 'We'll see, but I think we're putting ourselves in good position.”

The Regals (7-0) raced to a 38-0 halftime lead that frankly could have been even more lopsided. Hunter scored the team's first touchdown on a 15-yard burst. Hunter helped lead a defense that held the Trojans to 82 yards and five first downs in the first half. The Regals forced two first-half turnovers and made the Trojans punt six times.

'We were looking for a lot of different stuff,” Hunter said. 'You never know what a team's going to do against you.”

Phillips scored a touchdown on a 60-yard winding run through the scattered Trojan (1-3, 2-5) defense. He had a punt return for a TD called back by a penalty and was a threat to score anytime he touched the ball because of his speed and ability to cut back and forth.

Stenger passed 39 yards to a wide-open Thomas Rapp for another TD on a flea flicker that completely fooled the Trojan secondary. Regina racked up 16 first-half first downs, 205 yards rushing and 142 yards passing in the first half alone. The second half was played with a continuous clock and Regina emptied the bench.