Switch to spread offense boosts Cascade

CASCADE - After a pair of 5-5 seasons that put Cascade into the high school football playoffs, Coach Tim Frake junked his pro-style, run-oriented offense for the pass-heavy spread.

The Cougars were 8-3 last season with a junior-dominant team. They are 8-1 this season, including a 6-0 mark in Class 2A-4 that gave the school its first district title, heading into tonight's home playoff opener against West Burlington Notre Dame (4-5).

Seniors Derek Lieurance and Nate Bergfeld have flourished in the spread. Quarterback Lieurance has hooked up with wideout Bergfeld 128 times for 2,268 yards and 23 touchdowns the past two seasons.

But the Cougars are far from a two-man team.

'Sometimes Nate Bergfeld and Derek Lieurance get all the credit,” Frake said, 'but we have a lot of players - Ries Rausch, Evan Simon, Mitch Recker, Kurt Trumm. Our skill guys are pretty good and we're pretty deep.”

Rausch, Simon, Recker and Trumm have combined to catch 166 passes for 2,258 yards and 22 touchdowns the past two seasons.

Luke Recker, who rushed for 1,011 yards a year ago and has 593 this season, provides ground support.

'We have so many athletes on the field that can do so many different things,” said Simon, a senior wingback who has 27 receptions for 296 yards. 'It's really fun watching them all.”

'We have a ton of weapons,” Lieurance said. 'They take away Nate - everyone knows Nate is an awesome player - but teams don't realize we have five or six other weapons.

'The confidence level that I have with them is the same confidence level that I have with Nate. If they're going to take him away, fine. Then I'll just look for the other guys that can do the same thing.”

Bergfeld, the active career reception leader in the state with 160 over the past three seasons, doesn't mind sharing the spotlight.

'The last few games I've been getting double-teamed and sometimes even triple-teamed, which is fine, because it opens up the field for my other wide receivers,” he said.

Lieurance ranks first in the state in pass completion percentage (79.6) and quarterback rating (225.6). He is fourth in passing yards (2,442), completions (160) and touchdown passes (28). He ranks No. 1 in Class 2A in all five categories.

A 5-foot-11 phantom at dodging defensive pressure, at times it appears as if Lieurance is heaving a prayer - only to have one of his sure-fingered teammates magically snatch the ball at the last second.

'They're coming to blitz me and it's like, ‘Oh, shoot,' but then you break out of the pocket and my receivers are so smart,” said Lieurance, who has thrown only two interceptions this season. 'They find space and I throw it to them and I know they're going to come down with that ball.”

Lieurance has completed 318 of 471 passes for 4,693 yards and 44 touchdowns the past two seasons.

'Derek does an excellent job at quarterback,” Frake said, 'but he'll give all the credit to, first the line for giving him time, and then second of all the receivers make some great plays for him.”

'He's smart in where he throws it, too,” Bergfeld said of Lieurance.