Iowa City West blows out Ottumwa, clinches playoff spot

IOWA CITY – Though the Iowa City West playoff situation was a question mark Friday night, Devontae Lane wanted to end his final regular season game with an exclamation point.

The Trojan senior certainly got the last word, accounting for five touchdowns, 79 rushing yards and two interceptions in a 63-14 win over Ottumwa.

With the win and Prairie's 40-28 victory over Kennedy, West wrapped up second place in the district and a spot in the Class 4A playoffs.

'I would definitely say that you couldn't write a better story to end the season,” said Lane. 'It's sad that it's over, well ... it could be over. I still don't want it to be over.”

Needing a win and Cedar Rapids Prairie to beat Cedar Rapids Kennedy (or lose by less than 12), the Trojans blocked that out, and focused on what they could control.

'We have a very mature group of seniors,” said West head coach Garrett Hartwig. 'These guys understand the big picture and they took care of a lot of it themselves.”

The Trojans opened the game in full-on caps lock mode, stunning the Bulldogs with two touchdowns in the first two minutes. West had little trouble driving the field on its opening possession, and Lane capped it off with a 30-yard touchdown run. Following a Bulldog fumble, Lane scored again from 8 yards out, and West had a 14-0 lead with 10:43 to play in the first quarter.

'That's what happens when guys do their job on this team,” said Lane. 'It creates so many opportunities for guys to score.”

Lane continued his tear later in the quarter with another touchdown run, this time from 7 yards out. The senior then picked off a Bulldog pass and returned it 30 yards, giving West a 28-0 lead.

'The interception was probably my favorite, because I've never had a pick-six before,” said Lane.

Not content with scoring on the ground and on defense, Lane took to the air. Quarterback Evan Flitz connected with Lane on a 43-yard strike with 11:50 to play in the second quarter.

'I'm not surprised,” said Hartwig. 'He's capable and very talented, just like a number of guys on this team are.”