Iowa high school football Week 1 rewind: Solon rolls to season-opening win

SOLON — Solon Coach Lucas Stanton saw the potential for a high-powered offense.

The Spartans returned a lot of talent, despite losing some key players to graduation. They showcased the ability to light up the scoreboard in the season opener.

Class 3A sixth-ranked Solon whipped West Liberty, 63-0, Friday night at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans amassed 558 total offensive yards and limited the Comets to 106. Blake Timmons led Solon with 284 yards in about a half of play.

“We expected to put points on the board,” Stanton said. “We thought we had the pieces in place where we could be pretty explosive. The way they executed was good.”

Solon scored 21 points in each of the first two quarters. Timmons had his hands on two of the three first-quarter scores. He put Solon on the board with a 61-yard TD rush. After a Michael Pipolo 1-yard run, Timmons connected with Sean Stahle for a 39-yard scoring strike.

Timmons rushed for 147 yards and passed for 137. He also hit Oaken Foster and Grant Gerdin for TD passes of 30 and 38 yards, respectively, in the second quarter.

“Blake really stepped up, throwing and running the ball,” Stanton said. “When you look at our rushing stats and how we passed the ball, (the offensive line) deserved credit. They did a good job blocking and keeping a clean pocket.”

Stahle added 87 rushing yards. Stanton said Stahle was a dual threat, rushing and receiving, and praised Pipolo’s effort.

Defensively, the Spartans had to replace a strong linebacker unit. Carson Miller moved inside, Jacob Timmons and Brett White have filled out the group. They each had their hands in tackles for loss.

“I was really pleased with how Brett White played as a sophomore,” Stanton said. “He’s been stepping in to the Mike linebacker role.”

Solon will play at rival Mount Vernon (1-0) next week. The Spartans played cohesively in the opener and will need to replicate it each week.

“The biggest challenge was how we were going to mesh the junior and senior classes,” Stanton said. “The way they have been playing together has been crucial. We have to continue to do it.”

Debut victories

Linn-Mar Coach Tim Lovell and Clear Creek Amana Coach Matt Haddy enjoyed victories in their debuts Friday.

Lovell, a former Linn-Mar assistant who was Marion’s head coach the last five seasons, returned to the Lions. In his first official game back, Linn-Mar torched Muscatine, 63-14.

The Lions had two rushers surpass the 100-yard mark. Carter Henderson ran for 155 yards, while Ben Blackford had 129. McCade Jelinek passed for more than 100 yards, including two scores.

Lovell said the victory validates the offseason work, accountability and discipline. The result was a product of the team-first attitude.

“This was just great for the kids, the students and the community,” Lovell told The Gazette after the game. “For me to come back here and get to celebrate in front of all the kids was great. It felt good and it was good to see this for the kids because it has been a long time since they have had a chance to celebrate like this.”

Haddy, in his first season with the Clippers, had a much tighter game with Marion. Clear Creek Amana forced a turnover on downs late in the game to seal the 36-35 win at Thomas Park.

Clear Creek Amana scored the final 13 points of the game, trailing by 12 with 11:10 left. Quarterback Ben Swails connected with Harrison Rosenberg for their second TD of the game.

A blocked punt recovered at Marion’s 2 led to a Ben Swails-to-Brody Clubb TD pass and the Clippers were ahead with less than three minutes remaining.

“Our kids kept believing,” Haddy told The Gazette. “I know it’s a cliché at times, but our kids stayed with it.”

8-Player notables

Week 1 in 8-Player competition included a couple of Eastern Iowa upsets. Iowa Valley rebounded from a season-opening loss to defeat No. 10 BGM, 52-47, Friday night at Brooklyn.

The Tigers were fueled by big bookend quarters. They held a 20-14 lead after the first quarter, but only managed six points until the fourth. Iowa Valley erupted to erase a 15-point deficit, doubling its output with a 26-point final frame.

Iowa Valley (1-1) travels to Winfield-Mount Union next week, while BGM (0-1) hosts Twin Cedars.

Easton Valley began this year tied with BGM at 10th in The Gazette’s preseason polls. The River Hawks posted an impressive start with a 60-14 romp over perennial power Don Bosco Friday night at home.

Defense shined for Easton Valley, shutting out the fourth-ranked Dons in the second half after allowing just 14 points before the break. The River Hawks forced three turnovers and tallied 14 tackles for loss.

Offensively, quarterback Connor Gruver powered the River Hawks. He passed for 318 yards and eight touchdowns, completing 17 of 27 passes. Gruver hit Hayden Felkey for three scores and Aidan Gruver hauled in two.

Last-second thriller

Class 5A top-ranked Southeast Polk survived a thriller against No. 3 West Des Moines Dowling in the season opener. The Rams scored as time expired for a 13-7 victory Friday night at home.

Southeast Polk faced second-and-10 with six seconds left in the fourth. Jaxon Dailey rolled to his left and hurled a long pass downfield that Xavier Nwankpa caught in the middle of four defenders for a 38-yard, game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock. The catch capped a nine-play, 77-yard drive that started with 1:48 remaining.

The Rams will host Linn-Mar (Oct. 1) and Cedar Rapids Jefferson (Oct. 22) and play at Cedar Rapids Prairie (Oct. 8) this season.