The Gazette’s 2024 all-area football team

You see those senior-year numbers, both efficient and prolific:

Thirty-three touchdown passes. Four interceptions. Nearly 2,800 passing yards.

How does Jack Wallace make it look so easy?

Well, it has been a process.

“The success I have had, it goes back to the hard things I’ve had to go through,” said Wallace, a four-year starting quarterback at Iowa City West, and The Gazette’s area offensive player of the year.

“Thankfully, I had a coach in (Garrett) Hartwig who believed in me, even when I was a 14-year-old freshman starting against good (Class) 5A teams.

“There has definitely been a learning curve. Each year I got better and better, and it all came together this season.”

That first year, Wallace completed 43 percent of his passes, threw more interceptions than touchdowns, and West went 2-7.

Steady improvement followed each season. As a senior, he completed 71 percent of his throws, and the Trojans advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals.

“It speaks to his coachability,” Hartwig said. “We made some offensive changes after his junior year, and Jack was incredibly coachable to all of it. He was willing to grasp new concepts.

“And his toughness, both mentally and physically. To start at a 5A school as a freshman, he had to deal with ups and downs. But he was so strong mentally, and he never missed a start in four years.”

Those four years produced 7,182 career yards and 68 touchdown passes.

Led by Wallace (who will play at Minnesota State University next year), West matches Mount Vernon with the most players (four apiece) on The Gazette’s all-area team.

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Eleven schools have two players apiece.

One of them is Independence, which boasts the area defensive player of the year, middle linebacker Tate Wood.

In three years on the Indee varsity team, Wood has collected 322.5 tackles (255 solo, 38.5 for loss). The Mustangs have won 25 of 32 games in that time.

This season, he made 124 stops (103 solo).

“I focus a lot in the film room,” Wood said. “I pay attention to doing my job.

“I’m a shorter linebacker, so it’s mostly strength. I’m able to bench-press most of the offensive linemen off of me.”

Independence Coach Justin Putz said, “We’ve had a lot of good linebackers here, but I think Tate is the best we’ve ever had.

“He is so instinctive, super physical. And he has such a nose for the football. He plays fast and is able to clean up plays.”

Rayce Heitman of Williamsburg is the overall area player of the year; Iowa City Liberty’s Scott Chandler is the area coach of the year.

The 2024 Gazette all-area football team

OFFENSE

QB Bobby Bacon, 6-2, 175, sr., Iowa City High

QB Grant Hocker, 6-5, 185, sr., Williamsburg

QB Reece Rettig, 5-10, 165, jr., Iowa City Liberty

QB Jack Wallace, 6-3, 220, sr., Iowa City West

RB Eddie Johnson, 6-2, 210, sr., Solon

RB Dylan Muszynski, 5-9, 170, sr., Linn-Mar

RB Austin Scranton, 6-3, 195, sr., Anamosa

WR Rayce Heitman, 6-2, 185, sr., Williamsburg

WR Brady Kurt, 6-2, 195, sr., Independence

WR Dallas Miller, 5-11, 170, sr., Iowa City Liberty

WR Mason Woods, 6-2, 220, sr., Iowa City West

OL Joe Briesmeister, 6-6, 230, sr., Mount Vernon

OL William Hahn, 6-3, 278, sr., Decorah

OL Carter Holmes, 6-4, 280, sr., Benton Community

OL Tyler Rindels, 6-4, 265, sr., Iowa City High

OL Colin Whitters, 6-4, 300, jr., Iowa City West

OL Grant Wilson, 5-11, 245, sr., Solon

UT Tiernan Boots, 5-8, 165, sr., Lisbon

UT Carter Hoffmann, 6-1, 180, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

UT Matthew Klostermann, 6-0, 205, sr., Central City

UT Pryce Rochford, 5-10, 200, sr., Edgewood-Colesburg

K Logan Barton, 5-8, 140, soph., Cedar Rapids Washington

DEFENSE

DL Nathan Beitz, 6-2, 225, sr., Maquoketa Valley

DL Brody Clubb, 6-4, 255, sr., Clear Creek Amana

DL Caleb Haack, 6-9, 210, sr., Iowa Valley

DL Kael Riniker, 6-0, 225, sr., Mount Vernon

DL Ethan Wood, 6-5, 235, sr., Mount Vernon

LB Will Aitchison, 5-10, 180, sr., Iowa City Regina

LB Kaden Kos, 5-11, 200, sr., Mid-Prairie

LB Julian Manson, 6-3, 215, jr., Iowa City West

LB Jack Stevenson, 6-1, 205, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

LB Avery Vaske, 5-11, 180, sr., Starmont

LB Tate Wood, 5-10, 205, sr., Independence

DB Cael Benesh, 5-10, 170, sr., North Linn

DB Dakota Clark, 5-8, 150, sr., Lisbon

DB Brock Davis, 5-11, 180, sr., Cedar Rapids Washington

DB Jase Jaspers, 5-8, 175, jr., Mount Vernon

DB Dylan LeFebvere, 5-10, 190, sr., Benton Community

DB Owen Rosenberg, 6-2, 180, sr., Clear Creek Amana

UT David Fason, 6-1, 235, jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie

UT Cole Griffith, 5-9, 160, sr., North Linn

UT Eli Szabo, 6-2, 170, sr., Cedar Rapids Jefferson

P Noah Case, 6-2, 215, sr., Marion

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Rayce Heitman, sr., Williamsburg

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jack Wallace, sr., Iowa City West

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tate Wood, sr., Independence

COACH OF THE YEAR

Scott Chandler, Iowa City Liberty

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com