Big 2nd quarter powers Iowa City Regina to win over Alburnett

IOWA CITY – One play doesn’t win a game but it certainly can be a turning point.

When Iowa City Regina’s defense stuffed Alburnett’s fourth-and-short conversion attempt midway through the second quarter, it was the fulcrum that allowed the Regals to break open a tied game.

Class 1A No. 3 Regina scored 21 unmatched points before halftime and rolled to a 59-27 victory over 2A No. 7 Alburnett in a non-district high school football game Friday night at Regina. The Regals are 5-0 against the Pirates since 2012.

“We were able to go out and execute for the first time we’ve been able to this year,” Tracy said. “We played as a team, played together and that brings results. Obviously, there are things to clean up. I think this unit can get better.”

The pivotal play came about midway through the second quarter with the score tied at 14-14. The Pirates had run the ball with success and elected to go on fourth-and-inches from their 43. Quarterback Brody Kaestner was stopped at the line, causing a turnover on downs.

“Coaches put us in good position,” Regina sophomore nose tackle Nathan Parizek said. “We had a great week of practice. I felt really prepared coming in.

“At nose, you’re right up in there. You feel the most pressure. I want to go in there and get a stop. It feels great. You have all your guys behind you.”

The defense provided prime field position for the offense, which capitalized.

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Four plays later and one play after Kyle Tracy’s 27-yard run, Tracy hit Savion Miller on a swing pass to the right. Miller sidestepped the initial tackler, got outside of the defense and fought to the pylon for a 14-yard TD. Regina took a 21-14 and didn’t look back.

“I think it gave our guys a lot of energy and confidence that they could come up big in a big moment,” Elsbury said. “That’s a big-time play. It swings things and can kickstart our offense when the defense is willing to get down and dirty, fight with pad level and win there.”

The dam broke for the Regals, who parlayed interceptions by Drew Greve and Edwin Gangba on Alburnett’s next two possessions into scores before halftime.

Greve’s pick gave Regina (3-0) the ball at the Alburnett 22. Tracy hit a wide open Will Litton out of the backfield for an 11-yard TD and 28-14 lead.

Gangba’s interception after a pass went through a receiver’s hands set the Regals up at the 35 with 47 seconds left before the break. Tracy ran in untouched from the 1 and capped a 28-point quarter for a 35-14 halftime advantage.

“We have a special group of guys,” Elsbury said. “Great leadership and a ton of playmakers we can get the ball to. It’s hard to guard one guy and stop us.”

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Tracy is a dual threat at quarterback. He rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown and passed for 206 yards and four scores.

“At the end of the day, as a quarterback, my job is to get the ball in my playmakers’ hands,” Tracy said. “Sometimes a good run is more rewarding but I don’t practice running as much. I practice throwing the ball and being able to do my job.

“Being able to do both is something I’ve really worked on. It makes me able to run, pass and sometimes when we’re off script I can make a play.”

Tracy hit Gangba for a 66-yard TD pass. Tracy hit him in stride on a slant and he split defenders, using a stiff arm to separate from the last attempted tackler.

“He had an insane run,” Tracy said. “That was a big play for us.”

Alburnett (2-1) punched the Regals in the mouth immediately. Laken Caves returned the opening kick 92 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. The Pirates took another seven-point lead when Brody Kaestner scrambled and found Hunter Frey for a 28-yard TD pass with 10:40 to go before halftime.

Caves added scoring runs of 14 and 3 yards in the second half. He finished with 147 yards of total offense.

Laken Caves could be the best back we see all year long,” Elsbury said. “He’s a stud in multiple sports. In general, a lot of hard-nosed kids at Alburnett.

“I was really happy with how our guys responded, going down 7-0 right away. They came back. They trusted the process. … Eventually, we broke through, won the last four minutes of the first half and came back out and finished it.”

IOWA CITY REGINA 59

ALBURNETT 27

AT IOWA CITY

ALB ICR

First Downs 13 20

Rushes-yards 32-111 33-191

Passing yards 135 221

Comp-att-int 12-18-2 13-20-0

Total yards 246 412

Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0

Punts-avg. 1-41.0 1-35.0

Penalties-yards 9-91 6-59

Alburnett 7 7 6 7 -- 27

I.C. Regina 7 28 17 7 -- 59

ALB – Laken Caves 92 kickoff return (Reis Moore kick)

ICR – Carter Slager 5 pass from Kyle Tracy (Gabriel Hegelheimer kick)

ALB – Hunter Frey 28 pass from Brody Kaestner (Moore kick)

ICR – Tracy 34 run (Hegelheimer kick)

ICR – Savion Miller 14 pass from Tracy (Hegelheimer kick)

ICR – Will Litton 11 pass from Tracy (Evan Greve kick)

ICR – Tracy 1 run (Hegelheimer kick)

ICR – FG Hegelheimer 32

ALB – Caves 14 run (pass fail)

ICR – Miller 9 run (Hegelheimer kick)

ICR – Edwin Gangba 66 pass from Tracy (Greve kick)

ALB – Caves 3 run (Moore kick)

ICR – Emmett Burke 94 kickoff return (Greve kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Alburnett: Caves 19-83, Owen Henriksen 5-21, Cooper Franklin 4-14, Kaestner 4-(minus 7). I.C. Regina: Tracy 15-123, Miller 8-48, Aaron Honore 4-15, Kevin Garcia Castro 3-2, Zachary Poe 2-2, Hegelheimer 1-1.

PASSING – Alburnett: Kaestner 12-18-2-135. I.C. Regina: Tracy 12-19-0-206, Poe 1-1-0-15.

RECEIVING – Alburnett: Caves 4-64, Frey 1-28, Henriksen 3-17, Liam Carolan 1-12, Franklin 2-9, Cash Varner 1-5. I.C. Regina: Drew Greve 3-73, Gangba 1-66, Tate Wallace 4-30, Honore 1-15, Miller 1-14, Litton 1-11, Hudson Koch 1-7, Slager 1-5.

Comments: k.j.pilcher@thegazette.com