4 Downs: Gazette staff responds to Iowa high school football questions

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football staff poses answers to questions about the current season and more. Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their wealth of knowledge:

1st & 10: Which individual performance in Week 5 was the most impressive?

Linder: Impossible to trump what Williamsburg’s Rayce Heitman pulled off in the first 7:07. Two interception returns for touchdowns, two punt returns for touchdowns, and the Raiders led 27-0 before they took an offensive snap. That’s a career right there, in less than a quarter.

Johnson: Hard to top what Maquoketa Valley’s Lance McShane did Friday night against Clayton Ridge. That’d be 10 carries for 304 yards and five touchdowns for the running back. Yowza.

Pilcher: Obviously, Rayce Heitman’s early performance was outstanding. East Buchanan’s Tanner Thurn grabbed my attention. The senior running back and linebacker did it all for the Buccaneers. Thurn rushed for 209 yards on 19 carries (11 yards per carry) and four TDs in a 41-14 victory over previously unbeaten North Linn, which was coming off three straight shutouts. He also scored on two conversion runs, tallying 34 total points. Thurn also blocked a punt, scooping it up and returning it for a TD. He also led the Buccaneers with seven tackles and tied for a team-best four solo. Thurn set the school’s all-time rushing record, breaking the record set by Carter Downer. Quite the achievement in a program that has been run-oriented since Noah’s Ark reached land.

Ford: I have faith that someone has already mentioned Rayce Heitman, so I’ll pivot to maybe the best win of the week. Sumner-Fredericksburg’s Davis Van Sickle completed 13 of 19 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and totaled 5 1/2 tackles with two for loss in a 13-9 win over an unbeaten MFL MarMac team that was ranked No. 2 in Class 1A.

2nd & long: We have passed the midway point for all teams. Who are your Midseason Offensive and Defensive Most Outstanding Players?

Linder: I’m going to go with co-offensive players of the year between Grant Glausser of Western Dubuque and Lance McShane of Maquoketa Valley, both of whom are churning out the yards and racking up the touchdowns for a pair of teams that are 4-1. Defensively, how about Tate Wood of Independence, who leads the area with 67 tackles and has been in the 20s a couple of times.

Johnson: I’ve got Tate Wood of Independence as my defensive MVP. I mean, three straight games of 20-plus tackles? C’mon! Offensive MVP (or MOP) is tough. Maquoketa Valley’s Lance McShane and Western Dubuque’s Grant Glausser are 1-2, respectively, in rushing yards. Iowa City Liberty’s Graham Beckman has produced the most offensive yards in the 11-player game. Pick one of those three. Your choice.

Pilcher: Defensively, I’m going to split my vote between Solon’s Brett White and Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Collin Velky. White is second in Class 3A with 12 tackles for loss, recording 46 total tackles. Velky is second in 5A with 12 tackles for loss with 47.5 overall. Velky ranks fourth in 5A with 36 solo tackles. Both are doing it against top competition. Offensively, I’m going straight numbers here. Sure, it’s 8-Player and BGM’s record is just above .500, but sophomore Beau Burns has more than 2,400 offensive yards and 32 TDs. He is averaging 480 offensive yards per game.

Ford: I’d give the nod on offense to Western Dubuque’s Grant Glausser. He’s second in the state in rushing (1,132) and all-purpose (1,301) yards for a team ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. It’s tougher to compare stats on defense but how about Williamsburg’s Micah Lang? He already has 7 1/2 sacks (2 1/2 in one of the best wins of the year against Cedar Rapids Xavier) and an interception.

3rd & short: Has this been the most unpredictable regular season you have experienced? Is it foreshadowing an uncertain postseason?

Linder: I think it is, yes. There have been a number of surprises each week, some of which have been major. Trying to get a handle on some of these classes (particularly 4A) has been a chore, but an enjoyable one. The postseason is closing in on us fast, and I think the road to the Dome is going to be an intriguing one. It’s hard to imagine a 5A final other than Southeast Polk-Dowling, but there’s really not another team in any class (Williamsburg, maybe, if it stays healthy) that is a shoo-in to reach Cedar Falls.

Johnson: There have been some great games thus far, and a number of upsets. Class 4A has been an absolute zoo, as far as everyone losing. I hope that continues in the postseason, but I’m not so sure it does. Again, except perhaps in 4A ...

Pilcher: I always say predictions can only prove how much you don’t know. This has been a topsy-turvey season. Winless teams beating unbeaten foes. Teams blown out one week are blowing out opponents the next. Teams are ranked one week, and the next week are outside the top 10. This is the most unpredictable season I can recall. No reason to doubt it continues all the way to the UNI-Dome.

Ford: I hesitate to make any declaratives about past seasons because I have a hard enough time recalling what happened in the state baseball and softball tournaments that were just a couple months ago. But when compiling my weekly ballot for our poll it does feel like there are fewer obvious selections, and that’s in multiple classes. I predict a good number of “upsets” in the postseason that were really a lot closer on paper than the rankings would suggest.

4th & goal: Multiple weather delays occurred Friday. What songs would be on your weather delay playlist?

Linder: Crank up the ‘80s music and let it pour.

Johnson: Just plug in some Air Supply and Abba, and I’ll be good.

Pilcher: Start with “Purple Rain” by Prince. Garth Brooks’ “Thunder Rolls” gets played followed by “I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbitt. Rihanna’s collab with Jay-Z “Umbrella” must be in there. “No Rain” by Blind Melon, Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” and Milli Vanilli’s lip-sync classic “Blame it on the Rain.” You get the theme here.

Ford: Why listen to music when you could flip on The Gazette’s Prep Football Huddle podcast?