Iowa high school football rewind: Cascade long on talent, short on numbers

Tim Frake knew he had talent. He also knew he lacked numbers.

That talent proved to be enough to overcome the lack of numbers in the season-opener when the host Cougars held off Class 2A No. 6 Monticello, 21-13, Friday night.

Cascade scored three touchdowns within a 7:05 span in the second quarter, then hung on — barely. Because of the low numbers — the Cougars have 28 players — many are playing offense and defense, as well as special teams.

Frake said “six or seven” players cramped up in the second half, causing for a long and interrupted final two quarters.

“We were losing guys left and right,” Frake said. “I feel bad for Monti.”

But, he said, he also is proud of his team. The Cougars showed grit and toughness to hang on for the upset.

“One of our assistant coaches said it ... we’re going to fight to that last whistle,” Frake said. “They kept playing hard.”

Will Hosch and Jack Menster scored for the Cougars, Menster rushing for 159 yards on 15 carries and scoring on runs of 68 and 39 yards.

“We definitely have talent,” Franke said. “We have some seniors who have played a lot of football.”

Frake, in his 18th season, is about to cross a pretty big milestone, too. He didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but Cascade’s next win will be No. 100 for the coach.

“Please don’t tell anybody,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve had some good teams ... it’ll be nice, but it’s about the players. It’s not about me.”

Cascade plays at Durant on Friday.

Alburnett Pirate surprise

Another upset on opening night happened at Troy Mills.

North Linn came into this season with high hopes, as usual. Alburnett apparently did, too.

After falling behind, 13-9, late in the fourth quarter, Alburnett stormed back and beat the Class A fourth-ranked Lynx, 16-13, when Mason Neighbor connected with Grayson Carolan on a 75-yard scoring pass with 2:02 remaining.

In the 2021 version of this Linn County showdown, North Linn blanked the Pirates.

“They smoked us last year at our place,” Alburnett’s Mason Neighbor told correspondent Mike Condon after the game. “It feels really good to come into their house and beat them.”

Alburnett Coach Rich Velasquez was not surprised.

“The way we practiced all summer long definitely helped us overcome the adversity tonight,” he said. “Our coaches had a great game plan and the kids executed.

“Defensively, we were solid all night.”

Clash at Kinnick: What a night

Iowa City High Coach Mitch Moore was upset about the outcome of the Clash at Kinnick, but he was not at all disappointed in the event.

City High hosted Liberty at Kinnick Stadium on Friday, the first high school game in the stadium since 1980. Liberty upset the Class 5A sixth-ranked Little Hawks, 36-19.

Still, Moore was impressed.

“This was a special night,” he said. “What an event for Iowa high school football. You kidding me? There had to be 10,000 people there.

“This was a bad stage to lose on. But, you know what, I’ve still got a lot gratitude for the event. What it does for state of Iowa, what it does for this place. Hopefully we’ll keep getting events here. I’m proud to be a part of this.”

Defensive Washington Warriors

Much has been written about Cedar Rapids Washington returning some very skilled and speedy players on offense this fall.

That was on display Friday night in the Warriors’ 47-6 win over Jefferson at Kingston Stadium. Washington totaled 271 yards of offense, including 139 on the ground. Watts McBride led the charge with 120 yards and two rushing TDs on 10 carries.

But the Warrior defense was pretty special, too.

Unofficially, The Gazette’s K.J. Pilcher noted, Washington held the J-Hawks to minus-30 yards of total offense. Jefferson completed six passes for 15 yards and rushed 21 times for minus-45.

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