Iowa high school football 2024: Gazette-area Week 2 games to watch

The following are area football capsules for Week 2 of the Iowa high school football season:

Cedar Rapids Xavier at Williamsburg

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Williamsburg

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0. Xavier is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A; Williamsburg is No. 1 in 3A.

Overview: The reigning 3A state champion, Williamsburg picked up its seventh consecutive win in convincing fashion, 55-10, over West Branch last week. Grant Hocker passed for six touchdowns, including three to Rayce Heitman. Among the Raiders’ 12 wins last year was a 21-20 thriller at Saints Field. An inexperienced Xavier outfit showed promise with a 14-7 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock last week. QB Cash Parks (101 passing yards) and Beau Morio (team-high seven tackles) are among a handful of sophomores that played key roles in Week 1.

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Cedar Rapids Washington at Linn-Mar

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, at Linn-Mar Stadium

Records and rankings: Washington is 0-1; Class 5A No. 10 Linn-Mar is 1-0.

Overview: Linn-Mar has assumed the upper hand in this rivalry lately, beating the Warriors three straight years. Based on Week 1 results, that trend is expected to continue Friday. The Lions got four rushing touchdowns from Dylan Muszynski in a 50-0 rout of Dubuque Senior last week. Stone Morgan passed for 142 yards, and the Lions broke it open with 29 second-quarter points. Washington took the lead to the fourth quarter last week against Dubuque Hempstead before the Mustangs prevailed, 48-38. Washington QB Grady McGuire passed for three TDs and ran for two.

Iowa City Liberty at Iowa City High

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, at Bates Field

Records and rankings: Liberty is 1-0; City is 0-1.

Overview: After winning a 56-45 shootout over Iowa City West last week, Liberty shoots for a sweep of its ICCSD rivals. The Lightning amassed 565 yards of total offense against West, 365 on the ground, 171 from Owen Drapeaux (including three touchdowns). Liberty established control late in the first half on its way to a 35-26 halftime advantage. City dropped a 50-22 decision to Illinois power Joliet Catholic, a state runner-up last year, despite 222 passing yards from Bobby Bacon. Liberty has won two straight in this series and leads it 4-2 all-time.

Benton Community at Marion

When and where: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Marion Stadium

Records and rankings: Benton is 1-0; Marion is 0-1.

Overview: Carson Nolan spearheaded a productive ground attack in Benton’s 48-0 romp over county rival Vinton-Shellsburg last week. Nolan rushed for 171 yards on just seven carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run. The Bobcats rushed for 309 yards (11.4 per carry), and led 41-0 at halftime. Marion didn’t get much going offensively in a 28-3 home loss to Clear Creek Amana. Benton has won three of the last four in this series, including a 38-7 triumph last year.

Iowa City Regina at Mid-Prairie

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, at Wellman

Records and rankings: Class 1A No. 10 Regina is 1-0; Mid-Prairie is 0-1.

Overview: The Dustin Elsbury era got off to a solid start, a 42-28 victory over West Liberty that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Regina junior quarterback Kyle Tracy passed for 263 yards and three touchdowns in his debut, with Tate Wallace catching six aerials for 139 yards. A preseason top-10 team in 2A, Mid-Prairie is playing its second consecutive 1A power. The Golden Hawks led Wilton 14-7 at halftime last week before falling, 19-14. Brady Weber passed for 195 yards, but the Golden Hawks managed just 1.4 yards per rush.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson at Marshalltown

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Marshalltown

Records and rankings: Jefferson is 1-0; Marshalltown is 0-1.

Overview: Jefferson is 1-0 for the second straight year after a steady 33-14 victory over Muscatine. Junior QB Vernon Benda enjoyed an efficient night (15 of 18, 200 yards, three touchdowns), with eight passes going to L.J. Nyenow Jr. The J-Hawks will be considered favorites in each of their next three games. Marshalltown’s comeback bid came up a point short, 26-25, against Mason City. The Bobcats do appear to have a competitive rushing attack; they netted 246 ground yards last week.

Pleasant Valley at Cedar Rapids Kennedy

When and where: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Kingston Stadium

Records and rankings: Both teams are 0-1. Kennedy is ranked No. 8 in Class 5A.

Overview: Kennedy finally got some offensive traction last week against West Des Moines Dowling, but a 17-0 halftime hole was too far to climb, and the Cougars fell 24-12. Vinny Gianforte completed 19 of 24 passes for 168 yards. This will be a contrast of styles, with Pleasant Valley a run-first outfit. The Spartans managed 321 ground yards (199, on 21 carries from Harrison Fierce) in a 25-24 overtime loss to archrival Bettendorf. The Spartans took a 17-10 lead into the fourth quarter, then scored first in OT before Bettendorf scored a TD and two-point conversion.

Cedar Rapids Prairie at Dubuque Senior

When and where: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Dalzell Field

Records and rankings: Both teams are 0-1.

Overview: After helping kick off the new outdoor stadium at Cedar Falls (a 35-13 loss), Prairie plays its second consecutive road game. This one should be a much easier puzzle to solve; Senior is coming off a 50-0 loss to Linn-Mar. Prairie was unable to stop the run last week, surrendering 310 ground yards in 32 carries. Wyatt Eash and David Fason have a look of a promising pass-catch combo for the Hawks, whose home opener next week — against Southeast Polk — presents its own challenge.

Urbandale at Iowa City West

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, at Trojan Field.

Records and rankings: Both teams are 0-1.

Overview: Oh-and-2 isn’t an appealing proposition for either team, particularly for Urbandale, which travels to Bettendorf next week. Both teams are coming off competitive losses: West fell to Iowa City Liberty, 56-45, in a game that feature 993 yards (565 by the Lightning). Jack Wallace, the Trojans’ fourth-year starter at quarterback, ran for two TDs and passed for two more. Urbandale gave up a fourth-quarter touchdown and suffered a 21-17 loss to 4A top-10 Indianola. Turner Brown caught just two passes, but those two went for 111 yards and two TDs.

Solon at Clear Creek Amana

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Tiffin

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0. Solon is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A.

Overview: Maybe Lance Pedersen’s building job at Clear Creek Amana isn’t as steep as we first thought. The Clippers gave Pedersen a rousing performance in his CCA debut, intercepting four passes in a 28-3 romp at Marion. Solon, on the other hand, jumped all over Davenport Assumption in Week 1, taking a 30-0 lead by halftime and cruising home, 33-7. Ty Bell passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and Eddie Johnson ran for 120 yards and a score. Solon won last year’s meeting, 7-3.

WACO at Iowa Valley

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, at Marengo

Records and rankings: Both teams are 2-0 overall, 0-0 8-Player District 6. Iowa Valley is ranked No. 8; WACO is No. 9.

Overview: It might be a bit too early to classify this as a district championship game, but it’s certainly a pivotal matchup that will go a long way in that direction. At 73.0 points per game, Iowa Valley ranks third statewide in the 8-Player classification. Sophomore QB Nolan Kriegel has churned out 632 yards of total offense in two games, with 13 touchdowns. WACO’s Clayton Miller has been a prolific passer through two weeks, throwing for 496 yards and 10 touchdowns (and no interceptions).

Decorah at West Delaware

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Manchester

Records and rankings: Class 4A No. 9 Decorah is 1-0; 3A No. 6 West Delaware is 0-1.

Overview: One team in Class 4A notched an opening-week shutout, and that’s Decorah. The Vikings surrendered just 154 yards (including 37 in 28 rushing attempts) in a 33-0 blanking of Waukon. Decorah did most of its offensive damage early, leading 27-0 at halftime. Louis Bucksa passed just nine times, but two went for touchdowns. West Delaware will try to get things going after a 21-13 opening loss at Western Dubuque, in which the Hawks gave up 241 rushing yards. Dual-threat QB Brent Yonkovic ran for 124 yards for the Hawks.

Recommended Reading

The Gazette’s 2024 post-Week 1 Iowa high school football rankings

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com