Iowa high school football rewind: Lisbon proves it can win with offense, too

The first two weeks the defense shined in back-to-back shutouts.

Lisbon proved to have the offensive firepower to outscore opponents as well.

The Lions amassed 444 offensive yards, including 277 rushing from Baylor Speidel in a 34-28 victory over Class A No. 10 Columbus Community Friday night at Columbus Junction. Speidel punched in a 4-yard touchdown with 1:40 left for the go-ahead score and his fourth of the game.

“Our boys played tremendous (Friday) night,” Lisbon first-year head coach Dylan Hastings said. “It was a total team effort.”

Lisbon improved to 3-0 for the fifth time since 2007. The Lions are just two victories shy of last year’s total, notching their first win over a ranked foe.

“Hopefully, we opened some eyes,” said Speidel, who was a second-team all-district running back in 2022. “We have to keep it going.”

The Lions built a 27-14 halftime lead, posting three TDs in the second quarter. Hastings said the offense began to click and the line started to wear down the Wildcats defense.

“Our offense is explosive,” Hastings said. “They’re fun to watch. They are fun kids to coach. Kudos to the work they’ve done in the offseason in our strength and speed program and to our coaches getting on board to help get these kids faster.”

Columbus battled back to take a 28-27 lead with about four minutes remaining in the fourth. Lisbon marched down the field and answered with the last of Speidel’s scores a little sooner than Hastings would have liked. Columbus used a big pass play to get to Lisbon’s 20 in the late seconds but Tiernan Boots’ pick thwarted the threat.

“They threw it up for one last play,” Hastings said. “We had some pressure in the backfield and got an interception to seal the deal.”

Speidel had career bests in rushing yards and touchdowns. He averaged 12.6 yards per carry, giving him an 11.2 average for the season. Speidel has 413 yards and nine TDs this season. He was quick to praise his blockers. Quarterback Dakota Clark also rushed for a TD.

“The run game starts with the line and we had an unbelievable game up front,” Speidel said. “They dominated. I was able to find holes and use my speed to get through.”

Speidel is already within 44 yards of last season’s total, giving him 1,029 career rushing yards and 20 TDs.

“He has come a very long way, offensively,” Hastings said. “The speed has been there but some of his agility, shiftiness and vision has come a really long way. He works really hard as well as the rest of the boys. They’re all working hard every single day.

“I’m proud of them and their effort in these first three weeks.”

Regina rolls past Mediapolis

Iowa City Regina continued its impressive start with a 45-7 victory at Mediapolis Friday night. The Regals are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents by a total of 140-32.

The Regals scorched the Bulldogs through the air. Gentry Dumont passed for 399 yards, completing 20 of 27 attempts, with three TDs. Dumont connected with five receivers, hitting Jackson Naeve six times for 162 yards including a 53-yard score. Ty Joss also had six receptions for 114 yards and a score.

Naeve and Dumont added TD runs as well. Dumont leads Class 1A with 858 passing yards, while Naeve leads 11-player receivers with six TD catches.

Regina hosts Durant for Homecoming next Friday.

Waukon gets first win

After a rough first two weeks, Waukon got into the win column with a 28-19 home victory and handed Independence its first loss of the year.

Graine Curtin and Jaxon Brinkman combined for 196 rushing yards and three TDs. Brinkman threw a TD pass to Kole McCormick, who finished with 80 yards on five catches to lead the Indians (1-2).

This and that

• East Buchanan’s Tanner Thurn rushed for 196 yards and four TDs in a 39-21 win over No. 9 Maquoketa Valley. The fourth-ranked Buccaneers rushed for 359 total yards and the defense added 11 tackles for loss.

• Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Vicenzo Gianforte passed for 271 yards and three TDs, adding a TD rush to helping the Cougars to a 34-0 win over No. 4 Linn-Mar. It was Kennedy’s first win of the season.

Recommended Reading

Kennedy breaks through in a big way, 34-0 over No. 4 Linn-Mar

• Iowa City West QB Jack Wallace passed for 251 yards and three TDs in a 42-20 victory over Muscatine.

• Sigourney-Keota’s Kale Clarahan rushed for 259 yards and five TDs on 21 carries in a 41-35 win over Mid-Prairie. He also added a 2-point conversion for 32 total points.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com