Seniors help Iowa City Regina start the football season with a pair of convincing wins

IOWA CITY — The swagger is back.

Following a pair of early playoff exits, Class 1A seventh-ranked Iowa City Regina (2-0) is off to a flying start. A week after a convincing 44-6 win over West Liberty, the Regals followed it up with another dominant performance, dispatching Mid-Prairie, 51-19, Friday night.

A Regina team that has taken its lumps with young teams is now back with a senior-laden group. Through two weeks, there are positives to be found all over the field.

“We’ll find out as the season goes on,” Regina Coach Jason Dumont said. “I’ve always said there’s a big difference between a 15- or 16-year-old junior and 17- or 18-year-old senior, and I think you’re starting to see a little bit of that with us.”

On this night, swagger arrived in the form of Jackson Naeve. The senior wideout had a night to remember, scoring five touchdowns. Naeve rushed for a pair of scores, and caught all three of Gentry Dumont’s touchdown passes.

“Truly special,” Naeve said. “I did not expect that five. We were just having fun out here.”

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Photos: Mid-Prairie at Iowa City Regina

“From a freshman you knew he was going to be a special player,” Coach Dumont said of Naeve. “Him and Gentry have a certain chemistry together. You just got to get the ball up there and give him a chance.”

The Golden Hawks (0-2) allowed just 13 points in an opening week loss to Wilton. The Regal offense blistered Mid-Prairie for 550 yards.

Working with long fields most of the night, Regina entered the fourth quarter firmly in control with a 23-7 lead. The Regals exploded for 28 points in 6:23, including all three of Naeve’s touchdown catches.

The final came on a flea-flicker that was preceded by a double reverse. Dumont threw the ball to the front corner of the end zone. Blanketed by a defender, Naeve rose up and secured the touchdown grab.

“(Dumont) threw a great ball,” Naeve said. “Obviously the line had great blocking. It was just everything coming together.”

Freshman backup running back Savion Miller ripped off an electrifying 38-yard touchdown run to put the final exclamation point on the fourth-quarter fireworks.

“(Mid-Prairie) played a different secondary than we had seen on film,” Coach Dumont said. “It took us a little bit to adjust to that. For us to make a long push throughout the year, we’re going to need some of that explosiveness.”

On the other end of the ball, big Mid-Prairie back Hudson Ehrenfelt found early success, running for 38 yards on his first five carries. The Regals adjusted and bottled him up the rest of the way, sending more tacklers to the point of attack.

The Golden Hawks had just 55 yards of offense in the first half, as Regina went to the locker room up 17-0.

Mid-Prairie found the scoreboard in the third as Cobi Hershberger made a leaping 32-yard grab. Quarterback Blake Weber snuck it in from a yard out on the next play.

Dylan Henry hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Weber on fourth-and-10 and Blake Swart caught a 20-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.

Dumont finished 17 of 29 for 299 yards passing. Naeve amassed 194 yards of total offense with 160 coming through the air. William Aitchison added 171 yards on the ground with a touchdown.

Iowa City Regina 51, Mid-Prairie 19

MP ICR

First Downs 12, 22

Rushes-Yards 38-105, 28-251

Comp-Att-Int 11-23-1, 17-29-0

Pass Yards 120, 299

Total Yards 225, 550

Penalties-Yards 8-68, 7-50

Fumbles-Lost 0-0, 0-0

Punts-Avg 6-35.8, 2-36.0

Mid-Prairie 0 0 7 12 — 19

Regina 14 3 6 28 — 51

ICR — William Aitchison 9 run (Emiliano Herrera-Sinnwell kick).

ICR — Jackson Naeve 2 run (Herrera-Sinnwell kick).

ICR — Herrera-Sinnwell 25 FG.

ICR — Naeve 5 run (pass failed).

MP — Brady Weber 1 run (Beau Flynn kick).

ICR — Naeve 6 pass from Gentry Dumont (Herrera-Sinnwell kick).

MP — Dylan Henry 19 pass from Weber (pass failed).

ICR — Naeve 20 pass from Dumont (Herrera-Sinwell kick).

ICR — Naeve 35 pass from Dumont (Herrera-Sinwell kick).

ICR — Savion Miller 38 run (Herrera-SInwell kick).

MP — Blake Swart 20 pass from Gentry Bontrager (no attempt).

Rushing — Mid-Prairie: Brady Weber 10-minus-14, Hudson Ehrenfelt 18-74, Landry Gingerich 2-minus-3, Landon Sullivan 4-25, Gentry Bontrager 4-23. Regina: William Aitchison 17-171, Jackson Naeve 7-34, Gentry Dumont 2-minus-2, Savion Miller 2-48.

Receiving — Mid-Prairie: Dylan Henry 3-30, Grady Miller 2-5, Ehrenfelt 1-9, Cobi Hershberger 4-55, Blake Swart 1-20. Regina: Naeve 9-160, Alex Jensen 4-34, Aitchison 1-29, Tate Wallace 1-35, Ty Joss 2-41.

Passing — Mid-Prairie: Weber 10-21-100-1, Bontrager 1-2-20-0. Regina: Dumont 17-29-299-0