Iowa City Regina pulls away from upset-minded Sigourney-Keota

IOWA CITY — If spectators were looking for a plethora of electric plays, then they came to the right place Friday night.

The Regals defeated Sigourney Keota, 50-28, in an offensive slugfest amongst two Class 1A, District 4 contenders.

'It took grit tonight,' Regina Coach Marv Cook said. 'Sigourney's a tough opponent and we knew they would be. This was a great game for us to learn and get better from.'

Sigourney-Keota struck first as explosive playmaker Avery Moore broke away from defenders for an 84-yard TD run on the second play from scrimmage.

Regina answered back as junior quarterback Michael Conlon found Jack Jensen for a 27-yard TD.

Conlon then led his team down the field 55 yards and punched it in from a yard out to give No. 1-ranked Regina a 14-6 lead.

'Our line played great tonight, and with grit,' Conlon said. 'It's much easier to drop back and throw the ball when you know you're protected.'

Regina's defense then forced a safety.

Moore wasn't ready to let his team throw in the towel, however, as he broke several tackles on his way to a 54-yard touchdown run. Moore's run came on a fourth down in S-K's own territory.

Moore rushed for nearly 240 yards and had 101 receiving yards and 4 total TDs on the night.

Conlon found Jake Phillips for a 16-yard TD with just four seconds left in the first half.

The back-and-forth scoring continued in the second half. Regina's Isaac Vollstedt, who played only in the second half and with a cast to cover a broken left hand, scooted in from nine yards out to give the Regals a 29-14 lead. Vollstedt had four TDs, all in the second half.

Moore then scored on a 69-yard TD run coming on a fake punt. Then Moore caught a bomb from Luke Greiner for a 76-yard TD, closing the gap to 29-28.

Regina's Trae Rogers then had a key interception, and Vollstedt scored three more times to put S-K away.