Iowa City Regina rolls over West Branch

IOWA CITY — From the first play from scrimmage, Iowa City Regina sent the message: there would be no rivalry upset on their home turf.

The Regals started the game from their own 13 yard-line, and quarterback Michael Conlon turned and handed off to junior running back Isaac Vollstedt. Vollstedt ran through a semi-truck-sized, then lowered his helmet and trucked directly over a West Branch defender and sprinted for what looked like an 87-yard touchdown. The run was called back on a block in the back downfield, but the message was sent.

If it wasn't received then, it was a play later, when Jacob Phillips took the next handoff 60 yards for the touchdown.

Regina wasn't going to let rival West Branch come onto their turf and spoil a chance at seventh straight state championship. The Regals (9-1) dominated the Bears (6-4), 49-15, en route to the Class 1A quarterfinals, and the writing seemed on the wall from that first play onward.

'I mean, I was mad it got called back, but I couldn't be too mad at the line because they opened that hole for me,' Vollstedt said through a smile after the game. 'I couldn't hold a grudge.'

Regina's big plays came early and often Friday night, racing out to a 28-0 lead before West Branch got its first down of the game. The Regals had runs of 20 (TD), 31, 37 and 60 (TD), and had passes of 20, 28, 33, 35, 41 (TD) and 69 (TD) yards. They also got a pair of interception returns for touchdowns — a 22-yard return from Jack Jensen and a 30-yard return from Brady Bigley.

Vollstedt said after the game 'our whole team really clicked for the first time,' which was echoed by head coach Marv Cook.

Regina opened with a barrage of runs with Vollstedt and Phillips, but a West Branch adjustment forced the ball into Conlon's hands. Conlon found Vollstedt for the 69-yard score and Jensen for the 41-yarder, and had a 31-yard run of his own he made happen after his receivers were covered.

Big plays defined the game for the Regals, and like Vollstedt said, it seemed to be the culmination of things coming together the best they have all year for Regina.

'I thought we ran the ball really well early, then West Branch stacked the box and forced us to throw a little bit,' Cook said. 'The first five weeks were intense, and now I think our kids have locked back in and are focused. I thought our practices have been really good; we're getting our tempo back, we're getting our pace back up and that's what we wanted to see tonight. We wanted to play fast again.'

Mission accomplished.

Regina moves on to play undefeated Pella Christian in the 1A quarterfinals, a team the Regals beat, 31-14, in last season's regular season finale. Pella Christian (10-0) beat Sigourney-Keota, 49-0, in their opening-round game Friday night, and Cook said the Regals will have to be prepared for the Eagles' quarterback, David Kacmarynski, who had 1,542 yards and 27 touchdowns passing in the regular season, as well as 525 yards rushing.

The teams play next Friday at Regina at 7 p.m.

Regina will have had plenty of practice successfully stopping an opposing team's best player. The Regals shut down West Branch's all-time leading rusher, Luke Lenoch, for three and a half quarters Friday night. Before Regina took out its first team defense, Lenoch had been held to just 27 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Cook lauded Regina's effort against the Bears star, but not as much as he did Lenoch's career.

'That's the best we've ever done against him, tonight,' Cook said. 'Obviously, as an alumni of West Branch, I'm very proud of him and happy for him. That's a team deal, and he'll be the first to tell you that, so congratulations to him for a great career; 6,000 yards is amazing.'

Lenoch finished Friday night, and his high school career, on a high note, though. His final five runs went for 22, 16, 19, nine and his last carry a 26-yard touchdown run, and it was that final run that put him over the 6,000-yard mark.

He finishes his West Branch career with 6,022 yards and 87 rushing touchdowns — going for 30 in a season in his sophomore and senior years. After the game, Lenoch embraced his friends and family, but was not in tears. He reflected on his career and said he was simply grateful.

'Despite what this scoreboard said, this has meant more to me than anything, and I wouldn't trade it to be on any state championship or anything,' Lenoch said. 'It's taught me family. It's just a bond that can't be replaced. Throw away the stats. It's just been fun. I've enjoyed every minute of it.

'To me (the last touchdown) was me out there still fighting with my guys, that's all that was. The stat will say a touchdown, but for me it was just my boys blocking for me one more time.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com