Jeff Johnson

Michigan junior running back Blake Corum added 11 pounds of muscle to his 5-foot-8 frame in the offseason. It allowed him to rack up 30 carries last week in a win over Maryland, not to mention 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Did it seem like there were more blowouts than usual in Iowa high school football last Friday? We consider whether that’s a trend or an anomaly on this episode of the Prep Football Huddle podcast and discuss what else stood out in Week 5.

Iowa’s high school football season has reached the second half of the regular season for all classes. We answer questions on teams, individuals and venues.

Coe’s football team has rotated quarterbacks so far this season. Junior Carter Maske got his first start Saturday against Simpson and made the most of it, throwing three touchdowns in a 48-10 victory.

Central City’s football team hung around for the first half of Friday night’s big 8-Player game at Central City, trailing at the half, 20-6, But No. 6 Easton Valley pulled away big in the second half for a 49-6 win.

Rutgers hasn’t named a starting quarterback for its home football game Saturday night against the Iowa Hawkeyes, in part because it doesn’t know who will be available. Noah Vedral and Gavin Wimsatt will be game-time decisions for the Scarlet Knights.

Iowa Hawkeyes commit Preston Ries of Monticello is his team’s leading passer, rusher and tackler. With the exception of kicks and kickoffs, he never leaves the field.

From Iowa City Liberty and Marion, to Cascade, East Buchanan and more, we run through the most-impressive wins of Iowa high school football Week 4 on the latest episode of the Prep Football Huddle podcast.

Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson doesn’t think there’s much significance to it, but his Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have 12 players on the opening-day roster who have played at least one game previously with the club. The Riders begin the United States Hockey League regular season Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh against the Lincoln Stars.

When you need to understand the wonders of high school football in Eastern Iowa, people seek our answers. Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, Nathan Ford and K.J. Pilcher address midseason MVP candidates, deep talent pools in the Metro, midseason surprises and whether seven classes work.

Central City’s football team moved to 4-0 Friday night with a 44-20 win over Midland. The Wildcats have their best team since they made the Eight-Player playoffs in 2018.

The South Bend Cubs scored four runs in the top of the first inning and rolled past the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 9-3, Friday night in the deciding third game of their Midwest League Western Division championship playoff series.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, on one hit, three walks, a hit by pitch and run-scoring balk to beat the South Bend Cubs, 5-3, in Game 2 of the Midwest League Western Division playoff series. The winner-take-all Game 3 is Friday night in Cedar Rapids.

Nevada’s football team has played quarterbacks Nate Cox and Shane Illingworth in both its games this season. Both are listed as potential starters for Saturday night’s game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Gazette's Jeff Johnson, Jeff Linder and K.J. Pilcher discuss the parity in Class 1A, more takeaways from Week 3 and Week 4 games to watch on the latest Prep Football Huddle podcast.