K.J. Pilcher

Plenty of teams impressed in Week 1 of the 2023 Iowa high school football season. Who stood out? We discuss our top takeaways and look ahead to Week 2 on the Prep Football Huddle podcast.

Iowa City Liberty placed third or better in each of the first three large meets of the season, including a third-place finish at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet to open the season. The Lightning added a runnner-up finish and third-place finish before an MVC quad Wednesday in Dubuque.

Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford kick off a season of high school football questions. Read our takes on Week 1 heroes, Week 2 contests and reasonable expectations of a first-year program.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson scored twice in the second half and held Muscatine scoreless the last two quarters for a 33-24 victory, earning their first win since Oct. 25, 2019.

Quarterback Will Phillips connected with Apollo Payne for two touchdowns, including a 26-yard strike with a little more than five minutes left, and Cedar Rapids Prairie knocked off Class 5A No. 3 Cedar Falls, 20-17, in a prep football contest Friday night at John Wall Field.

There are plenty of standout Iowa high school football games Friday night (and Saturday) that we preview in the first Prep Football Huddle podcast of the season. Plus, a look at our preseason rankings and storylines to watch.

Consistency and discipline. Those traits form the foundation of Cedar Rapids Xavier’s football program. The players have grown to expect, accept and promote the tenets by Duane Schulte, the Saints’ only head coach who has 208 career victories, seven state finals appearances and four championships, including the Class 4A crown last season, in the 26-year history of the school.

After decades of playing at historic Thomas Park, Marion will play home football games at the new stadium on campus this fall. The Wolves return nine starters and 13 letterwinners from last year that ended 5-4 and one spot out of the Class 4A playoffs.

Brothers Jack, Nick and Sam Shaw and cousin Clay Krousie are part of a Coe football program that went 7-3 overall last season and was third with one first-place vote in the American Rivers Conference preseason poll.

Williamsburg senior and University of Iowa commit Derek Weisskopf can run, jump, tackle and punt and is developing into a blocker in his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. He has played a major role in the Raiders’ success the last couple seasons but his approach to the game might be as strong as his physical skills.

Springville’s Conlin Rouse missed all but one quarter of a game last season due to a broken arm. He played in the season opener Friday and scored a touchdown, amassing 73 receiving yards in a 52-23 loss to Baxter.

Cedar Rapids Xavier was a runner-up by one shot at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and followed with a one-stroke victory at the Linn-Mar Invitational on Monday at Hunters Ridge Golf Course under new head coach Brandon Schiltz

Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Reid Hall opened his senior season the same way he closed last fall — with a title. The defending Class 4A state champion earned medalist honors at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet on Thursday at Thunder Hills Country Club in Peosta.

Western Dubuque qualified for the boys’ state golf tournament last season. The Bobcats return five players from that lineup and another with starting experience. They open the season with lofty goals and host the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet on Thursday at Thunder Hills Golf Course in Peosta.

A look at Gazette area golfers and teams to watch ahead of the 2023 Iowa high school Class 4A boys’ fall golf season.