Iowa City West runs wild in 69-7 win over Dubuque Hempstead

IOWA CITY — Iowa City West ran wild in wet conditions.

The Class 4A fifth-ranked Trojans racked up 535 yards on the ground — 398 in the first half — in a dominating 69-7 win over Dubuque Hempstead last night in a first-round playoff game at Trojan Field.

Quarterback Nate Boland ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns for West (9-1), which will play Bettendorf next Monday in the second round.

'Our guys up front dominated both sides,' West Coach Brian Sauser said.

Hempstead (4-6) managed two first downs in the game and only 22 yards in the first half against West's first-team defense.

This game didn't even remotely resemble the 39-35 win West eked out over Hempstead in the regular season. The Trojans needed a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final minute earlier this month to avoid the upset.

West's dominance on both lines turned a could-be stressful rematch into a relaxing and resounding win. The Trojans averaged 9.2 yards per carry. They had 13 runs for 10 or more yards in the first half alone.

Devin Raffensperger rushed 12 times for 110 yards and two TDs. Micah Kelsay finished with 76 yards, including a 64-yard TD in the second quarter.

West's playoff loss to Bettendorf two years ago set the tone for this game. Sauser thought that team relied too much on outside speed and saw an opportunity when rain popped up in the forecast.

'For two years we've been building for a night like this,' Sauser said. 'I thought this would be an interesting test for us to see if we can line up against a good team and just pound the football.'

The Trojans aced it and were equally impressive on defense. In the first half, half of Hempstead's runs didn't get back to the line of scrimmage. West finished with six sacks.

'We focused on getting off the ball and shooting our gaps right,' senior defensive lineman DeVaughn McCullough said.