Miller: Regina 'beat us at our own game'

It was nearly 11 o'clock Friday night, and the lights remained on at Spartan Stadium.Kevin Miller and his coaching staff stood in a circle near midfield, searching for answers. For the first time in more than three years, they were digesting a defeat.Class 2A top-rated Iowa City Regina snapped Solon's 42-game winning streak -- the sixth-longest streak in state history -- with a 21-15 victory. The Regals did it, essentially, by out-Solon-ing Solon."They beat us at our own game," Miller said.In other words, the Regals were the more physical team. They certainly were the bigger team.Take Berkley Grimm, a fullback/linebacker who rushed for 61 yards on eight carries, for instance. He is 40 pounds heavier than he was a year ago.He's not the only bulked-up Regal."That's a tribute to our offseason," said Regina Coach Marv Cook."A lot of our success is because of Solon. They set the benchmark very high."Four times, 3A No. 2 Solon drove within Regina's 10-yard line. The first time, the Spartans scored a touchdown. They settled for field goals on the other three drives."Three field goals instead of three touchdowns," Miller said. "That's 12 points. That's the ball game. We didn't execute when we got close, and you have to against good teams."The Spartans open district play next week at Benton Community. How will they respond?"I wish I knew," Miller said. "We haven't been doing the little things well. We haven't been practicing with a purpose."We've got to play harder, and we've got to play smarter."

Williamsburg: Heir apparent as 3A No. 1?Solon's loss -- coupled with Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln's 49-34 victory over 3A No. 1 Harlan, probably will vault Williamsburg to the top spot in Class 3A.The Raiders -- rated third last week -- moved to 2-0 with a 38-21 victory over Mount Pleasant. It was 17-14 in the third quarter before the Raiders pulled away.Kelly O'Rourke passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

Shooting blanksNorth Tama and North Cedar are among four teams in the state (Bettendorf and Woodward Academy are the others) that have not allowed a point through two games.Shutouts are common for North Tama, which has blanked 27 of its last 40 opponents. The Redhawks defeated Garwin GMG, 62-0, and HLV, 37-0.North Cedar owns victories over Tipton (35-0) and Durant (39-0).

Quick slants* Camanche ended a 38-game losing streak with a 35-19 win over Bellevue. The Indians' previous win was a 41-7 decision over Preston-East Central on Aug. 25, 2006.* Three different Starmont backs topped the 100-yard benchmark in a 51-13 drubbing of Edgewood-Colesburg. Vinnie Otdoerfer led the parade with 161 yards and four touchdowns. Brad Franzen (125 yards) and Ethan Moses (108) added a touchdown apiece.* West Central's Marshall Lincoln scored four touchdowns in a 54-6 victory over East Central. Lincoln returned a kickoff 72 yards for a score and added rushing TDs of 4, 11 and 13 yards.