Regals claim fifth straight state crown

CEDAR FALLS - Iowa City Regina received the dogfight it expected.

In the end, the Regals held their title as top dog.

Top-ranked Regina won an unprecedented fifth consecutive state title, beating No. 7 West Lyon, 38-21, in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A state championship Friday at the UNI-Dome.

The Regals (13-1) won its third straight 1A crown, claiming 2A championships in 2010 and 2011. Regina was tied for the record with Solon, who won four in a row from 2007-10.

'Each one is uniquely different and somewhere in the tradition,” said Regina Coach Marv Cook, who improved to 100-5 in his eight seasons leading the Regals. 'I'm just really happy for this group of seniors, because they have worked so hard for so long. They really finished the season off well.”

The season started with the end of a state record 56-game win streak, losing to Solon in overtime. More than the wins streak or title string, senior Jake Brinkman is most proud of the way his teammates rebounded from that loss and erased any doubt the Regals weren't as good this year.

'To come back and win a championship, I'm so proud of my guys,” Brinkman said. 'I just love this team.”

Cook said he learned more from that setback than the players, noting he may have been too conservative in his approach. The win is Cook's fifth in six trips to the title game. He tied former Bettendorf Coach Merv Habenicht for fourth on the list for most titles by a coach.

'I'm happy for the school and kids,” Cook said. 'Anybody who knows me knows I am blessed to have people who stand next to me and do the heavy lifting and hard work.

'The coaches are so committed to the kids.”

Stockpiling gold never gets old. The work in practice and through the off-season pays dividends.

'It gets better and better,” Regina junior Nate Stenger said. 'Too much work gets put into this to have it get old. It's great.”

The Regals benefitted from big plays, reaching into their bag of tricks for a touchdown to claim an early lead and to seal the victory.

Regina opened its first possession of the game at the West Lyon 47. The scenario worked in their favor and the Regals executed a flea-flicker perfectly. Nick Phillips took the ball from quarterback Drew Cook on what looked like a jet sweep, handed it to Conner Brown, who lateraled it back to Cook. He hit a wide open Stenger for a 47-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

'We knew we might do it, if we got good field position,” Stenger said. 'We got it, everybody did their job and Drew threw a great ball.”

Stenger and Cook reversed roles late in the fourth with Regina holding on to a 10-point lead. Cook lined up wide and Stenger was in the shotgun. He took the snap and laid out a pass that Cook ran under and caught in the back corner of the end zone for a 24-yard completion, giving the Regals a 38-21 lead with just 3:22 to play.

'He made a great play on the ball and a great catch,” said Stenger, a former quarterback converted to wide receiver. 'The line blocked great. It was a great play.”

Cook completed 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards, while Stenger had 59 yards receiving to go with the scoring strike. Nick Phillips reeled in six passes for 69 yards, adding 15 rushing yards including a 9-yard TD run that put Regina up 21-7 at the break.

Jake Brinkman provided a boost to the Regals to begin the third. He fielded the kickoff at the Regina 6 and bolted 94 yards for a touchdown, producing Regina's biggest lead of the game at 28-7. The return set a 1A championship game record, bettering the old mark of 93 set by Saint Ansgar's Kyle Hanson in 2011. It was his second kickoff return for a score this season.

'I knew I could trust my guys blocking,” said Brinkman, who had 98 rushing yards with a 15-yard TD. 'I didn't really have to do a lot. I had to make one cut and one guy miss and hats go off to our blockers. It worked out well.”

West Lyon (12-2) was able to move the ball in the first half, driving into Regina territory each of its last four first-half possessions. The Wildcats advanced inside the 20 twice and the 5 once. Regals defense responded, stopping the Wildcats on fourth down three times.

'I thought our guys responded well,” Brinkman said. 'We had a lot of adversity. It worked out for us.”

West Lyon actually outgained Regina, 395-390, in total offense and owned a big 9:42 advantage in time of possession.

'The line of scrimmage went back and forth,” Cook said. 'I thought we ran the ball effectively (and) threw the ball fairly effectively. They were having success doing what they were doing. At the end of the day, it just came to four or five big plays.”

Vaughn Moser led West Lyon with 152 yards on the ground with two TDs, including a 3-yard score to make it 31-21 with 6:06 left. Wildcats quarterback Dylan Whalen had 81 yards passing and 57 rushing.

'They played so hard,” Brinkman said. 'It was probably the most physical team we've played.”

Now, the torch is passed to the next class of Regals, including Phillips, Stenger and linebacker Justin Hunter. Brinkman has confidence in the next group continuing success and they are ready to step in to lead.

'I like it,” Stenger said. 'I accept the challenge. It's everybody. We're going to need to work hard in the off-season. It's a collective effort.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com