Solon hosting Washington highlights Week 6 slate of high school football in Iowa City area
While a majority of Iowa City area football teams enter Week 6 of the high school season coming off of victories, that does not mean that they are taking their opponents lightly.
However, no team is more eager to play than the Iowa City West Trojans, who hope to put their disappointing loss to City High a week ago behind them.
They will get their chance on Friday night when their game begins at 7:15 p.m.
Iowa City Regina's game will begin at 7 p.m.
Iowa City High, Clear Creek Amana, Iowa City Liberty, and Solon's games will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Here's a closer look at what's ahead.
Iowa City High Little Hawks (3-2) vs. Davenport North Wildcats (0-5)
With their statement-making victory last week over West High in the "Battle for the Boot" game, the City High Little Hawks look like they are ready to go on a dominating run to close out the season.
They were victorious 49-0, in large part because of the play of quarterback Drew Larson. He accounted for a season-high, six touchdowns. He did so in myriad ways, throwing four touchdown passes, rushing for a score, and also catching a touchdown pass. He made an impact on defense as well, picking off a pass in the second quarter.
The Wildcats could not boast the same success after being decisively beaten by Pleasant Valley, 49-12. Quarterback Nolan Mosier threw two touchdowns, a game-high for the senior. Koen Fleming was the team's leading wide receiver after catching a 73-yard touchdown pass.
Undefeated when playing at Bates Field so far this season, the Little Hawks have a legitimate chance of having another high-scoring performance this week. An added incentive to do so will be the fact that they will be playing in front of a large homecoming crowd who will be doing their best to will their team to its fourth win of the season.
Clear Creek Amana Clippers (3-2) vs. Cedar Rapids Washington Warriors (2-3)
In need of a bounce-back performance last Friday, the Clear Creek Amana Clippers used a fourth-quarter rally to take down Oskaloosa.
In their 28-14 road win, CCA heavily relied on defense. The unit forced three interceptions, including a pick-six from defensive back Reece Hoffman. The front seven had a stout performance as well, getting five tackles for loss and two sacks. Defensive lineman Zach Vance was the star performer after leading the team with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
The Warriors were seemingly no match for Cedar Rapids Xavier, who shut them out 38-0. They had three different players take snaps at quarterback, with Malik Epps-Keller leading the way with 32 passing yards. Linebacker Chase Mahoney was the defense's star after accounting for the team's lone sack.
While this looks as though it could be a runaway win for the Clippers, they would be doing themselves a disservice by underestimating Washington. If they can carry over the momentum that they had in the fourth quarter of last week's game into this week, they should be able to send their fans home happy, properly kicking off a busy homecoming weekend.
Iowa City Liberty Lightning (4-1) at Mount Pleasant Panthers (0-5)
The Liberty Lightning saved their best play for the second half in their comeback win over North Scott.
They scored all 20 of their points in the final two quarters, which got them the hard-fought 20-16 win. With the run game held in check, the team relied heavily on quarterback Graham Beckman,. who had 204 passing yards and three touchdowns. His top target was wide receiver Garrett Gregoire, who caught five passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers had a long night against Fort Madison, who came out with the 46-0 win. Sophomore defensive back Jaden Bauer led the team with eight tackles.
It could be easy for Liberty to look past Mount Pleasant due to its winless record, but an earlier loss this season has shown the Lightning to never underestimate any opponent. As long as their offense can avoid back-to-back weeks with a slow start, the Lightning should bring home their fifth win of the season.
Iowa City Regina Regals (3-2) vs. Louisa-Muscatine Falcons (0-5)
Needing a big win last weekend to keep their season on track, the Regina Regals had a convincing showing in their latest victory over Wilton.
In that 37-13 victory, Regina relied heavily on its run game, rushing for 173 yards. Running back Levi Daniel was the biggest contributor, accounting for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jackson Naeve was another player who was familiar with the end zone, catching two touchdown passes.
The Falcons did not even get the chance to sniff the end zone in their 56-0 loss to Durant.
With the spark that the running game gave them last week, Regina would be smart to rely on it again, especially after Louisa-Muscatine allowed Durant to rush for an astonishing 381 yards. If the run game can take on the lion's share of the attention, that will allow Regina to make a lot of plays through the air, prompting another big game from Gentry Dumont.
Solon Spartans (3-2) vs. Washington Demons (2-3)
For the second consecutive game, the Solon Spartans' offense played lights out.
They defeated West Burlington 36-0 after a memorable performance from quarterback Blake Timmons. He accounted for three touchdowns and rushed for 72 yards. Running back/linebacker Brett White led the team with 78 rushing yards and rushed for two touchdowns of his own. Defensively, he had 3.5 tackles and an interception.
The Demons suffered a gut-wrenching 28-21 loss to Grinnell last Friday.
With both teams entering the game in need of a win for different reasons, the Spartans' high-rolling offense should give them the edge. Their running game looks the best it has all season, which has long been the team's recipe for success. If it can keep this up, Solon has a chance to win the rest of its regular-season games.
Iowa City West (3-2) at Davenport Central Blue Devils (1-4)
Hoping to rinse the bitter taste of last week's loss to City High from their mouths, the West High Trojans have a chip on their shoulder the size of a boulder.
The usually stout offense was blanketed in the 49-0 loss. While few players would want to look back at this game, wide receiver/defensive back Mason Woods had a solid outing. He caught three passes for 27 yards. Defensively, he had an interception, his third this season.
The Blue Devils suffered a shutout loss of their own, falling to Bettendorf 48-0. Quarterback Tatum Roselle threw for 111 yards, with his top target being tight end Ben Strang, who caught three passes for 56 yards.
Angered by their performance last week, it would not be a surprise to see the Trojans put forth one of their best showings of the season. Expect them to come out firing against the Blue Devils, especially when it comes to getting the ball in the hands of star wide receiver Christian Janis.
Raven Moore covers high school sports for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. You can reach her at RSMoore@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Raven_XReport.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Solon home game highlights Iowa City area Week 6 high school football
