On Friday, South (3-0) blasted defending state champion Millard West (1-2), 28-0. It was the Patriots’ second shutout of the season.
"We are playing really good defense," coach Andy Means told MaxPreps. "It’s the third game and we realize we need to get a lot better as we go along. But it was a good test."
Bronson Marsh, South’s third-year starting quarterback, had 166 rushing yards on only 10 carries and scored two touchdowns in the win. He is the team’s leading passer and rusher this season.
"(Marsh) knows the offense extremely well and gets everyone lined up right," Means said. "He’s a great athlete and a great football player. He’s kind of a born leader."
According to Means, Marsh does not yet have a scholarship offer but is being recruited by the University of Nebraska. However, the Huskers might want to convert Marsh, who at 6-foot and 200 pounds lacks the size of a traditional drop-back passer, into a defensive back.
"(Todd Reesing) at Kansas is 5-9, barely," Means said. "(Marsh) is fast, he makes good decisions; he’s very mature; he’s got a very good arm. I think in the right offense -- in the right place -- he can play quarterback (at the Division I level)."
More football: Aurora makes minced meat of McCook’s streak
McCook must have had two goals in mind as it entered last week’s home game against Aurora.
No. 1: Exact some revenge for the 37-33 loss to Aurora that ended their season in last year’s Class B state semifinals.
No. 2: Extend the state’s longest regular-season winning streak to 72 games.
Unfortunately for the Bison, neither mission was accomplished. Aurora, the defending Class B champion, scored early and often and ran away with a jaw-dropping 48-10 victory. The Huskies set the tone early when James Van Pelt returned the game’s opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.
That was followed by an onslaught of scoring, including a 31-yard fumble return and 86-yard interception return. By halftime, Aurora had built an insurmountable 42-3 lead.
Iowa football: This time, Marshalltown plays streakbuster
After losing all 18 of its previous meetings with West Des Moines Valley, Marshalltown (Iowa) shocked the state by beating the defending 4A champion Tigers, 16-14, and improved to 3-0 this season.
Alec Lovin made a 30-yard field goal as the clock struck zero at Valley Stadium to secure the Bobcats' victory. The senior kicker had missed from 23 yards and had an extra point blocked earlier in the game.
Senior quarterback Chanse Creekmur, a 6-7 Santa Clara basketball recruit, led Marshalltown’s offensive attack with 218 yards on 18-of-33 passing.
It was the second consecutive streak-ending loss for Valley, which graduated nearly the entire starting lineup – including five all-state performers – from its fourth state championship team in seven seasons. Valley’s run of 31 straight victories within the Central Iowa Metro League Iowa Division also came to an end.
Two weeks ago, the Tigers’ overall 27-game regular winning streak ended with a 44-14 loss to archrival Dowling Catholic.
Speaking of streaks
Senior James Morris had 118 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just eight carries as two-time defending Class 2A champion Solon destroyed Wilton, 59-0. It was the 30th consecutive win for the Spartans, who own the eighth-longest winning streak in the nation among 11-man teams.
Morris, an Iowa commit, has rushed for 364 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 31 carries this season.
Nebraska golf: Omaha Marian runs away with Lincoln Golf Classic
Omaha Marian’s girls golf team is the four-time defending state champion in Class A. On Thursday, they certainly played like it.
The Crusaders won the Lincoln Golf Classic by a whopping 28 strokes over Norfolk, their closest competitor. Junior Jordan Rearick, one of three Marian golfers to shoot under 80, was tournament medalist with a three-over 77.
Other top performers
Cleo Miller (Omaha Benson, Nebraska, football): The junior amassed 363 yards and five touchdowns on just 17 carries in a 54-13 rout of Lincoln. The total was only 35 yards short of the Class A state record.
Ryan Randall (Blair, Nebraska, football): In a 69-0 runaway against Nebraska City, the junior scored five touchdowns and totaled 198 rushing yards on only nine carries.
Louie Wickett (Madrid, Iowa, football): The senior running back carried eight times for 191 yards and four touchdowns, and also returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 66-12 blowout of Martensdale-St. Mary’s.
Michael Chia (Indianola, Iowa, football): The senior running back carried the Indians to a 42-35 double-overtime victory against Sioux City East. Chia had 176 rushing yards and four touchdowns, including two in overtime.
Levi Peters (Twin Rivers Valley, Iowa, football): The junior scored six touchdowns in a 60-34 shootout victory against Harris-Lake Park in an 8-man game. Peters had 241 yards on 13 carries with four touchdowns, and also scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and a punt return.
Jason Carroll (CLW, Iowa, football): The junior ran back the opening kickoff for a 73-yard touchdown and followed that with a punt return touchdown and two rushing scores in his team’s 72-27 drubbing of CAL in an 8-man game.
Evan Selsor (Winterset, Iowa, cross country) and Dawn Gildersleeve (North Polk, Iowa, cross country) recorded the top boys and girls times, respectively, at the 42-team Ballard Invitational cross country meet.
Looking ahead
*Millard South (Nebraska) will face its second consecutive Top 10 team when it hosts undefeated No. 5 Elkhorn. Expect the game to be decided on the ground. Last week, Millard South had 299 yards rushing against Millard West. Elkhorn’s running game totaled 348 yards in its 56-35 defeat of Bellevue East.
*Marshalltown (Iowa), undefeated and ranked in the Top 10 by the Des Moines Register for the first time in recent memory, will put its undefeated record on the line when it hosts No. 6 Johnston. The Dragons looked powerful last week blowing out Hoover, 52-7, for their 15th consecutive non-conference victory.
*Cascade (Iowa) hosts Sumner-Fredericksburg in a battle of undefeated Top 5 teams in Class 2A. Sumner-Fredericksburg and Class 1A North Tama are the only two teams in the state that have yet to surrender a point this season.
*Tyler Tonderum of Armstrong-Ringstead needs only 20 yards against Twin River Valley to break the Iowa 8-man career rushing record. The senior had 208 yards in last week’s 53-14 blowout of West Bend-Mallard to push his career total to 4,622.
Recruiting roundup
According to the Omaha World-Herald, Blair junior pitcher Carly Nielsen has committed to play softball at Michigan State. Nielsen also plays third base and in the outfield . . . The Lincoln Journal-Star reports Creighton has received an oral commitment from North Star softball star Taylor Flodman. The junior catcher was a Class B all-state selection last season.
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.
