Aside from the always-convoluted array of playoff implications to consider in both states, there are some other interesting storylines to follow entering the final week of the regular season for both Iowa and Nebraska high school football.
Bronson Marsh, Millard South
File photo by Jeremy Alm
Nebraska: Marsh and Most hot on Frost’s passing trail
If top-ranked Millard South makes even a short run in the Class A playoffs, senior quarterback Bronson Marsh will likely become Nebraska’s all-time leading passer for 11-man football.
Marsh, who broke the Class A record earlier this year, has thrown for more than 1,500 yards this season. Entering the final regular-season game, he is about 600 yards shy of former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Scott Frost’s overall and 11-man state records of 6,793 yards set at Wood River – a Class C-1 school – from 1989 to 1992.
Meanwhile, Nate Most of Giltner smashed the 8-man career record earlier this season. With 6,523 yards for his career, he is about 400 yards ahead of Marsh and likely to break Frost’s overall state record this week against Silver Lake. Whichever team plays the longest in the postseason – Millard South in Class A or Giltner in Class D-1 – could determine whether it's Marsh or Most who finishes his career as Nebraska’s all-time passing king.
Boys Town downright defensive
In Week 1, Class C-1 No. 1 Boys Town allowed an otherwise meaningless late, fourth-quarter score to Bishop Neumann in a 24-6 victory. If not for that, the Cowboys’ defense would already be near historic territory this season.
For the season, Boys Town has outscored its opponents by a combined 337-6. The Cowboys (7-0) have posted six consecutive shutouts, still three shy of but rapidly approaching the state record for 11-man teams. Boys Town closes out the regular season Thursday against Roncalli Catholic (1-6).
Iowa: Dream seasons culminate when Fort Dodge travels to Marshalltown
Folks in Marshalltown and Fort Dodge have waited a long time for a football season like this.
With Friday’s 44-22 defeat of Waukee, Marshalltown improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1947. The victory insured Marshalltown no worse than a share of its first conference title since 1980. That was when the Bobcats were still a member of the Big Eight Conference.
Fort Dodge can claim a share of the CIML Iowa Conference title with Marshalltown if it can defeat the Bobcats on their home field Friday. The Dodgers beat defending 4A champion West Des Moines Valley, 24-10, last week to improve to 7-1. It was their first win against the Tigers since 1995.
Together, Marshalltown and Fort Dodge have only 12 postseason appearances – and only two postseason wins – since the playoff system started in 1972.
For the secret to Marshalltown’s success, look no further than its offense, which has averaged 33 points per game. The unit is led by multi-talented senior Chanse Creekmur, a 6-foot-7 senior who has pledged to play basketball next season at Santa Clara. Despite missing a game due to injury, Creekmur is the state’s third-leading passer with 1,999 yards. He has completed 132-of-223 attempts (59 percent) with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Fort Dodge features a pair of speedsters in their offensive backfield with Jontel Clayton and Darreus Caston, both juniors. Clayton leads the team with 1,343 rushing yards on 180 carries (a 7.4 average) with 13 touchdowns while Caston has 584 rushing yards on 70 carries (8.3 average) and 13 scores. Each player scored a touchdown from over 80 yards out in the win against Valley.
8-man national records in sight
It might take no more than a regular season’s worth of games for a pair of national 8-man football records to belong to Iowans.
In only eight games, Michael Schwenk of Coon Rapids-Bayard has thrown 41 touchdown passes. According to the National High School Sports Record Book, the 8-man single-season national record is 47. The 5-9 junior is only three shy of the state record set by his predecessor, Johnny Schwaller, who had 44 touchdown tosses for the Crusaders last season.
On the other side of the ball, Tri-County is closing in on the national record for most interceptions by one team in a season. Led by senior Daniel Collins’ state-leading total of 11, the Trojans have intercepted 25 passes through eight games. The national record is 28.
Nebraska roundup: State champions crowned in three sports
Lincoln Southwest defeated Lincoln North Star 2-1 to pick up its second consecutive Class A state softball championship. Senior pitcher Becca Changstrom struck out 13 to lead the Silverhawks, who finished the season 37-2.
Perhaps the biggest story of the tournament was Papillion-LaVista South’s ouster of Papillion-LaVista, 6-2, in a second-round game. That loss broke a remarkable streak in which the Monarchs had reached the championship game 15 consecutive years. The Class B title also was captured by a defending champion. Blair shut out Seward, 1-0, in eight innings. Mackenzie Welchert struck out four and allowed only two hits to earn the victory.
Friend defeated Wayne, 3-1, to win the Class C title.
In boys tennis, Jackson Withrow of Omaha Burke surprised no one by winning his third straight Class A singles title. The nationally ranked junior was a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Creighton Prep sophomore Anthony Del Core in the final. Del Core handed Withrow the only loss of his prep career earlier this season.
The Class B singles crown was won by McCook junior Conner Larson, who beat Waverly senior Zachary Tegler 7-5, 6-3 and finished the season with a perfect 38-0 record. The Class A team champion was Omaha Westside. Class B team honors went to Lincoln Pius X.
In girls golf, the Class A individual title was won by junior Jacqueline O’Doherty of Lincoln East, who shot a 76-80 and won by eight strokes. The snow-shortened Class B and C events were won by junior Sabrina King of Gering (79) and Danielle Lemek of Doniphan-Trumbell (75), respectively.
Top individual performers
Jordan Ottoson (Potter-Dix, Nebraska, football): The senior set an 8-man state single-game record, throwing for 491 yards in his team’s 90-68 defeat of Wallace. The 158 combined points is also a state record.
Christian Dudzik (Skutt Catholic, Nebraska, football): The senior accounted for 278 combined passing and rushing yards with four touchdowns in his team’s 33-17 defeat of state-ranked Waverly. Dudzik also played a key role on the SkyHawks’ defense, which held Waverly quarterback Tyler Evans – a Nebraska recruit – to only eight rushing and 38 passing yards for the game.
David Johnson (Clinton, Iowa, football): The senior has the River Kings in position to finish unbeaten and win their first outright conference title since 1985. Last week, he ran for 269 yards and six touchdowns in a 56-7 rout of Davenport Central.
Tanner Mork (North Fayette, Iowa, football): The senior ran for 332 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 40-19 blowout of previously unbeaten Cascade.
Jordan Andrea (South Winneshiek, Iowa, football): The senior had 306 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead a 36-13 defeat of Aplington-Parkersburg.
Mike Long (BGM, Iowa, football): The senior totaled 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns to spark the Bears’ stunning 33-7 upset of then-unbeaten North Mahaska.
James Morris (Solon, Iowa, football): The Iowa recruit continues to average well over a first down per carry this season after gaining 194 yards on only 14 carries in a 42-7 rout of previously undefeated Iowa City Regina. Morris has 1,216 yards and 23 touchdowns on only 100 carries for the two-time defending 2A champion Spartans.
Kevin Delzell (Clear Creek-Amana, Iowa, football): The senior threw for 484 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-8 rout of Fort Madison.
Cory Beaman (Mount Ayr, Iowa, football): In addition to intercepting four Pella Christian passes, the junior kicked a 47-yard field goal as the Raiders upset the Eagles, 37-33.
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.
