Iowa & Nebraska: Iowa City football's A.J. Derby commits to Hawkeyes

"Over the weekend, I watched the (Penn State) game with my family, my brother and my friends," Derby said at a press conference announcing his decision. "I just felt right and I couldn’t see myself playing for any other school besides Iowa."

Derby, who stands 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, has completed 39-of-74 passes (53 percent) for 888 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Little Hawks to a 6-0 start and Class 4A No. 1 ranking by the Des Moines Register. He has rushed for 365 and six touchdowns.

Derby possesses enough size and athleticism to possibly move to tight end or linebacker in college, but he expects to play quarterback for the Hawkeyes.

"I like (Iowa’s) pro-style offense a lot," Derby said. "The NFL is not taking as many spread quarterbacks, so I felt like that was a big thing."

Though he does not plan to take any official visits outside of Iowa, Derby said he also considered Florida and Oklahoma.

"Obviously, he knew I was excited for him to become a Hawk," said John Derby. "But at the end of the day, I would have been excited wherever he went."

As the Iowa high school football season enters the final third of its regular-season schedule, only 40 teams remain unbeaten.

Included on the list – alongside many of the usual suspects such as Harlan, Solon, and Emmetsburg – is Maquoketa. The Cardinals, who have qualified for the playoffs only twice in 38 seasons, are 6-0 for the first time since 1983. Last week, they fought back from a 7-0 halftime deficit and won 14-7 at DeWitt Central.

"We like to refer to ourselves as ‘The Brotherhood of Cardinals,’" says Maquoketa coach Kevin Bowman. "That was obvious on Friday night with the perseverance that we showed after a tough first half (that included no first downs and a blocked punt)."

Maquoketa’s success has been aided by an experienced offensive line and three players who Bowman says are gamebreakers in running back Zach Scheibe, quarterback Colin Nickeson and receiver Tyler Rutenbeck. The team has also feasted on a plus-17 turnover margin this season.

"Our kids are buying into what we are achieving," Bowman says. "At football camp in July, I took a two-by-four out and placed it on the grass and asked rhetorically if anyone was willing to cross the board. I explained that the majority of people will do anything if nothing is at risk. As the board goes up in height, people become hesitant to cross it because of their fear of failure. The big issue is that we fail to trust ourselves. So, I had a two-by-four painted with the words ‘TRUST YOURSELF’ and our student-athletes touch the board prior to running onto the field."

Iowa’s 300-win coaching club added its seventh member when Cedar Falls beat Waterloo West, 28-10. It was Pat Mitchell’s 300th win in 43 years – all with the Tigers . . . Solon (Iowa) extended its winning streak to 33 games (sixth-longest in the nation among 11-man teams). The Spartans shut out Center Point-Urbana (4-2), holding the Stormin’ Pointers to only 23 rushing yards (190 below their average) . . . Ankeny (Iowa) was outgained by more than a 2-to-1 margin but still handed Urbandale its first defeat of the season, 7-3. It was the Hawks’ 10th consecutive victory against the J-Hawks . . . A battle of undefeated Iowa Class A powers lived up to its billing with AHST-Avoca winning a squeaker at Madrid, 42-41. Despite injuring an ankle in the second half, Madrid senior running back Louie Wickett ran for 324 rushing yards and four touchdowns . . .

Nebraska Class A No. 1 Millard South improved to 6-0 after defeating No. 3 Creighton Prep 42-28. Senior quarterback Bronson Marsh ran for 117 yards and threw for 148 yards with four total touchdowns to lead the Patriots . . . The second-longest losing streak in Nebraska Class A history ended when Omaha South beat Omaha Northwest, 24-13. The Packers had lost 28 straight . . . Nate Most of Giltner set Nebraska career 8-man records for passing yards and touchdowns during the Hornets’ 67-22 blowout of Kenesaw. Most ended the game with 6,091 yards and 75 touchdown passes.

As the final month of the regular season begins, Omaha Marian has strengthened its grip on the Class A No. 1 ranking. The Crusaders (21-1) outlasted No. 2 Papillion-LaVista South to win the Lincoln Northeast Invitational. It was Marian’s second victory against the Titans this season.

"This was a critical win for our team, not only because of the timing in the season, but also because it was a balanced team effort," said Marian coach Rochelle Rohlfs. "No player on our team has yet reached their peak play, which means we even have better volleyball to come down the road."

Sophomore Lauren Sieckmann, an early Nebraska verbal commitment, had 15 kills in the see-saw, five-set championship match, which went 23-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-20, 15-7.

"(Sieckmann) is playing with more confidence each week of the season and also finding
ways to contribute more to the team offensively," said Rohlfs. "She is a very talented player who puts her team first."

Brady McGuire (North Platte, Nebraska, cross country): The junior beat the best at the Nebraska-Kearney Invitational, the state’s largest individual meet, in a time of 15:59. Lincoln Southwest’s Parker Schoen, who had been unbeaten since 2007, finished second in 16:18.

Jimmie Forsythe (Omaha Burke, Nebraska, football): The junior quarterback had 150 rushing yards and 196 passing yards and four total touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs’ 33-7 blowout of state-ranked Omaha North.

Ryan Randall (Blair, Nebraska, football): The state’s leading rusher was a workhorse, carrying 46 times for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears’ 27-21 triple-overtime defeat of state-ranked Plattsmouth.

* The spotlight football game in Iowa this week figures to be a Class 3A showdown between Ballard and Carroll, both 6-0 and ranked in the top five of the state rankings. The game will feature a pair of Division I-caliber athletes playing quarterback with Ballard’s Austin Vier (an Iowa commit) and Carroll’s Blake Haluska.

* Class 4A surprise Marshalltown (Iowa) looks to improve to 7-0 when it travels to Ames. Bobcats senior Chanse Creekmur is an early favorite for all-state honors at quarterback this season. The 6-7 Santa Clara basketball recruit has thrown for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing one game due to injury. The Little Cyclones picked up their first win of the season last week, stunning 4-1 Waukee, 38-28.

* Nebraska D-2 No. 1 Humphrey will get its toughest test of the year when it hosts D-1 No. 4 Howells. The Bulldogs have allowed only 22 points total in five games but Howell is scoring an average of 54 points per contest.

* Lincoln Southeast (Nebraska) hopes to avoid becoming the sixth consecutive team to lose its next game after ascending to the Class A No. 2 ranking in the Omaha World-Herald. The Knights (5-1) host 4-2 rival Lincoln Southwest.