In football-crazed states like Iowa and Nebraska, it’s never too early to look ahead to next season. After all, two-a-days are just a little more than a month away. With that in mind, we continue our weekly look at some of the top teams to watch in both states for the upcoming season.
Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Coach: Tim Lewis (52-45, 10 seasons)
Last season: 5-6, lost in Iowa 4A playoffs second round
Key players: LB-WR Christian French (6-5, 220, Sr.); LB Herschel Dixon (6-0, 185, Sr.); LB Jordan Stanford (6-0, 190, Sr.); LB-WR Kyle Lamaak (6-3, 205, Sr.); RB Anthony Crawley (6-0, 185, Sr.); QB Jed Haycraft (6-0, 180, Sr.)
Outlook: Despite finishing the year with a losing record, Kennedy played like one of the best teams in the state at the end of last season. Before falling in the playoffs to Xavier (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), the Cougars won three out of five and lost only by eight to eventual state champion City High (Iowa City). Six starters return on each side of the ball including French, the No. 63-ranked recruit in the nation according to MaxPreps analyst Tom Lemming. The highly athletic French has more than 10 Division I offers coming from the likes of Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. “We’ve never had that before,” said Lewis. Stanford recorded 92 tackles and was a key component of a defense that allowed only one of its final six opponents to crack 20 points. The offense should run smoothly with starting signal caller Haycraft back in place after throwing for more than 1,000 yards as a junior.
Prediction: Only six teams from the Cedar Rapids metro have won a 4A title since the playoff system began in 1972. Kennedy is not one of them. In fact, the Cougars have only six playoff victories in 10 postseason appearances. But this year’s team is experienced and posses a lot of team speed. That should be enough for them to at least build on last year’s successes and be a real factor come November.
Norfolk Catholic (Norfolk, Neb.)
Coach: Jeff Bellar (236-42, 28 seasons)
Last season: 12-1, lost in Nebraska Class C1 championship
Key players: WR Ethan Brozek (6-7, 200, Sr.); LB Kory Schaefer (6-0, 210, Sr.); DL-OL Scott Volmer (6-0, 215, Sr.); TE Conner Ketter (6-4, 210, So.); QB Jordan Bellar (6-1, 165, So.); K Drew Farlee (6-0, 175, Jr.)
Outlook: Five starters return on both sides of the ball, making the Knights a strong contender for their seventh state crown. Bellar says the strength of the team will again be its defense, where Schaefer and Volmer were key members of a unit that last year allowed only 11 points on average. Few opponents will be able to match the Knights in the kicking game, either. Farlee was the first-team all-state specialist as a sophomore. This year’s offense will triggered by a 10th-grader, but Bellar’s development will be aided by the comfort of having two big targets in Brozek and Ketter.
Prediction: For the past quarter century, Norfolk Catholic has helped set the standard of excellence in Nebraska prep football. It made the playoffs in all but two seasons since 1983 and reached the state championship game for the 10th time last season. That history, coupled with the team’s current stock of experience and talent, makes the Knights one of the odds-on favorites for the Class C1 crown.
Recruiting roundup: In-state commitments begin to pour in
The University of Nebraska joined future Big Ten mate Iowa in picking up some recent key football recruiting pledges.
Zach Sterup, an all-state lineman from St. Cecilia (Hastings, Neb.), chose Nebraska – reportedly over the likes of Notre Dame, Stanford and UCLA. The 6-foot-8, 265-pounder is the third known Nebraskan in the Huskers’ 2011 recruiting class. The others are Beatrice (Neb.) athlete Daniel Davie and Crete (Neb.) lineman Ryne Reeves.
Iowa grabbed its second commitment from a home state prospect when Henry Krieger-Coble of Mount Pleasant (Iowa) accepted a scholarship offer. The 6-4, 220-pound tight end was also offered by Iowa State. In addition, the Hawkeyes have a verbal commitment from Williamsburg (Iowa) lineman Austin Blythe.
Iowa State’s Class of 2011 recruiting class already includes three Iowans. A trio of in-state prospects pledged to the Cyclones in June. Most notable on the list is Mount Pleasant athlete Darian Cotton, whose father played at Iowa and brother Jordan is a redshirt freshman for the Hawkeyes. Iowa State’s other in-state commitments are Washington (Cherokee, Iowa) lineman Brock Dagel and B-G-M (Brooklyn, Iowa) linebacker Jevohn Miller.
Football: Most leads Nebraska to all-star rout
The storied high school career of Giltner's (Neb.) Nate Most ended with a flourish as Nebraska throttled Kansas, 58-20, in an 8-man all-star game played at Doane College. Most threw for 407 yards and five touchdowns as Nebraska claimed its second straight victory in the third annual game. Most, who is the state’s all-time leading passer for all classifications, has signed to play at Wayne State.
Track and field: Iowans fare well at USA meet
Former Roosevelt (Des Moines, Iowa) star Lolo Jones wasn’t the only Iowan to claim gold at the USA Track and Field Championships held last week at Drake University. Logan-Magnolia's (Logan, Iowa) Alex Gochenar finished first in the junior women’s heptathlon, beating out a field that included several collegians. In May, Gochenar, a senior-to-be, won state titles in four events – two of which are included in the heptathlon.
Meanwhile, Iowa State volleyball recruit Hannah Wilms closed her high school career by placing in two events in the junior division of the USA Track and Field Championships. Wilms, a 14-time state track champion from Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa), placed second in her best event – the high jump – and finished seventh in the 400 meters.
Des Moines-based 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.
