Top stars, best performances from Iowa high school football
By Barry Poe
Here are some stars from the past week's high school football games across Iowa.
If you know of a top performance we should include, please let us know.
Joey Rhomberg, Mount Vernon
The talented junior quarterback completed 19-of-28 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns as the 7-0 Mustangs, ranked 12th by SBLive, throttled Maquokete 49-0 on the road. All six of Rhomberg’s scoring passes came in the first half.
Jazan Williams, Ankeny
Williams scored four touchdowns in the first 13 minutes of the game and the No. 2 Hawks blasted Des Moines North 72-0. Ankeny (6-1) had a 51-0 lead by halftime.
Harrison Gibson, Southeast Polk
The senior carried 10 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, leading the defending Class 5A state champion Rams to a 41-0 shutout of Cedar Rapids Prairie. Southeast Polk (6-1) is No. 3 in the latest SBLive ratings, while Prairie (5-2) is No. 13.
Jake Anderson, W.D.M. Dowling
The senior defensive back came up with the first of three interceptions off Dallas Sauser of Ames – the leading passer in the state – in the first half and the top-ranked Maroons went on to smother Ames 51-7 for their sixth straight win. Matthew Hanten and Noah Seamer also had interceptions for Dowling, 6-1 heading into a game against West Des Moines Valley on Friday.
Caden McDermott, Pleasant Valley
It was another outstanding game for the Pleasant Valley quarterback, who scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and tossed touchdown passes on two of the nine passes he attempted. The Spartans, ranked fourth by SBLive and No. 1 in 5A by Associated Press, moved to 7-0 with a 51-21 win over Iowa City High.
Jacob Doyle, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Doyle rushed for a team-high 95 yards on 10 carries and scored on an 18-yard run as the Cougars amassed 315 yards on the ground (four touchdowns) in a 44-0 shutout of Davenport North. It was the first loss of the season for North, leaving Pleasant Valley as the lone unbeaten team in Class 5A.
Jonathan Humpal, Lewis Central
Humpal scored five touchdowns – three rushing, one receiving and a 95-yard kickoff return – in the defending Class 4A state champion Titans’ 58-22 win over Glenwood. No. 5 Lewis Central (7-0) trailed 22-20 at halftime but outscored the Rams 38-0 in the final two quarters.
Teagon Kasperbauer, Harlan
The senior quarterback was 11-for-15 for 309 yards passing and five touchdowns as the defending 3A champs smacked previously unbeaten ADM 42-7. Junior Cade Sears caught three of the scoring passes, finishing with 201 yards on five receptions.
McCrae Hagarty, Waverly-Shell Rock
The senior rushed for 83 yards and was one of three Go-Hawks with two rushing touchdowns in a 52-10 win over Mason City. Waverly-Shell Rock, ranked seventh by SBLive, remained unbeaten at 7-0.
Zach Lutmer, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
The University of Iowa recruit rambled for 241 rushing yards on just eight carries, scoring five touchdowns as the No. 9 Lions stayed unbeaten with a 42-0 shutout of Sheldon. Lutmer, who will play defensive back at Iowa, also charted seven tackles.
Carson Huedepohl, Williamsburg
The senior threw three touchdown passes in Williamsburg’s 77-8 rout of Davis County. Derek Weiskopf caught the three scoring passes as the No. 10 Raiders improved to 7-0.
Brady Grisham, Waukee Northwest
The senior rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns, leading the No. 24 Wolves to a 20-14 win over No. 11 Ankeny Centennial. Waukee Northwest has won four in a row after opening the season with three losses.
Joe Goodhue, Carlisle
The senior quarterback scored three touchdowns and the Wildcats (6-1) won their fifth straight, 42-21 over Indianola.
Bennett Brueck, Indianola
Brueck threw three touchdown passes to Drew Kingery, but No. 14 Indianola fell to No. 22 Carlisle.
Owen Lalumendre, Spirit Lake
The junior recorded 11.5 tackles, including three for loss and a sack, as the unbeaten and 16th-ranked Indians pulled away from Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in the second half, 56-21. Sophomore Caden Lundt completed 9 of 13 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns for 7-0 Spirit Lake.
Kaleb Reed, Western Dubuque
Reed rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries and the No. 18 Bobcats beat Waterloo East 55-22. Western Dubuque had 282 rushing yards and claimed its fifth consecutive victory.
Graham Beckman, Iowa City Liberty
Beckman completed 10-of-17 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score in No. 19 Liberty’s 49-0 shutout of Fort Madison. Liberty improved to 6-1 as Beckman threw TD passes to four different receivers.
Kyler Gerardy, North Scott
The junior quarterback passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more – all in the first half – for the No. 20 Lancers in a 55-7 rout of Clinton. North Scott (5-2) led 41-0 at halftime and held Clinton to just 50 total yards.
Drake Gelhaus, Cedar Falls
Gelhaus had scoring runs of 13, 9 and 1 yards as No. 21 Cedar Falls scored 27 unanswered points to beat winless Dubuque Hempstead 34-7. Tate Hermansen threw two touchdown passes to Derek Woods for the 5-2 Tigers.
Preston Ries, Monticello
Ries passed for 329 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 33 times for 191 yards and two more scores in a 52-24 win over Anamosa. Monticello (5-2) trailed 10-9 at halftime, but scored 43 second-half points.
Will Ward, West Delaware
Ward carried 18 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawks picked up a road win at Hampton-Dumont-CAL, 39-16. Logan Payton added 130 yards and three touchdowns for West Delaware.
Ty Cozad, Muscatine
The junior set a new single-season rushing record for Muscatine, carrying 19 times for 167 yards to surpass 1,500 yards for the season. However, Muscatine lost to Dubuque Senior, 48-28.
Kale Pearson, Le Mars Gehlen
The sophomore carried 17 times for 215 yards and four touchdowns as the Jays, ranked No. 9 in Class A, belted MMCRU 60-20. Pearson scored on runs of 19, 5, 40 and 60 yards while also recording 6.5 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Kooper Ebel, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn
The Iowa State recruit rushed for 283 yards on 22 carries, scoring four touchdowns in a 55-20 win over Hinton. Ebel also completed 6 of 10 passes for 77 yards and intercepted two passes on defense.
Myles McMahon, Don Bosco
McMahon rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, leading the third-ranked Dons to a 35-32 win over No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck in an 8-player matchup.
