Repeat? West Hancock & Class A Preview

Over the coming days, before the 2020 Iowa High School Football season kicks off, we will check in with all the champions from last season. How likely is it they repeat as champions? Who wins the title in that Class this year? Let’s dive into it. As I mentioned in the first preview, COVID-19 will have the final say when it comes to November, so just take everything with a grain of salt. Class A is a difficult one, I’m glad I’ve had a few days to look at everything before writing this. After the championship game, Grundy Center was by far the favorite coming into this season. The Spartans were ahead of their time last season when they made a run to the championship game. What changed? Well, this year was a redistricting year in Iowa high school football. Class 1A semifinalist from last year, Iowa City Regina, has dropped down to Class A. We will break down the Spartans and Regals - who are the favorites - in a moment. Until we get to Cedar Falls and crown a new champion, the West Hancock Eagles are the top dog. This past season was title number three for the late legendary Bob Sanger, who passed just a couple months later. Even though he wasn’t on the sidelines, Bob was the motivation and driving force the Eagles needed to push them across the finish line. Five Eagles received all-state honors last season, four of them are gone. They lost a thousand-yard and a two thousand-yard rusher. They lost four of the five offensive linemen that blocked for those rushers, including two all-state linemen. But even with all those losses, coach Mark Sanger - Bob’s son - says, "we plan to win," and he doesn’t think they’re rebuilding. He says the seniors have taken on a leadership role and, "know how they want to be remembered." The Eagles do have athletes that can play at the next level coming back. It starts with returning thousand-yard rusher Cole Kelly. Kelly returns with three years of varsity experience and is a guy that college coaches are watching. He hasn’t received offers yet, but they’re coming. He will return with classmate offensive lineman Tanner Thompson. The latter will also draw the attention of coaches looking for a hard worker with leadership qualities. Names to know - Cayson Barnes will step in to play the quarterback position. He did see some limited action last season. But in the Eagles offense, knowing the playbook and which running back is getting the ball is the most important thing. West Hancock threw the ball just 40 times a year ago. Seniors Chase Kronemann, Justin Ausborn, and John Martinez, along with juniors Mathew Francis and Kane Zuehl, will be guys the Eagles will lean on both defensively and offensively. The first West Hancock state championship came in 1973, 23 years before their second in 1996. Their third title came in 2019, 23 years after the second in ’96. Eagles are hoping it won’t be 2042 before they win again, but it will be tough for it to be in 2020. If West Hancock doesn’t repeat, then who?   Grundy Center and Iowa City Regina are the favorites for the Class A title this season.   Grundy Center was a team most expected to be good but wasn’t picked to make a run to the title game. It wasn’t a surprise when they did; they are loaded with college caliber players - most of which are back. Quarterback - ’22 [player_tooltip player_id="23982" first="Logan" last="Knaack"] is an explosive dual-threat player that will have looks at the next level. Last year, he passed for 1,334 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 839 yards and 18 more. Rushers - When Knaack isn’t taking off, senior Zach Opheim rushed for 1,461 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Sophomore Cole Lehr also rushed for 261 yards and 1 touchdown. Receiving - Two of the Spartans’ top two receivers in Matt Jansen and [player_tooltip player_id="23873" first="Nick" last="Ascher"], return. They combined for 835 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Lineman- It all starts upfront with the offensive and defensive line for Grundy Center. Wesley Willis is a top lineman in the Class of 2021, currently holding many offers, including Grand View, Northern State, Graceland, and Dordt. Kolby Muller also holds an offer from Graceland and is another desired lineman in the Class of 2021. The other wrecking ball in the Class this season was also at the UNI-Dome a year ago; Iowa City Regina was a semifinalist in Class 1A. The Regals were eliminated by eventual runners-up, Van Meter.   Regina, like Grundy Center, returns lots of talent from last year’s team. Quarterback - ’21 [player_tooltip player_id="23835" first="Ashton" last="Cook"] is as good as they come. The third-ranked signal-caller in the state currently holds offers from Western Illions, Eastern Michigan, University of Northern Iowa, and South Dakota. Last year, he threw for 2,446 yards and 27 touchdowns. Rushers - Cook is complemented by two classmates in the backfield. Juniors Levi Quinlan and Theo Kolie ran for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id="23835" first="Ashton" last="Cook"] can also move from the pocket. He ran 82 times for 302 yards and eight more scores. Receivers - [player_tooltip player_id="23898" first="Alec" last="Wick"] leads the group that caught the 198 completions from Cook last season. Wick caught 79 passes for 1,161 and 14 touchdowns. He currently holds offers from Grand View, Winona State, Bemidji State, and St. Thomas. Regina lost two seniors who caught 67 passes last season. When Wick gets extra attention from opposing secondaries, the Regals will lean on younger guys. Junior Sam Aitchison caught 11 passes for 99 yards and a score. Defense - Juniors Aiden Udell and Aitchison were two of the leading tacklers from last year’s team. The Regals secondary is tough to throw against. They recorded 12 interceptions last season, and only one was recorded by a senior. They also recovered nine fumbles, but six of which were recovered by seniors. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell, but Grundy Center and Iowa City Regina are the right places to start.   Other teams to watch Wapsie Valley Saint Ansgar IKM-Manning Belle Plaine Edgewood-Colesburg Woodbury Central South Winneshiek Council Bluffs St. Albert