Team Preview: Cedar Rapids Prairie

Iowa High School Football has been dominated by an elite group of programs consisting of Dowling Catholic, Ankeny, Cedar Falls, Iowa City West, and Valley. But each year, we tend to see one team that surprises everyone. In this article, I look at Cedar Rapids Prairie’s schedule and some challenges they will be facing this upcoming season. Schedule (Bold: Home/No Bold: Away) <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1 (Aug. 27): Pleasant Valley</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2 (Sept. 3): Dubuque Senior</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3 (Sept. 10): Cedar Falls</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4 (Sept. 17): Bettendorf</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5 (Sept. 24): Ottumwa</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6 (Oct. 1): Waterloo West</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7 (Oct. 8): Southeast Polk</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8 (Oct. 15): Iowa City West</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9 (Oct. 22): Linn-Mar</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Coaching Staff: Heach Coach: Mark Bliss (39-20) Record, OC: Mike Bliss Playbook: Single Wing/Spread, DC: Jim Dostal Playbook: 4-2-5. Previous Season Recap Cedar Rapids Prairie was in nail-biter after nail-biter for the first couple games of the season, losing week one to Cedar Rapids Kennedy 35-34 and week two to Dubuque Senior 17-14. After those two losses, they went on a five-game win streak, outscoring opponents 216-56. That win streak ended in the playoffs against a [player_tooltip player_id="23839" first="Max" last="White"]-led Cedar Rapids Kennedy team in which Prairie got destroyed 45-14. Prairie relied on the running game last year, running it 68% of the time, and they also had a 1000 yards rushing in senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"]. Upcoming Season Outlook Cedar Rapids Prairie is loaded with talent this year and is looking for that to translate to wins on the field. Cedar Rapids Prairie has a phenomenal schedule that features many of their biggest games taking place at home. They also have a talented roster that features [player_tooltip player_id="23945" first="Gabe" last="Burkle"], a Division One tight end who, after being injured for multiple games last year, will be looking to help lead his team to a deep playoff run this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see how Prairie utilizes their offense this year. They generally run the ball, but with a heap of talent in their receiving core, I predict we’ll see a major increase in the number of times they pass the ball. Strengths Prairie has one of the top receiving cores in the state, and if they use that correctly, they could be very dangerous. The team also has something most high school football coaches love: a returning quarterback. [player_tooltip player_id="98655" first="Dionte" last="Fliss"] was great last season, passing for 908 yards. He also had an outstanding touchdown to interception ratio with seven touchdowns and one interception. In addition, Prairie had an insane rushing attack last season that turned out to be the best in the entire state, totaling 285.1 rushing yards per game. Overall, Prairie should be excellent this season and could certainly make a deep playoff run. Biggest Questions Prairie lost an elite running back in former senior [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"]. Along with that, their defense is only returning three starters from the previous season. How will they replace these holes in their roster? Top Prospects <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>1. [player_tooltip player_id="23945" first="Gabe" last="Burkle"] (TE): Prep Redzone 2022 Class Ranking: #3 Big TE with amazing receiving ability.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2. [player_tooltip player_id="148735" first="Lonny" last="Melvin Jr"] (WR): Prep Redzone 2022 Class Ranking: #88 Explosive WR who can also play DB.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3. [player_tooltip player_id="98655" first="Dionte" last="Fliss"] (QB): Prep Redzone 2022 Class Ranking: #110 Smart QB who makes impressive throws and can scramble.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4. [player_tooltip player_id="148892" first="Blaine" last="Stepanek"] (CB): Prep Redzone 2022 Class Ranking: Watchlist Quality Tackling DB with solid coverage. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>5. [player_tooltip player_id="148459" first="Evan" last="Williams"] (OL): Prep Redzone 2022 Class Ranking: Watchlist A player with absurd size and a very high ceiling.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Total Prep Redzone Ranked Prospects: 5</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Final Points Cedar Rapids Prairie has a chance to do something special this upcoming season. With a loaded senior class featuring [player_tooltip player_id="23945" first="Gabe" last="Burkle"], [player_tooltip player_id="98655" first="Dionte" last="Fliss"], Elijah Ward, and [player_tooltip player_id="148735" first="Lonny" last="Melvin Jr"]., they may be the best team on the eastern side of Iowa. College coaches should be watching this team because it has many uncommitted prospects with tremendously high ceilings. Fans should be watching this team to see the passing game utilizing their loaded receiving core.