Easton Valley, CAM Bring Explosive Offenses To Eight-Player Final

Dana Becker

November 17, 2021 @ 10:50 AM

Two of the most explosive offenses in the state after navigated the winding road to the eight-player championship inside the UNI-Dome Thursday in Cedar Falls. Easton Valley and Anita-CAM have both put together memorable 12-0 seasons to date. But only one will hoist up the trophy and end the year perfect and as champions. Here are a handful of players who will likely play a key role in the final outcome of the final eight-player game in Iowa in 2021: [player_tooltip player_id="147447" first="Conor" last="Gruver"] - Easton Valley - QB/S - 6-1 - 175 A brilliant passer of the football, [player_tooltip player_id="147447" first="Conor" last="Gruver"] has racked up 2,871 yards passing and 51 touchdowns on the year. He is as accurate as there is in the state, completing 178 of 249 passes, while adding five more scores with his legs. While not as run-heavy as some of his adversaries, what separates Gruver from the rest is his ability to read a defense quickly. He is able to read through his targets before locking in on the best option more often than not. [player_tooltip player_id="152876" first="Hayden" last="Felkey"] - Easton Valley - TE/DE - 6-4 - 185 Speaking of options, the best one for Gruver and Easton Valley is junior [player_tooltip player_id="152876" first="Hayden" last="Felkey"]. With 41 receptions for 974 yards and 18 touchdowns, Felkey is a constant threat to take it the distance when he catches it. However, the impact for Felkey on Thursday’s title game may come on defense. That is where he has recorded an incredible 17 sacks, 42 tackles for loss, 115.5 stops and recovered four fumbles. [player_tooltip player_id="23971" first="Lane" last="Spieker"] - Anita-CAM - QB/LB - 5-9 - 175 If you have followed the eight-player class, you already know all about [player_tooltip player_id="23971" first="Lane" last="Spieker"]. The senior has ran for 3,240 yards and found his way to the end zone 69 times on the ground. But that only is half the story. Spieker is also the quarterback for this high-powered offense, throwing for another 1,069 yards and 12 scores. He’s also caught a TD on the year. Regardless of size of class, what Spieker has done is incredible. His quickness is off the charts and his vision as a runner is second-to-none in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="148116" first="Colby" last="Rich"] - Anita-CAM - TE/DE - 6-2 - 190 Anita-CAM knows they are going to be tested by Gruver and his arm. [player_tooltip player_id="148116" first="Colby" last="Rich"] will be key to stopping - or at least containing - a lot of that attack. Rich has picked off four passes - CAM has 20 as a team - returning one for a score. He is also a very confident defender one-on-one, recording 30 tackles. And if you give him even a small opening, he’s taking it, racking up six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.