Season Preview: 3A-District 3 Teams, Players to Watch

Class 3A District 3 turned out to be a wild ride in 2023. The three top teams - Independence, West Delaware and Dubuque Wahlert - took turns defeating each other. In the end, Independence and West Delaware advanced to the postseason, and the Eagles missed out despite winning five games.   Expect a wide-open race again in 2024. Central DeWitt and Maquoketa each won four contests a year ago and could be ready to push into that top three.   Let's take a closer look at 3A-3:   West Delaware   Outlook: The Hawks made it to the state quarterfinals in '23. There they lost a heartbreaker, 36-35, at Solon. They'll be looking to advance farther this fall in what would be their fifth postseason in a row.   They'll have a great chance to do that with dynamic dual-threat quarterback Brent Yonkovic back at the controls after the all-stater accounted for 27 combined touchdowns passing and rushing. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1242282' first='Macoy' last='Roling'], who ranked second to Yonkovic in rushing, returns for his junior campaign, and second-leading receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1406645' first='Seth' last='Jackson'] also is back. Jeryn Funke is an all-state offensive lineman that collected 42 solo tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks as a linebacker last season.   Memphis Voelker and Keagan Jackson are an excellent two-way contributors. Ryan Hilby is sound in the secondary, while Luke Beswick, Sawyer Krogmann and [player_tooltip player_id='1402907' first='Owen' last='Pettlon'] are tough in the trenches.   Other Players to Watch: Jax Miller, WR/DB; Nick Lewis, RB/LB; Sam Ogden, OL/LB; Macoy Peyton, OL/DL; Christian Timmerman, K/WR/DB; Gage Weber, P/WR/DB; Caleb Stocks, WR/LB; Levi Wilson-Bries, WR/DB.   Independence   Outlook: The Mustangs posted a 4-1 record in district play last season and reached the playoffs for a fifth year in a row. It's been a heck of a run, especially when considering Independence has eight postseason berths in its history.   An experienced roster should provide the Mustangs with an excellent opportunity to keep the streak rolling.   Three-phase standout [player_tooltip player_id='252312' first='Brady' last='Kurt'] is committed to two-time defending FCS champion South Dakota State University. All-State linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1406617' first='Tate' last='Wood'] returns after recording an amazing 100 solo tackles last season. EJ Miller is a playmaking quarterback capable of gashing opponents with his arm and legs. Bryce Christian is a proven receiver.   Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='1279979' first='Cameron' last='Roth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1242263' first='Cael' last='Troutman'], and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1840915' first='Christopher' last='Meyer'] collect tackles. Jaxon Krogmann stands tall in the trenches, and Campbell Schwartz is a weapon at kicker.   Other Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='252320' first='Aidan' last='Bernard'], OL/DL; AJ Kitner, RB/DB; Dylan Eisele, RB/LB; Logan Bevans, WR/DB; Alec Larson, WR/DB; Bryce Christian, WR/DB; Nicholas Fettkether, RB/LB; Aaron Tanay, OL/DL; Masin Hummel, OL/DL.   Dubuque Wahlert   Outlook: Wahlert topped West Delaware last year but a late season loss at Central DeWitt submarined its playoff hopes. The Golden Eagles reached the UNI-Dome for the state semifinals in '22.   They return plenty of talent, including all-state returner [player_tooltip player_id='1286440' first='Tom' last='Scherr'], who also stands out at receiver and defensive back. [player_tooltip player_id='1286448' first='Michael' last='Bormann'] is one of the top two-way players in the district, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and delivering 10.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in '23. Tate Schope also is a multi-phase contributor, and [player_tooltip player_id='1286446' first='Matt' last='Bodnar'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1286441' first='Carter' last='Brant'] are a primetime pair on the lines.   Other Players to Watch: Drew Reilly, RB/DB; Greg Smith, TE/DL; Luke Healey, RB/LB; Luke Welbes, WR/DB; [player_tooltip player_id='1840781' first='Will' last='Welbes'], LB; Ryan Winter, TE/LB; Gaige Miller, DB/WR; Broderick Schmidt, OL/LB; Aidan Jenaman, OL/DL.   Central DeWitt   Outlook: Central DeWitt alternated winning and losing each week of last season starting with a Week 1 setback against North Scott. That kept the Sabers home for the postseason after making the playoffs the year before.   They'll lean on running back Colton Sawyer for an offense replacing a lot at the skill positions. Playing-making defensive back Max Burgmeier also returns, and Chris Wrage contributes at tight end and on the defensive line. Kade Burzlaff and Grayson Chrones anchor the show in the trenches.   Other Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1687437' first='Brady' last='Meadows'], ATH; Abe Krukow, RB/DB; Cal Kueter, WR/DB; Caden Huff, WR/DB/KR/PR; Jase Hawthorne, OL/DL; Matthew Boeding, OL/DL.   Maquoketa   Outlook: The Cardinals won their first three games of '23 and then tasted victory just one more time the rest of the way. It was, however, a step forward considering they claimed just one triumph during the previous two seasons.   Good talent returns for Maquoketa as it tries pushing its way up the standings. Running backs Spencer Martin, [player_tooltip player_id='1358266' first='Tate' last='Martin'] and Derek Wilhelm deliver when toting the rock and stand out defensively, too. Defenses must prepare for receiver MJ Warthan as well. Ryker Henderson shows promise just halfway through his prep career.   Other Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1649220' first='Brayden' last='DeForest'], KR/WR; Cole Koob, KR/PK/WR; Pryce Schueller, WR/DB; Sawyer Burken, OL/DL.   Center Point-Urbana   Outlook: The Stormin' Pointers experienced a limited number of highs last season, but one of them was a dominating victory against Central DeWitt. It illustrated what they're capable of doing when things are clicking, something they home to see more of this fall as the program seeks its first winning season since '18.   Quarterback Jackson Brincks is a good place to start. He stresses defenses with his arm and ability to run. He's complemented by running back AJ Maloney and receiver Carter Andrews at the skill positions. Andrews also impacts the game defensively as do Brecken Andersen, Tyler Knight, David Even and Cohen Spurlock. Junior Nathan Miller could break out this season.   Other Players to Watch: Aiden Novoa, RB/LB; Aiden Andersen, TE/LB; Rhys Jones, TE/LB; Preston Thompson, RB/LB; Sam Leedom, OL/DL; Olliver Brown, OL/DL.

Class 3A District 3 turned out to be a wild ride in 2023. The three top teams - Independence, West Delaware and Dubuque Wahlert - took turns defeating each other. In the end, Independence and West Delaware advanced to the postseason, and the Eagles missed out despite winning five games.