Scouting Reports: Waterloo West WaHawks 2025

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CEDAR RAPIDS -&nbsp;</strong>Waterloo West made the trip to Kingston Stadium on Thursday night for a district matchup with Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Homecoming for the Cougars, the WaHawks played spoiler, defeating Kennedy in a back-and-forth battle by a final score of 28-21 on JFK's home turf to keep their playoff hopes alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a breakdown of five key players for West from Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/photo-gallery-waterloo-west-at-cedar-rapids-kennedy/">Photo Gallery: Waterloo West at Cedar Rapids Kennedy</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1938509"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed4e6b528a7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Making an appearance on the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/five-surprise-iowa-standouts-class-5a/">Surprise Standouts of Class 5A</a>, [player_tooltip player_id='1938509' first='Felix' last='Annan'] has burst onto the scene this season as one of the top running backs in the state's largest class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the ground against the Cougars, Annan kept chugging away and showed why he's been amongst the most productive backs in 5A this season. A shifty runner that uses his lateral quickness to make would-be tacklers miss, Annan sheds off tacklers with ease. The workhorse back for the WaHawks, Annan took 25 carries for 124 yards in Cedar Rapids on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1238633"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed4e6b52908"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The star of the first half for Waterloo West, [player_tooltip player_id='1238633' first='Torian' last='Doss'] caught anything and everything thrown his way by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1895238' first='Brett' last='McGovern']. He did so when his team needed it most, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the WaHawks first drive of the night, Doss went up and caught a slant above his head to convert on third and long. Then, after McGovern escaped pressure in the pocket on a fourth and medium, he found Doss wide open on a crossing route for the first. Later in the game, Doss caught a slant, put his foot in the ground and turned up field, outrunning the defense to the endzone for a score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On a night that had playoff implications, Doss shined and made big catch after big catch for West. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1421478"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed4e6b52951"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the WaHawks' senior captains, [player_tooltip player_id='1421478' first='Melakhi' last='Hickey'] sets the tone up front for West on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hickey outplays his weight on the offensive line, playing with low pad-level and clear intention on each and every play. Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound defensive lineman gets after the quarterback with length and a high motor. He finished the night with six tackles, including all three of West's three sacks. Bringing energy on every play with a desire to get after the QB, Hickey is a big reason why the WaHawks are still in the playoff hunt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1895238"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed4e6b52997"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Leading the offense as the full-time starter for the first time this season, [player_tooltip player_id='1895238' first='Brett' last='McGovern'] is holding down his starting position and has proven to be one of the more efficient quarterbacks in 5A through seven weeks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With an unorthodox throwing motion, McGovern keeps the ball high and finds his open receivers. Give credit where it's due -- weapons like Doss, Annan and [player_tooltip player_id='1234336' first='Deztin' last='McMurrin'] make things more simple for him, and head coach Lonnie Moore and his staff do an excellent job of scheming up easy reads and throws. Don't get it twisted, though. He shows patience and good decision making, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday night in Cedar Rapids, he showed off how and why he's been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in 5A so far this season. Finishing 18-of-22 (81.8%) for 195 yards, four touchdowns and no picks, McGovern was surgical against the Cougars. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1221926"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ed4e6b529dd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The No. 1 offensive lineman and No. 4 prospect in the state's 2026 class, [player_tooltip player_id='1221926' first='Carson' last='Nielsen'] has held down left tackle for West for several years now. A physical specimen who possesses the exact type of athleticism George Barnett and Iowa want up front, Nielsen is a bit of a project, but he shows why he could be beyond worth it for the Hawkeyes when he plays on Friday nights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Having worked on the technicality piece of his game the last few seasons, Nielsen is much better at using his hands and driving through his assignment in the run game. As a pass-blocker, he was a big reason why McGovern stayed clean all night and he has grown in his ability to kick-step and keep his hands on pass-rushers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->