Even after a third straight blowout to open the season, the West Liberty High School football team remains optimistic about their future, still hoping to make the Iowa football playoffs in October.
Coach Jason Iske says he doesn’t sense a “failed” attitude in the team at this point, knowing quite well they faced some of the best competition they will meet this year in Solon, Iowa City Regina and Independence.
Iske said he couldn’t say which of his first three opponents were better, he just knew they all were good teams with a lot of talent.
“I think they understand the level of competition that we have played and that, for the most part, we have been a lot younger and less experienced,” the coach said.
“For various reasons, we have had more of our backups getting playing time throughout these first three games, way more than our first three opponents have,” Iske said. “Obviously, that's not ideal, but there is a silver lining in that we have some players who, going into the season, we wouldn't have expected to play as much getting meaningful minutes against good players, so they are building valuable experience that will help us in the long run.”
That will be important going into the Comet’s fourth match of the season and third game on the road against Camanche with kickoff set for approximately 7 p.m. Friday against the 1-2 Storm who won their first game of the week Friday against winless Maquoketa, claiming a 20-15 win.
“I don't put a lot of stock into records,” Iske said. “A lot goes into wins and losses every week. I know Camanche has a few good athletes who can hurt you on their offense and they have a defense that swarms to the football, much like the teams we have played so far.”
The coach says Camanche seems to be getting better as the season continues. “I know they will be well-coached and ready to play. They will be a tough opening district opponent,” he said.
The West Liberty football team finished their non-district slate suffering defeat at the hand of independence Friday night behind the strength of senior running back Marcus Beatty, who carried the ball 28 times for 279 yards and three touchdowns, his third straight similar performance.
“Beatty is a true running back,” Iske complimented the talent. “He’s a good athlete, but what makes him great is his patience and the way he sets up his blockers.”
The host Mustangs cruised to a 45-0 victory over the Comets, 39 of of those points coming in the first half including 23 in the second quarter.
The Mustangs opened the night not giving the Comets any glimmer of hope, driving the ball down the field following the opening kickoff for a touchdown and converting the two-point conversion.
Both teams than traded three and outs followed by punts, but he Mustangs drove the ball down the field once again on their third possession of the night following a 50-yard drive and a 10-yard shuffle pass from Mitchell Johnson to Jacob Sidles put the Mustangs up 16-0.
Following another Comet turnover on downs, the Mustangs scored on just two plays as Beatty took the ball 58 yards up the sidelines to give the hosts a 24-0 advantage.
The Mustangs scored twice more before the close of the second half taking a 39-0 advantage into the locker room.
The silver lining for the Comets can be found in the second half, holding a potent Mustang to just six points.
The highlight came in the third quarter where following a Comet muffed punt, Caleb Wulf recorded his first interception of the season to give the Comets the ball back.
The Mustangs found the end zone for their lone second half score with 8:29 left in the ball game as quarterback Mitchell Johnson snuck up the middle for a 12-yard scamper to finalize the score at 45-0.Johnson also completed eight of 13 passes for 93 yards in the game.
The Comets combines for 55 yards of total offense in the outing, allowing 391 and giving up 55 penalty yards.
The Comets will begin their district slate Friday in Camanche against the newly renamed Storm, after cutting the Comets playoff run short last season. Sitting at 0-3, the Comets have a chance to get a much-needed win to begin conference play.
Camanche will put forth a offensive passing attack lead by senior Mike Delzell, who was 10-16 for 171 yards and two touchdowns last week. Eric Kinkaid adds to the Cardinal attack at running back, carrying the ball 14 times against Maquoketa for 110 yards and a touchdown. Delzell’s favorite receiver is likely Tucker Dickbeerber, a senior who caught seven passes last week for 142 yards. He also leads the defense, getting four of the five interceptions against Maquoketa.
Iske says heis Comets are looking forward to the next game. “Every game provides us an opportunity to get better and play some football.”
He says it’s not about making changes, but simply “just continuing to improve. We'll make our adjustments based on a different opponent, but most of what we need to improve starts with fundamentals.”