KQRadio 2023 Football Preview: Class 1A, District 2

For the last two seasons, Class 1A, District 2 included some of the regulars in North Central Iowa, while also mixing some teams from the Central part of the state. South Hamilton and Woodward-Granger were among those who were sent north, but have gone back to their Central Iowa roots in 2023. South Central Calhoun is gone down to Class A, as is Belmond-Klemme, leaving Eagle Grove and Manson-Northwest Webster the only leftovers this fall. But one thing is for certain: there’s a lot of uncertainty in this district. 

Eagle Grove 

After back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in over a decade, Logan Willard’s Eagles have a bit of a rebuild with many new faces ready to step up on both sides of the ball. Sophomore Hayden Schafer takes over the reigns at quarterback, as Connor Christopher and Leelan Spencer are the early leaders to begin the season at the wingbacks, while Drake Canavan does return at fullback. Eagle Grove will need some young players to step up and contribute on the offensive line with returners Jesus Baez and Reece Demuth. 

On the defensive side, the Eagles are replacing their two most productive defenders in leading tackler Korey Anderson and interceptions leader Cayden Schultz. Drake Canavan will shift to linebacker to help out returning backer Connor Christopher, incoming freshman Trenton Robinson will also play a key role at linebacker. Up front, Eagle Grove needs to replace explosive defensive tackle Jack Mendoza and fellow starter Zach Pamperin as well. Levi Langfitt will lead the defensive backfield, that will break in new players such as Hayden Schafer, Leelan Spencer and Brett Ascherl. 

Emmetsburg 

A proud football tradition, Emmetsburg returned to their roots in 2022 by bringing back the Wing T offense made famous by longtime coach Duane Twait. The E-Hawks finished 4-5 with a playoff appearance in a tough-as-nails 1A-1 district, but will need to replace quite a bit of production. Emmetsburg must choose between junior Gavin Swanson and senior Clayton Rubel at quarterback, but junior Carson Baak and senior Jace Nelson-Brown will be the two bellcows out of the backfield. Nelson-Brown was also the E-Hawks leading receiver a year ago. 

Defensively, leading tackler Carson Baak returns, but the next 4 out of 5 top tacklers have moved on. Baak will spearhead a linebacker group along with backfield mate Jace Nelson-Brown, and will likely see more contributions from Justin Wirtz and Bronson Dietrich. Up front, senior Gage Jorgenson and junior Jacob Fiene will lead the defensive line group for the E-Hawks, while Clayton Rubel and Gavin Swanson will lead the defensive backfield. 

Pocahontas Area 

After a fast start to the 2022 season for the Indians, Pocahontas hit a wall of quality teams that ultimately kept them out of the playoff conversation in Class 2A. However, 2023 has promising aspects for the Indians, as they return starting quarterback Lucas Kopriva. Kopriva threw for 383 yards and 3 touchdowns last season, while rushing for another 229 yards and 2 touchdowns as well but threw 10 interceptions. Kopriva does bring back leading receiver Josiah DeYoung, as well as Gabe Ehn and Ryan Panbecker to help bolster the Indians passing attack. Ryan Sommerlot will step into the RB1 role for Pocahontas as well. 

In the defensive unit, the Indians return a lot of production from last years squad, bringing back tackling-producers in Ryan Sommerlot, Gabe Ehn, Blake Roberts, Ryan Panbecker and Ethan Behrens. Ehn led the team in sacks and tackles for loss from his linebacker spot, as Sommerlot and Ethan Behrens will anchor a veteran group at the second level. Ike Vote and Joseph Sanders will look to lead the defensive line, while the defensive backfield will try and replace the production of Jacob Gerdes, who had a team-high 5 interceptions in 2022 

East Sac County 

In a year which appeared to be a down one for East Sac County, the Raiders were able to sneak their way into the Class 1A playoffs at 2-6. Although it was a quick exit, returns a majority of their offensive production in 2023. It starts with quarterback Luke Wright, who threw for 272 yards and a touchdown, as well as 175 yards and 3 touchdowns, but will need to cut down on his 11 interceptions. The Raiders do return a stable of running backs in Landon Grindle, Logan Schroeder, Chandler Lahr and Charlie Veit. Veit also led the team in receptions, while Sam Julin is the top returning receiver in total yardage. 

Defensively, East Sac returns all of their top tacklers from 2023, led by junior Karter Ludwig who accumulated 78.5 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss, and is an early leader for district defensive player of the year. Also, back as leading tacklers are Luke Wernimont, Charlie Veit, Bradyn Burns and Tate Lahr. Veit and Wernimont also led the Raiders in interceptions with 2 a piece, but a big focus for East Sac in 2023 will be pressuring quarterbacks. 

Manson-Northwest Webster 

2022 continued a tough stretch of road for Manson-Northwest Webster football since 2018, as the Cougars finished just 1-7, their lone win coming against a winless Belmond-Klemme squad. However, there is reason for optimism for the Cougars, with some key offensive members returning in 2023, led by junior quarterback Logan Moline, who threw for 647 yards and 7 touchdowns, while rushing for another 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. Returning to aid Moline will be top rusher Kamden Birkey, and top receivers Caydin Anderson and Matt Condon. On the flip side, the Cougars will need to replace a veteran offensive line. 

Defensively, the Cougars return quite a bit of defensive production as well. Leading tackler Kaden Hudek is gone, but behind him were plenty of sophomores and juniors ready to step up as juniors and seniors, including Kamden Birkey, Cooper Harman, Ethan Morrow, Matt Condon and Grant Pohlman. Outgoing senior Jaydin Anderson led the team in interceptions as a senior, but brother Caydin and Matt Condon are ready to step up and solidify a talented secondary. 

Sioux Central 

Sioux Central is coming off a tough 2-7 campaign in 2022, with their only wins coming against a pair of 1-win teams in Manson-Northwest Webster and Sibley-Ocheyedan. The Rebels return quarterback Kaben Morrow, who threw for 207 yards but no touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Back to help Morrow will be leading rusher Max Adams, who ran for 571 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. The Rebels will have a young receiving core as their top 3 receiving leaders are gone, as Tate Axdahl and Kinnick Fahrenkrog will lead the receiving room. 

Defensively, the Rebels return their top two tacklers in Kinnick Fahrenkrog and Max Adams, who tallied 55 tackles and 53 tackles respectively. Fahrenkrog and Adams will anchor a solid linebacker core for Sioux Central, but the front four for the Rebels will be full of inexperienced youth. Youth will also be commonplace for a Sioux Central secondary that loses 2 key seniors in Trevor Ehlers and Ethan Mills.