Class 2A, District 8 sees a couple of familiar faces that have been commonplace in the district the last couple of seasons: A Greene County program that has been one of the most consistent in Class 2A for the past 5 years, and a Des Moines Christian program that continues to grow in size, while trying to grow in tradition. New additions to the district in 2023, include 2A mainstays in Roland-Story and Southeast Valley, as well as a Carroll Kuemper program that returns to 2A after a few years, and a Saydel program which comes down out of Class 3A.
Roland-Story
The Norsemen’s 2022 season saw them finish with a .500 regular season record for the first time since 2016, and the 2nd consecutive season in which they qualified for the 2A playoffs. Roland-Story returns quarterback Hesston Johnson, who threw for over 1,100 yards and 9 touchdowns last season, and running back Jonovan Wilkinson, who ran for nearly 800 yards and 7 touchdowns. Helping out the backfield’s dynamic duo is a veteran offensive line returning, which includes Christian Chelsvig, Jake Jennings, Aaron Peyton and Charlie Watts. Johnson will have to break in a brand-new receiving core, after graduating his top 4 receivers from 2022.
On the defensive side, the Norsemen’s front seven is chalked full of talent, including junior linebacker Charlie Watts, who had a district-high 81.5 tackles in 2021, as well as fellow linebackers Hesston Johnson and Christian Chelsvig. The defensive line returns key contributors such as Thomas Tjaden, Aaron Peyton and Jaxson Kadolph, while they try to find a replacement for Luke Patton off the edge. The defensive backfield will see Boaz Clark return, but will need to see others step up to fill some big roles.
Greene County
The Rams put together another banner campaign in 2022, capturing their 3rd district title in the last 5 seasons with an 8-2 record and a playoff exit against perennial powers West Lyon. However, it looks as if Caden Duncan may have his best group yet with his 2023 squad, led by quarterback Gabe Ebersole, who threw for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns, while running for another 321 yards and 5 touchdowns. Camden Strennen and Gavin Scheuermann will look to spearhead the Rams rushing attack, while senior Jack Hansen will lead the Rams receiving room. The Rams also return their entire offensive line, which will give them a distinct advantage at the line of scrimmage.
Defensively, the Rams return 5 of their top 7 tacklers from 2022, including linebacker Cody Allen and defensive lineman Michael Rumley, who recorded 3.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 2022. Greene County will have to work to replace Patrick Daugherty and Richard Daugherty in the back seven, but have players such as Nick Stream, Trey Schilling and Jack Hansen ready to step up for the Rams.
Carroll Kuemper
The other half of the two-favored contenders of the district, the Knights move back up from Class 1A after a season where they would make the 2nd round of the playoffs before falling to West Sioux. The Knights return Iowa-commit DJ Vonnahme at quarterback, as he threw for over 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns, while running for 380 yards and 9 touchdowns. Vonnahme may square more of the load in the running game with Logan Sibenaller and older brother Taye Vonnahme gone, but will return top receiver Benjamin Gerken.
Defensively, the Knights lose 4 of their top 5 tacklers from a season ago, but return some key pieces in seniors Evan Adams, Will Simons, Kyle Sundrup and Jake Hausman. Players such as DJ Vonnahme, Tate Bieret and Jake Irlbeck will also have larger roles. Vonnahme led the Knights in interceptions a year ago with 4, while Irlbeck, Adams and Hausman tied the team lead in fumble recoveries with 2.
Des Moines Christian
The Lions of Des Moines Christian have successfully cemented themselves as a consistent program in Class 2A over the past number of years, including playoff appearances in 2019 and most recently in 2022. DMC has prided themselves on the offensive side of the ball as a pass-heavy, vertical-attacking offense, and have the man to do it with senior quarterback Tate Platte, who threw for nearly 2,300 yards and 31 touchdowns, while rushing for over another 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. Platte will have to break in a new receiving core, led by junior Jake Kistenmacher, who’s the top-returning receiver with just over 100 yards in 2022. Ty Andrews will look to lead the DMC ground attack as well.
On the defensive side, the Lions will have to shore up a run defense that allowed nearly 420 yards per game on the ground in the DMC’s 5 losses in 2022. It will be a tough task for DMC to shore up that defense by graduating 4 of their top 6 tacklers, which leaves linebacker Ty Andrews and defensive back Tyler Drefke. The Lions will also need to find ways to force turnovers as well, as the only forced 12 turnovers in 2022.
Southeast Valley
The 2021 State Champions of Class 2A faced a great challenge of replacing cornerstones such as Kolson Kruse and Aaron Graves, and it proved to be a bumpy ride for the Jaguars, as they finished 3-6. Southeast Valley does have a quarterback controversy they’ll need to settle between Cael Vansickle and Dalton Crouse, who split reps throughout the entire 2022 season. Brady Hanson looks to step into the RB1 role to help rejuvenate the Jaguars rushing game, while younger players will need to step up in passing game with the departures of Eli Johnson and Justin Loseke.
Defensively, Southeast Valley still managed to possess a stout unit in 2022. However, the Jags will need to replace top tackler Justin Loseke, as well as leaders Ethan Ackerson, Eli Johnson and Michael Eslick. Players to watch in stepping up include linebackers Tyler Moreland and Drew Temple, defensive linemen Nathan Graves and Ryan Wicklein, and defensive backs Dalton Crouse, Brady Hanson and Jace Hanson.
Saydel
Saydel football experienced another quagmire of a season in 2022, with an 0-9 record, extending their program’s losing streak to 19 games. However, there could be light at the end of the tunnel, as the Eagles were bumped down from 3A to 2A, thanks to their high FRL percentage. The Eagles do return quarterback AJ Ollin, who will look to improve by leaps and bounds following a season where he threw only 1 touchdown, 11 interceptions and completed just 30.4% of his passes. For weapons, top receivers Kolton Keller and Trevor Goode are back, which should help bolster Saydel’s passing attack. The Eagles will need to find a replacement at running back for the departing Isaac McClure.
Defensively, the Eagles return a good number of their top producers from 2022, which includes AJ Ollin, Kolton Keller, Grady Godwin and Parker Swafford. Lack of turnovers also put a stranglehold on the Eagles defense a season ago, only forcing 7 turnovers last season. If the Eagles want to see a rise in stature, defense will be the first thing that will need to take shape.