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Washington Evening Journal
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Iowa Valley wins season opener at home
MARENGO — It was a successful start to the 2023 season for the Iowa Valley football team and new head coach Casey Krull as the Tigers beat BGM 48-30 last Friday night at Marengo.
Krull, replacing John Bowlin who left town for the Mount Pleasant job, watched his Tigers spot the Bears an 8-0 lead before rallying behind freshman quarterback Nolan Kriegel for a 34-24 halftime advantage, and then turning the game over in the second half to senior Taite Peach and the defense to secure the victory.
“A great start to the year,” said Krull. “We did a lot of nice things, but still have things to work on and get better at. I thought our seniors did a great job of leading and helping us to overcome adversity throughout the game.”
The first of three Beau Burns touchdown passes put IV in an early hole, but they answered with back-to-back TD runs of 10 and 3 yards by Kriegel late in the first quarter and early in the second to go up, 14-8.
The lead went back and forth over the next eight minutes, with BGM scoring twice and IV once on a six-yard run by senior Dawson Smith, leaving the Bears on top, 24-20.
Not for long. The Tigers would find the end zone twice more before intermission on a one-yard run by Kriegel and 16-yard pass from Kriegel to junior Ian Smith.
IV opened the second half with Dawson Smith’s second TD run, this one covering three yards, to stretch its 34-24 lead to 40-24, and the defense took over from there.
The Tigers held the Bears to six points over the final 24 minutes and produced two turnovers – a fumble recovery by senior Garret Hoyt and interception by junior Caleb Haack.
Peach, an all-state selection last year, was a disruptive force up front, totaling 7.5 tackles, five of those solo stops, including three for lost yardage.
Senior Karter Theissen added six solo tackles and Dawon Smith and sophomore Josh Read each chipped in five.
“Our defense stepped up big in the second half and made a lot of plays,” praised Krull.
Kriegel’s 19-yard touchdown run with about four minutes left in the game iced it for IV.
In his varsity debut, Kriegel put up some solid numbers: 8-of-16 passing for 145 yards, one TD and no interceptions, and 140 yards rushing on 29 carries and four touchdowns.
Dawson Smith finished with 62 yards rushing on 16 touches and two scores. Smith also caught three passes for 23 yards. Haack had two receptions for 70 yards, and Ian Smith caught two balls for 23 and the one TD.
Coach Krull credits the success of the offense to the guys up front – Peach and the Hoyt boys, Garrett and Mason.
“Our offense did a great job controlling the ball all game,” Krull said, “and the line should get all the credit.”
Off to a 1-0 start, Iowa Valley will play its next two games on the road – Friday, Aug. 25, against Lone Tree and Friday, Sept. 1, against English Valleys. This will be Lone Tree’s first game, while EV beat Calamus-Wheatland last week, 62-48.
