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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Small school football: Pekin falls in major clash
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
It was a wild small school football weekend that saw the previously unbeaten Pekin Panthers fail to pull out a win in Lisbon, but also saw a handful of big victories, including the first wins of the year for New London and Van Buren County.
No. 5 (A) Lisbon 28, Pekin 15
In the game of the week, Pekin got off to a rough start, trailing 21-0 at halftime. The Panthers came out hungry in the second half, getting the game down to 21-8 after three, but the Panthers could never fully recover as Lisbon took control of Class A Distrrict 5.
Pekin’s Will Adam threw for 136 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for a team-leading 46 yards.
Alijah Brock had another big game, catching three passes for 121 yards and a score. Nolan Glick found the end zone on the ground.
Defensively, Henry Adam led the Panthers with 6.5 tackles. Alton Williams had a fumble recovery for Pekin’s only takeaway.
Columbus 48, Highland 14
In another Class A District 5 matchup, Columbus bounced back with a dominant win over Highland.
The Wildcats busted out 20 points in the first quarter and 14 in the second to rush out to a 34-0 lead in the only Union area clash of the night.
Riley Kaalberg had a monster game, running for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Trevor Phillips went 9-for-10 for 76 yards and three scores.
Lamaar Ceant had huge night in pass coverage for Columbus. He picked off two passes and took one back to the end zone for a pick-six.
Highland’s Sage Hartley-Norman had one rushing touchdown and also found Liam Roberts for a touchdown pass.
Van Buren County 45, Louisa-Muscatine 20
The Van Buren County offensee finally got going in a big district win over Louisa-Muscatine.
Izaak Loeffler was a perfect 12-for-13 for 191 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Warriors to their first win. Kamden Nusbaum burned Louisa-Muscatine for 120 receiving yards and three touchdown catches, and Bryce Moquin ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Also for the Warriors, Aidan McEntee picked off two passes, and Loeffler picked off one.
New London 54, HLV 38
New London’s offense exploded in the 2024 Homecoming game, as the Tigers marched past HLV for their first win of the year.
London Franklin ran for 128 yards and four scores in the win, while also racking up 104 yards and a score receiving. Gavin Menke-Bailey completed 10 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Logan Franklin scored on a touchdown catch, and Brigham Porter rushed for one.
Defensively, Menke-Bailey had a team-leading seven tackles. Logan Franklin picked off two passes, and Cale Westerbeck had an interception of his own.
WACO 44, Easton Valley 15
The Warriors went up 28-7 at halftime and never looked back, earning a non-district road win.
Louden Huisenga ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns int eh win. Clayton Miller threw for 111 yards and a score, while also rushing for one. Isaac Rich had 107 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.
Hayden Shelman had a big play on special teams, taking a punt back to the end zone.
Winfield-Mount Union 60, English Valleys 18
The Wolves trailed 12-8 after one quarter but absolutely dominated for the rest of the night to scoop up a district road win.
Jake Edwards through for 174 yards and three scores, while also rushing for two. He also scored on a pick six.
Lane Genkinger ran for 72 yards and a touchdown, while also going for 110 receiving yards and a score. He had an interception of his own.
Nicholas Sparrow had two touchdown receptions, and Cooper Buffington found the end zone on the ground.
Sigourney-Keota 33, Pleasantville 7
The Cobra defense was electric in the snake pit, shutting down a tough Pleasantville squad.
Isaac Bruns had another huge one on the ground, going for 210 yards and four scores. As a team, SK rushed for 329 yards.
Colfax-Mingo 39, Cardinal 0
The Comets continued a tough year on the offensive side of the ball. Alijah Frase threw for 133 yards in the loss, and Treyton Hafele had a 40-yard reception for the team’s longest play.
Mid-Prairie 48, Davis County 3
Mid-Prairie put a hurting on a tough Davis County squad, winning by 45 points to move to 2-0 in district play.
Hudson Ehrenfelt went insane on the ground, rushing for 314 yards and six scores. Brady Weber threw for 161 yards and a touchdown strike to Cobi Hershberger.
