Aug 23, 2022 4:00 PM

Local teams kick off football season with non-district games

Posted Aug 23, 2022 4:00 PM
West Burlington/Notre Dame defender Isaiah Fenton tries to bring down Burlington High School's Caden Schisel, with Falcon Hayden Vandenberg ready for the hit as well. BHS opens the season Friday, Aug. 26 at Washington, and the Falcons will host Mid-Prairie. (Chris Faulkner/for The Burlington Beacon)
West Burlington/Notre Dame defender Isaiah Fenton tries to bring down Burlington High School's Caden Schisel, with Falcon Hayden Vandenberg ready for the hit as well. BHS opens the season Friday, Aug. 26 at Washington, and the Falcons will host Mid-Prairie. (Chris Faulkner/for The Burlington Beacon)

Chris Faulkner
for The Burlington Beacon

Burlington and West Burlington/Notre Dame's high school's football teams took advantage of The Turf for their pre-season scrimmage last Friday night. Severe weather threatened the area, forcing the teams to go inside.

On Friday, Aug. 26, though, it's for real. The Grayhounds travel to Case Field in Washington to play the Demons in a non-district game. The freshman game is at 5 p.m., with the varsity following at about 7:30 p.m. West Burlington/Notre Dame hosts Mid-Prairie Wellman for its non-district opener. The varsity-only game starts at 7 p.m.

BHS coach Jim Krekel knows Washington's pedigree. The Demons have always been a top two or three team in Class 3A.

“This game is a huge challenge against a team of tradition and history and will be well-coached,” Krekel said.

The Grayhounds won 39-18 in last year's opener.

“We have a lot of work to do in all aspects, as is typical opening a season,” Krekel said.

“We're working hard on gaining confidence, so playing is a reflection of those accomplishments.”

Burlington is coming off a 7-3 season. Krekel is in his third as head coach but has been coaching football for 36 years now.

The Grayhounds return three players who received post-season honors and all are seniors: center/defensive end Julian Perez-Hall was a second-team all-stater last year as well as earning all-district honors. Fullback/linebacker Nolan Simpson and tight end/safety Alex Fawcett both earned second-team all-district honors for Class 4A, District 5.

Linemen returning are Xzavion Baker, Trent Huffman, John Schuelka, Gunner Short, and Caleb Zaugg.

Also back are fullbacks Noah Nixon and Phil Phillips, wingback Owen Baker, and tight end Deshawn Conard.

Gabe Robinson will be the starting quarterback.

Not only is Krekel a BHS alumnus but so are assistant coaches Charlie Walsh, Adam Glasgow, Josh Osborn, Sean Coleman, and Jordan Webb.

Falcons short on numbers

WB/ND coach Joe Bowman is concerned right off the bat with low numbers. Just under 30 players suit up in all four grades. The program dropped the freshman/sophomore schedule.

“We cannot afford any injuries or setbacks if we hope to compete against a very challenging schedule,” Bowman said.

Mid-Prairie is a very physical team, according to Bowman, and Golden Hawks won 55-13 against WB/ND in last year's opener.

“They will come off the football hard and keep coming all game," he said. “It is very hard to simulate in practice.”

The Falcons hope to challenge with a veteran running attack, led by Travain Donaldson, Hayden Vandenberg, and Jack Riley. But Bowman said the Falcons can throw the ball if that's available.

The returning regulars along with the aforementioned trio are Isaiah Fenton, Brady Heuvelmann, Carsen Jones, C.J. Mutchler, Pierce Westerbeck, Dylan Kipp, Jordan Nupp, and Caden Schwenker.

WB/ND also has some promising newcomers in Quincy Collins, C.J. Davis, Levi Fletcher-Bates, Emry Watson, Regan Van Niewaal, Gedi Boal, and Matthew Booten.