Comets fall to Hawks 58-14 in finale

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

MANCHESTER — Just when the running clock was about to be employed, Josiah Cunnings took off running.

The Class 3A No. 5-ranked West Delaware Hawks had just taken a 37-0 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter when Cunnings, Charles City’s sophomore starting cornerback, advanced a kickoff 88-yards to paydirt to get the Comets on the board and momentarily reset the game clock at standard football time.

As for any clock … or stopwatch … timing Cunnings — a state track qualifier as a freshman hurdler last spring — that end zone dash might have been good enough for another SQ standard.

A requisite for “break-away” speed is being able to pull away from trailing defenders while carrying the football, which Cunnings clearly did on his return.

For Charles City fans willing to make the 100-mile trip to Manchester, Cunnings’s KO return was one of several highlights to cheer about in spite of the 58-14 victory by the heavily favored Hawks.

Another was a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch from Comet senior Trimel Christian, who not only made the snare from a fourth-and-goal 10-yard pass from Jordan Foster, but managed to get both feet inside the end zone sideline —though you only need one in high school football.

For Christian, and a bevy of other Comet seniors, this was the last football game of their high school careers.

“We would have likely needed five wins to get (into the Class 3A playoffs),” said Charles City head coach Bryan Bjorklund, who just concluded his first season at HC with the Comets, which finished at 4-5.

“You have so much adrenaline going on right now that you don’t want it to end. You wish it can go on.

“We knew going in it was going to be tough, but that team [WD Hawks] is likely going to the (UNI) Dome.”

West Delaware (8-1) will host Grinnell next Friday (Oct. 29) in the Class 3A first round.

Hawk senior quarterback Kyle Cole had the quintessential “perfect day” passing the football as he completed all nine of the attempts for 208 yards, including TD strikes of 40 yards to Jackson Woellert and 32 yards to Will Ward.

On the game’s first snap from scrimmage, Cole connected with Ward on a 65-yard fly rout that set up a 3-yard TD run by Cole a little more than 40 seconds into the game.

Cole would run for two more TDs, including a 37-yard keeper that helped give the Hawks the aforementioned 37-0 lead.

Wyatt Voelker led all rushers with 104 yards on 16 carries, including a 3-yard TD run, for the Hawks, who also benefited from five interceptions with Isaac Fettkether plucking two of the picks.

Offensively, the Comets were led by senior Colton Crooks, who had 40 rushing yards on 10 carries; and senior Mario Hoefer, who had 40 receiving yards on three receptions.

As usual for Hoefer week in and week out, the Comet senior had several spectacular grabs against the Hawks. But on his most spectacular catch — a clutch fourth-and-22 converter — Hoefer came down hard and injured his knee, and was inactive during the second half.

Charles City was already without two key players — Ian Collins and Kayden Blunt — who were deemed inactive before the game due to injuries sustained during the Comets’ overtime win against South Tama the week before.

Defensively, Charles City was led by junior linebacker Ethan Peterson, who posted team-highs with 7 total tackles, 5 solo tackles, and 2 tackles for losses; senior Jalil Jones (4.5 total tackles, 4 solo tackles); senior Jonathan Stewart (3 solo tackles); senior Zach Chambers (3 solo tackles); and senior Chase Crooks, who recovered a fumble for the Comets’ lone forced turnover.

During the long post-game goodbye, Bjorklund thanked the departing senior class who aided the transitional process by “buying into the program.”

He’s also excited about players due to be back.

“If I had to press the reset button to the season, I wish I could have known a little more about the athletes I had,” Bjorklund said. “Like for Tino Tamayo … we didn’t know we had a H-back until a couple of weeks before.

“Coming back next year, I’ll have a better feel for the players as well as the coaching staff. We’ll be better able to put people in the right positions. That can only help take us to the next level.”

WEST DELAWARE 58, CHARLES CITY 14

Scoring By Quarters

CC 0 7 7 0 — 14

WD 22 29 7 0 — 58

Scoring Summary

WD — Kyle Cole 3-yard run (Wyatt Voelker run) 11:18 1st, 8-0

WD — Cole 40-yard pass to Jackson Woellert (Cole run) 9:43 1st, 16-0

WD — Will Halverson 9-yard run (Run failed) 1:45 1st, 22-0

WD — Cole 32-yard pass to Will Ward (Cole run) 11:47 2nd, 30-0

WD — Cole 37-yard run (Cody Monaghan kick) 8:53 2nd, 37-0

CC — Josiah Cunnings 88-yard kickoff return (Jack Hanson kick) 8:40 2nd, 37-7

WD — Cole 7-yard run (Monaghan kick) 6:43 2nd, 44-7

WD  — Voelker 3-yard run (Monaghan kick) 3:22 2nd, 51-7

WD — Julio Weber 7-yard run (Monaghan kick) 8:05 3rd, 58-7

CC — Jordan Foster 10-yard pass to Trimel Christian (Hanson kick) 5:50 4th, 58-14

RECORDS — West Delaware 8-1, Charles City 4-5

PASSING — (Charles City) Jordan Foster 9-22, 77 yards, TD, 4 INTs; (West Delaware) Kyle Cole 9-9, 208 yards, 2 TDs.

RUSHING — (Charles City) Colton Crooks 10-40; Tino Tamayo 8-10, Mario Hoefer 1-14; (West Delaware) Wyatt Voelker 16-104, TD; Julio Weber 9-55, TD; Cole 4-50, 3 TDs; Haze Seibert 5-29; Will Halverson 2-17.

RECEIVING — (Charles City) Hoefer 3-40, Trimel Christian 4-28, Josiah Cunnings 1-6; Jalil Jones 1-3; (West Delaware) Will Ward 4-105, TD; Jaxson Woellert 3-63, TD; Will Halverson 2-40.

DEFENSE — (Charles City) Ethan Peterson 7 total tackles, 5 solo tackles, 2 tackles for losses; Chase Crooks fumble recovery; Jalil Jones 4.5 total tackles, 4 solo tackles; Zach Chambers 3 solo tackles; Cunnings 3 solo tackles; Jonathan Stewart 3 solo tackles; Chase Herron tackle for loss; (West Delaware) Voelker 3 solo tackles, 2 tackles for losses; Cash Hauser 3 solo tackles, 2 tackles for losses, QB sack; Noah Felton 3 solo tackles, tackle for loss; Luke Reth QB sack; Isaac Fettkether 2 INTs, tackle for loss; Halverson INT; Conrad Smith INT; Blake Engel INT.

RECORDS — West Delaware 8-1, Charles City 4-5