Find out what some of the top players in the state are saying about sports now!
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Q&A with Mount Ayr running back Dyson Thompson
How did the high school football season go overall?
“The season went well. We had our ups and downs but we were a very young team. Overall we made so much progress by the end of the season and it amazed me. Unfortunately I was hurt halfway through and had to sit out a couple of games though but the team still played great.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“As for workouts, I’ll be in the weight room at least 4 times a week at 6am training with the team. For sports I’m currently in track which is going great and will be starting baseball here shortly.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We will still be young, but we will have at least a year under our belts of varsity football. I think next year will be one of the best years yet.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Madrid and Lyndville or even ACGC will be tough to beat next year. Definitely a game worth watching. They lose a ton of seniors but still have younger kids coming up with great potential.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Madrid has a good returning quarterback who is an all-around athlete on the field and will be hard to stop.”
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Q&A with Mount Ayr defensive back Jackson Ruggles
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I thought we did good at times but with a young team you’re going to have that.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to do a ton of speed workouts and also hit the weight room.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we are more disciplined this year and we are older and more confident.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“ACGC is definitely going to be a team that will be good.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“A person that will be tough to go against is definitely Preston Wicker from Madrid.”
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Q&A with Gladbrook-Reinbeck wide receiver Hudson Clark
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It was a great season, being able to bring our school’s football team back to the Dome was an amazing opportunity. We obviously wanted to win those last two games but in the end it was an incredible season.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’m involved in both soccer and track so continuing those hoping to make state appearances again in both respective sports. I am also doing AAU basketball so I have a pretty full schedule. I try to not let that stop me from getting in reps to whether that’s with playing pass with teammates or in the backyard with my family getting coached in specific aspect.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We are returning a lot of guys, we do lose big pieces of our team that will be a big loss but also we have a lot of guys working hard in the weight room and we have a lot of guys confident in themselves to make that jump to starters. I think next year will be another successful year and hopefully we can get back to the dome.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We have a pretty strong conference, all the teams have good players and good enough to win games. Clarksville gave us a tough time last year and I bet the same thing this next year. Also Janesville had a young hard nosed group last year and they return big players for their team so we have to watch out for them. We play a lot of good teams and don’t want to overlook anyone or be too confident.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“We played a lot of good players this past year and many gave us trouble. I think Appleby is a great player and a hard runner, he will have a good line to play behind so he will be tough. Also Burns from BGM had a really good year and a lot of accomplishments and stats, he will be hard to stop.”
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Q&A with Independence middle linebacker Cameron Roth
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It went pretty well overall, there were definitely some challenges to overcome but it went pretty good.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’m in track right now. Doing mainly explosive workouts with high intensity.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel that my team will do really well next year. We have a lot of guys that have switched their mindset for the better and have been working really hard!”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“The team I feel will be the toughest is West Delaware.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest player is definitely Brent Yonkovic.”
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Q&A with Ankeny Centennial defensive end Isaiah Bassett
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I think the football season went pretty well last year. I think we should’ve won some games that we didn’t and to be honest I feel like we were one of the top teams in 5a. We didn’t execute how we should’ve and the mistakes on both offense and defense and special teams held us back from being state champs.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“For plans, right now I’m just focusing on track and lifts with my team. I want to build a bond because we are going to have some new players up on varsity this year and I want to know who they are and create a good bond with them.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“For next season I genuinely think that we are one of the best teams if not the best team. We have lots of returning starters and plenty of young talent. I really think that we could win it all if we just fix some minor mistakes that we had last year. We have one of the oldest coaches in the game and I don’t mean that in a bad way but he has seen a lot and knows a lot and as long as we listen to him and the other coaches and are disciplined then I believe that we can hoist up that trophy come the end of the season.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I think that our toughest competition next year is going to be Dowling or Ankeny. We have Ankeny week one and it’s a rivalry game so it’s already honing to be a hard game. They have lots of good players and some good coaches as well. Dowling has just always been good and since they are bringing back a lot of good players as well I believe that they are going to be a challenge if we want to win the championship. I don’t want to forget about Valley High School as well since they have lots of talent on their team and have always been a good playoff team.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I can’t really say which players we think are going to be the toughest cause not one player makes a team but we’ll have to see how this summer goes.”
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Q&A with Mount Ayr running back Dyson Thompson
How did the high school football season go overall?
“The season went well. We had our ups and downs but we were a very young team. Overall we made so much progress by the end of the season and it amazed me. Unfortunately I was hurt halfway through and had to sit out a couple of games though but the team still played great.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“As for workouts, I’ll be in the weight room at least 4 times a week at 6am training with the team. For sports I’m currently in track which is going great and will be starting baseball here shortly.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We will still be young, but we will have at least a year under our belts of varsity football. I think next year will be one of the best years yet.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“Madrid and Lyndville or even ACGC will be tough to beat next year. Definitely a game worth watching. They lose a ton of seniors but still have younger kids coming up with great potential.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“Madrid has a good returning quarterback who is an all-around athlete on the field and will be hard to stop.”
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Q&A with Mount Ayr defensive back Jackson Ruggles
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I thought we did good at times but with a young team you’re going to have that.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“My plans are to do a ton of speed workouts and also hit the weight room.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel like we are more disciplined this year and we are older and more confident.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“ACGC is definitely going to be a team that will be good.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“A person that will be tough to go against is definitely Preston Wicker from Madrid.”
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Q&A with Gladbrook-Reinbeck wide receiver Hudson Clark
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It was a great season, being able to bring our school’s football team back to the Dome was an amazing opportunity. We obviously wanted to win those last two games but in the end it was an incredible season.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’m involved in both soccer and track so continuing those hoping to make state appearances again in both respective sports. I am also doing AAU basketball so I have a pretty full schedule. I try to not let that stop me from getting in reps to whether that’s with playing pass with teammates or in the backyard with my family getting coached in specific aspect.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“We are returning a lot of guys, we do lose big pieces of our team that will be a big loss but also we have a lot of guys working hard in the weight room and we have a lot of guys confident in themselves to make that jump to starters. I think next year will be another successful year and hopefully we can get back to the dome.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“We have a pretty strong conference, all the teams have good players and good enough to win games. Clarksville gave us a tough time last year and I bet the same thing this next year. Also Janesville had a young hard nosed group last year and they return big players for their team so we have to watch out for them. We play a lot of good teams and don’t want to overlook anyone or be too confident.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“We played a lot of good players this past year and many gave us trouble. I think Appleby is a great player and a hard runner, he will have a good line to play behind so he will be tough. Also Burns from BGM had a really good year and a lot of accomplishments and stats, he will be hard to stop.”
..............................................
Q&A with Independence middle linebacker Cameron Roth
How did the high school football season go overall?
“It went pretty well overall, there were definitely some challenges to overcome but it went pretty good.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“I’m in track right now. Doing mainly explosive workouts with high intensity.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“I feel that my team will do really well next year. We have a lot of guys that have switched their mindset for the better and have been working really hard!”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“The team I feel will be the toughest is West Delaware.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“The toughest player is definitely Brent Yonkovic.”
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Q&A with Ankeny Centennial defensive end Isaiah Bassett
How did the high school football season go overall?
“I think the football season went pretty well last year. I think we should’ve won some games that we didn’t and to be honest I feel like we were one of the top teams in 5a. We didn’t execute how we should’ve and the mistakes on both offense and defense and special teams held us back from being state champs.”
What are your plans now with sports and workouts?
“For plans, right now I’m just focusing on track and lifts with my team. I want to build a bond because we are going to have some new players up on varsity this year and I want to know who they are and create a good bond with them.”
How do you feel your team will do next football season?
“For next season I genuinely think that we are one of the best teams if not the best team. We have lots of returning starters and plenty of young talent. I really think that we could win it all if we just fix some minor mistakes that we had last year. We have one of the oldest coaches in the game and I don’t mean that in a bad way but he has seen a lot and knows a lot and as long as we listen to him and the other coaches and are disciplined then I believe that we can hoist up that trophy come the end of the season.”
What team do you feel will be the toughest competition on your schedule?
“I think that our toughest competition next year is going to be Dowling or Ankeny. We have Ankeny week one and it’s a rivalry game so it’s already honing to be a hard game. They have lots of good players and some good coaches as well. Dowling has just always been good and since they are bringing back a lot of good players as well I believe that they are going to be a challenge if we want to win the championship. I don’t want to forget about Valley High School as well since they have lots of talent on their team and have always been a good playoff team.”
Who is the toughest individual player your team will face off against?
“I can’t really say which players we think are going to be the toughest cause not one player makes a team but we’ll have to see how this summer goes.”
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