(Easton Valley) It’s a state championship game so this should come as no surprise, but CAM’s next opponent in football is really, really good. Undefeated Easton Valley, just like CAM, had never been to the dome before this season and now they’re trying to make the trip as memorable as possible.
The RiverHawks, located in Preston near the Mississippi River about an hour and a half east of Cedar Rapids, average 61.7 points per game and allow just 15.1. Head coach Tony Johnson says, “Wonderful leadership from my junior and senior group. A bunch of hard working kids that dedicated the time and really just buy into everything we are trying to get established and done in the program. When you have 29 kids that are all on the same page a lot of good things can happen.”
Only once in the regular season did an opponent score more than twice against an Easton Valley defense that has forced 29 turnovers including 16 interceptions. Hayden Felkey and Andin Farrell each have over 100 tackles on the season. Felkey has 17 sacks and 42 tackles for loss. Farrell has seven sacks and 33 tackles in the opponent’s backfield. Dillon Beck and Dylon Dyson have combined for 33 more tackles for loss. The RiverHawks held their first four opponents this season to a cumulative total of 20 yards rushing. “We like to hang our hat on our defense for sure. They set the tone for us. Obviously our defense up front and winning that line of scrimmage is very, very key for us. With the boys we have up front, the guy in the middle is the anchor, Dillon Beck our senior d-tackle there and then on the ends we have Dylon Dyson and Hayden Felkey. In the mix we put Charlie Simpson in as well so those guys are guys that just really get after it and wreak havoc in that backfield.”
Beck will be among the biggest defensive linemen CAM has had to block this season at 5’11 280. Coach Johnson knows his defense will be tested by a CAM squad averaging over 350 rushing yards per game. “It’s a total team approach for sure. What a wonderful athlete and great football player Lane Spieker is and it’s going to be a great challenge for us. Looking at their team what a wonderful season CAM has had and congratulations to them. It’s going to be one of those games where everyone is going to have to know their role and do their role and we’ll see what happens.”
Easton Valley’s offense has rarely been slowed this season. They’ve punted just 11 times all year. The RiverHawks average over 400 yards per game and do so in a fairly balanced fashion. They’ve thrown for 2,868 yards on the season and rushed for 2,186. “Whatever the defense gives us we want to attack. We are always after balance, that’s always the key, but obviously there are some games where good teams are going to take things away from you and that is their job. So we want to establish the run and the pass. Controlling that line of scrimmage is key to get things in rhythm and get Conor Gruver our quarterback off and running well and setting up our running game with Charlie Simpson and Carson Feugen.
Easton Valley has several capable playmakers on offense. Gruver has passed for 2,971 yards with 51 TD’s and only seven interceptions. Charlie Simpson has run for 1,273 yards and 29 touchdowns. Carson Fuegen has 329 rushing yards, 880 receiving yards, and 24 offensive TD’s. Hayden Felkey has 18 scoring grabs among his 41 catches for 974 yards. CAM’s defense has allowed just 15.4 point per contest. “I was really impressed with their size. I thought they moved well. I think they work well as a unit so there is definitely going to be a challenge for us to try and find a weakness. Anytime you get to this stage and this level in a championship game that becomes very difficult. We know we have an uphill road ahead, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Pregame coverage starts at 9:00 Thursday morning on KSOM. The 8-Player state championship game kicks off at 9:30 a.m.
Easton Valley coach Tony Johnson:
