Jefferson Football

Furrow commits to Wheaton football

Cedar Rapids Jefferson quarterback Jesse Furrow has accepted an offer to play football at Wheaton College in Illinois next season, Jefferson Coach Brian Webb confirmed Friday afternoon.

Furrow transferred to Jefferson from Pendleton Heights High School in Pendleton, Ind., for his senior year of high school. He helped the J-Hawke reach the Class 4A playoffs and finish with a 4-6 record.

Furrow completed 49.1 percent of his passes for 1,335 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also ran for four touchdowns.

Furrow's older brother, Jon, was a sophomore on the Wheaton College football team in 2014.

Schmidt honored in District 5

Linn-Mar quarterback Ryan Schmidt has been named the Offensive Player of the Year for Class 4A District 5, as selected by the district coaches.

Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth and his assistants were named the Staff of the Year. Rayce Willett of Cedar Falls was named the Defensive Player of the Year.

Seven Linn-Mar Lions were named first team all-district. Schmidt, Perrion Scott and Trevor Noble were honored on offense. Logan Nelsen, Trevor Long, Andrew Gassmann and Zach Huffman were saluted on defense.

The Jefferson J-Hawks and Kennedy Cougars had four first-team picks.

Jesse Furrow and Dalton Kuehl of Jefferson were named to the first team on offense. Alex Fernandez and Dakota Tomkins of Jefferson were honored on defense Shaun Beyer and Tyler Dralle of Kennedy made the first team on offense. Jay Blank and Parker Steffen from the Cougars were honored on defense.

Second Team Offense

Metro Only

Cameron McInerney (CRJ), Mason Furnish (CRJ), Lotukalafi Ahomana (LM), Daniel Gorsich (LM), Tylor Newhouse (LM), Mason Jacobs (CRK), Sammy Lizarraga (CRK).

Second Team Defense

Metro Only

Kelly May (CRJ), Tavian Rashed (CRJ), Garett Evans (LM), Logan Benter (LM), Dalles Jacobus (CRK), Logan Wedo (CRK).

Honorable Mention

Metro Only

Jefferson - Bryce Lund, Ben Baxter, Luke Sedlacek, Mason Short

Linn-Mar - Austin McCulloh, Dallas McFarland, Ryan Holub, Zach Garnett

Kennedy - Drake Brewster, Terrance Hall, Jacob Hauschild, Jonah Moes

All-Academic

Metro Only

Jefferson - Mason Furnish, Cameron Frazier

Kennedy - Jacob Grovert, Kyle Brewer

Linn-Mar - Michael Ho, Tylor Newhouse

No. 2 Bettendorf too strong for J-Hawks

BETTENDORF – This wasn't David vs. Goliath. This was David's Skinny Little Brother against one of the super heavyweights of Iowa Class 4A.

To say a 4-and-5 Cedar Rapids Jefferson team was facing long odds against second-ranked and undefeated Bettendorf in the J-Hawks' first playoff game in six years was saying the currently 0-7 Oakland Raiders have some work to do to make the 2014 NFL playoffs.

Yet Jefferson, playing sloppy but impassioned nothing-to-lose football went all out from first play to last in its long-shot attempt to upset the Bulldogs Wednesday night at TouVelle Stadium.

Alas, the rules of football physics played out on this chilly night, though David never quit.

Bettendorf, thriving on its swarming, lights-out defense and quarterback Cyle Cox's effective work, overwhelmed the J-Hawks 35-7 and motored closer to the UNI-Dome.

Going in, Jefferson Coach Brian Webb said his team was not “going to be happy with just being in the playoffs.” But while making their first postseason appearance since 2008 and seeking their program's first playoff victory since 1992, the J-Hawks (4-6) ran into an absolute buzz saw in the Bulldogs (10-0), a perennial playoff force making their 17th consecutive postseason appearance.

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Lions are 'most improved' team in 4A

Linn-Mar football coach Bob Forsyth said in August that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the 2014 season and hopeful for a good year.

He may have underplayed his hand a bit.

Quite simply, Linn-Mar is the most improved team in Class 4A this year with a good chance of making a deep run in the playoffs.

The Lions finished with a 2-7 record in 2013 and improved to an 8-1 mark for the regular season this year. That's a gain of six victories and that plus-6 mark is the best among all 46 Class 4A teams in Iowa.

Lewis Central is next on the "most improved" list at plus-4, going from four victories in 2013 to eight wins in 2014.

Two Metro teams tied for third place in the "most improved" category at plus-3. The Washington Warriors jumped from 6-3 to 9-0 and the Jefferson J-Hawks climbed from 1-8 to 4-5.

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