CITYHIGH (3-1)
vs. Dubuque Hempstead (3-1)
@ CITYHIGH

When: 7:15 PM

Where: Frank Bates Field

The Rundown: The Little Hawks are gearing up to face equally ranked Dubuque Hempstead after defeating CR Jefferson 35-10 last Friday.

City High faces the Mustangs for their homecoming game tonight. City beat the Mustangs last year 21-25. The Mustangs have won their past three games, with their only loss coming from their season opener, 7-35, against CR Xavier. Hempstead’s junior tailback, Matt Zenner, rushed for 210 yards against Waterloo East, adding to his previous yardage; 443 yards in three games.

Little Hawks offensive tackle, Jake Keil ‘14, knows the challenge that the Mustangs present.

“They have a really big line on both offense and defense. They are definitely a good team and they run a lot of trick plays on offense, like traps, counters, and boots,” he said.

City will have to make good use of their training in anticipation of Hempstead’s techniques.

“Pulling guards will lead us to the ball, and on defense their line likes to slant and penetrate hard, with backers blitzing from the outside or straight through the center,” he said.

Keil expects the best from his teammates.

“We need to be better on defense; tackle better, play lower and faster, and cover better,” he said.

Consistently on line is a key point for tonight’s game.

“With a back like Xavier [tailback Xavier Washpun] a quarterback like Mitch Wieland, and great receivers like Jake, Jason and Corey, the o-line needs to keep on rolling,” Keil said.

City will bring its strengths to the game.

“Defense has been good to us, especially with its back to the wall in the redzone, and with forcing turnovers. We just need to play well to give everyone the chance to make plays,” he said.