By Becky Walz,
This fall has the potential to be the year of the Trojans.
With 15 returning letter winners, the Turkey Valley football team will no doubt be one of the veteran teams in eight-man football. One of the unknowns is how the loss of several key positions to graduation will impact the team.
Putting together the juggernaut in northeast Iowa is Head Coach Mark Scott. Scott is entering his 20th season with the Trojans. He will be assisted by Dan Stepan and Alvin Hackman, with Dalton Hackman and Frank Wilson serving as volunteer coaches.
This fall has the potential to be the year of the Trojans.
With 15 returning letter winners, the Turkey Valley football team will no doubt be one of the veteran teams in eight-man football. One of the unknowns is how the loss of several key positions to graduation will impact the team.
Putting together the juggernaut in northeast Iowa is Head Coach Mark Scott. Scott is entering his 20th season with the Trojans. He will be assisted by Dan Stepan and Alvin Hackman, with Dalton Hackman and Frank Wilson serving as volunteer coaches.
A great year
With an arsenal of tools on the sidelines, the Trojans were poised to make a run to state again as they rolled through the regular season undefeated.
Turkey Valley bounced Springville out of the postseason with a 54-14 win in the first round, before looking to avenge the previous year’s playoff loss to Kee. In a game of big plays, the Trojans broke through and scored first, yet faced a 22-12 halftime deficit. Gaining momentum in the second half, the Red and White went out to outscore the Hawks; however, a Kee touchdown with 59 seconds remaining gave the visitors the advantage and eventual 42-40 win to finish the Trojans’ season.
The 2021 squad put together a 9-1 mark. The offense produced 3,485 total yards. They amassed 59 touchdowns with the majority damage coming on the ground as the running game rolled up 2,659 yards and the passing attack had 806 yards.
Big shoes to fill
The team lost a long list of offensive options, including Marcus Herold who did much of the grunt work on the ground for 1,171 yards, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and scored 24 touchdowns. Dylan Reicks was another threat for the Trojans, both on the ground and through the air as he pulled down 59 passes for 426 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per reception and ran for another 224 yards, averaging 18.7 yards per carry. In addition, the pair led the Trojans on defense with 55 total tackles each.
Also gone is Garrett Kurtenbach who averaged 15.0 yards per reception and tallied 36.0 (13 solo) tackles.
Other instrumental pieces who left with graduation were Austin Kuehner (OG/CB) and Collin Kleppe (OG/DT).
Letter winners
The Trojans will be strong in most phases of the game.
Leading the way is quarterback Noah Hanson. He completed 50-of-85 passes for 751 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 498 yards on 94 carries. Hanson was also on the kick and punt return detail, taking 13 kick-offs for 335 yards and 10 punts of another 237 yards.
Carson Busta will resume his position in the backfield. The senior totted the pigskin 40 times for 251 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per attempt. He scored four touchdowns. He caught six passes for 57 yards as well. On defense, Busta had 31 total tackles, including 17 solo stops.
Calvin Bodensteiner had experience in the open field, hauling in three passes for 61 yards on offense and finished is junior campaign with 31.5 total tackles with 25 of them solo takedowns.
Also back with a letter are Chase Hayek (senior, TE/DE), Treyton Hulbert (senior, OG/DE), Ryan Franzen (senior, TE/CB), Mauricio Tinajero (senior, DL), Troy Schmitt (senior, C/DE), Brady Fisher (senior, OG/DT), Aaron Rausch (senior, OG/DE), Oliver Schmitt (junior, FB), Caleb Kurtenbach (junior, QB), Russell Nieman (junior, OG), Braylen Byrne (junior, OG) and Burke Busta (junior, FB).
“These guys will all play positive roles on the team. As juniors, they saw a lot of playing time last year and will be playing big parts for the team this fall,” noted Coach Scott. “We have good size and quickness that could help us be competitive.”
One note of concern is the depth at several positions, as Coach Scott said there are no sophomores on the roster.
“We will miss the graduated seniors, but I expect this year’s seniors and juniors to step up and fill the roles we need to have a good season.”
Excited to start
While the season is likely to be a challenge, the Trojans are excited to start the season with familiar foes in the district which includes Riceville, Rockford, Clarksville, Janesville, West Central and Tripoli. Turkey Valley will have two non-district games to start the season at Ed-Co, Friday, Aug. 26, and at home versus Don Bosco Friday, Sept. 2.
“Janesville and Tripoli both look to have good squads returning,” said Coach Scott when asked about those looking to rise to the top of the district. “Our players have been working hard and are ready to play a game. I think if we can stay healthy we should be very competitive this year. On defense, tackling will be very important in the eight man game. Offensively it is still about execution.”
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.