High-powered offenses clash Friday

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Sep. 10—Both defenses face big challenges as Creston hosts unbeaten Glenwood in the Panthers' home football opener Friday night.

The Rams are off to a 2-0 start with wins of 63-48 over Atlantic and 28-19 last week against Harlan.

Creston, meanwhile, is averaging 51 points per game in its 2-1 start. The Panthers scored 48 unanswered points last week in a 56-21 victory at Winterset.

Glenwood is ranked 14th in Class 4A this week by IAFootball.com, while Creston broke into the 3A rankings at No. 16. Both offenses are leading the state in several categories in their classification.

Glenwood is tied for the 4A lead in touchdowns (13) and rushing touchdowns (10), while leading the division in rushing with 658 yards in two games (8.2 yards per carry). The Rams also lead in total offensive yards (957) and senior Myles Longmeyer tops the class in receiving yards (233).

While Creston has played one more game than many Class 3A schools, the Panthers have amassed some huge totals in its 2-1 start. The Panthers lead 3A with 21 total touchdowns, 11 passing touchdowns, 777 passing yards and 1,534 total yards. Creston ranks second in 3A with eight rushing touchdowns and 757 rushing yards.

Class 3A leaders

Senior quarterback Tanner Ray is No. 1 in passing touchdowns (10) and passing yards (729), while ranking second in rushing touchdowns (eight) and rushing yards (757). Ray had 420 total yards and seven touchdowns in the win at Winterset last week. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions) and ran for 224 yards and four TDs in 12 attempts.

Overall, the Panthers rushed for 394 yards last week. Sophomore running back Gabe Kaufman ran 14 times for 133 yards and one TD. Kaufman ranks fourth in 3A in offensive yards (496), which includes 121 receiving yards on nine catches. His kick returns pushed Kaufman to the top in all-purpose yards (703). Ray tops 3A with 1,128 offensive yards.

Senior Jace Purdum leads a deep Panther receiving corps, ranking first in 3A with 390 yards (21.7 yards per catch). Purdum and tight end Rhett Driskell are tied for third in Class 3A with four receiving touchdowns each. Last week, six different Creston receivers were involved in 16 completions for 196 yards.

"That's the thing that stood out to me in looking at the stats from that game, the distribution to different receivers," Creston coach Brian Morrison said. "It's been awhile since we've had that many targets offensively that are big kids and athletic."

It's the run game where Glenwood has divided its production effectively. Junior Haze Stephens has 223 yards on 22 carries, sophomore Joe Leick has 192 yards on 24 attempts and junior Dylan Powers has 17 carries for 175 yards.

"They rotate all three of those guys in and they are all the same type of kids — fast and athletic," Morrison said. "They return a lot up front. Both tackles are very good. One is a D1 commit."

Senior quarterback Ben Carlo returns from Glenwood's 2025 playoff team and is off to a good start. He has completed 21 of 31 passes for 296 yards and two TDs while also rushing for 70 yards. Longmeyer leads Class 4A with 233 yards on 11 receptions and two touchdowns.

Defensive improvement

Morrison said Creston's defense improved last week at Winterset, yielding a season-low 21 points. Safety Davin Wallace leads Class 3A with 26.0 tackles and linebacker Colby Brammer is second at 21.0.

The Panther coach said continued improvement will be necessary this week against Glenwood, which ran through the Panthers in a 59-13 win last year.

"The biggest thing for us last week was that we weren't giving up the big, explosive plays," Morrison said. "For us to be good, teams have to earn first downs. The communication and execution were there Friday. The kids played hard, and obviously that's necessary against a very good Glenwood team. We have to be gap sound, because last year we weren't disciplined in our blitz package. That puts a lot of pressure on the safeties to make that tackle in the open field when they have a full head of steam."

Creston's offense has also shown improvement from last year, which Morrison said is a key in competing for four quarters Friday.

"We had trouble establishing the run last year and that makes it tough, because then they can pin their ears back and get after the quarterback," Morrison said.

He said the players are anxious to make their home debut.

"It's tough to play three straight games on the road," Morrison said. "We're glad to play at home. It's very important that we win field position and win first down to be successful. Our special teams play has to be solid."

Creston's first class of inductees in the Athletic Hall of Fame will be introduced at halftime of the 7 p.m. varsity game, after a luncheon ceremony earlier in the day at Mario's Sports Bar & Grill.

STARTERS

Creston (2-1, 0-0)

OFFENSE

LT: Caden Owens 6-1 185 Jr.

LG: Michael Wofford 6-1 210 Sr.

C: Drake Wilson 6-1 290 Sr.

RG: Frank Martin 6-1 250 Jr.

RT: Layne Sand 6-5 260 Sr.

TE: Rhett Driskell 6-4 200 Sr.

TE: Ryder Sharp 6-5 180 Sr.

WR: Jace Purdum 6-1 170 Sr.

WR: Riggins Hanson 6-0 190 So.

QB: Tanner Ray 6-0 150 Sr.

RB: Gabe Kaufman 6-0 170 So.

K: Joaquin Flores 6-2 170 Sr.

DEFENSE

DE: Blake Hayes 6-2 205 Sr.

DT: Tom Mikkelsen 6-1 205 Sr.

DE: Randy Shady 5-11 160 Sr.

OLB: Coltyr Frey 5-9 165 Sr.

ILB: Logan Stehr 5-7 160 Jr.

ILB: Colby Brammer 5-7 160 Sr.

OLB: Will Schaefer 5-10 160 Jr.

CB: Cason Scarberry 5-10 155 Sr.

CB: Durrell Haynes 5-6 150 Sr.

S: Davin Wallace 5-10 165 Sr.

S: Zadek Engdahl 5-10 155 Jr.

P: Joaquin Flores 6-2 170 Sr.

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