West Lyon tops Iowa City Regina for Iowa football state championship
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CEDAR FALLS — For the second consecutive season, West Lyon has reached the pinnacle of Iowa high school football.
The Wildcats (13-0) secured the Class 1A state championship with a 34-27 overtime win over Iowa City Regina (12-1) at the UNI-Dome on Nov. 20.
West Lyon overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and scored 21 unanswered points to secure the 1A state crown — a year after winning the 2A title.
“Our coaches are really well — they don’t let us ever get down on ourselves, have our head down,” said West Lyon running back Evan Hildring. “They knew we had it. Just never give up because you never know the outcome, like we had here.”
Hildring led the way with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including the game-deciding score in overtime.
The Regals punted on their opening drive, while the Wildcats drew first blood with a 9-play, 64-yard scoring drive. Hildring converted on fourth-and-2 with a 5-yard run before he scored a rushing touchdown from 2 yards out on the ensuing play.
After Regina quarterback Kyle Tracy was sacked for an 11-yard loss, the Wildcats’ offense got the ball back, kept the chains moving and extended their lead on their second drive of the game.
Faced with fourth-and-2 at thier own 49, West Lyon quarterback Easton DeJong kept the ball and stretched it far enough for a first down. A few plays later, he caught a 15-yard touchdown from Jaxton DeJong on a trick play on fourth-and-4.
Down by double digits, the Regals scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter.
After he was tackled in the backfield for a third time, Tracy found time in the pocket and launched a 58-yard touchdown to an open Carter Slager, who outran a defender to reach the endzone.
The Regina defense was stout in the final eight minutes of the second frame, holding the Wildcats scoreless in their last three drives of the first half. That allowed the Regina offense to do damage before the break.
Gabriel Hegelheimer converted a 38-yard field goal before it became the Savion Miller show with a minute and change left before halftime. On Regina’s final drive of the second half, Miller burst free for a 21-yard catch-and-run. He put the finishing touches on the scoring drive with a go-ahead touchdown catch from 21 yards out.
That score gave the Regals a 17-13 advantage at the break.
After the Wildcats were forced to punt, Miller rushed for a 52-yard gain on Regina’s first offensive play of the third quarter. The Regals would be stopped on three consecutive run plays before Hegelheimer converted a 29-yard field goal.
Tate Wallace extended Regina’s lead with a 36-yard touchdown catch, but the Wildcats kept the game in reach with a score on the ensuing kickoff return — courtesy of River Kramer.
West Lyon recovered a Miller fumble before its offense tied the game with a 1-yard scoring run by Jacob Snyders in the fourth quarter. With two seconds left in regulation, West Lyon went for a game-winning field goal, the team’s first field goal attempt of the season, but Regina blocked the kick to force overtime.
Overtime rules gave both teams possession that started at the 10-yard line. Hildring scored on the first play of extra time for West Lyon. The Wildcats’ defense held strong in the final moments, forcing four stops against Regina’s offense — which was punctuated by a botched snap that ended the Regals’ season in heartbreak.
“Unfortunately, sometimes losses bring a lot of great teaching moments,” said Regina coach Dustin Elsbury. “This wasn’t our end goal. I know that’s not where anybody in our program wanted to end up tonight, but sometimes it doesn’t work out your way.”
Elsbury added: “I think one thing I ask of our guys is just fight to the end and they did that … that game had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of swings, and they left it all out there.”
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: West Lyon clinches Iowa high school football state title over Regina
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