improve upon that in 2024. That would be music to the ears of the defense, which should be equally strong this fall. Hawthorne, who will play linebacker at the next level, is the focal point for a unit that al- lowed 15 points or less in each of its first five games a season ago. He collected 63 total tack- les, including 10 for a loss, and 4 1 ⁄ 2 sacks as a junior. Lundt knows he has one of the best linebackers in the state. And we’re talking all classes. “If he’s not the best line- backer, I’d like to know who’s better,” Lundt said. “Will’s really good and he’s only going to get better this year. And I’ll say this, I think we have one of the best linebacking corps (in 4A).” Bowen Kruse will play along- side Hawthorne again and he’s coming off a 2023 campaign in which he amassed 40 tackles and 4 1 ⁄ 2 sacks. Up front, Gillen will return to cause havoc for opponents from an end position. He made 29 tackles and led the team in both tackles for loss (12 1 ⁄ 2 ) and sacks (eight) a season ago. Griffin, VanCleave, and a pleth- ora of players will mix in on the line. In the secondary, Short and Braeden Nees return to the fold. They made 31 and 25 1 ⁄ 2 tackles,
respectively, last fall. “Our defense did what it was supposed to last year and I think it will do the same thing this year,” Lundt said. “The job of our offense is to not put our defense in a bad position, and the job of our defense is to make (opponents) grind out drives.” Gilbert also returns key pieces on special teams. Fierce aver- aged 33.6 yards per punt, and Mattson went 25 for 25 on PATs and connected on 50 percent of his field goal attempts last sea- son. “Our special teams have the ability to be not only strong, but a big advantage for us,” Lundt said. Gilbert will be tested right away with back-to-back road games at Dallas Center-Grimes and Carroll to open the season. Again, the meat of the district schedule will come over the final four weeks of the season. When Lundt looks at the 4A District 4 landscape, he says its nearly impossible to pick a fron- trunner. “It’s wide open,” he said. Carlisle was much better than its 2-7 record indicated a sea- son ago, and the Wildcats will be improved this fall. Running backs Caleb Nordhagen and Mason Lucas rushed for 1,274
yards and 12 scores while com- bining to average 6.6 yards per tote in 2023. Returning state semifinalist Bondurant-Farrar was hit hard by graduation, but the Bluejays have tradition and the return of quarterback Jordan Rial on their side. Rial completed 106 passes for 1,866 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall. Newton also lost key pieces on the offensive side of the ball, and Pella will have to replace one of the best 4A quarterbacks in Luke Hardman, but they’ll be more than competitive. “Carlisle is going to play tough football,” Lundt said. “Bondurant lost some guys, Newton lost some guys, Pella loses Hard- man, but they’ll have some- body. I seriously think you could pick one of five teams to call the favorite, and Vegas would prob- ably have it all even. “It’s going to be a dog fight. We’ve got to compete every single night because every game is going to be a dog fight.” Lundt knows his team can compete for a district title, but he also knows the crown isn’t going to be handed to the Tigers. They’ll have to play well to compete with and win against each of those teams. And that’s how it should be.
RETURNING LEADERS Class 4A District 4
Rushing
Name, School Att Yds YPC TD W. Hawthorne GIL 131 774 5.9 7 C.Nordhagen, CAR119 750 6.3 8 M. Lucas, CAR 75 524 7.0 4 C. Rash, GIL* 95 327 3.4 6 E. Diers, PEL 55 326 5.9 3 N. Francois, DMH 53 294 5.5 3 Passing Name, School Com Att Yds. TD J. Rial, B-F 106 180 1,866 18 C. Rash, GIL* 43 100 756 9 S. Zayzay, DMH 29 48 251 1 C. Andrew, NEW 6 14 48 0 Receiving Name, School Rec Yds YPC TD C. Kerndt, PEL 33 644 19.5 7 T. Barnes, PEL 50 604 12.1 4 C. Miller, B-F 31 459 14.8 4 W. Hawthorne, GIL 12 320 26.7 4 E. Eldred, GIL 20 268 13.4 3 Tackles Name, School Tot So TFL Sks N. Noland, CAR 76 1 ⁄ 2 52 4 2 W. Hawthorne, GIL 63 46 10 4 1 ⁄ 2 C. Klein, NEW 60 1 ⁄ 2 55 11 1 ⁄ 2 5 N. Warner, PEL 55 35 3 2 N. Francois, DMH 43 1 ⁄ 2 31 10 0 B. Kruse, GIL 40 25 7 1 ⁄ 2 4 1 ⁄ 2
*May miss a portion or all of the 2024 season due to injury
The good news is that Lundt has a group of players that are hungry. The players got a big taste of success a season ago, and they want more this fall. Which side of that razor thin margin will Gilbert finish on? Stay tuned.
18 GAME ON | FALL 2024
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