Cedar Falls football ready for fall season after key players depart
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Football season is underway again and the Cedar Falls varsity football team has a large amount of new faces added to its roster after losing several key players from last year’s team including UNI’s Trey Campbell and Hunter Jacobson along with Upper Iowa’s Caeden Janssen on offense.
Running back Jacob Kieler will be the team’s main offensive threat this season after rushing for 596 years last season as a junior. Kieler also is the team’s only returning player to catch a pass last season, accounting for just 52 yards off of four catches. Passing-wise, junior Tate Hermansen will be the starter indefinitely as senior Gavin Steege continues his knee rehab from an injury suffered in last season’s homecoming game against Dubuque Hempstead. Hermansen threw for just 18.3% of the team’s yards last season including a 222-yard and three touchdown performance against Dubuque Senior which clinched a playoff spot for the Tigers.
On the defensive side, the Tigers lost their top eight leading tacklers and returned just 12.8% of their tackles from last year, 38% of that coming from junior Drew Campbell. Campbell, the younger brother of former All-State and current All-American linebacker Jack Campbell, recently picked up an offer from the University of Iowa, adding to his list of offers from Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Cedar Falls also returns their kicker from the previous two years, Jake Hulstein. In Hulstein‘s last two seasons as the Tigers kicker, he has made nine of his 12 field goals attempted with a long of 45 yards to go with 60 of 62 from extra points.
The Tigers open their season on August 26th against the Dragons from Johnston at the UNI-Dome. Johnston defeated Cedar Falls in the season opener last season by a score of 28-22. Following that, Cedar Falls heads to Memorial Stadium to take on rivals Waterloo West, a team they’ve won five straight against with a combined score of 232-31 or an average of about 46-6. Awaiting the Tigers in week three is Cedar Rapids Prairie, a team that the Tigers merely defeated last season after a miraculous play from Quarterback Hunter Jacobson with under 30 seconds to play. Week four Cedar Falls heads to Ankeny for a matchup against Ankeny Centennial whom they defeated last season at the Dome, 28-14. Then junior, Kieler would rush for 80 yards in that game on just 13 carries while sophomore Campbell came up big defensively with four tackles along with a pair of sacks. Week five sets up a game against Muscatine at home. The Tigers dismantled the Muskies last season at Muscatine, 42-7 in a game where Kieler ran for three touchdowns. Cedar Falls will take on a tough Kennedy team in week six after losing 42-14 to them last season in a game where starting quarterback Hunter Jacobson tore his ACL in the first half. The Tigers head to Dubuque the following week for a game against Hempstead after a two touchdown defeat of them last season. Bettendorf comes to town for week eight after defeating the Tigers 28-0 last season as Cedar Falls had to use three different quarterbacks while only throwing 10 passes. The Tigers wrap up their regular season in Dubuque against Dubuque Senior, a team that head coach Brad Remmert has never lost to after last year’s 37-21 defeat of the Rams.
Full Schedule:
Week 1- Johnston @ Cedar Falls on 8/26
Week 2- Cedar Falls @ Waterloo West on 9/2
Week 3- Prairie @ Cedar Falls on 9/9
Week 4- Cedar Falls @ Ankeny Centennial on 9/16
Week 5- Muscatine @ Cedar Falls on 9/23
Week 6- Kennedy @ Cedar Falls on 9/30
Week 7- Cedar Falls @ Dubuque Hempstead on 10/7
Week 8- Bettendorf @ Cedar Falls on 10/14
Week 9- Cedar Falls @ Dubuque Senior on 10/21
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