School is back in session, and the first full week of activities is in the books. (Events covered Aug. 27-Sept. 2)
Football (1-0)
It’s not often that the Hawks get to face a player being recruited to play Division I football, so Friday night’s Battle for the Bridge against Madrid held even more weight to open the season. Despite that supposed advantage from the Tigers, it was the Hawks that walked out with a 28-21 win.
And for a player like tight end Jevyn Severson, who is attracting attention from teams like Iowa State and Wisconsin already as a sophomore, the Hawks did a good job limiting his game-breaking ability to just one catch and one touchdown.
Woodward had its own game-breakers in full force, led by Talan Fuson showing off his legs as he put up 205 yards on the ground and collected four touchdowns. Ethan Dunlavey provided some work as the lead running back with 69 yards (with one big run that was later nullified by a questionable fumble recovery from Madrid).
But it was Fuson’s legs scrambling out of the pocket that made the biggest splash, highlighted by a 46-yard touchdown scamper. It was a complete reversal from last year’s win over the Tigers, where Fuson wreaked havoc through the air with four touchdowns and limited rushing work. This year, he had just seven pass attempts and all the scoring came from the ground.
The Hawks hit the road on Friday for a contest with Greene County, a team coming off a momentum-building 36-20 win to open the season.
Cross Country
Woodward-Granger’s boys pulled off a season-opening win running together as a pack at Tuesday’s home meet in Jester Park.
While Des Moines North, Baxter, Saydel, and Collins-Maxwell had higher individual placements, no team was as consistent as the Hawks, who lived in the middle of the rankings to pile up their points.
Long-time contributor Cael Leighton started his senior campaign with a strong start, placing eighth with a mark of 21 minutes 30 seconds. An assortment of underclassmen — Vance Nyborg, Isaac Jones, Cooper Finestead and Lucas Brandt — finished consecutively 13th-16th. W-G was the only team to have the entire roster finish inside the top 30.
Woodward’s girls also had a standout performance from Eva Fleshner, clocked at 22:40 for second place, while the rest of the team sat inside the top 20. The Hawks finished third among three teams with a qualifying roster to compete.
Looking down the road, the Hawks saw good promise from eighth-graders Chlover Wahl and Vicky Sheridan, who took first and second in the middle school section.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Fuson’s legs lead Woodward-Granger over Madrid, boys XC wins at Jester
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