What we learned from Iowa City West's wild 35-28 win over Iowa City Liberty
IOWA CITY — Given that three years had passed since Iowa City Liberty and Iowa City West last did the neighborly football dance — and that came in a mostly empty stadium — it seemed fitting a chaotically competitive affair unfolded in the rivalry's return.
Non-offensive touchdowns outnumbered offensive scores until deep into the second half Friday night, two of which happened on consecutive plays. Dueling turnovers on back-to-back snaps happened as well. Momentum was hard to maintain all evening.
With mere minutes remaining, West landed the clinching blow.
Ashton Honore's 5-yard touchdown run, which arrived after the snap nearly sailed over his quarterback Jack Wallace's head, pushed the Trojans ahead for good with just a few ticks under a minute remaining. West then finished off its 35-28 home victory with the last of its four interceptions, clinching the newly created Principal Bell trophy.
"The game showed a sense of maturity to be honest with you," Trojans coach Garrett Hartwig said. "A lot of players out there tonight have been playing for multiple years against top quality opponents. They've had success in other sports too, and it's just a never-quit mentality."
Here's what we learned:
Izaiah Loveless is not to be messed with.
While Honore got the final end-zone glory, it was wide receiver Izaiah Loveless who deserves the gold star on this night.
His 35-yard grab on 3rd-and-15 came one play before Honore's score and accentuated a performance he'll remember for some time. Seven catches, over 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns, both of which covered more than half the field.
"This game was amazing. It felt amazing to play in, the vibes," Loveless said. "The first half wasn't so good, but second half, we just changed our whole mindset. I'm just so proud of how we played."
A wild second-quarter exchange set a seesawing tone and tested both teams when adversity hit.
The final results were two passing grades.
It started with Santana Miller's interception and 51-yard house call after he stepped in front of a Beckman pass, one of three West interceptions in the first half. The pick-six handed the Trojans their first lead of the night, 14-7, with roughly nine minutes until the break. On a night where big plays dominated on both sides of the ball, Miller's TD could've been a momentum snatcher.
Liberty, though, wasn't having it.
With adversity right in the Lightning's face, Cody Nichols answered back just moments later. He hauled in the ensuing kickoff and scampered 96 yards for the game's second non-offensive touchdown in a couple minutes of real time — and less than 25 seconds of game clock. Liberty looked poised to pull even if it could nail down the extra point.
Ah, that pesky extra point.
What could've been a deflated Trojans sideline after yielding a splash play to negate their own instead pounced on a moment to remain ahead. Miller surged in and blocked the extra point to keep West ahead, 14-13, amid a chaotic sequence.
On both sides, consider that a microcosm of what coaches want when adversity inevitably hits — and it did several more times throughout this seesawing showdown. Neither team led by more than a touchdown all night. Both squads had seven-point advantages in the second half. Responding became more essential than establishing.
"Something happens to us," Hartwig said, "we take it right back to them."
Another chapter added to the budding crosstown rivalry.
With hardware on the line now to match the Zeus (Liberty-City High) and Boot (West-City High) trophies at stake in the other all-Iowa City matchups, the Lightning-Trojans matchup is making up some rivalry ground.
It's clear these schools are on more even playing ground than when they met three years ago. Liberty has seemingly cleared the transitional hurdles, now in its sixth season as a varsity program. West has adjusted to life with Liberty in the picture.
If future matchups are anything like what unfolded Friday night, expect this showdown to be a regularly anticipated affair.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What we learned from Iowa City West's 35-28 win over Iowa City Liberty
