Filling out the Turkey Valley football roster for the 2023 season are (front, l-r) John Forbes, Caleb Kurtenbach, Oliver Schmitt, Burke Busta, Russell Nieman, Braylen Byrne, Tucker Reicks, Hunter Kruse, Reid Bramow, Larry Vrba (manager); (middle) Head Coach Mark Scott, Wyatt Maklenburg, Traejin Keel, Hugo Busta, Kaden Schmitt, Alex Hanson, Eli Holthaus, Parker Reicks, Graham Schmitt, Jayden Rausch; (back) assistant coach Alvin Hackman, Logan Busta, Gavin Berst, Mitchell Kriener, Jordan Kriener, JD Kruse, Cale Langreck, Assistant Coach Dan Stepan and Volunteer Coach Frank Wilson. Not pictured are Treyton Franzen, Tucker Tlusty, Caden Tiedt and Lucas Jackson. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)
The Turkey Valley football team is once again ready to make some commotion on the gridiron after wrapping up a district title in 2022 and finishing with 7-2 overall.
Overseeing the team, hungry to return to the playoffs is Head Coach Mark Scott who is entering his 21st year as head coach of the Trojans. He will be assisted by Dan Stepan, Alvin Hackman and volunteer coach Frank Wilson.
What a year
The Trojans rolled through the regular season that began with a 46-26 thumping of Ed-Co on the road in week one. Always a tough opponent, Don Bosco kept control of the pigskin in week two and took home a 48-8 win over TV. After week three’s contest versus Rockford was cancelled, the Trojans tamed the Riceville Wildcats, 62-14.
Homecoming was festive with a 61-8 Trojan win over Janesville. With TV in the driver’s seat for the district, the Trojans picked up a 44-34 road win over Clarksville. Facing fellow undefeated district opponent Tripoli, TV needed overtime to pick up the 42-36 win on a broken pass that fell into Trojan senior Ryan Franzen’s hand, who returned the ball for the touchdown. It was a 73-32 win over West Central to end the regular season, as TV finished undefeated in district play.
Moving on to the postseason, the Trojans defeated Ed-Co for the second time in the season, 50-34, in the opening round. A few uncharacteristic mistakes, penalties and lost two-point conversions hurt TV in the second round against No. 3 Gladbrook-Reinbeck. The Rebels stopped the Trojans’ postseason run, 30-28.
When the dust settled, Turkey Valley placed 11 on the all-district list, and Coach Scott was also named the coach of the year.
The offense produced 3,301 total yards, averaging 7.02 yards per play and tallied 58 touchdowns. The majority of the damage came on the ground with 2,629 yard of rushing, while collecting 672 yards through the air.
The foundation
The Trojans will have various voids to fill due to graduation on both sides of the ball – 11 to be exact.
Turkey Valley will return to the turf with an abundance of noise makers, including first team all-district honoree Oliver Schmitt and honorable mention Burke Busta. The five returning letter winners are also seniors, so young guns will need to step up quickly in order for the Trojans to find success in 2023.
As a junior, Schmitt was second for the Trojans in total tackles with 57.5, taking down 27 on solo stops. Offensively, he tallied 1,077 yards and averaged 6.6 yards a carry and scored 17 touchdowns to earn first team all-district honors.
Carrying the pigskin 22 times for 133 yards was B. Busta, who was also a target for a quartet of receptions for 45 yards. On the flip side of the ball, B. Busta had 26 solo stops and two sacks.
Also back with a letter are Russell Nieman (10.5 tackles), Caleb Kurtenbach (7 tackles) and Braylen Byrne (3.5 tackles).
“The five seniors will play positive roles on the team, with experience in the running back and linebacker positions,” said Coach Scott. “Depth at most positions will be our biggest weakness and the fact that we have no juniors out for the sport. We will miss the graduated seniors, but I expect this year’s seniors and sophomores to step up and fill the roles we need to have a good season.
That begins with Logan Busta (2 carries, 13 yds., 1 tackles) and JD Kruse (9 carries, 37 yds., 1 TD), both who saw at least some time on the varsity gridiron last year.
Coach’s picks
Coach Scott pointed to Don Bosco as one of the top teams in Eight Man football.
“We are excited to start the new year of Turkey Valley football,” noted Coach Scott. “The players have been working hard and are ready to play a game. I think if we can stay healthy, we should be very competitive this year. On defense, tackling will be very important in the eight-man game. Offensively, it is still about execution.”
The Trojans will open the season against Coon Rapids-Bayard Saturday, Aug. 26, at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines at 3 p.m.
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