The Roland-Story Norsemen football team returns to action on Friday night, as they open Class 2A, District 4 play on homecoming night at Kerry Van Winkle Field by hosting the Denver Cyclones. Friday’s matchup is the first-ever meeting between the Norsemen and the Cyclones on the gridiron.
Denver is off to a 2-1 start to 2025 after a 2-6 campaign in 2024, as the Cyclones opened the year with a close loss to longtime rival Wapsie Valley, followed by 42-0 shutouts of Sumner-Fredericksburg and Charles City. The Cyclones offense is led by junior quarterback Jackson Joerger, who’s completed nearly 58% of his passes for 351 yards and 4 touchdowns, while rushing for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns. Joerger’s favorite target so far has been junior Brayton Hovey, who’s caught 9 passes for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns, while fellow junior Lincoln Roethler has caught 7 balls for 93 yards and 2 scores. Denver has a number of players who will carry out of the backfield, as Jeb Ebaugh is their top running back with 111 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, as Carter Lanus has 16 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. The Cyclones do have a veteran offensive line, led by the likes of Cody Koepke, Dylan Foland and Ryan Moran.
Defensively, the Cyclones linebacking core has been stellar to begin the season, led by the duo of Jeb Ebaugh and Carter Lanus. Ebaugh leads the Cyclones with 20 tackles, 6.5 TFL and a sack, while Carter Lanus has 19 tackles, 1 TFL and 2 fumble recoveries. The defensive line has been led by senior Cody Koepke, who’s tallied 18 tackles with 9 TFL and a sack through the non-district slate, as sophomore Gage Matthias and seniors Dylan Foland and Kamden Teisinger has tallied TFL’s and/or sacks through the first 3 games. Denver’s secondary has been led by Brayton Hovey, who’s recorded 2 interceptions with 6 tackles, as corner Jackson Joerger has 5.5 tackles, with sophomore safety Tarek Knoblock leading the unit with 7 tackles.
Roland-Story will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses to end non-district play, as the Norsemen have utmost confidence in sophomore quarterback Colin Willis, who’s thrown for nearly 700 yards and 8 touchdowns. Look for the Norsemen to use speed to their advantage on both sides of the football as well.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night at Kerry Van Winkle Field, and can be heard on 95.7 KQWC or streaming online at kqradio.com.