NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT Sophomore Eric Medina gets a punt away against Solon.

The South Tama varsity football team closed their 2024 campaign last Friday night with a matchup with the Solon Spartans. The Trojans honored eight seniors who took the field for the last time and dropped a difficult contest, 54-6.

Solon got off to a quick start in the game. They scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives, including a 41-yard run by senior running back Eddie Johnson and a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior Eli Kampman. For the Trojans, sophomore running back Eric Medina provided an offensive spark in the first half. But they had difficulty sustaining drives and had to punt on their first five possessions. Early in the second quarter, Solon added two more touchdowns to put the score at 26-0. On the Spartans last drive before halftime, they had the ball with first-and-goal at the Trojan 6-yard line. But the Trojan defense came up with a strong goal line stand, including stuffing a Spartan run on fourth down. This provided some momentum for the Trojans but a couple plays later a STC fumble was recovered by Solon for a touchdown. This put the halftime score at 33-0, Spartans.

In the second half, Solon continued to advance their lead, as they added three touchdowns. The lone score for STC came on a long drive early in the fourth quarter. Strong running by Medina and senior Cody Blocker led the way. Highlights also included a 22-yard run by senior Tyrus Clegg, and a 12-yard pass from junior quarterback Tanner Large to senior Nick Upah.

The drive was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Blocker. This put the final score at a 54-6 win for the Spartans. With the victory, Solon ended the regular season ranked #10 in Class 3A.

On the night, Medina finished with 55 rushing yards on 10 carries. Blocker added 41 yards on 13 carries. Blocker also led the defensive effort with 10 tackles. He was followed by sophomore Kyle Youngbear, who recorded 6 tackles.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT Junior Marcus Bear finds some running room against Solon.

For the season, STC finished with a record of 0-9. Blocker was both the leading passer on the team (348 yards) and the leading rusher (151 carries, 491 yards). Large, who took over the primary quarterback play in week six, added 112 passing yards. Medina added 294 rushing yards, while sophomore Michael Henry added 214 on the ground. Upah led the Trojans in receptions (12), while Medina led in receiving yards (154). Defensively, Youngbear led STC in tackles (54), followed closely by Upah (53), junior Garrett Surman (48), and Blocker (41). Junior Marcus Bear led the team in both sacks (3) and tackles-for-loss (5).

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT Junior quarterback Tanner Large completes a pass to junior Marcus Bear.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT Solon's Karsyn Regennitter is pursued by STC's Adrian Valle (72), Cody Blocker (3), and Nick Upah (8).

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT Solon's Eddie Johnson is tackled by STC's Eric Medina (25) and Nick Upah (8).

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT STC's Tanner Large (15) and Cody Blocker (8) look on as Solon recovers a fumble for a touchdown.