One for the father: Regals win for beloved chaplain, advance in playoffs

IOWA CITY – This one was for Father Guillermo Trevino.

Trevino served as a school chaplain and was a staunch supporter of Iowa City Regina’s football team, cheering on the Regals and leading halftime prayers in the locker room.

But news of Trevino’s death after a short illness reached the players during school Friday. They rallied around one of their biggest fans, who could be seen at just about every game, taking video, snapping selfies and posting social media updates.

“It didn’t matter if it was home or away games,” Regina senior quarterback Kyle Tracy said. “He meant a lot to this team. This game was for him.”

The result was a fitting tribute. The third-ranked Regals amassed more than 500 offensive yards, including 333 on the ground and rolled to a 52-13 victory in a Class 1A second round high school football playoff game Friday night at Regina.

Regals Coach Dustin Elsbury recalled getting a social media message from Trevino, sharing his excitement to rejoin the team after missing the last two games during a work trip to Rome.

“We decided to respond in a way Father Guillermo would have wanted us to,” Elsbury said. “He loved the Regals. He was always positive and upbeat. This sucks but we can’t do anything about it except let’s play a little extra for Father Guillermo. We know he wants the Regals to win and is watching over us.”

Regina (10-0) set the tone early, scoring on its first three possessions and preventing Cascade from getting a first down in the opening quarter.

“That’s how we want to start every game,” Regal linebacker and tight end Tate Wallace said. “It gives us confidence. … We just have to step on the gas early. That’s what we’ve been told.”

Kyle Tracy put the Regals on the board with a 42-yard touchdown run. He was patient in the pocket but when a target didn’t develop, he tucked the ball, cut to the near sideline and was untouched to the end zone.

“I dropped back and didn’t really see anyone with open space, so I stepped out of the pocket,” Tracy said. “There was a hole and really no one there. That was a good way for us to start the game.”

Running back Savion Miller doubled Regina’s lead a few minutes later, breaking multiple tackles for a 35-yard scoring run.

Tracy added a 1-yard QB sneak in the first and thew TD passes to Wallace and Drew Greve. The second came with 12 seconds left before halftime for a 40-7 lead at the break.

Regina rushed for 320 of its 333 yards in the first half. The Regals were able to run the ball at will. The offensive line seems to be meshing at the right time.

“Those five to seven guys up front did a phenomenal job,” said Elsbury, who praised the work of assistant coaches Jeremy Chaplin and Tyler Elsbury. “They are starting to get the concepts of our run game, communicating at an all-time high and working together as a front.

“A lot of football happens in the trenches. We have great backs in Savion and Gabe Hegelheimer. Kyle can run, too, but the line doesn’t get enough credit. They’re doing the dirty work in there. If you just create a small seam for our running backs, they’re really talented. They’re going to make a guy or two miss. I’m happy for those guys. They’re starting to put it all together.”

Tracy extended the advantage in the third, hitting Kaleb Moieller and Wallace for scores of 7 and 6 yards, enacting a running clock.

Regina finished with 522 yards of offense. Miller rushed for 149 yards on 14 carries. Tracy passed for 175 yards and four TD and rushed for 119 yards and two scores.

“We’re a really balanced team,” Tracy said. “If you look at our stats it’s pretty even between run and pass. They complement each other. When we pass a lot, teams defend the pass and we can run it. Vice versa.

“We have a lot of experience, a lot of talent and the best coaching in the world. It’s nice because teams have to choose which they want to stop.”

Cascade (7-3) struggled to get its high-powered offense going. The Cougars managed 149 yards of total offense, including 144 passing from Mick Hoffman.

The Cougars were able to capitalize on Regina’s mistakes in the first half when penalties backed them inside the 5 and a shanked punt gave Cascade the ball at the Regina 23. Hoffman found Eli Fritz for a 14-yard score to pull within 21-7.

Cascade battled to the end, scoring its second TD with one second remaining in the game. Hoffman hit Brody Otting for a 1-yard TD.

“I was proud with the way they responded,” Cascade Coach Ryan Altiere said. “They played to the very last whistle. I appreciate that from them.”

The loss didn’t put a damper on a strong Cascade season that yielded the most wins in about eight seasons.

“When you have a special group of seniors like I have, it’s special,” Altiere said. “Every day we were on the field together I enjoyed every minute of it. I couldn’t be prouder of that senior group in my first year as head coach.”

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