SOLON — At first glance, having lost over 20 seniors to graduation, one might think there were many question marks hanging over the varsity football program heading into the 2022 gridiron campaign. Last year Solon racked up a perfect 11-0 record and made an appearance in the Class 3A State Tournament with a 24-17 First Round win over Assumption (the Spartan’s also defeated the Knights 38-10 in the regular season), and a 23-19 Quarterfinals win over powerhouse West Delaware. Unfortunately, hopes for a State Championship were dashed in a 42-0 Semifinals loss to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley.
However, spirits are high and optimism is abundant.
Coach Lucas Stanton, in his third year leading the Spartans (17th year overall coaching, and seventh as a head coach) explained the positive outlook.
“We have a very tight knit team that returns three of four All-State players. While on paper it may look like we lost a lot from last season, which we most certainly did, we also gained a lot of valuable experience. A lot of our guys played meaningful snaps vs Mount Vernon, Williamsburg, Assumption, Grinnell, and in the playoffs; so, they have been in those big games.”
Stanton noted many Spartans saw playing time last year thanks to several lopsided wins including a 63-0 season opening rout of West Liberty, a 56-0 shelling of West Burlington, and a 56-7 pummeling of Fairfield. “Those varsity reps are still so valuable,” he said.
“We return two very good and proven leaders on both sides of the ball in Blake (Timmons) and Brett (White). Adam Smith, Mason Scott and Zeb Kleinsmith all saw some big time minutes last year on the OL/DL and we will count on that experience to lead us in the trenches. I also believe a key strength for us is that this is year three in our system so our kids know exactly what to expect.”
Blake Timmons, a senior this year, completed 83 of 172 passes for 1,553 yards and 19 touchdowns last year and made 119 carries for 888 yards and ten scores. “Blake has been the starting quarterback since his sophomore year. He’s a returning All-State quarterback who is a great leader for us,” said Stanton. Brett White, a junior, is a returning All-State inside linebacker, “who has stepped up as a leader for the team.” White led the squad defensively last year with 81 solo tackles and 4-1/2 quarterback sacks.
Adam Smith, a senior lineman, started the majority of last season as an offensive lineman. Coach Stanton notes Smith has improved his strength considerably in the off season. Mason Scott is a junior lineman who spent a lot of his time on both sides of the ball last year. Zeb Kleinsmith is a senior lineman Stanton described as, “A tremendous special teams player last season. He also saw quite a bit of time on the offensive and defensive line and is expected to have a larger role this year.”
Stanton noted Smith, Scott, and Kleinsmith, “all saw some big-time minutes last year on the offensive and defensive line, and we will count on that experience to lead us in the trenches.”
Sean Stahle, Mac McCarty, Oaken Foster, and Austin Bell return to the starting line-up. Stahle is a senior All-State running back/defensive back. Stanton notes he has increased his strength from last year, when he racked up a team-leading 1,138 yards of rushing on 180 carries, which was good for 17 touchdowns.
Mac McCarty is also a senior back who started in multiple games last year with 218 yards on 35 carries with four touchdowns, and 19 solo touchdowns. Oaken Foster is a senior wide receiver and defensive back who was called upon to fill an injury void, and “stepped up big for us.” Foster made six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. Austin Bell is a senior tight end and linebacker who rotated as a starter on defense last season with 14 solo tackles.
Also returning to the line-up this season are Rhyse Wear, Marcus Richard, Aiden Doyle, Ben Kampman, Joe Ebert, Ryan Rasmussen, Braydon Hoffman, Kaleb Behrends, and Quinton Heineman.
Wear is a senior wide receiver and free safety who Stanton said, “played a lot for us in big games at free safety and is expected to take on more this year.” Richard is a junior lineman who saw a lot of varsity minutes last year, and who Stanton noted has “really grown as an athlete.” Doyle is a senior lineman who played as a tight end and defensive end last year. Doyle, Stanton said, “played well in some key games like against Williamsburg.” Kampman is a junior end who has packed on about 30 pounds in the off season and is considered “a very good athlete.” Kampman, the coach said, has the potential for a break out season this year. Ebert is a senior lineman who rotated quite a bit on the defensive line last year and is looking to play an even bigger role this season. Rasmussen is a junior wide receiver and defensive back who Stanton said has, “a ton of speed and quickness, and could really contribute this year.” Hoffman is a senior lineman who Stanton described as one of the strongest guys on the team. “He’s been a great team guy for us. Braydon has a ton of potential to be a player on the line for us.” Behrends is a junior lineman who saw some varsity action last year, and who, “has the capability of being a stout OL/DL player.” Heineman is a senior wide receiver and defensive back who, the coach said, was one of Solon’s most improved players at the end of last season.
New to the line-up is junior Nash Kotar. The coach described the wide receiver and defensive back as, “A great athlete who can be pretty versatile on the field.”
Stanton sees this third year as being a strength of it’s own. “Our kids know exactly what to expect. Last season we made some tweaks offensively so there was still a little unknown. But this year, in all three phases, we feel confident. With all that said, we still need to have a really good three weeks in August to figure ourselves out. If we can focus on process and developing, we feel good about our chances.”
Solon is in Class 3A District 5 with Fairfield, Grinnell, Keokuk, Washington, and West Burlington/Notre Dame. Stanton eyes Grinnell and Washington as two well-coached teams who will compete for the district title.
The season starts with a “Week Zero” scrimmage against Linn-Mar Friday, August 19 at home. The freshman/JV game will start at 5:00 p.m. with the varsity kicking off around 6:30 p.m. Week One on the nine-week regular season finds the Spartans at West Liberty (Friday, August 26). The home opener is Friday, Sept. 2 as rival Mount Vernon visits on Youth Recognition Night. Friday, Sept. 16 will be the annual Armed Forces Night as Davenport Assumption visits.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season,” Stanton said, “And we have high expectations for this team like we do every year here. This team is hungry to get back to the UNI-Dome, but we know we have to get better each and every week.”

Gallery • 5 Photos

Jeff Hess

Sean Stahle extends an arm dodging past several West Liberty Comets and outdistancing blocking provided by teammates Gage Marty and Elias Miller during the first quarter of the Spartans’ 63-0 victory on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, at Spartan Stadium.