Home / Sports

WAPELLO, Iowa – If you’re looking for Wapello senior Taylor Jacobsmeier on the football field, basketball court or baseball diamond, a good place to start would be in the middle of the action.

“That’s where I like to be,” Jacobsmeier said. “I always like being around the ball with the ability to score.”

During his career at Wapello, Jacobsmeier has provided spectators of Indian athletics with many thrills.

So far in two football games this fall, the 6-foot-1 and 160-pound quarterback has completed 19 of 27 passes for 390 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. More importantly, Wapello is 2-0 to start a season for just the second time this decade.

“He’s off to a pretty good start,” Wapello football coach and Jacobsmeier’s stepfather Todd Parsons said. “He has shown great leadership and poise on the field, and he’s been confident. It rubs off on his teammates when he’s under control and making good decisions.”

Football isn’t Jacobsmeier’s only craft. The point guard and shooting guard led the Indian basketball team in scoring last season at 16.8 points per game while dishing out nearly three assists and compiling 2.5 steals per contest.

Last spring, he finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the Class 1A state track and field meet.

Then this past summer, the shortstop batted .329 and stole 30 bases for the Indian baseball team, which reached the Class 2A district final.

“Since he’s been a little kid, he’s always enjoyed being involved in a lot of activities,” Parsons said, “and being a coach’s kid growing up, he’s been around it long enough that he understands how to accept that role.

“He’s confident because of the time he’s put in to make himself a better player, not just in football or basketball. He’s a kid that wants to have the ball in his hands in those types of situations.”

Asked which sport is his favorite, Jacobsmeier said football or basketball.

“When it’s football season, I’m strictly football,” he said. “When it’s basketball, it’s strictly basketball. I never intercross them.”

Right now, he’s concentrated on football.

The Indians have opened the season with convincing wins over Class 2A Louisa-Muscatine (42-12) and Columbus Community (40-12). Jacobsmeier, in his second season as the team’s starting quarterback, has been at the center of it.

Against the Falcons, he threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Then last week, Jacobsmeier completed 14 of 17 passes for 198 yards and accounted for six touchdowns – five passing and one rushing.

“He’s a sharp kid, very quick,” senior tailback Dylan Schrader said. “He works hard for what he gets.

“He’s the leader of this offense.”

Jacobsmeier downplayed his performance against the Wildcats.

“It felt really good,” he said. “The team chemistry was really good that day. We were pretty fired up.”

Jacobsmeier, who started playing quarterback in the fifth grade, said mobility is he’s biggest asset. His teammates concur.

“If we can’t get a block off, we know he’ll make an attempt to get out of there and make something happen for us,” Schrader said.

Parsons said Jacobsmeier, who can heave the ball about 60 yards, has thrived in Wapello’s new spread attack.

“We put this offense in last year because our strength was going to be our skilled kids,” Parsons said. “We have some athletic kids and we hope to get them the ball in space and let them create.

“It’s just a plus for us that Taylor has the ability to scramble and run a little option for us. He makes our offense a little tougher to defend when you have the ability to do that.”

The most telling statistic is that Jacobsmeier hasn’t thrown an interception in two games after having six a season ago.

“That shows a lot about my decision-making and shows a lot about the receivers we have,” he said.

Now, Jacobsmeier is trying to guide Wapello back into the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Indians realize they have a difficult district to get through in Class 1A District 5 with No. 4 West Branch, Belle Plaine, Pekin and Durant-Bennett.

“We can’t get overconfident or look ahead, but I’ve been working for this all four years of high school,” Jacobsmeier said. “It’s really important to me; it’s my last year.

“I want everybody on the same page as me.”

Preps to watch

Here are some of the other noteworthy high school performers this past week in the Journal circulation area:

— Sam Chaney, Columbus, cross country: The senior captured individual titles at the Iowa Mennonite Early Bird and Dutch Invitational at Central College. Chaney, last year’s district champion, won by more than 20-second margin at IMS and topped a field at Pella that included Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Pella.

— Haley Bartelt, Muscatine, swimming: The junior was instrumental in leading the Muskies to a championship at their own invitational, recording individual wins in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. She was also part of the second place 200 medley relay.

— Jake Goering, Durant, football: The 160-pound senior, who was the team’s leading rusher in 2008, had 158 yards rushing and two touchdowns during the Wildcats’ 20-6 win at Tipton last Friday. Goering is averaging more than 4.5 yards per carry.

— Haylie Franklin, Muscatine, volleyball: The senior led Muscatine in kills and blocks and was second in digs and ace serves during the team’s second-place finish at the Muskie Invitational on Saturday. Franklin had 40 kills, 63 digs, six blocks and was 36-for-39 serving with eight aces in the five matches.