Clearview's Anthony Hitchens recovered a fumble in Iowa's 31-21 win over Purdue on Saturday.

Hitchens has played in six games and has recorded 22 tackles and now has a fumble recovery in his red-shirt freshman season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Iowa raced to a 10-point first-half lead, but couldn’t hold on Saturday during a 44-41 loss in three overtimes against Iowa State in front of 56,085, the second-largest crowd in Jack Trice Stadium history.

Iowa State improved to 2-0 and overcame three fumbles, two missed field goals and 11 penalties.

Iowa is 1-1, losing for the first time in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series since 2007.

Clearview graduate Anthony Hitchens recorded four tackles in the loss.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Clearview’s Anthony Hitchens is playing as a true freshman at Iowa, registering three tackles, along with three assist tackles on the Hawkeyes, who dropped to 5-2 with a 31-30 loss to Wisconsin Saturday.

At Clearview, Hitchens finished with 166 tackles, including 13 for loss, 12 sacks, five interceptions, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.

Hitchens was a two-time All-Ohio player, also winning Lorain County’s Golden Helmet award. He was also named the Division IV offensive co-player of the year, along with Clearview’s Scholar Athlete award, the Captain’s award and the Offensive Player of the Year.

He also scored a total of 62 touchdowns at Clearview, which include four defensive touchdowns.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake’s Trey Stross agreed to terms on a free-agent deal with the Houston Texans.

Stross started 12 games for Iowa last year, catching 31 passes for 414 yards and a touchdown. In his Iowa career he caught 73 passes for 964 yards and seven touchdowns.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

In front of everyone that mattered, Clearview’s Anthony Hitchens made his commitment to The University of Iowa official.

As his coaches, family members, teammates and fellow students looked on, the two-time All-Ohio football player signed an official letter of intent to play at Iowa and continue his football career with the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference.

“It takes a lot of stress off of me,” Hitchens said. “I don’t have to worry about it at all anymore. Now I can concentrate on playing basketball. It’s one less thing that I have to worry about. I’m happy to make my commitment to Iowa.”




Hitchens made visits to Kansas, Indiana and Toledo, before Iowa showed how serious it was about him last week. Eastern Michigan also was interested in Hitchens.




“They took me on a tour around the school and showed me the facility,” Hitchens said. “I met some football players and the coaches. They showed me a good time for the weekend. I’ve always wanted to go to Iowa from the get-go.”




Hitchens’ older cousin, Don, made something else official at the ceremony held in the auditorium at Clearview High School. “From one Hitchens to another,” Don Hitchens said as he passed Anthony a plaque with the Morning Journal sports page from a memorable day for both men. The headline read “Hitchens runs wild,” from the Oct. 2 game where Anthony ran for 354 yards to break Don’s 35-year-old career rushing record of 3,265 yards and the single game record of 352 yards previously held by David Dorinski, who reached that mark in 1976. He now holds the career rushing mark with 3,864 yards.




Hitchens received a call from Iowa last Wednesday and the school flew him out there on Friday to discuss everything.




“It was way more than I expected, it was really nice,” Hitchens said. “From the beginning, I’ve always wanted to go there. Originally, something came up and I wasn’t able to make it out there, but in the end (Iowa) came through with the scholarship.”




Defense is where he’ll find a home at Iowa whose defensive back coach Phil Parker is also from Lorain. Parker is an Amherst graduate (1983) and was inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame last year. Hitchens, who was an offensive star in high school, will be tabbed to play safety in college.




“It might be a little difficult at first,” Hitchens said. “But I think I’ll adjust to it. When I played linebacker, I was more of a run-first guy, but now that I’ll be playing safety, it’s more pass first. I think I’ll get use to it and hopefully I’ll be a pretty good safety.”




Hitchens will have an improved chance to play right away at the safety position, as Iowa’s All-Big Ten cornerback Amari Spievey made himself eligible for the NFL draft and strong safety David Cato is transferring.




In his high school career, Hitchens finished with 166 tackles, including 13 for loss, 12 sacks, five interceptions, six forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.




“It really didn’t matter to me if I was going to play offense or defense,” added Hitchens, who will head to Iowa on June 12. “I just really wanted to play at the next level.”




Hitchens leaves Clearview with a host of accomplishments. Not only is Hitchens, a two-time All-Ohio player, but he also won Lorain County’s Golden Helmet award. He was also named the Division IV offensive co-player of the year, along with Clearview’s Scholar Athlete award, the Captain’s award and the Offensive Player of the Year.


“I accomplished a lot in high school and not just on the field, but off the field as well,” Hitchens said. “I’m happy with my high school career and ready to move forward.”


This season, he finished with 1,428 yards rushing along with 26 touchdowns. On defense, he led the Clippers with 76 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles.




For his career, Hitchens had 519 carries for a 7.4 yards per carry average.As a receiver, he had 213 yards on 16 catches, which includes four touchdowns.



He also scored a total of 62 touchdowns, which include four defensive touchdowns.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Trey Stross didn't exactly have the game he wanted individually, but as for his team - it was everything they wanted.

Stross caught one pass for nine yards, which helped seal a 24-14 victory Tuesday night and No. 10 Iowa solved Georgia Tech’s explosive triple option and Lake Catholic's Ricky Stanzi threw two early touchdown passes in the coldest Orange Bowl ever.

Temperature at kickoff was 49 degrees, and Tech’s offense was slow to warm up. The ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets averaged 35 points during the regular season, but their only score in the first three quarters came on Jerrard Tarrant’s 40-yard interception return.

The Hawkeyes (11-2) earned their first Bowl Championship Series bowl win, matched the school record for victories and could claim their highest final ranking since finishing No. 3 in 1960.

The Yellow Jackets were first in the nation in time of possession, second in rushing and 11th in scoring at 35 points per game. But they sputtered against an Iowa defense that held four bowl-bound teams to 10 points or less during the regular season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake’s Trey Stross and his 13th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are off to their best start in 14 years, as they slipped past Arkansas State, 24-21 this afternoon at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa.

Lake Catholic’s Ricky Stanzi threw for a season-high 296 yards and three touchdowns, including a 33-yard TD pass to Stross to set the pace of their offense. Stross’ TD gave Iowa an early 7-0 lead, one they build to 21-7 before having to stave off a Red Wolves rally that brought it to within three, at 24-21 with 2:01 left to play.

“They stuck around, stuck around, stuck around and it almost bit us in the butt. But we got the job done,” Stross said.

Stross finished with four catches for 64 yards.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Trey Stross caught four passes for 37 yards in Iowa's 27-17 win over Arizona, for the Hawkeyes' third-straight win on Saturday.

Freshman running back Adam Robinson rushed for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns and Iowa held Arizona to just eight first downs spoiling coach Mike Stoops’s return to Kinnick Stadium.

Ricky Stanzi added 205 yards passing for the Hawkeyes (3-0), but this win belonged to the defense. The Hawkeyes limited the Wildcats to 253 yards of offense—including just 94 in the second half—and 2 of 12 on third-down conversions, an impressive showing before next weekend’s Big Ten showdown at No. 5 Penn State.

Avon Lake's Trey Stross nabbed four passes for 69 yards in Iowa's convincing 35-3 win over Iowa State on Saturday.

Iowa has now won two straight in the series and five of the last seven.

Stross and the Hawkeyes are off to a 2-0 start and have won six in a row dating back to last November. They'll host Pac-10 foe Arizona this Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa's defense forced six turnovers - five interceptions and a fumble.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Trey Stross is coming home this college football season.

For the first time in his college career, Stross and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes invade The Ohio State University's Horse Shoe on Nov. 14, making his first trip back to Ohio to play football since graduating from Avon Lake in 2005.

"This will be the first time I get to go home and play in front of a lot friends and family," said Stross, who was red-shirted the last time Iowa played at Ohio State. "It'll be nice to have a little homecoming. It's definitely going to be a fun game."

Stross is back for his senior season and he hopes to finish his college career on a good note after battling injuries nearly every year in college.

"My career definitely hasn't been the fairy tale picture I had going in," Stross said. "Nobody can predict injury. It seems like every year I'd be doing real well and then I would have a hamstring injury or something to set me back."

This season, Stross is focused on remaining injury-free so he decided not participate in track and field after doing the high jump for two years.He had an indoor best of 6-foot-7 and outdoor best of 6-8, which ranks him 10th best in Iowa school history.

"I feel a lot healthier," Stross said. "My leg feels stronger. I'm not getting those tweaks or pulls like I used to."I didn't do track this past year to give me a whole spring and summer to get my leg stronger and in better shape so I can take the wear and tear of a football game."

Stross says his goal after college is what every football player dreams about.

"Going to the NFL is every player's dream when they play college football," Stross said. "You always want to keep on playing. Even with all my injuries, tweaks and bruises, I haven't lost that dream. Scouts say they need to see me stay healthy for a year so that's what I gotta do."

Iowa will open its season ranked among the nation's elite, having earned a position in the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 poll. The Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 21.Iowa returns 16 starters from last year's team, losing eight starters.

It opens its season against Northern Iowa on Sept. 5 at Kinnick Stadium, which will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Last season, Stross finished with 13 receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown in a injury-plagued junior season.His highlight was catching a six-yard touchdown pass in Iowa's 31-10 Outback Bowl win over South Carolina on New Year's Day.

The Hawkeyes finished with an 9-4 record and finished with a 20th ranking in the AP Poll, ESPN and USA Today poll.As a sophomore, he nabbed 16 passes for 272 yards, which included a career-high four touchdowns.

He had TD's against Indiana, Penn State, Northwestern and Western Michigan. The touchdown against Northwestern was a 53-yard diving catch that became ESPN's top play of the week.

The TD at Penn State was extra special because his grandma, a Penn State fan who hasn't been able to attend many games, was able to see him score at Beaver Stadium, despite while playing injured.Stross, who also grew up a Penn State fan, said his grandma always envisioned him scoring a TD at Beaver Stadium. It just happened to be on the opposing team.

As a red-shirt freshman in 2006, he played special teams and nabbed his first career TD pass against Wisconsin.He finished with 13 receptions for 189 yards.

At Avon Lake, he helped lead the Shoremen to a Division II Ohio State Championship in 2004 and three straight Southwestern Conference Championships.He was a Golden Helmet Award winner and two-time first team All-Ohio selection. He left Avon Lake with 100 receptions for 2,257 receiving yards, which includes 31 touchdowns.

He originally committed to play safety at Maryland, but his desire to play wide receiver in the Big Ten weighed out and he chose Iowa, who highly recruited him his senior year.

swalker@MorningJournal.com