Keokuk, IA- The Keokuk football team may not have had the season they were hoping for but that did not stop the talent on the team from shining through with junior Mason Claus being ranked the 27th top football recruit in the state of Iowa by the Des Moines Register.
(Photo courtesy of Iron Rail Photography by Pray Lawson a senior at KHS)
Claus has been a vacuum on the defensive side, leading Class 3A in tackles his sophomore year and collecting the second most total tackles in 3A last year despite missing the final two games due to injury.
Head coach Marvin McNutt knows they have a star in one of the only six ranked 3A players for the state of Iowa,
“Rightfully so, he works hard and leads our team as a junior, because he attacks the game.”
Claus, who also saw action at wide receiver is a jack-of-all-trades, master of all, having made the state track and field meet in past seasons and leads his class academically, sporting a 4.0 GPA as he eyes a degree in engineering.
“Football is a big part of my life, it is the one thing I love to do, and I want to keep playing it for as long as I can,” Claus said. “I’m very grateful for this, I have put in a lot of work and next year you’re going to be surprised at where I will be at.”
The junior is hoping to follow in his coach’s footsteps and play at the University of Iowa. Claus finished the year with 79.5 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and four receiving touchdowns.