Sam Beecher has helped Bettendorf rise to top of 5A in Iowa

Bulldogs are lone remaining unbeaten in state’s largest class

Bettendorf senior Sam Beecher has helped the Bulldogs start the year off 7-0 with two regular season games left. / Wes Schilling Photography

The rise back to the top of Class 5A by the Bettendorf football program can be largely attributed to a special group of seniors.

Three years ago, the Bulldogs went 3-6, suffering their first losing season in recent memory. 

But that only fueled the drive of this team, led by one of those seniors, Sam Beecher.

A three-year starter and two-time team captain, Beecher is part of a defense that has helped Bettendorf stand tall as the lone remaining unbeaten in 5A. The Bulldogs host Cedar Rapids Prairie before finishing up at Iowa City High.

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“Being a part of this impactful senior class is amazing,” Beecher told High School Sports on SI in an exclusive interview. “It’s cool to see how we got going in the right direction again and having the full support of the community behind us is special.

“This offseason, I took a lot of time working to keep bettering myself but I think the part I did differently this year was making sure everyone around me put in the work too. I tried to make sure we all got better.”

Beecher hit the ground running as a sophomore, recording 47 tackles with 2.5 for loss while recovering a fumble. Bettendorf went through some growing pains that season, finishing 3-6, but won three of its last five down the stretch.

Sam Beecher of Bettendorf is one of the senior leaders for the Bulldogs, who are 7-0 this year. / Wes Schilling Photography

They used that momentum to power their way to an 8-3 record and run to the state quarterfinals last fall, knocking off Iowa City High in the first round. The win was significant as the Little Hawks had just topped them in the regular season finale a week prior.

Beecher anchored the defense with a team-high 72.5 tackles including 47 solo stops. He recorded six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles.

“Last year, we had a good turnaround season after a down couple of years,” Beecher said. “I think that everyone was motivated this year to keep that going and keep improving to be better than last year.”

Through seven games this year, Beecher has 28 solo tackles and 40 stops with a fumble recovery. The defense allows just under 13 points per game and has held three opponents under eight.

“I think the mentality of our defense is what makes us strong,” Beecher said. “We have a bend don’t break mentality where if something goes wrong, we remind each other to ‘flush it’ and move on to the next play.

“We oftentimes come up with strong defensive stands throughout games.”

Beecher has not decided on where he will attend college in the fall but he plans to continue playing football. But first, he is putting everything into his final few games as a Bulldog.

“Our goal is to finish out the regular season strong,” he said, “but our focus is on November and everyone believes in this team and we think we can go a long way.”