All-Iowa: Receivers Hockenson, Jungling lead Elite team into new era

Iowa’s most prolific prep receiver of all-time is, technically, a tight end.

T.J. Hockenson understands football’s positions are important labels for practice, playbooks and the programs that fans bring to the bleachers.

But Chariton moved its senior star all over the field, often out of position, in an effort to pass him the ball.

That made Hockenson the state’s all-time leader in career receptions and receiving touchdowns. And it’s why he and Pella Christian’s record-breaking receiver Levi Jungling headline the evolving 2015 edition of the Register’s All-Iowa high school football Elite team.

“We changed our whole offense my sophomore year because the coaches wanted it to fit our personnel,” Hockenson said. “Times are changing and our coaches wanted to catch up.

“A lot of times I’m split out and we’re trying to mismatch defensive backs. Other times I’m in tight on the line and we try to get a linebacker to cover me. It’s been a big-time position lately in college football and in the NFL because you can see the tight end get used in different ways.”

Hockenson, a 6-foot-6-inch Iowa Hawkeye recruit, finished his varsity career with 238 catches for 3,560 yards and 49 touchdowns. Those marks are first, second and first in Iowa history, all accomplished as a heavily covered target playing in a Class 3A district that featured both of this season’s finalists.

“I would split out wide and have a receiver run in motion away from me, trying to get me one-on-one coverage, but that never happened,” Hockenson said with a laugh.

“I’d say maybe 35 percent of the time I’d have my hand in the dirt. It was about 50-50 whether we’d run or pass out of that.”

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Jungling became the state’s single-season record-holder for receiving yards, catching 80 passes for 1,602 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2015. That averaged out to nearly 146 yards per game and 20 yards per reception, including the 312 he racked up in the season opener, the most ever in a 1A game.

“Offenses that spread the ball around and score a lot of points are still coming along in the high school game,” Jungling said. “It just creates plenty of opportunities for high scores and big records.

“I think my sophomore year is when I really saw myself as a playmaker and someone that could change the game. If I can get the ball in my hands, I can make something happen for my team.”

The junior slot back isn’t the imposing athlete Hockenson is -- listed at 5-10, 160 pounds -- but through repetition in Pella Christian’s spread offense and an excellent rapport with quarterback and classmate David Kacmarynski, Jungling became one of the state’s top targets.

“One of the biggest reasons we decided to throw it around more in a spread is because of David,” he said. “He’s a great athlete and just sees the game so well.

“We were ball boys together in junior high and always shared the same sports dreams and aspirations. We’d even lift and play pick-up games together. It’s a friendship that’s been going on for a long time, and throwing the ball around in the yard and playing ‘Madden’ together has helped our chemistry grow.”

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The duo has helped usher a new era for the Register’s postseason football selections, too.

The traditional format for each all-state team had three running backs, two ends, one punter and one kicker. That has been adjusted for all-Iowa to suit more versatile schemes and systems.

Enter: two spots for running backs, three end spots for receivers and tight ends, one place for a top punter or kicker, and a new utility position on offense to fit the football players that star in multiple positions.

The Elite team’s first utility player is Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Shaun Beyer, who was listed as a “hybrid” by the 4A runner-up.

West Des Moines Valley offensive lineman John Raridon is an Elite selection for the third time. Fort Dodge running back Sam Cook is the only other repeat pick for the all-class squad.

Even the Elite and 3A selection at quarterback, Pella star Noah Clayberg, is a utility threat as he rushed for more yards than he threw for in a championship season, while also taking on defensive and punting duties. Clayberg finished his senior season with 3,541 total yards, 51 touchdowns and riding a 28-game win streak. And yet his future as a football player at the next level could be determined by his ability to change positions.

Jungling can relate; he loves basketball as much as football, but knows his specific skill set on the gridiron could be the key to continuing athletics in college.

“It’s going to be a really hard decision for me, which sport to play, when the time comes,” Jungling said.

“But I feel like I might be able to play football at a higher level because the need for players like me is growing. Lots of teams want small, slot backs who can find holes in defenses and catch balls.”

These are the all-Iowa football picks for 2015.

Their names will stay on the list, like the players that were first put on in 1914. But they all should know by now that the positions might change, now or later.

“I’ve grown to love playing tight end,” Hockenson said, “but I’ll play wherever the team needs me, obviously.

“Going forward, Iowa has told me they like me at tight end, but it all depends on what happens when I get under (strength and conditioning coach Chris) Doyle’s program. It’s all up to what they think is best for me to get on the field.”