Onward we go, marching through the Week Six matchups of note.  Today, we look at a dozen games in 1A, A and 8-Player that stand out among a ton of nice contests.  Here is the ICS ‘small school’ feature list:

Starting in 1A, District One offers up a fine Western Iowa tilt with West Lyon @ Hinton.  If Hinton wins, there could easily be a 4-way tie for first place.  West Lyon would like to keep first place all to their self.  In District Three, Turkey Valley @ Aplington-Parkersburg finds the loser slipping to the middle of the pack in a loaded district.  A classic matchup between two great programs is in store in District Five when Pekin travels to West Branch to take on the Bears.  Pekin could force a potential 4-way tie for first place, while West Branch can hold on to sole possession of first with a win.  Tom and Butch have won a few games…might be a good one.  In District Seven, a 4-way tie for second place will be broken by the winners of Woodward-Granger @ Panorama and West Central Valley, Stuart @ Manson-Northwest Webster.  On to Class A and a nice battle in District One between Woodbury Central, Moville and host Akron-Westfield.  The winner gets to stay in second place behind Gehlen.  A similar battle is in District Two, where Southern Cal travels to Clay Central, Everly.  The winner stays on top with Rockwell City-Lytton, while the loser will slide to third place.  It’s ‘put up or shut up’ time in District Three when 5-0 Mason City Newman goes to Cedar Falls to take on 5-0 NU High, one of two head-to-head matchups of perfect records in Class A.  In District Five, Danville @ Cardinal, Eldon will leave one team unbeaten in district play.  Now for the main event…Welcome to the Jungle, Baby!  Seth Enke leads 5-0 A-H-S-T into Madrid to take on the 5-0 Tigers, their rowdy fans and the AC/DC trailer.  It’s a mid-season #1 vs. #2 non-district showcase of epic proportions.  Yes, I’m a little excited about this one.  Get to Madrid if at all possible.  A-H-S-T has won 23 consecutive regular season games.  One of them was a win over Madrid last season.  That was the only regular season loss for Madrid since 2006.  The Tigers will try to return the favor.  Ok, calm down, regroup.  On to 8-Player and the three remaining games to focus on.  District One finds 5-0 Saint Mary’s, Remsen @ AR-WE-VA, and both teams are undefeated in district play.  District Four has West Central, Maynard @ Preston.  Undefeated teams clashing to stay atop the district.  Awesome.  Finally, there is going to be a wonderful head-to-head battle of 5-0 teams in District Seven.  CAM, Anita @ Coon Rapids-Bayard are both perfect in a very tough district.  One will not be after this Friday.  That’s just a taste, but I think you’ll agree, we are in store for some great action this week.  There are many more games to choose from and hopefully yours will be great as well.  Enjoy!  Oh, I almost forgot…GO TROJANS!                

In week three we had a blast doing 8-man football ACA-ICA vs Defending State Champ Lenox..  If you did not see the blitz extra watch the clips below.  If you did see the blitz extra YOU DID NOT SEE the first clip below.  Lenox QB Autin Hancock gets stoned near the Sideline… Just great small town football stuff .

1st Half

2nd Half

We had a great Week Five.  A lot of great games across the state and a lot of teams looking to distance themselves from the pack in district and conference play.  It gets even better in Week Six!  We have some very intriguing matchups and a lot of teams that have ‘come out of nowhere’ to contend.  It sure seems like the difference between the teams in the top ten of each class is harder to distinguish than ever.  Not to mention the next ten.  This should make for a very exciting playoff field once we get to that.  But, for now, let’s concentrate on Week Six and some of the ICS spotlight games.  There are a ton of games we like this week, so I will touch on some of the main ones in 4A, 3A and 2A in this post, and then we will come back and get into the smaller classes after that.  I just want to mention a couple of 4A games that grab our attention, a couple 3A games, and then seven 2A battles worth checking out.  Urbandale @ Ankeny is compelling on many levels, but the main thing here is how far Urbandale has come to get back in the mix.  This is their stiffest test yet, against an angry Hawk team coming off the big loss to Dowling.  It will be interesting to see how Ankeny deals with a Jayhawk squad that wants to add to the Hawks’ woes and score a statement victory for their program.  Two of the better backs in the state with Wedderburn and Leo in this one.  Also, Des Moines Lincoln is at Ottumwa.  One of these teams is going to win the Metro Conference based on the outcome of this game.  Ottumwa wants to defend home field and Lincoln wants to add to their impressive victory list this season.  In 3A, Grinnell @ Pella was going to be the marquee matchup of District Six, but Centerville and Carlisle changed that with victories over the Little Dutch.  This is a chance, however, for Pella to get off the deck and cause some trouble.  If Grinnell survives, Pella will go from odds-on favorite to clinging to playoff hopes.  Winterset @ ADM is a District Eight tilt that will not determine a champion, but it will provide the winner with the inside track on staying in sole possession of second place.  That makes for a great setting with these two teams.  In 2A, let’s go down the list and check out the ‘top’ games…In District Two, sole possession of first place is up for grabs with Pocahontas Area going to Eagle Grove.  In District Three, Gilbert has to come off a tough loss to Dike-NH by going to Central Springs, Manly.  The winner can keep pace in second behind Osage.  On to District Four, where we find Monticello taking a trip to North Fayette.  Does any team besides Cascade have a shot at North Fayette?  Monticello would like to think they do.  They were the last team to beat Solon in the regular season.  Just sayin’.  Speaking of Solon, they have a District Five test against visiting Center Point-Urbana.  How far ahead of the competition is Solon?  CPU will be a good measuring stick.  As long as James Morris is on the other side, you are at a disadvantage.  In District Six, nobody thought they would be typing a sentence that included ‘West Burlington/Notre Dame @ Davis County will be a big game’.  Yet, here we are, and yes it is.  The winner stays with Mid-Prairie at the top.  Lots of excitement in Bondurant, where the Bluejays host CMB with first place in District Seven on the line.  There should be a three-way tie for second after this week, and neither team wishes to be involved.  Finally, in District Eight there is a battle to stay with Carroll Kuemper between host Missouri Valley and visiting IKM/Manning.  Kuemper beat IKM.  Missouri Valley would like to as well, in order to set up a showdown for the title with Kuemper.  There you have it, a mere sample of the action, but some great games to focus on.  1A, A and 8P preview to come…                  

We did some Recruiting work for the Wegher’s. Brandon became big time recruit, and he is worthy. During his rise, the thing that amazed me was how many u-tube posts I had to delete each day. It is one reason I have not jumped more into recruiting. The hate, criticism and doubt was unreal. I simply don’t understand it. Neat to see, Brandon has already proved there is no doubt he is a Division one talent. A healthy Wegher is going to be part of 4 special years as a Hawk.. I hope the HAWKS give him the rock 30 times this weekend… give A-Rob some rest.. Let Stanzi just hand off… what the heck.. In fact, I’m also going to try to dig up some of our A-rob stuff and post it this week.. SOUTH SIIIIDEEEEEE…
Here is a look back at some of Brandon’s best during his senior season.!!

Power matchup results
Baxter-CMB 23, West Marshall 21 Both looking strong for post season run
Emmetsburg 31, Fort Dodge St. Edmond 17 E-hawks WOW!
Mason City Newman 21, Northwood-Kensett 18
Le Mars Gehlen Catholic 20, Akron-Westfield 9
North Sentral Kossuth 30, Armstrong-Ringsted 28 NK did it last year too.
Corwith CWL 54, Blairsburg NE Hamilton 21-CWL-making another run to the dome?
West Union North Fayette 22, Sumner-Fredericksburg 9-Union AGAIN.

Contender Pretender?
Urbandale 28, Johnston 17 Wake up the J-Hawks
Clinton 28, Davenport Assumption 21, OT-oh those River Kings do it again.
Jewell South Hamilton 21, Roland-Story 20-
Marshalltown 38, Mason City 21

Week 5 Surprise
Des Moines Christian 28, Truro Interstate 35 7
Dike-New Hartford 20, Gilbert 17
Fairbank Wapsie Valley 42, Lisbon 15 Wapsie to the title? I’m just sayin’
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 21, Aplington-Parkersburg 20

Pleasantville 40, Corydon Wayne 8 GO TROJANS!!!!

Here is the Dowling Ankeny Stuff as promised.

We still owe you some video from our 8-man game last week.. Great stuff.. Also be putting out some video.. of CMB VS. PCM from our Blitz Extra that Airs tonight..
Here is the Pre-game webcast for tonight.. I will come back to the office and post some Dowling vs Ankeny highlights!!

It’s not pretty.  It’s not fun, and it’s not popular to talk about.  But, it’s out there.  Some teams don’t win any games.  Last year, 28 teams went through the season without a victory.  12 of those teams have yet to win this year as well.  West Harrison, Mondamin in Class A has been winless since September 9, 2005.  38 straight losses to ‘lead’ the state in all classes.  Camanche in 2A is right behind at 32, with Southeast Webster-Grand, Burnside in Class A clocking in at 30 for third place on this dubious list.  At ICS, we root for these teams to reverse their fortunes every week, but it isn’t that easy.  Losing stockpiles and steamrolls teams from time to time, and getting a “W” becomes almost impossible.  Misfortune and injuries, as well as low numbers of bodies are usually to blame, but anything can start the bleeding.  Stopping it is the main goal.  As of today, there are 58 teams battling for their first win this year.  Some will get them, others will continue on their slide.  Tonight there are seven matchups featuring winless teams, so at least seven of these teams will taste sweet victory.  They are Des Moines North @ Des Moines Hoover, Cedar Rapids Jefferson @ Dubuque Senior, Davenport North @ Muscatine, Van Buren @ Iowa Valley, River Valley, Correctionville @ Southeast Webster-Grand, Burnside; Spalding Catholic, Granville @ Aurelia and Hamburg @ Essex.  Good luck to all these teams, keep plugging away…Just remember it can happen to any program.  Waterloo East was dominant in the past, setting the record for consecutive wins statewide with 56 at one point.  They surpassed that number in consecutive losses by losing every game from near the end of 1999 to the middle of 2006!       

Big 4A showdown tonight on a Thursday night edition of Iowa high school football.  Iowa City High is at Dubuque Hempstead in a battle of unbeatens in the East.  IC High, sure, but Hempstead?  Well, now we find out if they mean business.  Now that you have something to pay attention to on Thursday, let’s take a look at the ICS Big Game-O-Meter for Friday…Obviously the showcase is the Ankeny @ Dowling game.  ICS will be there for the Blitz Extra.  This game will be top shelf, for sure.  But what if you can’t go to that game and/or you want to try something else statewide?  Here is our checklist:

4A:

Marshalltown @ Mason City

Johnston @ Urbandale

Clinton @ Davenport Assumption

3A:

MOC-FV @ Sioux City Heelan

Clear Lake @ Charles City

Webster City @ Hampton-Dumont

Clear Creek-Amana @ Mount Pleasant

Harlan @ Winterset

2A:

North Fayette @ Sumner-Fredericksburg

West Marshall @ CMB

1A:

H-M-S @ West Lyon

Emmetsburg @ Fort Dodge St. Edmond

Starmont-Arlington @ Clayton Ridge, Guttenburg

A:

Akron-Westfield @ LeMars Gehlen

Mason City Newman @ Northwood-Kensett

Lisbon @ Wapsie Valley

Madrid @ Van Meter

8-Player:

North Sentral Kossuth @ Armstrong-Ringsted

East Union @ Ankeny Christian Academy

Coon Rapids-Bayard @ Glidden-Ralston

Grand View Park Baptist @ Lenox

There are 61 undefeated teams left in the state, and after week five, there will AT LEAST be five less due to head-to-head matchups.  Iowa City High @ Dubuque Hempstead, Ankeny @ Dowling and Marshalltown @ Mason City are the three in 4A.  Madrid @ Van Meter in A, and North Sentral Kossuth @ Armstrong-Ringsted in 8-P are the other two.  Wherever you go, enjoy your game and keep checking the website for video and posts.   

The CIML begins conference play this week in the Central and Metro, with a handful of Iowa games having already been played due to their ‘unbalanced’ schedule.  With the start of these conference games, there will be some great matchups and important battles for playoff positioning, as well as renewals of great long-standing rivalries.  Recently, the Central Conference has had an amazing run of talent and great teams.  Finishing fifth or even sixth in the Central means you may still have playoff hopes.  That’s how tough it has been.  Over the course of this decade, though, two teams have dominated the top of the standings.  Ankeny and Dowling have combined to win every conference title since 2000 with Southeast Polk snagging a tie with both schools in 2006 and Ankeny in 2007.  With these two powers squaring off this Friday, I thought it would be interesting to look at the numbers for the decade.  As of today, ICS has Dowling rated #1 and Ankeny #3 in 4A.  Both are 4-0 and both have beaten very good teams to get there.  From 2000 on, these teams have had very impressive runs and very similar resumes.  Ankeny has a regular season record of 73-12 while Dowling owns a 66-19 mark.  Ankeny has a 15-9 playoff record compared to Dowling’s 11-4 tally.  Both teams won a Substate game last season, as well.  Let’s take a look at the year-by-year rundown to get a feel for what these two teams have accomplished.  In 2000, Dowling ran the table, beating Ankeny in the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs, on their way to the 4A State Title.  Ankeny’s only losses were to Dowling.  In 2001, Dowling again finished as 13-0 State Champs, beating Ankeny in the regular season and in the semis at the UNI-Dome.  Ankeny’s only losses were to Dowling.  In 2002, Dowling finished an uncharacteristic 4-5, missing the playoffs, while Ankeny again reached the semis, only to lose to Valley.  In 2003, Dowling improved to 5-4, but again missed the playoffs.  Ankeny had a perfect regular season, making it to the semifinal, where they lost to Valley.  In 2004, Dowling rebounded to make the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Ankeny.  Ankeny wound up in the semis again, and lost there to Valley for the third straight year.  In 2005, Dowling swept the conference and made it to the semifinals, losing to Valley.  Ankeny lost to Dowling in the quarterfinals.  In 2006, Ankeny beat Dowling in the regular season, but both lost in the playoffs.  Dowling lost to Sioux City East in the first round, and Ankeny lost to S.E. Polk in the quarterfinals.  In 2007, Dowling was just squeezed out of the playoffs at 6-3.  Ankeny avenged their only regular season loss to S.E. Polk in the quarters and made it all the way to the final before bowing to Bettendorf.  Last year, Dowling beat Ankeny in the regular season and made it to the quarters, where they were upended by Valley.  Ankeny made it back to the semifinals once again, but lost to Valley.  So as you can see, these teams have a right to expect to be in the mix at the end of the season.  They have had great battles and enjoyed much success in this decade.  Nine semifinal appearances between them in this decade alone.  Six of them by Ankeny with four in a row.  This Friday should be another classic chapter to the story, and the postseason will no doubt be awaiting another matchup, as well.  To think otherwise would be foolish.  ICS can hardly wait.  Would I rather have this game in week nine?  Maybe.  But what a great way to kick off the conference schedule!  Jerry Pezzetti and Tom Wilson are ready.  Are you?      

Quick recap of the events so far:  Valley has lost twice already.  Marshalltown and Mason City are both 4-0.  Clinton, Linn-Mar and Dubuque Hempstead are on top of their conferences.  Business as usual, right?  The 4A landscape may look a little different up to this point in the season, but the action is as exciting as ever.  Iowa City High, Dowling and Ankeny are viewed as the top teams, but upstarts are in abundance.  Marshalltown followed their big win over Valley with a dramatic win over Johnston, and Dubuque Hempstead knocked off Cedar Falls to remain unbeaten as well.  Mason City downed Ames to stay perfect and Clinton beat Bettendorf for the first time in 18 years to take the reigns of the MAC.  Wow.  Add in Linn-Mar’s win over CR Washington, and you have a very different looking leader board in 4A.  How this will play out is yet to be seen, but the storyline has been fantastic so far.  Also, don’t forget Waukee.  They doubled up a very nice Fort Dodge team 44-22 to go to 3-1, with that OT loss to Ankeny as their only blemish.  Urbandale quietly remains unbeaten and eager to get conference play underway.  *Waterloo East slipped by rival Waterloo West 34-33 in 2 OT.  Why do we need to know that?  That is just the third win by East in this decade and their first since 2007.  Things were relatively quiet in 3A this week with the top teams unfazed, but Decorah had a nice bounce-back win over West Delaware, 27-7.  The Vikings jump back on the ICS radar with the win.  In 2A, BH/RV put an end to Central Lyon’s district win streak that dated back to week one of the 2006 season with a 34-14 victory.  Cascade held off Sumner-Fredericksburg 27-14, and Carroll Kuemper got a huge win over IKM/Manning in OT, 35-28.  1A Emmetsburg got a scare from Saint Ansgar, but managed to hang on for a 21-20 win.  Turkey Valley wasn’t as fortunate, losing 36-30 to Denver in that brutally tough District 3.  Pekin put the hammer to Van Buren in a District 5 game to the tune of 90-0…Are you serious?  What the heck?  In Class A, Wapsie Valley destroyed Midland, Wyoming in equally disturbing fashion, 82-0.  Whoa…That’s a Saturday morning I do not envy.  On the ‘Way to go, guys!’ side, Martensdale-St. Mary’s won their first game since moving back from 8-player when they dropped Lynnville-Sully, 48-8.  It was the Devils’ first win overall since 2006.  And, in 8-player action, the Ankeny Christian Academy vs. Grandview Park Baptist game lived up to the hype and more.  ACA prevailed in a wild shootout, 51-48.  A nice showcase for the 8-player game in the central part of the state.  Also, CAM got a huge win over Glidden-Ralston, 18-12.  They are looking to keep pace with the upper tier teams, Stanton, A-R and Lenox.  We will be gearing up for a big Week Five here at ICS, so stay close for more during the week.      

Don’t forget to check out the rankings in the right-hand menu…

Pretty impressive slate of games on tap for this week.  All six classes are loaded with top-notch matchups.  Let’s take a look at some of the best ones…These are ICS spotlight games, but there are many more that we think will prove to be equally exciting.  This week will justify some teams and possibly expose others, but make no mistake, there are plenty of great games to choose from.  Starting in 4A, the Battle For the Boot is going on between Iowa City West and Iowa City High Thursday night.  Now, this should be one-sided and all City High, but I feel obligated to mention it because it is a huge rivalry and a game we always pay attention to.  Maybe West has a surprise or two waiting?  Who knows?  Many big games on Friday will have an impact on standings and playoff runs for several teams, and 4A has some good ones.  Ottumwa @ Ankeny will tell us how far Ottumwa has come and just how tough Ankeny is.  Johnston @ Marshalltown suddenly looks like a scary road trip for the Dragons, but a nice test.  Waukee @ Fort Dodge will give the Dodgers a chance to really jump into the mix in 4A, or allow Waukee to keep rolling.  Out East, the best game should be CR Washington @ Linn-Mar.  If Linn-Mar wanted a true test of their improvement, they get one here.  Both will be selling playoff tickets down the road.  In 3A, let’s keep it brief.  West Delaware @ Decorah and Benton @ Maquoketa highlight this class for this week, but there will be a ton of nice pecking order games that will position teams for their playoff runs.  We don’t know who the teams are that will move up a notch this week, but they are going to make their presence felt, and the districts will be lining up for some great showdowns.  In 2A, look at District One…Two great games for sure.  Boyden Hull/Rock Valley will be at Central Lyon/G-LR and Sheldon goes to Hull to take on Western Christian.  Nice.  Sumner-Fredericksburg @ Cascade looks like a keeper, and how about Mid-Prairie @ Mediapolis?  Mediapolis could put themselves on the 2009 map with a win in this one.  1A will not disappoint, either.  Four contests fight for our attention here, and we will gladly give it.  Hinton @ H-M-S is a suddenly appealing game with both squads flexing some unexpected muscle.  Denver @ Turkey Valley warrants ‘Game of the District’ status in a stacked district.  West Branch is always good.  Wapello wants a piece of that pie.  They get their shot at home.  Prairie Valley is quiet good.  They go on the road to play a Manson-NW Webster team that has been absolutely invisible good.  Who wants it more?  You want Class A action?  How about Rockford @ Mason City Newman?  Maybe HLV @ North Tama?  Also, Boyer Valley and AHST are both undefeated.  Boyer Valley is on the road and AHST has their sights on the UNI-Dome.  Could be a nice battle.  In 8-Player games, we see a few good tilts, but here are the two we like most.  Locally, let’s go with Ankeny Christian Academy @ Grandview Park Baptist.  That should be the best game in our immediate area.  Statewide, may we suggest Glidden-Ralston @ CAM?  That should be a gooden, Doc…If you didn’t see your game on here, don’t fret, we’re watching that one too.  If your team is taking care of business, we are noticing.  LET’S GO, PLEASANTVILLE!!!            

We owe you some highlights..    First we will Give you some AP/DNH week one Post game.

Second Some Valley Dowling First Half!!!

Finally some Valley Dowling Post!

Just a few quick notes from Friday night…

A third of the way through the regular season, it’s safe to say we have an interesting 2009 on our hands.  Let’s talk about some of the week three action, shall we?  Marshalltown got it done at Valley, downing the Tigers 16-14 to stay undefeated.  They snapped Valley’s 31 game win streak in Iowa Conference play and gave them a rare two game losing streak.  Valley’s last multiple-loss regular season was in 2002.  The Central Conference of the CIML is currently 16-2 after three weeks, with both losses belonging to S.E. Polk.  Otumwa and Fort Dodge continue to impress under the radar.  In 3A, Centerville took the spotlight with their huge OT victory over Pella, 44-43.  What a great early-season battle, and what an outstanding District Six.  Also, after losing the first two weeks to very tough North Fayette and Clear Lake squads, New Hampton downed Decorah 26-14 to get their first win.  Best 1-2 team?  Maybe so.  In 2A, West Marshall won a nail-biter over PCM in a big local matchup, 13-12 and Osage ran their record to 3-0 with victories over Charles City, St. Ansgar and now South Hamilton, 47-13.  Green Devil Power!  Another streaking team you may not have noticed is in 1A, and they have beat their three opponents by a combined 77-7 total.  That would be Hinton, owners of victories over Unity Christian, LeMars Gehlen and West Sioux.  Also in 1A, things are great in Stuart, where West Central Valley is off to a rare 3-0 start after beating Ogden 21-7.  In Class A, we have an unheralded but strong 3-0 team in Van Meter gliding along after their 33-17 defeat of Colo-Nesco.  These are just a sampling of some of the great 3-0 teams across the state, and there were some great games and performances from Friday night, as usual.  In 8-player action, the big matchup between Ankeny Christian Academy and current powerhouse Lenox ended up in a 43-27 win for the defending champs.  A great effort by ACA, but Lenox isn’t ready to hand over anything just yet.  Also, a nice battle of rated teams went to North Sentral Kossuth, as they dropped Graettinger-Terril 38-22.  Four teams winless in 2008 notched their fist victories in awhile in week three.  Saydel knocked off Nevada, 24-14, Danville doubled up New London, 28-14, Kingsley-Pierson got by River Valley, Correctionville, 25-6 and Whiting rolled over Aurelia 54-12.  Congratulations to those winners and congratulations to you if you check back for our look at week four and more…    

Put a wrap on last week.. Dowling is good that is why we had them #1 in our Pre Season ICS rankings..We will post some highlights next week..  

Don’t forget to follow us at the game tonight..   Were are we?   go to:

http://twitter.com/iaclassicsports 

 and we should have a nice webcast tonight.. talking about week 3 games and the Iowa-Iowa State game.

Our DVD’s for Touchdown in the Heartland will be in all Casey’s Stores by this time next week!   We are having a special showing.  Sunday..  wanted to share some details.  THanks to the Fleur Cinema! Windstar Lines and Casey’s for making this event happen.. 

September 8, 2009 (Ankeny, Iowa) – Don’t miss the one-time world premiere of the documentary “Touchdown in the Heartland” this Sunday. You’re invited to see the documentary that honors the life of legendary Coach Ed Thomas. Special guests of honor will be the A-P Falcon Football Team thanks to the generosity of Windstar Lines that will provide the transportation. The A-P community has also been invited to attend this premiere. Thank you to Fleur Cinema for making the event possible. The DVDs are now available in Casey’s General Stores all across Iowa, portions of each sale will benefit the Ed Thomas Foundation.

In just 34 seconds 220 houses were knocked to the ground, 22 businesses destroyed and six people died. The high school and the Ed Thomas Football Field was the heart of the small town, also taken by the tornado. Aplington-Parkersburg High School Football Coach Ed Thomas stands in the center of this amazing story. Despite the devastation, Thomas encouraged everyone that the Falcon football team would take the field for their first home game. His perseverance generated a spirit of pride that brought the community together, and helped everyone move forward. Thomas coached for 37 years. His teams won two state championships, made the playoffs 19 times…and four of his former players are currently in the NFL. Upon the completion of this documentary, Coach Ed Thomas was tragically killed.

“Touchdown In the Heartland” was created to honor those lost and those who sacrificed their time and resources to rebuild Parkersburg. Now the hope is that this story captures the essence of one of greatest coaches to ever work with student athletes.

Four games last night in 4A action, starting with a North Scott victory over a much-improved Davenport Central.  The Lancers are three-fourths through the Davenport schools now, with wins over West, North and now Central, 45-24.  Assumption will be a little tougher in week seven.  Linn-Mar is really turning it around after a long run of tough times.  They knock off Dubuque Senior in a big way, 62-9, and remain undefeated.  CR Washington answered the bell and showed CR Prairie who’s the big dog of the Rapids with their convincing 28-7 win.  On the other side of the state, Sioux City East played host to Indianola and almost got away with a win before bowing in two overtimes, 42-35.  Thursday night football is kinda cool, but we’re only a couple more hours away from the happiest time of the week…Enjoy!

These are the current leaders for the decade that will end in about a month…2000-2009.

Some are races that may change, some are long-gone leads. 

Games played: Miguel Tejada 1557, Bobby Abreu 1551.

Plate App: Bobby Abreu 6835, Derek Jeter 6830.

Runs: A-Rod 1178, Johnny Damon 1107.

Hits: Ichiro 2000, Derek Jeter 1911.

2B: Helton 428, Abreu 402.

3B: Rollins 93, Crawford 90.

HR: A-Rod 429, Thome 368, Albert 363.

RBI: A-Rod 1222, Albert 1097, Manny 1095.

BB: Bonds 1128, Abreu 1028.

SO: Thome 1425, Dunn 1410.

HBP: Jason Kendall 155, Giambi 138.

SB: Juan Pierre 454, Crawford 357.

CS: Juan Pierre 153, Luis Castillo 108.

GIDP: Tejada 217, Konerko 193.

BA: Albert .334, Ichiro .333, Helton .331.

OBP: Bonds .517, Helton .436, Albert .427.

SLG: Bonds .724, Albert .629, Manny .602.

OPS: Bonds 1.241, Albert 1.056, Manny 1.021

Please take a look at the ICS rankings on the right-hand side menu scroll each week to see what David has done with his top teams in each class.  Through painstaking research, David has assembled the top ten in each class and then edited them on a weekly basis for your benefit.  No need to look elsewhere or put too much stock in rankings you might see from another source.  ICS has you covered.  Now, with that in mind, let’s take a quick look at our feature games for this week.  As always, these are some of our favorite matchups, but not all of the great contests that will be played.  We start in 4A and make our way to the 8-player action.  We have an interesting Thursday battle in Eastern Iowa as Cedar Rapids Washington hosts 2-0 Cedar Rapids Prairie.  Are the Prairie Hawks for real, or does Washington rebound from the pounding they took at the hands of Iowa City High?  Should be a good one.  Ames was a team with a lot of preseason praise, but they find themselves 0-2 and staring 0-3 in the face as they travel to play a red-hot Fort Dodge squad that looks to be vastly improved.  Can the Little Cyclones get back on track, or do the Dodgers add to their woes?  With Valley’s loss to Dowling last week, it will be very interesting to see how they react at home against a very good Marshalltown team.  This game has been hyped each year, but this time Marshalltown looks to get it done.  Valley should circle the wagons.  Marion is up against a spirited Central Clinton team in a nice 3A battle of unbeatens at DeWitt.  Central Clinton hasn’t lost a regular season game since week two of 2007.  They haven’t lost a district game since late in 2006.  District Six is loaded in 3A, and two of the best so far this year are going at it in Centerville this week as the Big Red take on the Little Dutch from Pella.  Pella should be favored, but don’t overlook a hungry Centerville.  West Marshall fell just short against Aplington-Parkersburg last week, and they hope to bounce back against PCM, as they travel to Monroe to take on the Mustangs.  PCM doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead to their game next week with CMB.  West Hancock at Emmetsburg is a classic matchup of storied programs, and the E-Hawks are riding a 17-game win streak.  Pekin is a storied program as well, and they have a big pecking order game at Belle Plaine.  Clay Central-Everly looks to snag some of the Class A District Two attention from Southern Cal this year, and a win at Algona versus Bishop Garrigan would be a nice way to do that.  Finally, there are two games in 8-player competition that stand out.  One is Graettinger-Terril at North Sentral Kossuth, and the other is right here in our backyard.  That would be #1 Lenox at #7 Ankeny Christian Academy.  ACA has been passing tests and getting better and better.  What’s the old saying?  Want to be the best? …You have to beat the best.  ACA will get a shot at the defending champs of 8-player when Lenox comes to town with their high-potent offense and hard-nosed defense.  This is the kind of game an up-and-comer needs, so we’ll see what ACA does with it.  A win would be monumental for their young program.  Good luck to all the teams and may week three be as entertaining and exciting as the previous two.  Duh.  You know it will be.  Since it’s the start of district play in the ‘smaller’ schools, here’s your district play tidbit for the day:  Harlan has won 42 straight district games.  They take on Atlantic this week.  The Trojans were the last district foe to defeat the Little Cyclones, but you have to go back to 2002 for that one…          

Statement games in week two?  Yeah, it’s possible.  Both Dowling Catholic and Iowa City High had huge wins Friday night over perennial 4A powers, and both did it in convincing fashion.  Dowling upended rival Valley 44-14, snapping the Tigers’ 15 game win streak and their 29 game regular season win streak in the process.  Dowling is good.  Scary good.  Valley will rebound and be a major force, but they were not ready for what Dowling had to offer.  Iowa City High left no doubt who is running the show in Eastern Iowa with an amazing 65-21 whipping of Cedar Rapids Washington.  Bettendorf will have something to say about this, but for now, it’s hard to argue with the results the little Hawks have produced.  In 3A the marquee matchup was Harlan hosting Heelan, and the Little Cyclones got the victory, 24-6.  Harlan ends their 3 game losing streak to Heelan and restores ‘order’ to the 3A universe for their fans.  Ballard and ADM had a nice battle of local teams looking to make noise, won by Ballard, 21-14.  West Lyon is a top team in 1A, but they ran up against one of the top 2A teams in Boyden Hull/Rock Valley, and came up short, 27-10.  West Lyon hopes that is just a blip on the radar when it’s all said and done, while BH/RV can be proud of a big win over a solid team.  Aplington-Parkersburg kept it going with a close win over West Marshall, 15-9, fueled once again by Hornbuckle.  Northwood-Kensett will be very good in Class A this season.  That we know.  They got a taste of what 1A is in store for when they fell to Emmetsburg 17-0.  The defending champs cruised to their 17^th consecutive win.  And how about Turkey Valley?  Another big win, this time a pasting of Starmont, 42-0.  Look out for TVJJ.  West Branch got a key victory over a very good Wilton squad, 31-6.  District foes had better get ready for the Bears.  Mason City Newman ‘upset’ Fort Dodge St. Edmond, 16-13, an upset only in class size, as MCN is Class A and FDSTE is 1A.  In 8-Player there were two games to me that stood out.  First, Armstrong-Ringsted showed their might by drubbing a very good CWL team, 57-16.  I thought this would be a competitive game, but A-R is on another level right now.  There are a few teams like that in 8-player, but A-R is going to be tough to deal with.  Finally, Glidden-Ralston flexed and Ar-We-Va bent in a great tilt won by G-R, 20-19.  These games were some of the highlights from week two, but there were many more.  We can’t wait for week three and the start of district play. 

Oh By The Way:  -With Valley’s loss to Dowling, Stanton now holds the current best regular season win streak in Iowa with 23.  They got by Adair-Casey, the last team to beat them in-season, 35-28.  Solon moves their state best overall win streak to 29 after drubbing Sigourney-Keota, 41-0.  -There were 28 teams in Iowa that went without a win in 2008.  After two weeks of 2009, seven of them have tasted sweet victory.  Congratulations to them, and we are pulling for the other 21.  –There were 35 teams that won their last game in 2008 but were not state champs.  These teams failed to qualify for the playoffs, but ended the year on a win streak.  Through two weeks in 2009, six of them are still winning, all of them with three game streaks.  They are:  Linn-Mar, Davenport Central, Knoxville, Mediapolis, Cedar Falls NU High and Grand View Park Baptist.  Estherville-Lincoln Central carried a three game win streak into the season in this way, but dropped their week one matchup 20-14 to Sheldon.  Just thought you might like to know.