Since we have come to the end of the decade, there is nothing left to do but look back on the last ten seasons of high school football here in Iowa.  Over the course of many posts I plan on breaking down the teams and their records from kickoff on opening night in 2000 through the final horn of the 3A Championship game last Saturday.  Along the way, I will also try to point out interesting trends, tidbits, accomplishments and oddities that made the decade exciting and entertaining.  A lot of all-time greats played in this past decade, and a lot of records were broken or established.  There were great teams making great runs and some less fortunate teams struggling to win at all.  Hall of Fame coaches said goodbye and the next generation of great coaches got their starts.  You get the picture.  I will try and touch on as many highlights as possible, and discuss what we here at ICS have witnessed and documented.  For the first entry, I have compiled the records of the CIML teams for comparison.  The Central Iowa Metropolitan League is comprised of three conferences, the Central, the Iowa and the Metro.  Here are the total overall regular season records of the teams, starting with the Metro Conference:

Ottumwa 69-21 (one undefeated season)

Des Moines East 51-39

Des Moines Lincoln 42-48

Des Moines Roosevelt 33-57

Des Moines North 12-78

Des Moines Hoover 9-81

 

When you limit the totals to conference games only:

 

Ottumwa 45-5 (six undefeated conference seasons)

Des Moines East 34-16 (one undefeated conference season)

Des Moines Lincoln 28-22 (one undefeated conference season)

Des Moines Roosevelt 25-25

Des Moines North 10-40

Des Moines Hoover 8-42

 

In the Iowa Conference it looks like this overall:

 

Valley 79-11 (5 undefeated seasons)

Ames 54-36

Marshalltown 40-50 (one undefeated season)

Fort Dodge 40-50

Newton 38-16 as member of Iowa Conference (2000-2005) 21-15 as Independent (2006-2009) (one undefeated season as independent)

Mason City 34-56

Waukee 25-13 as member of Iowa Conference (2006-2009) 33-20 in 3A (2000-2005) (one undefeated season in 3A)

 

In conference games only:

 

Valley 43-7 (seven undefeated conference seasons)

Ames 28-22

Newton 20-10 (2000-2005) (one undefeated conference season)

Marshalltown 18-32 (one undefeated conference season)

Fort Dodge 15-35

Mason City 13-37

Waukee 13-7 (2006-2009) 26-16 in 3A (two undefeated district seasons)

 

The Central Conference overall:

 

Ankeny 77-13 (one undefeated season)

Dowling 71-19 (three undefeated seasons)

Southeast Polk 55-35

Johnston 47-43

Indianola 37-53

Urbandale 36-54

 

In conference games only:

Ankeny 41-9 (two undefeated conference seasons)

Dowling 41-9 (four undefeated conference seasons)

Southeast Polk 26-24

Johnston 19-31

Indianola 12-38

Urbandale 11-39

 

Now let’s look at the postseason records of the CIML teams.  First is their substate record, followed by their playoff record and number of appearances.

Valley 2-0, 25-6, 10 (eight semifinals, five finals, FOUR TITLES) 02, 03, 05, 08

Ankeny 2-0, 15-10, 10 (six semifinals, one final)

Dowling 2-0, 13-5, 7 (four semifinals, two finals, TWO TITLES) 00, 01

Southeast Polk 1-0, 5-4, 4 (one semifinal, one final)

Marshalltown 1-0, 3-2, 2 (one semifinal, one final)

Newton 0-0, 3-6, 6 *four in CIML, two as independent

Ottumwa 1-1, 2-7, 7

Urbandale 1-0, 1-1, 1

Mason City 0-2, 1-2, 2

Ames 1-1, 1-4, 4

Fort Dodge 0-2, 0-1, 1

Indianola 0-2, 0-1, 1

DSM Lincoln 0-2, 0-2, 2

Johnston 2-0, 0-3, 3

Waukee 2-0, 0-3, 3 (3-2 in two 3A appearances, one semifinal)

DSM East 1-1, 0-5, 5

Saturday at the UNI-Dome the 1A, 2A and 3A champions will be determined in the last three games of the 2009 season.  Many storylines exist, but mainly the recurring theme is tradition.  In 1A, Council Bluffs Saint Albert is currently riding a seven season wave few other teams can boast of.  They have made 13 consecutive playoff fields, but in just the last six they have brought home a 2^nd place finish and three titles.  That usually garners talk of a dynasty or at least makes a bigger splash than what the Falcons have received from it.  They remain quiet, but they keep winning.  They play South Winneshiek, a team with a miniscule playoff resume, but an impressive run this season.  Big wins over Emmetsburg and West Branch in one playoff field cannot be ignored, and South Winn accomplished it.  A key revenge victory over Turkey Valley showed their toughness, as well.  They will be in for a battle with CBSTA.  The stars of this game will be Jake Waters of CBSTA and Jordan Andera of South Winneshiek, but in the end it will come down to better team play and experience.  Experience that CBSTA has an abundance of.  Will that be enough?  The 2A title game will be Solon vs. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley.  We have written a lot about Solon and followed them closely for a long time.  Mainly because coach Kevin Miller is our friend, but he has a fascinating group of young men who really buy into what the staff is preaching.  These seniors from Solon have won and won and won.  That has been well documented.  How they have done it is what is interesting.  To be honest, this year I don’t think the 2A field is nearly as impressive as it has been.  This cannot be looked at as an excuse for what Solon has done.  They are miles ahead of the competition, and probably could do very well in 3A.  They have not suffered from the lack of competition or had letdowns.  Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley will be the best team Solon has faced this year, but I see a wide margin of talent between them.  Maybe not even talent so much as execution, fundamentals and attitude.  Solon has probably put together the nicest run of dominating their competition of any school we have seen in quite some time.  This will be their fourth Final in a row and, if they win, their third consecutive crown.  Only Decorah and Harlan, who we will get to later, can talk about winning like that.  To do it, they will need to get pressure on the BH/RV QB, keeping him from utilizing the twin towers, Jordan Dykstra and Marcus Heemstra.  They may not be the statistical leaders, but they are the X factor in this UNI-Dome matchup.  Solon has speed and they hit hard.  Something that could negate the 6’ 8” and 6’ 9” receiving weapons.  While we are talking about Solon, let’s take a minute to appreciate James Morris.  He gets all the pub, but this team could be here even without him.  WITH him, however, they are hell on wheels.  He has put up career numbers that land him on all-time lists, yet I never even thought about that.  He plays LB as well as you need to in high school, yet I never thought to compare him to others.  He will go to Iowa to be a Hawkeye for Kirk Ferentz, yet I never stopped to imagine what that might be like.  He is a rare player that just demands your attention and continues to impress.  ICS was drawn to him early, and thanks to the successful UNI-Dome run Solon has put together, we have watched him play more than we normally would have been allowed.  Coaches would love to have players like James, so Kevin Miller has been blessed in that regard.  But it just boils down to the fact that he is a good kid who plays hard and is extremely talented.  We do not have an actual ‘Wall of Fame’ at the ICS Headquarters, but if we did, there would definitely be a shiny new banner going up after Saturday with a black and orange #28.  Solon has a chance to make history Saturday, but the good thing is that win or lose, they will be the same on Sunday, no matter what.

Finally, the 3A title will be decided in yet another example of tradition vs. ‘inexperience’.  Harlan vs. Pella might sound like a matchup for a basketball Final, but the football season comes down to this battle between two familiar schools.  They’ve met on the hardwood, but now they find each other at the UNI-Dome competing for the championship.  Pella has always had nice football teams with great success.  Success that always stopped short of the big game.  This will be their first taste of the State Final, and they have had a wild path to get here.  They were left for dead after losses to Centerville, Carlisle and Grinnell plunged them to a fourth-place finish in District Six.  But they have caught fire and reached their preseason expectations with a big win over Williamsburg, rematch wins against Grinnell and Centerville and a spectacular win over New Hampton in the semis.  Pella is riding a wave.  Harlan is a tsunami.  The Cyclones boast the gaudy playoff record, the legendary coach, the mystique and most importantly the athletes.  They have a heady, mobile QB in Michael Kaufmann, a pair of tough runners in Dylan Barrett and Matt Hoch, many capable receivers and a great O-line.  On defense, the pursuit is amazing and they attack the ball.  Forsythe is a very talented QB for Pella, but dealing with the Harlan pressure will be a tough task.  Harlan makes it look so easy at times.  They just have such a great system and they execute so well.  It is fun to watch.  Pella would like to keep the magic flowing for one more win, but this will be a major hurdle for the Little Dutch.  Harlan has won 11 titles and finished 2^nd eight times!  Can you believe that?  It still boggles the mind every time I read it or look at their records.  Check out the Harlan and Curt Bladt numbers in the IHSAA record book sometime…It is amazing.  Anyway, the point is that Saturday LOOKS like one-sided powers favored to dump lesser opponents.  Reality tells us that anything can happen, though.  They will be good games no matter what.               

ICS will be at the UNI-Dome this Friday and Saturday for the final six games of the 2009 season.  It is exciting, but it is also sad to think that yet another season has passed us by.  Week One gets us pumped up and impatient to get things going, and then the next thing you know, we’re picking up equipment and walking out of an empty, half-dark UNI-Dome, the maintenance personnel nodding goodbye as we walk out the tunnel to the cold Cedar Falls night.  One thing’s for sure…It’s worth it.  These games, these kids, these teams and coaching staffs all make it worth it.  Whether they’re personal friends like Solon’s Kevin Miller and Dowling’s Tom Wilson, or they’re teams I’ve never seen at the UNI-Dome before, or even legends like Curt Bladt, once you are in the middle of the scene, you are hooked.  All the great players and performances…We contemplated the question ‘what is your favorite memory or game up here at the UNI-Dome?’ during the semis last Friday, and I have ‘em, but they are too many to narrow down to a definite answer.  And that is ok.  I realized that the games are all so good, it is impossible to rank them, and I don’t want to.  If you have the good fortune of your team making it to the semis, it is something you cannot miss.  If your team never makes it, you still need to do yourself a favor and find a way to get up to the UNI-Dome and take in a game, any game, no matter which schools are playing.  It is that awesome.  Let’s take a glance at this weekend’s slate…

Friday the 8P game is a rematch of last year’s Final, with Lenox, the defending champion, and Armstrong-Ringsted locking horns once again.  Lenox has won 23 games in a row, and none were bigger than their 34-32 triumph over A-R for the trophy in 2008.  I don’t have any concrete facts or insightful thoughts on why, but I just feel A-R is going to get it done and snap Lenox’s run.  Maybe Tyler Tonderum will be too much for the Tigers to handle.  The loss of Dylan Looft for the Mustangs will be tough.  He played center and DE, so he will be missed.  He broke his leg in the semi, but A-R will be fired up to win for him, for sure.  Either way, I’m hoping for a high-scoring shootout.  Next up will be the Class A title game between Southern Cal and Mason City Newman.  I thought for sure we were headed for a rematch of last year’s Final of SoCal and North Tama, but only after SoCal got by Madrid.  However, Newman prevailed and looked good in doing so.  Now, who knows?  Newman will be a tough test for the Mustangs, but these teams are very much alike.  A lot of weapons on offense and hard-nosed defenses.  Southern Cal is the defending champion, but it will be a major chore to hoist a repeat version of that trophy.  In the 4A finale, we have an unexpected twist with Marshalltown rolling in at 13-0.  Very good, very deserving and very determined.  The Bobcats just keep chuggin’.  They will face 13-0 Iowa City High, making their sixth Final appearance, and looking for their fourth title.  They do not mirror each other, but they are definitely led by their quarterbacks.  Chanse Creekmur is the real deal for Marshalltown, and AJ Derby is all he has been advertised as and more.  They are big and in control.  Creekmur is a little less of a running threat, yet he rushed for a sweet td against Dowling when flushed.  His last drive against Dowling was one of the best I’ve seen at the Dome or anywhere.  It should be replayed on video at the Hall of Pride so everyone can get to see it.  Derby also plays defense rather well, punts and runs well, and probably drives the team bus.  Marshalltown will feature WR Jarred Carlson who is big, fast and Creekmur’s favorite target.  Iowa City will get to know him real well.  Iowa City has a nifty little back in #3 Ellis Jordan.  He can fly and might be a big weapon for Derby.  Also look for #13, John Chelf.  He is somewhat small, but gets open for big plays.  Can Marshalltown get one more win out of this magical run?  We’ll see.  Iowa City High looked very impressive in their 21-3 win over Xavier, but they better get pressure on Creekmur early and often.  These games will be great, and we hope you all get to see them.  We will discuss Saturday’s games before we head up to Cedar Falls…              

2A and 3A action at the UNI-Dome on Monday, and it was a great day overall.  Solon got things underway with a quick and effective knockout on North Fayette.  Two immediate and long scoring strikes and North Fayette knew it was over.  Solon built a 35-0 halftime lead and rode it out through a continuous clock second half to win by the same score.  Great defense and overpowering offense got it done.  James Morris was once again outstanding and Solon has now won 40 games in a row.  Their seniors have now played in 4 semis and will play in their 4th championship this Friday.  Wow.  Solon is 51-2 since these seniors were issued pads for the first time in 2006.  We will discuss Solon in the off-season after our Finals review.  On the other side of the bracket, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley was impressive in a solid shutdown of IKM/Manning.  They won 35-7 behind some big strike plays and some hard-nosed defense.  The two tall wideouts for BH/RV are monsters to deal with, and Mouw is a nice, tough runner.  Should be a much better game Friday than either semi.  3A featured a #1 vs. #2 showdown with Harlan and Carroll.  Basically, Haluska was good for Carroll, but Harlan just kept pounding and pounding on offense and defense.  They are so solid at every position.  Fundamental assignment football with great athletes.  Sounds like a plan.  Bladt wins again, 42-7.  Carroll showed why they were undefeated, but Harlan showed how far ahead of the competition they are.  They will take on Pella in the championship Saturday, after the Little Dutch downed New Hampton, 30-21 in the last game of the day.  Pella jumped out to a 16-7 lead before they had lined up for one offensive play.  A kickoff return for a td, a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown and a safety gave them the lead while their offensive unit waited to get on the field.  New Hampton never really recovered from the shock, and even though they got things going and scored some nice touchdowns, their big drives ended in interceptions and they came up short in a comeback bid.  Pella gets to the Finals for the first time in school history.  They know Harlan has been there a few times, but I don’t think they care right now.  They finished fourth in their district, beat a district champ in substate, a runner-up in the first round of the playoffs, a champ in the quarters and now another champ in the semis.

Well, Iowa City High cruised, with their 21-3 lead holding up for the final score of the game.  Nice try by Xavier, but they just didn’t have it.  So we have Marshalltown and Iowa City High next Friday for the trophy.  I left after that game and David stayed for the Saturday 1A semis.  He will have to elaborate on the action, but it looks like that playoff and UNI-Dome experience of CB St Albert is alive and well.  The Falcons dropped Prairie Valley 49-21 to get back to the final game once again.  The other 1A semi must have been a good one based on the final score…South Winneshiek nipped West Branch 14-7.  We will have to get David to fill us in on these two games when he can.  We will be back in action for all four games Monday, when 3A and 2A are center stage.

Instant classic between Dowling Catholic and Marshalltown.  Dowling scored first on a Hudson td, but Marshalltown answered with a sweet run to the corner pylon by Creekmur.  Then, the Bobcats struck again before the half with a td with :05 left on the clock.  A surprising 14-7 lead was whittled down to 14-10 when Dowling nailed a 46-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.  Marshalltown extended their lead with an amazing 83-yard td pass from Creekmur to Carlson to make it 21-10, and it looked bleak for the Maroons.  But, with 7:03 left in the game, Dowling scored and converted the two-point conversion, cutting it to 21-18.  A defensive stand and a couple of nice runs later, Dowling struck paydirt again, going up 25-21 with a td and another 2-point conversion.  So, that left 3:38 on the clock and Marshalltown took over on their own 20.  Creekmur then engineered what has to be one of the finest late scoring drives to come from behind and win a game in the UNI-Dome.  Critical first downs and excellent clock management without a timeout got them to the eight yard line with 11 seconds left.  A corner td pass to Carlson and the extra point made it 28-25, Marshalltown.  After an amazingly effective kickoff return with numerous laterals, the game ended at about mid-field with the Bobcats pulling off a stunner to stay unbeaten and advance to the final game.  Iowa City High and Cedar Rapids Xavier are just starting the third quarter, and ICH leads a very uneventful game, 14-3.  Derby looks good for ICH, and Chizek, a running back, looks good for Xavier.  Sorry for the choppy, incomplete statements about the action, but we are staying busy up here.  It’s hard to buy time to type on the laptop.  We will cover what happens more thoroughly when we can.  OBTW…Derby just ran in a 16 yard td to make it 20-3.  The extra point makes it 21-3.  Back at ya later…

What a second game…Madrid and Southern Cal had a defensive battle in the first half and ended up tied 7-7 at half.  Lots of running and very little passing in this one.  The 3rd quarter was more defense and then, in the 4th, Madrid sustained a drive and got in the end zone again.  They went for two and got it, so they held a nice 15-7 lead.  Late in the game, Southern Cal busted in for six after a nice drive and got the score to within 15-13.  They missed the 2pt conversion, but Madrid fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Southern Cal turned it into 6 more on a short plunge with under 4:00 to go.  This time, they converted the 2pt try and lead, 21-15.  Solid defense and a key first down enabled the Mustangs to run the clock out and advance to the final with 21-15 as your final score.  A tough loss for Madrid, but a well-played game for both teams.  Dowling and Marshalltown are taking the field right now for the first 4A semi, so we will be back later…

Great first game in the UNI-Dome Friday.  Mason City Newman got it done with tough defense and big play ability.  North Tama had been invincible, but Newman survived a see-saw battle and won, 28-26.  North Tama had two plays at the end, but couldn’t do anything with just 8 seconds left.  Two Redhawk drives were thwarted by Newman interceptions in the last three minutes.  We are having a great time up here, and the Madrid vs. Southern Cal game is minutes away.  Stay close and keep checking in.

The 8P Final is set.  Next Friday morning at 10:35, the king of the 8P field will be determined when Lenox takes on Armstrong-Ringsted in a rematch of last year’s thrilling 34-32 win by Lenox.  Wow, it’s tough for one team to make it back, but very impressive for both to do it.  This will be a very rare and amazing three consecutive finals appearances for A-R.  The Mustangs left no doubt, drubbing Adair-Casey, 64-22.  Lenox dropped unbeaten Preston, 30-8 for their 23rd consecutive win, and a chance to join the elite group of repeat champions in Iowa.  Armstrong-Ringsted’s only loss was a 30-28 setback to North Sentral Kossuth in week five.  They have been rolling since, with eight big wins to return to the championship game.  Should be a great game…Class A and 4A on deck for Friday, stay tuned…

STANZI IS NOW 17-4 AS A STARTER. UH, HUM. THE DUDE HAS 14 PICKS AND 15 TD’S THIS SEASON…LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR, HE DID NOT COME OUT GUNS A-BLAZIN, AND FOR THAT MATTER, REALLY HAS NEVER SET HAWK NATION ON FIRE.  IN THE KIRK FERENTZ ERA HE IS NOT EVEN IN THE TOP 4 OR 5 BEST.  TATE…BANKS…CHANDLER…MAYBE EVEN SCOTTY MULLEN IS ON PAR WITH STANZI?????  but he’s just a hell of a ton better fit then ole Jake… more on the hefty lefty later…

Stanzi WASN’T A WINNER AT FIRST…HE DID NOT RALLY US TO BEAT A HORRIBLE PITT TEAM…LOST AT ILLINOIS AND AT MICHIGAN STATE, AND THREW INCOMPLETIONS ON HIS FINAL FOUR ATTEMPTS TRYING TO RALLY US AGAINST NORTHWESTERN LAST YEAR…YES NW…I REALIZE STANZI HAS GAINED LEADERSHIP AND THE TRUST OF HIS TEAMMATES SINCE THEN, BUT TO SAY IOWA WINS THE GAME IF HE DID NOT GET HURT IS LIKE TAKING A LEAK INTO THE WIND.  I’M NOT SURE WHAT MAKES IOWA FANS SAY THESE THINGS??

 AFTER THE TD PASS TO McNUTT, HE WAS 3 OF 8 FOR 40 YARDS…A BAD PICK, AND THEN THE PLAY THAT ENDED HIS REGULAR SEASON…SO WHAT??  You’re telling me that WEGHER DOESN’T FUMBLE…AND HIS TD DOESN’T GET CALLED BACK IF STANZI STAYS IN THE GAME??  I’M JUST SAYING GROW UP AND BE REAL.  NW BEAT US LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR…AND WILL DO IT AGAIN IF OUR QB ISN’T MORE PREPARED ON A NAKED BOOT IN THE END ZONE…NW DOES A GREAT JOB AGAINST IOWA…

DID YOU REALLY WATCH JAMES VANDENBERG??  I MEAN REALLY?  FREE KIN

K.O.K. LET THE DUDE THROW THE BALL 27 TIMES…READ MY LIPS, 27 TIMES…MAYBE ME ‘N OLE KEN ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO NOTICED THE DEEP OUT WITH SIZZLE…THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND WHEN AND WHY TO THROW THE BALL AWAY…AND WITH CONVICTION!!!  MAYBE ME AND KEN ARE DUMB…BUT I’M WITH K.O.K.   JVB IS GOING TO BE A LIVIN’ WITCH… HE IS CHUCK LONG WITH GAS.

AND, IF I EVER HEAR ANOTHER HAWK FAN MAKE A REFERENCE TO JAKE CHRISTENSON, I WILL FIND SOMEONE TO GO TANYA HARDING ON YOU.  JAKE HAS A HEART OF GOLD…HE HAS GREAT CHARACTER…I THINK HE IS A MORE NATURAL LEADER THAN STANZI…BUT HE WAS NOT A FIT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA…AND DRUNK, (I’m sure the kid has never drank) BLINDFOLDED, WITH ONE ARM TIED BEHIND HIS BACK, JVB WOULD BE BETTER THAN JAKE…

LET’S GO…LET’S START BELIEVING…LET’S NOT EXPECT ANYTHING BUT GREATNESS…YES, STANZI CAN PLAY WHEN HE GETS BACK…BLAH, BLAH, BLAH WHATEVER…BUT THIS JVB KID HAS THE TOOLS…HE IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF QB THAN STANZI…ALL OFFENSIVE PLAYERS WITH THE ABILITY TO CATCH THE FOOTBALL BETTER START RUNNING HARDER ROUTES…AND BE READY TO CATCH THE BALL EARLIER IN THE PATTERN…JVB AIN’T GOING TO HOLD THE OLD THE PIGSKIN…AND YOU KNOW WHAT?  HE AIN’T GOING TO LOB IT TO YOU…

HEY MARVIN…RUN YOUR McNUTTS OFF…RUN HARDER…THE BALL IS BEATING YOU TO YOUR SPOTS…

HEY TREY STROSS…RUN HARDER…AND BE READY FOR THE BALL AT ALL TIMES…NOT WHEN IT WORKS FOR YOU…

HEY DJK…HE’S NOT PERFECT…MAYBE CATCH THE BALL IF IT IS NOT PERFECT…

DARE TO BE GREAT OFFENSIVE PLAYERS…BEATING THE BUCKEYES WITH JVB IS NO DIFFERENT THEN GONG IN THERE WITH STANZI…I KNOW THE PLAYERS WILL BELIEVE THAT COME GAME TIME…I HAVE TO BELIEVE THE STAFF WILL HAVE THEM READY TO ROLL…

IF HAWK FANS DON’T BELIEVE, THEN DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WATCHING THE GAME AND ROOTING FOR IOWA…I DON’T WANT YOU AROUND… BECOME A BULLDOG FAN OR MOVE YOUR LAME ATTITUDE TO STORY COUNTY ON SATURDAY…

THE TIME IS NOW…COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA, NOW COLUMBUS WILL DISCOVER THE NEXT GREAT IOWA QB…IT’S NOT A CHANDLER, IT’S NOT THE FUTURE WITH Beutjer…

　

We are down to just 24 teams.  Time to go to the UNI-Dome for the semifinals in all six classes.  14 of the teams are undefeated, 21 of them were ranked in the ICS final regular season rankings.  8P kicks it off Thursday with games scheduled for 10:00am and 1:00pm.  Armstrong-Ringsted and Adair-Casey play first, followed by Preston and Lenox.  Lenox is riding a 22-game winning streak, but don’t kid yourself…Once a team gets this far, anything can happen and any team can win.  That being said, the experience of making it to the semis in the past can be a huge advantage.  Certain teams seem to get on a roll after getting here, and become hard to beat for a long spell.  The odd, one-timer teams that have that miracle season are still out there, but they are few and far between.  Can Lenox repeat?  Can Armstrong-Ringsted get another shot at Lenox in the final this year?  Preston and Adair-Casey would like a “nobody said we could do it” final…

Friday will be a treat with Class A and 4A semis that should not be missed.  Semifinal Friday is easily my favorite day, if forced to pick one.  At 10:30am, Mason City Newman and North Tama start the action, followed by a 1:30pm battle between Southern Calhoun and Madrid.  Class A promises to deliver.  Something’s got to give in the first game between fantastic defensive teams.  Newman only gives up about 8 points a game, which is great, but North Tama only allows 1.5.  1.5 is absurd.  They gave up 6 to English Valleys in week five and 12 to GMG in week seven.  That’s it.  Every other game a shutout.  Wow.  Madrid vs. a defending champion always sounds like fun to me.  Southern Calhoun with coach Bryan Case, and Madrid with coach Randy Hinkel, know what they are doing in the UNI-Dome.  This is probably the game I am looking forward to the most.  Then come the big schools with Marshalltown and Dowling at 4:30pm, followed by Cedar Rapids Xavier and Iowa City High at 7:30pm.  Both games are intriguing because Dowling and Iowa City High have been #1 and #2 all year, but Marshalltown and Xavier have been playing great and doing whatever it takes to stay alive.  I have no idea what to expect between the Bobcats and the Maroons, but I think it could be exciting or a Dowling walk.  Iowa City High beat Xavier 24-17 in week three, but Xavier also lost to Linn-Mar and then exacted their revenge in the postseason.  Can they do it again?  I’m looking for a Dowling/Iowa City High final, but the moment you think you know, you find out you don’t know.  I do know that the 1A games will be played Saturday.  Personally, I really wanted an Emmetsburg vs. West Branch game, but South Winneshiek dumped the E-Hawks and then got a revenge win over Turkey Valley to get to the UNI-Dome.  This will be a good game.  The postseason experience edge goes clearly to West Branch, but South Winneshiek has regained their swagger since slipping up to Turkey Valley in the regular season, and their tough 22-20 win in the quarterfinal rematch might be the tough game they need to keep them sharp.  That game is at 10:00am.  The 1:00pm semi has Council Bluffs Saint Albert vs. Prairie Valley.  Nice.  Two unbeatens with very different pasts.  CBSTA is in the postseason for the13th time in a row and have been to the finals four times this decade, winning three.  Prairie Valley is in for just the second time, but they made the semis last year in that first run.  I’ve been wondering all year how to tell just how good Prairie Valley is, and this is a pretty fair test to find out.  CBSTA is coming off of a tough win over West Lyon and they are back where they feel they ‘belong’ in the UNI-Dome.  They have definitely made themselves a fixture in November.  That leaves us with Monday’s action in 2A and 3A, and what a day this will be.  Right off the bat at 10:30am we are given a fantastic matchup in 2A between North Fayette and Solon.  North Fayette has been here plenty.  Solon has run the show for the last three seasons since their finals loss to Central Lyon in 2006.  39 straight wins and two consecutive titles later, the Spartans and coach Kevin Miller have been carving their legacy into Iowa history.  They know better than to take North Fayette lightly, though.  They will not be intimidated.  If anything, this will be the last game or two games played by James Morris of Solon.  He is on our ICS favorites list, so we will be watching him intently, win or lose.  1:30 is kickoff for Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley and IKM/Manning.  If there is a game with slashes and dashes in both of the school names, there will be excitement in the UNI-Dome.  This game is more than just the ‘oh by the way’ other side of the bracket game.  Both deserve to be here and should not be over-shadowed by the powers in the first game.  Finally, we have two 3A games to finish the round, starting at 4:30pm with another huge contest.  Harlan and Carroll is must-see for the UNI-Dome.  Harlan doesn’t need an introduction.  This is THEIR house, and we have seen the numbers that back that up many times.  They just keep keepin’ on.  Carroll has built something special lately, and a win over Harlan would be a huge brick in that structure of success.  It sets the stage for a very interesting and important game for both schools.  You do not have to be a fan of either to enjoy this one.  The 7:30 game may get overlooked because of the earlier games, but that is usually when a classic breaks out.  The late 3A games have produced some of the best shootouts, nailbiters and unexpected thrillers in the UNI-Dome in the past, and New Hampton and Pella are perfect teams to play the part again. 

ICS will be at the UNI-Dome for every game and we will try to bring you updates and share our thoughts on what is going on before, during and after the games.  Get up there if you can, keep checking the website either way and enjoy the last few games we have for this season.