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| Regina junior Isaac Vollstedt runs against Solon on Friday. Jackie Blake Jensen/IC Pixx. |
Ames (1-1) at No. 5 City High (2-0)
Where: Bates Field, 7:30 p.m.
Last Season: City High 26, Ames 10.
Player to Watch: Ames senior offensive lineman Colin Newell (6-5, 255) is an Iowa State commit and one of the top lineman in the state.
Key Stat: The two teams have split a pair of games since beginning the rivalry series played on the eve of the Iowa State vs. Iowa game. Ames won the first meeting 44-20 in 2014 and City High won 26-10 last year in Ames.
About Ames: The Little Cyclones have gone 1-1 in a pair of lopsided games to open the season. Ames downed Marshalltown 33-3 in its opener and fell to Cedar Falls 35-7 last week. Ames has playmakers on both sides of the football in junior quarterback Joe Evans (6-3, 200) and senior linebacker Marcus Coleman (6-0, 180).
Evans has completed 63 percent of his passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and has run for a team-high 106 yards and four touchdowns. Coleman ranks third in Class 4A with 19.5 tackles.
About City High: The Little Hawks remained unbeaten with a 19-17 win at Pleasant Valley last week. City High has relied on a stingy defense that is allowing 11.5 points per game and a strong running game to start the season 2-0.
Senior running back Bryce Frantz is averaging 101 yards per game on the ground and has four touchdowns while senior quarterback Nate Wieland has added 169 rushing yards and a score.
No. 10 Cedar Falls (2-0) at No. 6 West High (2-0)
Where: Trojan Field, 7:15 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: Cedar Falls running back Hayden Clausen (6-1, 205) is averaging 109 rushing yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry.
Key Stat: Cedar Falls is allowing 24.5 rushing yards per game and .9 yards per rushing attempt.
About Cedar Falls: The Tigers went 6-4 a year ago and have been impressive in a pair of wins to open the season. Cedar Falls opened the season with a 20-6 win at Fort Dodge and knocked off Ames 35-7 last week.
It has been the Cedar Falls defense that has stood out early. The Tigers are holding opponents to 209 yards of offense per game, have seven sacks and have forced four turnovers.
About West High: The Trojans proved their 42-17 week one win over Southeast Polk was anything but a fluke with a 31-27 road win at then top-10 Muscatine.
West High has flashed a potent and balanced offense the last two weeks. The Trojans averaged 466 yards and 36.5 points per game the first two weeks with a nearly even balance of run and pass. West High is putting up 230.5 yards rushing per game and 235.5 yards per game through the air.
Class 1A No. 1 Regina (1-1) at Wapello (2-0)
Where: Wapello, 7 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: Wapello junior quarterback Logan Belzer (5-11, 245) has completed 71 percent of his passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
Key Stat: After allowing 8.4 yards per carry and surrendering 386 rushing yards in a loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier in week one, Regina held Solon to 49 yards rushing and just 1.8 yards per attempt last week.
About Wapello: Coming off a 3-6 season a year ago the Indians have won back-to-back games to open the season by a combined score of 73-13. Wapello is coming off a 48-0 win over Winfield-Mount Union last week.
The trio of Adrian Lanz, Rogan Pforts and Ricky Pforts has combined for 416 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 8.3 yards per carry.
About Regina: No team in Class 1A and few in the state have faced a two-week challenge like Regina had to open the season.
Regina bounced back from a 35-26 week-one loss to 3A top-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier with a 34-0 shutout of Solon last week. The Regals scored 27 unanswered points in the second half and finished with 280 rushing yards in the win.
Dubuque Wahlert (1-1) at Clear Creek Amana (2-0)
Where: Clipper Field, 7:15 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: Clear Creek Amana senior quarterback Ashton Carpenter had his best game last week completing 11-of-15 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Key Stat: In two games this season Clear Creek Amana has forced seven turnovers and allowed eight points.
About Dubuque Wahlert: After falling to Class 4A Western Dubuque 24-3 in its opener, Wahlert picked up a key cross-town win last week with a 7-0 shutout of Dubuque Senior. The Eagles have posted back-to-back 3-7 seasons since dropping down to 3A in 2014.
About Clear Creek Amana: A second straight dominating defensive effort helped Clear Creek Amana improve to 2-0 for the first time under head coach Matt Hughes. The Clippers are allowing a meager 186 yards per game and have outscored opponents 49-8 in two games this season.
Class 1A No. 10 West Branch (1-1) at Jesup (2-0)
Where: Jesup, 7:30 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: West Branch senior Cooper Kabela caught seven passes for 163 yards last week including an 84-yard touchdown in a 27-18 loss to West Burlington/Notre Dame.
Key Stat: The 27-18 loss to West Burlington/Notre Dame last week was the first regular season loss for West Branch since 2013 and snapped a 20-game regular season winning streak.
About Jesup: The J-Hawks are coming off a 28-6 loss at North Linn in their non-district finale after opening the season with a 14-6 victory over East Buchanan.
Jesup went 6-4 last season and returned a number of key contributors including senior quarterback Drew Schmit who threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the week one victory.
About West Branch: West Branch opens district play in an uncommon situation, coming off a loss. The Bears were held to 105 yards rushing in a rare regular season loss to West Burlington/Notre Dame last week and must bounce back quickly against a Jesup squad expected to contend in the District 3 race.
Senior quarterback Brandon Rummelhart came off the bench to throw for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last week’s loss.
Keokuk (2-0) at Solon (1-1)
Where: Spartan Field, 7:30 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: Keokuk senior quarterback Damon Wolter (6-3, 190) has passed for 364 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 169 yards and another score.
Key Stat: Senior Gavin Thompson is averaging 39 yards per catch for the Chiefs with four receptions for 156 yards and two scores.
About Keokuk: After going 3-6 last year the Chiefs have nearly matched their win total from a year ago with their 2-0 start. Keouk defeated Central Lee 12-7 to open the season without scoring an offensive touchdown then exploded for 441 yards and 50 points in a 50-13 win over Chariton last week.
About Solon: The Spartans never got anything going offensively in a 34-0 loss to 1A top-ranked Regina last week. Solon was held to 133 yards of offense and just 49 rushing yards in last week’s loss, it’s first shutout since a 28-0 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier on Sept. 12 of 2014.
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