Hear from Southeast Polk football’s Cael Winget after beating Ankeny Centennial
Southeast Polk football’s Cael Winget breaks down his fourth quarter interception, which sealed the Rams’ win over top-ranked Ankeny Centennial.
The mid-point of the Iowa high school football regular season is almost here, but even as we get into the thick of the campaign, every week still brings a new set of lessons learned.
Who are the top teams in the state, and which of those programs can really win an IHSAA football title? Which players have separated themselves from the crowd? What teams or players are flying under the radar?
Here are 10 things we learned in Week 4 of the Iowa high school football season.
Stream Iowa HS football on the NFHS Network
Andrew Price continues to climb as one of Class 5A’s top defenders
Each week, the focus seems to flip from Valley’s offense to Valley’s defense, and for good reason. But through it all, Andrew Price has remained a constant. He ranks third in 5A with 30 total tackles and 23 solo takedowns through four weeks.
In the Tigers’ win over Waukee, he recorded 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Price seems to get better and better with every game, and he is well on his way to being considered an all-state selection.
Ankeny Centennial might have the most complete defense in the state
Sure, the Jaguars lost to Southeast Polk on Friday. But the defense showed why Centennial is one of the top teams in the state. The defensive line of Malachi Curvey, Mitchell Grider, Houston Luce and Isaiah Bassett is something opponents should fear.
Behind the line are linebackers like Reed Anderson and Carlos Blount plus a secondary that boasts Isaac Bruhl, Chase Kluver and Jackson Reed. There isn’t a player on the field who isn’t capable of a major play at any given moment.
More: Three takeaways from Southeast Polk football’s win over top-ranked Ankeny Centennial
Des Moines Lincoln’s Javon Sanders didn’t miss a beat from last season
Lincoln running back Javon Sanders finished last season with 1,512 yards – the most in 5A – and 16 touchdowns. He’s well on his way to beating that total this year, with 675 rushing yards – 805 all-purpose yards – and six touchdowns through four games.
More: Des Moines Lincoln’s Trent Simpson earns first win as head coach against Des Moines North
Grundy Center is really good
So, this isn’t exactly new information. But it can’t go without mentioning that the Spartans have won 30 games in a row. They lost to West Hancock, 19–14, on Nov. 18, 2021, and then went undefeated in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, recording nine shutouts during that span.
Better yet, Grundy Center shows no signs of slowing down. The Spartans are 4-0 to start the season with a roster succeeding in the air, on the ground and against opposing offenses.
Jaxson McIntire emerges as one of the top quarterbacks in, at least, Class 3A
Behind a senior quarterback during his freshman season, Jaxon McIntire completed one pass for four yards and threw and an interception. But now securely in the starting role for Clear Lake – and with an offer from Iowa State as an athlete – McIntire threw for 764 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception.
That puts him tied for the most passing touchdowns and the fifth-most passing yards in the class. And he’s only a sophomore, so there is a lot of room to grow.
More: Iowa high school football: 10 top performers from Week 4 include Tate Frantz, Zay Robinson
Pella is a lethal combination of offense and defense
Dutch quarterback Colin Kerndt’s 12 touchdowns are tied for the second-most in Class 4A. Six of those are rushing touchdowns, the fifth-most in the class. Running back Emmanuel Diers leads the class with 951 all-purpose yards. Nate Warner has recorded the fifth-most tackles with 32.
Pella player names are littered all over the leaderboard, so it’s easy to see why the Dutch are undefeated. It will be interesting to see if Pella can keep up the early season hype through the end of the year.
Solon looks like a championship-caliber team
The Spartans faced their toughest competition so far this season Friday, then-undefeated Mount Vernon, and Solon walked away with the win. It was all about the defense in the 7-6 victory, with the biggest play Solon gave up being a 65-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. On the next play – a two-point conversion attempt – the Spartans defense came up big to secure the win.
More: 3 reasons why Solon is an Iowa high school football state title contender after beating Mount Vernon
The CIML is eating itself alive
The Register has had a different No. 1 team in Class 5A through the first three weeks of competition, mainly because CIML teams just keep beating each other.
Johnston beat Ankeny, which beat Dowling, which beat Valley, which beat Southeast Polk, which beat Centennial. There is not one program that has really emerged as the best overall team just yet.
That makes football fun, keeping fans on the edge of their seats with top players spread across every roster. But man does it make rankings – and trying to determine possible championship contenders – difficult.
More: Iowa high school football scores for Week 4
There is something in the water in Iowa City
Like the CIML, it’s been a shuffle in Iowa City. Iowa City High lost to Iowa City Liberty, but beat Iowa City West. Iowa City West lost to High and Liberty. Liberty is undefeated against their Iowa City counterparts.
Each team’s roster boasts some big names, but Liberty is the program that’s risen to the top of the pile, thanks to a staunch senior group and a motivational chip on their shoulder.
Who would the Register pick as one of the season’s biggest stock risers?
Simple answer, there isn’t one player who stands out among the rest right now.
Jaxx DeJean at OABCIG is performing as expected in his second season of high school football. Waukee Northwest’s Mack Heitland will be a quarterback to watch for a couple more years. Jayden Brown has been and will be a receiver to watch at Valley.
The competition is so tight and so spread throughout the state that it’s hard to pick just one player.
And that makes it even more exciting to watch.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66f1780dfb234da682a9c20d4ea720fb&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2024%2F09%2F23%2F10-things-we-learned-in-week-4-of-the-iowa-high-school-football-season%2F75260967007%2F&c=7160417191040334374&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-22 23:45:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.