New Divisions announced in 4A football

Radio play-by-play guys will have new press boxes to haunt this season.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the new Divisions for Class 4A football in Iowa.  These divisions will play in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.  The eastern side in 4A will remain in conferences.

This is not to be called district football like it is in the other classes of Iowa high school football.

The teams were seeded on past performances and then split into four divisions. Any thoughts on the new match ups?

Schools will submit wish lists of teams to fill out the remaining 4 games on the schedule. My understanding is, that won’t have an impact on playoff points.

Here are the divisions.

Division #1

Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson
Des Moines, Abraham Lincoln
Indianola
Sioux City, East
Urbandale
Valley, West Des Moines

Division #2
Ames
Ankeny
Fort Dodge
Des Moines, North
Johnston
Sioux City, North

Division #3
Ankeny Centennial (no varsity until 2013 season)
Des Moines, Hoover
Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines Des Moines
Marshalltown
Mason City
Ottumwa

Division #4
Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln
Des Moines, East
Roosevelt
Sioux City, West
Southeast Polk
Waukee

On first blush the Division 3 has the longest road trip with Ottumwa and Mason City grouped together. This division does not include a Sioux City or Council Bluffs team, either.

Painting up the final day

Grandma Paula helps Levi watercolor.

We are almost done.

This 9th installment of the Yeager Boys Home Alone was a good one.

No blood, no broken bones and we were all upright on Mamma’s return.

Grandma Paula and Grandpa Wil helped us earlier this week and were called upon again this week.

The State says Veteran’s Day is a holiday, so we were off Friday. That means we had to tape Market To Market on Thursday (you can watch my North Dakota economy story here). I needed to be there through the taping, so I needed a lot of help.

Noah has Kindermusik after school. He seems to like the music class. Grandpa had the honor this week. Thanks to him for that.

Levi stayed back with Grandma. They had such a good time that by the time I arrived, Levi said I could go. He wanted to stay with Grandma.

Noah likes his TV. I wonder where he gets that from?

Do you blame him? They played with watercolors.

I think Noah had a good time, too. He was into Clifford when I arrived.

Those boys were so tired when we got home, they didn’t have enough energy to wrestle.

By the time they were asleep, Amy was getting up in Amsterdam to head west. Her flight from Minneapolis to Des Moines included the Lehigh men’s basketball team. They were headed to Ames for a game with Iowa State.

She’s home and the house was quiet by 8p. That’s a nice end to our week. Thanks for reading this week.

Valley escapes Dowling’s grasp to earn trip back to the Semi’s

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER On a play that was called back because of a penalty, West Des Moines Valley's #4 Tyus Mason, left, broke to the outside to elude Dowling Catholic's #23 Michael Sherinian, right.

Trey Lewis‘ number was called for a simple play that set the tone for the 63rd meeting between Valley and Dowling Catholic in Friday’s Iowa High School Football Playoffs.

Lewis broke a couple of tackles and ran the ball 80 yards for a TD in the battle for West Des Moines. Valley never looked back rolling to a 45-20 win to advance to the semi-finals and improve to 12-0.

Dowling first possession was four plays, moving only 11 yards. That too felt like the tone, but upon further review, it wasn’t the entire story.

The Valley Tigers would follow the good defensive stand to run 20 plays, converting on three 3rd downs and two 4th down conversions. The 71 yard drive would only net a 32 yard FG by Nick Galles, but you started to get the sense Valley was in control.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Dowling Catholic's #15 Amara Darboh went into the end zone as he scored Dowling's first touchdown on a long pass.

The Maroons would go back to the air, only needing one play to find the endzone. Dan Hartlieb would find Amara Darboh for the first of three TD passes between the two. This one went 78 yards to pull DCHS within 3 just before the end of the 1st quarter. Darboh ended with 9 catches worth 180 yards. A great finish for the recruit of Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida and Nortre Dame. The wide receiver was covered well Friday night, but he’s got a few more football games in his future. Hartlieb ended with 309 yards passing on 33 attempts and 20 completions.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER West Des Moines Valley's #4 Tyus Mason got up and stepped up and over Dowling Catholic's #2 Michael Gillotti after Mason scored his team's third touchdown.

The Tigers would come right back to their second quality back in Tyus Mason. The sophomore had two runs to get warmed up. His third carry went 70 yards, again breaking tackles, to get into the endzone. He would finish with 20 carries and 129 yards.

Ben Goaley followed with his only carry of the first half, a 12 yard gain. Reed Flood would catch a pass for 14 yards, but the Maroon drive would stall on the Valley 43.

Another sustained drive for the Tigers followed, highlighted by a 32 yard pass to Clint Boffelli from Jeff Pullen. The TD would come on the legs of Lewis. He would finish with 15 carries for 161 yards and not play in the second half. That made it 24-7 Valley.

Then the Tiger defense pitched a three and out. The offense came back out and another pass to the unlikely target of FB Brandon Ellingson. It was a 51 yard score. Dowling would not run enough time off the clock on the ensuing drive and Valley would get the ball back with less than 45 seconds before half. The Tigers would not sit on the ball, but go to the air again, this time to Tanner Hinkle to put Valley up 38-7 at the break.

The Tigers had 428 yards of offense in the first half. The Maroons totaled 158, with 78 of them coming on the Darboh TD catch. DCHS only had 13 yards rushing on 7 attempts.

The Maroons came out to run a sustained drive to start the second half riding the legs of senior Ben Goaley. But the drive would get to the Valley 10 and the Maroons would get as close as the five. Goaley ended with 14 carries and 91 yards.

Three quick Valley plays went nowhere and the Maroons got the ball back. Darboh would catch a pass to make it a 38-14 game.

More good Dowling Defense, but another drive would stall in the red zone, with the Maroons being stopped at the Valley 3.

Darboh would score again in the 4th, but it would not be enough as the Maroons end their season at 9-3 with a 45-20 loss.

KWKY booth with a great view of the action.

Also, thanks to my on-air partners of Dave Marcoulier and Brian Morris, these two make doing games easy. And we also must thank Mark Amadeo for the opportunity.

And our broadcast producer Mike Peters with help from Matthew Phelps and Tim Burrow. Guys, thank you. See you next time. 

Chalk talk in the battle for West Des Moines football bragging rights

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER West Des Moines Valley's #2 Trey Lewis, right, reached out with a stiff arm to get away from Waukee's #7 Beau Easley, left, on Valley's first possession of game played at Waukee High School's Stadium on Friday night Oct. 14, 2011.

For those of you that like to fill out NCAA Tournament brackets, you know what chalk means.

That’s when you pencil in the Final Four as the #1 seeds in each region.

This year’s 4A Iowa High School football playoff bracket looks almost like chalk. Ankeny (10-1), Southeast Polk (10-1), West Des Moines Valley (11-0) are the top 3 seeds remaining. It is West Des Moines Dowling Catholic (9-2) that crashed the party, wearing the #5 seed as Lincoln was the #4 seed in the tournament.

Valley Coach Gary Swenson is not surprised at who is still standing in the playoffs. He felt the teams mentioned were the best in this portion of the state.

Many think his Tiger team may be the best of the bunch.

Valley spent much of the season ranked #1 in polls. Others listed Cedar Falls, but when they lost their regular season finale, Valley vaulted to the top spot.

Last year at this time, it was the Dowling Catholic Maroons in the top spot. Again, the two teams meet in the post-season. Last year the Maroons won in dramatic overtime fashion.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER West Des Moines Valley quarterback #20 Jeff Pullen was tackled by Waukee's #11 Nick Peters.

Then the Tigers returned the favor in Week 0 of the 2011 season, winning 28-21. The Maroons turned the ball over 3 times in that loss. They also lost Michael Palme on the first play of the game and Jacob Stacy re-injured his knee in the game at Drake Stadium.

Friday night at Valley Stadium the two meet again, this time, with a trip to the UNI-Dome and a spot in the semi-finals, on the line. KWKY will have coverage beginning at 6p with our pregame. Kickoff is scheduled for 7p. Listen at 1150 KWKY AM or KWKY.com. Say hello to us on Twitter.com/KWKYSports.

It will be the 63rd time these two Iowa High School titans meets on the gridiron.

The Tigers feature an outstanding front offensive line anchored by Trevor Hanson. The 6-6 278 pound senior is a dominant force up front, leading two other seniors up front. Hanson is a three-year starter and could play football on Saturday’s if he wants to.

DAN HODGES/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER Valley's Tyus Mason #4 gets tripped up during second half action of Monday night's game. Urbandale vs Valley, Class 4A second round playoff football game played at Valley Stadium. Monday, October 31, 2011. Valley 38-13 over Urbandale.

Trey Lewis scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the 4th quarter in the season opener. It was his back up, Tyus Mason, who gave him a breather and a change of pace in running styles for the Dowling D to contend with. That slight change changed momentum in the contest.

The Maroons have their own new wrinkles. They possess two offenses now, one running, one passing. Each featuring a different QB.

Lewis has had an outstanding season  with 1,597 yards on 198 rush attempts. He’s scored 24 touchdowns with his longest of the season being a 49 yarder.

Mason almost half the carries and yards with 99 and 762, respectively and 17 TDs. FB Brandon Ellingson keeps defenses honest with his 25 carries worth 210 yards.

Jeff Pullen has thrown for 1,111 yards on 76 of 127 passing, 8 TDs and 4 INTs. His biggest targets are: Brody Baumann (23-291,1 TD), Tanner Hinkle (24-277 3 TDs), Clint Boffelli (13-232, 3 TDs) and Quentin Smith (11-174 and 1 TD).

The Tigers trailed two times at halftime this season. One against Indianola the other against Marshalltown. Both games turned into routs in the in second half, but Coach Swenson says those were good tests and help build character in his team.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Waukee quarterback #9 Cole Pederson, left, looked for running room against West Des Moines Valley's left to right: #23 Eric Cushing, #61 Ryan Knoff and #58 Sam Raridon.

This team has also been held below 40 points twice this season, one by Dowling (28) and the other, Urbandale. The J-Hawks kept the Tigers at 38. The most they tallied was the 55 against Mason City and Waukee.

The defense continues to be a strong suit. Marshalltown scored the most points on this team with 24. The Maroons’ 21 is second best.

Tarin Phillips leads the team in tackles with 79. Spencer Hellman has 72 stops. Jacob Bell is at 44 while Eric Cushing is at 42.

How deep are these teams? How will the Dowling D respond to the pounding running style of Lewis? How will Vally handle the two-headed QB monster and a healthy Amara Darboh?

We’ll find out if our bracket is busted or if we live to play another day. The winner plays next Friday in the semi-final.

Lincoln offense runs off the rails, Maroons roll 41-6

DAN HODGES/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER Dowling crowd with a great KWKY banner in the shot.

One could argue Monday night’s playoff game for the Lincoln Railsplitters was their biggest contest in the program’s history. They were hosting Dowling Catholic in the second round of the playoffs just six days after winning the schools first-ever playoff game. The Maroons were co-champs of the CIML Central and a rival of the Rails.

Dowling coach Tom Wilson wouldn’t take the bait on my pregame question. He said he didn’t get worked up on that topic.

He was just preparing his team for a playoff run. One that now includes Amarah Darboh.

The Rails scored first, a 48-yard TD run by Rashid Marsh and the Rails were feeling good.

But that feeling was short-lived as the Maroons went on to score 41 unanswered points to roll to a 41-6 win to improve to 9-2. It also sets up a Week 0 rematch with WDM Valley.

DAN HODGES/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER Dowling's Brian Ogden #9 finds a hole in the Lincoln defense.

Dowling Catholic started the offensive show with a no-huddle offense. Dan Hartlieb found Darboh for a 10 yard TD pass and the Maroons took the lead on the extra point, 7-6 with 8:17 to play in the first quarter. Danny finished 7-13 passing for 93 yards, 3 TDs through the air to Brandon Ogden (10 yards) and Matthew Haack (49 yards) and one on his legs.

Darboh would score later on a jet play to finish with 2 TDs and 62 receiving yards on 5 grabs.

Again, Ryan Boyle ran the different look offense to gain 62 yards on 9 carries. Ben Goaley also had one his best single play runs of the season when he went 40 yards on a 1st quarter scamper. Goaley finished with 106 yards on 10 carries. Chase Dowell ran 4 plays for 13 yards, but did score a touchdown as well.

The Maroon offense tallied 335 yards in total offense on 136 passing and 199 rushing.

DAN HODGES/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER Lincon's Jordan Cheatem #6 get tackled by Dowling's Michael Sherinian #23 and Jon Wisnieski #11.

The defense played another great game, holding Class 4A’s leading rushing offense with only 172 yards on the ground and 64 yards passing for a total of 236 yards. Marsh had most of those yards, with 113 on 13 carries. Kippie Ward carried 13 times as well for 45 yards.

The Rails finished the year at 9-2.

The Dowling Defense has started to shut down opponents. They’ve only allowed 2 touchdowns in the last 13 quarters going back to the Johnston game. That includes one from Lincoln, 0 TDs by Ames and 1 TD by Indianola.

Valley beat Urbandale to advance to Friday’s game. Valley won the first game this year 28-21. Last year’s playoff game inspired this radio call by Dave Marcoullier. Kickoff is at 7, our KWKY pregame begins at 6p.

Potent offense poised to Rail on Maroons

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Lincoln's #3 Colezell James , center, looked to break open a big run but was tackled from behind by East's #15 Cameron Slothouber.

Monday’s Class 4A football playoff game between Dowling Catholic and Des Moines Lincoln may be the biggest game in the history of the Railsplitters’ gridiron program. At least, in the post-season history of Lincoln football.

Prior to Wednesday’s night’s opening round playoff game with DM East, the Rails had never won a playoff game.

They took care of the Scarlets for the second time in six days, 52-14 to avenge that hurdle.

Some of this story line may be personal for Coach Tom Mihalovich. The Dowling alum also coached in the Catholic Youth Football League. So for him, it is personal.

But it also is a coming of age for this program.

The Rails have won 9 straight since a 48-13 Week 0 loss to Southeast Polk. Since that game on August 19th, the Rails have made changes. Many key players are in different positions and there’s been a notable subtraction from this team. When KeeVon Bernstine was kicked off the team for misconduct, he was the team’s leading rusher at the time of his dismissal.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Lincoln's #34 Kippie Ward, left, tried to break to the outside but was brought down by East defenders, including #15 Cameron Slothouber, right, in football game played at Lincoln High School Stadium on Friday night Oct. 21, 2011.

This Lincoln team leads Class 4A in rushing with 4,381 yards on 494 attempts, both tops. The closest team in rushing yards in City High with 3,137 and almost 12-hundred yard difference. The Rails also are tops in 4A for rushing TDs with 61. They also lead in total offense with 4,849 yards, just 206 yards ahead of pass-happy Marshalltown and with touchdowns and 70.

Their passing attack is 3rd worst in 4A for yardage with 468 on 25-56 passing. Only Davenport West (0-9) and their 428 yards and Mason City’s (2-7) 340, have fewer yards.

The Maroons are 378-2245 in rushing, 15th best in the class.

Kippie Ward, already a featured back in the offense, started to get more carries. He’s now the team’s leading rusher with 1,358 yards on 124 attempts, 17 touchdowns. That pencils out to be 11 yards per carry.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Lincoln's #8 Rashid March, left, broke away from East's #4 Austin Bellis and #10 Blake Cunningham.

Rashid March has more carries, 135, but an even 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns. Both he and Ward are extremely talented and able to break big runs, or put on big hits.

Jordan Cheatem has seen more action as well, racking up 503 yards on 44 carries. Jake Goble gets a few snaps as well with 33 carries worth 221 yards.

QB Michael Downing missed that Week 0 clash with Southeast Polk due to family reasons. Ward ran the offense that week, but Downing continues to develop in Coach’s eyes. Downing has put the ball in the air 48 times for 24 completions and 446 yards, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Downing’s running stats are 37 carries for 36 yards, but four scores.

The offense is a Wing T approach, with some Flex Bone and similar Georgia Tech influence. This is also an offense that can put up some points on the board including every win over 39 points. the biggest tally was an 86-28 victory over DM North. The Rails scored 70 on Hoover, 61 on East and 60 on Sioux City East. They even scored 13 in the loss against SEP, the Maroons only scored 9 points in their loss.

The defense will line up 5-3, but also have to drop off the line one player to cover the Maroon spread attack.

Trevon Young started the year as a wide receiver, then DE and now linebacker. Coach calls him a Spiderman-type who can make great plays wherever he’s at on the field. He’s got 52 tackles on the season. He’s the anchor of the Lincoln defense and coach calls him a “truly special player.”

DE Trey Alessio leads the Rails in tackles with 59 and is the Steady-Eddy of the squad.

Kippie Ward started the corner back, but now is at linebacker where he’s made 39 tackles. That switch happened mid-season.

There are two sophomores on this side of the ball that start. Jordan Brysona 5’10”, 165 pounder and now Tony Drayton (5’11″, 275 lbs.) at nose tackle following the ejection of the regular starter.

The KWKY pregame show begins at 6p on 1150 or KWKY.com. We hope you tune in our radio broadcast. The winner of this game plays the winner of Valley and Urbandale Friday night.

Darboh returns, same result: Maroons win 43-3 against Ames

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER After scoring Dowling Catholic's first touchdown on a pass reception against Ames, #15 Amara Darboh, right, celebrated with #67 T. J . Palme, left, and #76 Mark Kenkel, center, in Class 4A first round playoff football game played at East High School Williams Stadium on Wednesday night Oct. 26, 2011.

West Des Moines Dowling Catholic started slow but finished fast against Ames in an opening round win in the 2011 Iowa High School football playoffs. The Maroons improved to 8-2 with a 43-3 victory to Ames’ season at 4-6.

Amarah Darboh returned to action to grab his longest TD of the season with a 45 yard catch and set the pace for the night. He grabbed 4 during game worth 81 yards. If not a huge stat line, it was a morale boost to a team that went 3-1 since his departure at Southeast Polk on September 23rd.  The Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Iowa recruit will be a vital part of the Maroons march to defend their 4A football title.

Since that SE Polk game, the Maroons have built depth at receiver with Matthew Haack and Brandon Ogden. The pair was used heavily in Coach Tom Wilson‘s game plan with Ogden catch 5 passes and scoring a 14-yard TD just before halftime. Haack was used more in the running game, carrying it 4 times and 25 yards. The Maroons would finish with 267 yards rushing and 190 yards passing.

Dowling Catholic also developed a double QB/TB combination with the emergence of freshman Ryan Boyle and Chase Dowell. Boyle would run the option style attack with Dan Hartlieb used more in the passing offense. Boyle provided a spark in the regular-season finale at Indianola and did so again against Ames. His 7 carries were worth 87 yards. A couple of those jaunts set up touchdowns and the freshman did put the last points on the scoreboard of the game on a 1 yard plunge.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Dowling Catholic's #11 Jon Wisnieski, right, looked up in thanks as touchdown was signaled after a minute delay, after his 70 yard interception return against Ames. A flag had been thrown on the play, but was against Ames.

Dowell put his head down and popped a few Little Cyclones during the contest. He finished with 10 carries for 75 yards and a blocked punt.

Ben Goaley started, played and continued to carry the load, but he’ll likely be used as needed to keep him as healthy as long as possible. He finished with 9 carries and 56 yards.

Jon Wisnieski played primarily on offense, but he made the most of his defensive opportunities when he stepped in front of a Alex Brammer pass and ran it back 70 yards for a score. Wiz would grab a score in the north endzone on a pass only he could catch for a 22-yard score on a drive that went 98 yards on 6 plays.

BILL NEIBERGALL/THE REGISTER Dowling Catholic quarterback #3 Dan Hartlieb dropped back to pass against Ames.

Dan Hartlieb would get a TD following 2 great runs by Boyle in the no-huddle offense. That drive changed the tempo of the game and the firmly put the momentum in Dowling’s corner.

Michael Gillotti picked of a pass in the next drive to add to his season of accomplishments at cornerback. That defense held a beat up Ames team to 38 yards rushing on 22 carries and 102 yards passing on 35 attempts and 10 completions.

The Maroons advance to Monday’s game at Des Moines Lincoln. The Rails advanced with a 52-14 victory against DM East.

Our KWKY broadcast begins at 6p with kickoff slated for 7p on 1150 AM or KWKY.com.

Second season begins in defense of a title

Lee Navin / Special the Register Dowling Catholic senior linebacker Sam Herold (#49) puts the pressure on Johnston junior quarterback Michael Kinning (#1) as the Johnston Dragons (4-2) battle against the tenth-ranked Dowling Catholic Maroons (5-2) in a CIML Central Conference Class 4-A game at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Dowling won 27 to 14.

Throw the records out the window, it is time for the second season.

The Iowa High School Football playoffs begin Wednesday night across the state. And on-cue, the weather is about to make things interesting from Decorah to Red Oak with a cold snap.

Who will ‘shock the state’ with an upset or who will be put to pasture to get ready for basketball and wrestling?

West Des Moines Dowling Catholic begins, in earnest, their defense of the 4A football crown. The Maroons finished the regular season 7-2 with losses to top-seeded West Des Moines Valley and 3 seed Southeast Polk. They last played 13 days ago in a 21-7 victory at Indianola. They 10-week schedule of 9 games gave the Maroons a bye last week to heal and prepare for the stretch run.

Wednesday’s 7p kickoff at Williams Stadium at East High School should see the return of super-prep Amarah Darboh. The 6′, 200 pound senior FL missed the last 4 games with a shoulder injury suffered in that loss at Southeast Polk. The Maroons went 3-1 in his absence with the season’s signature win against Ankeny.

The KWKY pregame show begins at 6p Dave, Brian, Paul and Romelle. You can hear the game on 1150 KWKY or KWKY.com.

Even with missing 4 games, Darboh still leads the team in receptions (30) receiving yards (442) and receiving touchdowns (6).  Brandon Ogden is second in catches and yards by going 25-366.

How much does Darboh get used Wednesday night? That is up to Coach Tom Wilson and how well that shoulder holds up. Darboh was in street clothes against Indianola, but was playing catch with teammates in warm-ups.

Another injured senior who could be ready for the second season is Matt Merfeld. The 5’9″, 185 pounder was injured in the Des Moines East game back on September 2nd. He missed the final 6 games of the regular season. Merfeld also contributed with 23 tackles, which is still 9th best on the team.

LEE NAVIN/FOR THE ANKENY REGISTER & PRESS CITIZEN Ankeny senior defensive end Ryan Woods (#37) sacks Ames sophomore quarterback Sam Straub (#4 ) as the Ames Little Cyclones (1-0) battle against the fifth-ranked Ankeny Hawks (1-0) during Week 2 in a CIML Conference Class 4-A game at Northview Middle School in Ankeny. Ankeny won 45 to 7 and will play the North High Polar Bears next week in Des Moines.

Ames is 4-5 and has seen their share of injuries. Receivers Adam Maher, Luke Wandling and Bo Brammer have been sidelined. Safety Jake Mills went out earlier in the season as well. Plus, QB Sam Straub, who missed 2 starts because of a broken thumb, injured his leg in last week’s 26-0 loss in their regular season finale against Waukee. According to that same Ames Tribune article Mike Mayberry played QB in Straub’s spot before giving way to freshman QB Matt Flummerfelt. The sophomore starter, Alex Brammer was unavailable to be used because he played 4 quarters of the sophs game earlier that night.

Mayberry is the team’s leading receiver with 32 catches worth 518 yards. He and his second cousin Nick Mayberry were featured earlier this year in an Ames Trib story. Both are juniors. Mike has 4 TDs in the leading receiver spot. His career night came against Marshalltown when he had 171 yards in 9 catches.

Overall the Little Cyclones rushing stats are 232 carries for 1,032 yards and 15 TDs. The passing game, is 121-268 for 1,298 yards, 15 INTs and 8 TDs. The offense has been sputtering a bit, only scoring 19 points in their last 3 games while allowing 123 in that same span. They’ve lost 4 straight to Waukee (26-0), Marshalltown (56-19), Valley (41-0) and Ft. Dodge (28-20). Coach Bruce Vertanen‘s last victory came on September 16th against Mason City. They started the season 4-1.

LEE NAVIN/FOR THE ANKENY REGISTER & PRESS CITIZEN Ankeny senior safety Cory Myers (#9) makes the open field tackle on Ames senior running back Hanson Breitling (#28) as the Ames Little Cyclones (1-0) battle against the fifth-ranked Ankeny Hawks (1-0) during Week 2 in a CIML Conference Class 4-A game at Northview Middle School in Ankeny. Ankeny won 45 to 7 and will play the North High Polar Bears next week in Des Moines.

Straub is a sophomore and so is Spencer Shane. He’s had to learn the varsity speed of the game early, grabbing 7 catches for 137 yards. For the season he’s got 10 grabs and 170 yards. Hanson Breitling has 25 catches for 145 yards. His primary role is to run the ball. He’s the team’s leading rusher with 149 attempts for 730 yards and 10 TDs.

Defensively the top tackler is Ryan Griffith with 44 stops. Tom McClelland is next with 43 tackles followed by Dean VanEvery‘s 38.

The defense that’s allowed 30.75 points per game will be put in the hot seat agains the Maroons who’ve been averaging 21 points a game the last four contests.

The winner of this contest plays the victor of the week 9 rematch of DM Lincoln hosting DM East. That game will be Monday night.

Slow and steady ends in win

Indianola on the drive against Dowling Catholic. 2011.

The Indianola Indians followed the same script as the 5 of their last 7 games. Start well, hold the opponent to only a few or no points, then see the opponent come to life late in the 3rd quarter and win it in the 4th. The exact thing Coach Eric Kluver was hoping against.

History repeats itself as Dowling Catholic came back for a 21-7 win Friday night at Simpson College’s Buxton Stadium.

Indianola would get out of the gate, keeping the football for 18 of the game’s first 22 plays, scoring on that last one when Kale Render found Chris Henry in the back of the endzone for a 7-0 lead. The Maroons had zero yards of offense in that stretch.

Coach Kluver called for the on-side kick, stunning the Dowling return team, and recovering the ball. That drive would stall in three plays before the Indians were forced to punt the football. A great punt to the Maroon 5 put the offense on alert. DC would punt, and watch the Indians drive all the way down to the Dowling 7 when Sam Herold picked up a fumble to change the momentum of the game.

Dowling Catholic would finally get a drive to move more 15 yards. The Maroons’ 3rd drive would feature Ben Goaley left, right and up the middle before an interception by Joey Gioffredi ended that possession. Goaley would end the night with 115 yards on 28 carries. He would top the 1,000 yard mark for the season, early in the 2nd quarter.

Indianola would hold the Maroons to 2-10 passing for 25 yards. Dan Hartlieb and Ryan Boyle each had a completion. Goaley’s74 yards on 15 carries was the lone bright spot for Coach Tom Wilson‘s squad. Indianola held the advantage in total yardage with a 172-140 margin.

But the Indians saw that 7-0 halftime lead over Dowling disappear on a 65-yard QB keeper by Ryan Boyle with 7:37 to play in the 3rd quarter. Boyle would see a lot of second half action, trying to jumpstart the team. He’d finish with 6 carries worth 106 yards.

The game would remain tied until the first drive of the 4th frame when Chase Dowell took a toss sweep left, cut it against the grain and score on 3rd and goal to cap a 11 play, 79 yard drive. The Maroons would put a defensive bow on the score when Alex Kramer picked up a fumble and scored what he said was his first high school touchdown.

Dowling’s defense would keep the pressure on, forcing the Indians to go backwards on their last drive of the game. The final play of the drive was a 4th and 40 yards to go situation. Sacks by Nick Navin, Sam Herold and Matthew Formanek would allow QB Dan Hartlieb to take a knee for the with seconds remaining to ice away a 21-7 win.

The offense gained 267 yards rushing on 41 carries and were 5-15 passing for 76 yards and a total of 343 yards.

Indianola was 46-137 rushing and 11-24 passing for 153 yards and 290 total.

The victory gave the Maroons a share of another CIML Central title. That adds to their titles in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and now 2011.

They finish the regular season 7-2 and have a bye in week 9. The Indians fall to 0-8.

Winless and dangerous

LEE NAVIN/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER Indianola junior running back Matt Mitchell (#16) heads upfield.

A team without a win is a dangerous team. They’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose.

A team in the CIML Central without a win is traditionally better than their record indicates. The Indianola Indians do have two wins this season on the field, but they were taken away for something off the field.

Regardless, they play in a tough conference, have played everyone tough, but haven’t gotten over the hump in their 0-7 season.

Cue the upset alert music.

Last season the Indians shocked Ankeny in a conference game. Will the Dowling Catholic Maroons be this year’s Ankeny for Coach Eric Kluver‘s squad?

MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD ST Indianola senior quarterback Kale Render stiff arms Southeast Polk senior Mike Pavon during the first half of an Oct. 7 game in Indianola. Southeast Polk defeated Indianola, 31-7.

They are led by a senior quarterback, Kale Render. He’s 43-94 for 616 yards 6 TDs and 7 INts passing. His rushing stats are 54 carries, 203 yards and 3 TDs.

Senior RB Kody Foust gets the majority if the carries in the offense. He’s had 105 rushes worth 362 yards, 6 TDs, and two catches for 13 yards. Matt Mitchell also has 33 carries and 181 yards.

Render’s targets in the passing game include TE Dylan Rankin (24-390), WR Chris Henry (7-108) and sophomore Joey Gioffredi, (6-56).

The offensive line is big in size Blake Beard 6’2″ 256, Dan Moline 6’2″ 215, Grant Beeler 6’4″ 220, Keegan Render 6’3″ 310 and Don Dawson 6’1″ 276. Keegan is a sophomore and the brother of QB Kale.

Defensively the Indians feature Kyle Coghlan at the end position. He leads the team in tackles with 56, 26 of them solo stops. He plays the mike linebacker position even though he’s only 6’1″ 180 pounds. Coghlan played mostly JV last season as a junior as Brandon Abernathy was in that spot. Now its Kyle’s chance to play and he’s making the most of it.

The Indians are small in numbers with 20 seniors, 13 juniors and 4 sophomores on the varsity roster. Coach Kluver knows when you pull of sophomores it can have a lasting impact on your program. Many players will line up on both sides of the of the ball. Blake Beard, Don Dawson are in the lineup. But Dan Moline and Grant Beeler have played a lot of snaps this season as well.

Indianola held Southeast Polk to seven first half points last week before losing 31-7. The Indians led Johnston at half before dropping the contest 14-7. Coach Kluver says both games his team was in position to score several times, but just couldn’t punch it in for points.

The Maroons come off a 27-14 win last week against Johnston. We go on the air on 1150 KWKY at 6p with kickoff scheduled for 730p. The game will also stream at KWKY.com and look for updates on our Twitter feed of @KWKYSports.