The rivalry grows.
Solon has only been a member of the Wamac Conference since 2008, while Marion is a charter member from back in 1940.
Solon and Marion have developed healthy rivalries in basketball, soccer, baseball and softball.
But because of district play in football, the gridders have yet to play each other.
That changes Friday night.
Marion hosts Solon at Thomas Park Field in a showdown for first place in Class 3A District 6.
The winner clinches a playoff berth. The loser still has some work to do.
Both teams play physical, smashmouth football. Both teams have great tradition.
It is the stuff of which rivalries are made.
Solon (5-1, 3-0) at Marion (5-1, 3-0)
Site: Thomas Park
Time: 7:30 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: WMT (AM-600)
Storyline - These teams are tied for the Class 3A District 6 lead and the winner clinches a playoff berth. Solon is in its third season of playing in Class 3A after a dominating run in Class 2A. The Spartans won 2A state championships in 2007, 2008, 2009 and won the 3A title in 2010. Coach Kevin Miller has guided the Spartans to seven straight playoff berths and Solon has been in the playoffs nine of the last 10 years. Marion Coach Tony Perkins has guided the Indians to five playoff berths, but the Indians were left out of last year's postseason. Both teams run the ball. Solon appears to throw the ball well. Both teams play good defense. It adds up to a slight edge for the Spartans in a game where the smallest mistake could prove costly.
Solon - The Spartans thrashed Anamosa 56-0 last Friday for their fourth straight win. Nate Kennedy rushed for 93 yards and a TD and Jordan Wymer had 81 yards and two TDs. Rory Siddell completed 11 of 12 passes for 171 yards and 2 TDs. Season leaders - Rushing: Siddell 74-376 5 TDs, Kennedy 31-270 4 TDs, Wymer 38-215 3 TDs, Aaron Shulista 39-213 1 TD, Tim Lance 35-190 7 TDs; Passing: Siddell 54-73-4-893 6 TDs; Receiving: Austin Holub 16-331 2 TDs, Nathan Hawkins 10-204 1 TD; Tackles: Holub 35, Wymer 34, Lance 34; PATs: Josh Proehl 24-26; FGs: Proehl 1-1 (23 long).
Marion - The Indians blasted Benton 63-0 last Friday. Trev Biery ran for 157 yards and four TDs, Colton Mowry 52 yards and two TDs. Marion had 378 yards of rushing offense. Trevor Hardman also threw a TD pass, only the Indians' third of the season. Marion's defense held Benton to 86 yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Biery 82-712 11 TDs, Colton Mowry 57-260 5 TDs, Tyler Gunderson 23-139 2 TDs; Passing: Trevor Hardman 23-49-1-342 3 TDs; Receiving: Quinn Cannoy 6-110, Ethan Herren 6-60 1 TD. Tackles: Isaac Frazier 44 (15 for loss); PATs: Dalton Ott 13-15, Ben Kroemer 6-7; FGs: Ott 0-1.
Washington (1-5) vs. Jefferson (1-5)
Site: Kingston Stadium
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - The longest rivalry in the Metro dates back to 1957 when both schools opened. While there have been memorable games during the series (including several in the playoffs), none have come lately. Washington Coach Tony Lombardi is 5-0 against the J-Hawks and his teams have outscored Jefferson 197-35. This is a different J-Hawk team with new coach Brian Webb, but Jefferson is low on numbers and beat up. You hate to compare scores, but Wash's lone win is a 17-6 victory over Kennedy. The Cougars blasted the J-Hawks 44-0 last week. The Warriors appear to have the upper hand once again.
Washington - The Warriors dropped their fifth straight game, 35-13, to Xavier last Thursday night. After fallling behind 14-0, the Warriors cut the deficit to 14-13 on a pair of TD runs by Mitch Blades and Mitch Bredeson. Xavier put on a 21-0 blitz to end the game. Bredeson ran for 72 yards, Blades passed for 84. Season leaders - Rushing: Bredeson 114-470 6 TDs, Blades 78-258 5 TDs; Passing: Blades 67-144-10-947 4 TDs; Receiving: Jason Oney 35-440 3 TDs, Noah Dostal 12-227 1 TD; Tackles: Jake Bjornsen 51; PATs: Riyad Ajram 15-17; FGs: Ajram 3-4 (long 42).
Jefferson - The J-Hawks were run over by Kennedy 44-0 last Friday. Jefferson was held to 60 yards of offense, minus-10 rushing the ball. The J-Hawks did not pick up a first down until the third quarter. Layne Sullivan passed for 70 yards, but Kennedy jammed the line of scrimmage and tossed him for 22 yards of losses. Season leaders - Rushing: Michael Moncivais 45-223, Sullivan 67-130 3 TDs, Nick O'Connell 55-121 3 TDs; Passing: Sullivan 41-95-4-507; Receiving: Hunter Kloubec 10-71, Ben Koering 8-141; Tackles: Drake Allen 43; PATs: Nick Rocha 3-3; FGs: Rocha 1-1 (long 30).
Prairie (3-3, 1-2) at Linn-Mar (2-4, 2-2)
Site: Linn-Mar Stadium
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: KGYM (AM-1600, FM-107.5)
Storyline - Both teams need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Linn-Mar needs it just a little bit more. And the Lions appear to be rounding into shape at just the right time, with wins in two of their last three games. But Prairie's three losses have been to teams ranked in the top five in the state - Xavier, Iowa City West, and Cedar Falls. Three of Linn-Mar's losses have been to foes ranked in the top 10 - Iowa City West, Dubuque Senior and Cedar Falls. Both teams' foes have a combined record of 21-15. Prairie is averaging 30.7 points per game, but allowing 33.5. Linn-Mar is averaging 24.5 points and allowing 28.2. Linn-Mar has won the last three games in the series by a combined score of 123-27. Prairie last won, 28-7, in 2008. Tossup.
Prairie - The Hawks built a 28-7 halftime lead against Cedar Falls last Friday, but wilted in the second half and lost, 41-30. Jace Hanna passed for 333 yards and three TDs, but threw two interceptions. Jarred Edmonds grabbed seven passes for 227 yards and a TD. Demetrius Harper caught nine passes for 37 yards and a TD. Season leaders - Rushing: Hanna 41-179 2 TDs; Passing: Hanna 72-117-5-1,234 15 TDs; Receiving: Demetrius Harper 32-364 5 TDs, Jarred Edmonds 26-746 10 TDs; Tackles: Cam Rathje 71, Casey Becker 53; PATs: Sam Drysdale 23-25; FGs: Drysdale 1-1 (long 34).
Linn-Mar - The Lions drubbed Wahlert 49-6 last Friday at Dubuque. Rhys Davis accounted for five TDs, running for three and passing for two more. He ran for 121 yards and passed for 121 more. Ross Lembeck rushed 17 times for 167 yards and a TD. Wahlert was held to 70 yards rushing and 180 total yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Davis 112-496 8 TDs, Lembeck 80-475 3 TDs, Nick Trabucco 39-134 3 TDs; Passing: Davis 48-97-4-550 4 TDs; Receiving: Zach Martins 13-165 2 TDs; Tackles: Lucas Meyer 49, Dakota Digmann 42 (10 for loss); PATs: Wolter 19-19; FGs: Wolter 2-5 (long 38).
Waterloo West (2-4, 2-1) at No. 4 Xavier (6-0, 3-0)
Site: Saints Field
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: KMRY (AM-1450, FM-93.7)
TV: Mediacom 22 (Replays Saturday at 9 p.m., Sunday at 6 p.m.)
Storyline - Despite its record, West has been the surprise team in the Valley. The Wahawks ended a 15-game losing streak in beating Linn-Mar (27-14) and outscored Washington (40-30). They also just missed upsetting Dubuque Senior (21-20 in overtime), No. 2 Cedar Falls (17-16) and Waterloo East (27-21 in overtime). The only blowout loss was 49-19 at Iowa City High in Week 2. Xavier has beaten its six foes by an average score of 45-8. This one should be a lot closer than that, but expect Xavier to prevail.
Waterloo West - The Wahawks lost an overtime thriller to Waterloo East, 27-21, last Friday night. They beat Washington the previous week, 40-30. Dequayvious Martin returned from injury and rushed for 146 yards against East. Alex Young ran for 72 yards and passed for 79. Season leaders - Rushing: Lance Dunn 74-483 9 TDs, Young 95-466 4 TDs, Martin 48-379 2 TDs; Passing: Young 31-64-3-349 1 TD; Receiving: Jacob Showalter 12-120, Martin 5-153 3 TDs; Tackles: Blake Thomas 68 (12 for loss); PATs: Skyler Capelle 11-17, Jon Schmadeke 1-1; FGs: Capelle 3-5 (long 36).
Xavier - The Saints scored the final 21 points in a 35-13 win over Washington last Thursday. Reggie Schulte threw three TD passes, two to Matt Nelson. Brendan Miller ran for 121 yards and a TD. Schulte is third in the state with 21 TD passes and his 75.9 completion percentage ranks second among 4A QBs. Season leaders - Rushing: Miller 71-485 5 TDs; Passing: Schulte 66-87-3-1,089 21 TDs; Receiving: Corbin Woods 21-447 8 TDs, Bryce Grimm 14-162 3 TDs, Nelson 8-85 5 TDs; Tackles: Craig Murtha 30 (17 for loss); PATs: Ryan Persick 35-36; FGs: Persick 3-5.
Kennedy (1-5, 1-2) at Waterloo East (4-2, 2-1)
Site: Memorial Stadium, Waterloo
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - Kennedy faces a game in which it needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. If the Cougars play with the same tenacity that they did against Jefferson in a 44-0 win last week, they will have a chance to upset an East ballclub that has struggled to find its rhythm, mainly because of injuries to two key players - QB Desmond Van Arsdale and RB Aaron Taylor. Both were in the lineup last week when the Trojans rallied to beat Waterloo West in overtime. Kennedy is 0-2 on foreign soil, albeit at 5-1 Dubuque Senior (21-14) and 6-0 Xavier (35-0). Kennedy in an upset.
Kennedy - The Cougars recorded their first win in a 44-0 rout of Jefferson last Friday. Alex Hillyer ran for 162 yards and three TDs. Riley Fergus passed for 106 yards and two TDs. Patrick Martin caught three passes for 63 yards and a TD. The Cougars held Jefferson to minus-10 yards rushing and 60 total yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Hillyer 151-847 7 TDs; Passing: Fergus 37-87-2-428 7 TDs; Receiving: Jacob Frazier-Flores 9-175 3 TDs, Martin 8-122 2 TDs; Tackles: Grant Miller 46, Andrew Johnson 40; PATs: Eric Bertroche 11-13; FGs: Bertroche 3-4 (long 38).
Waterloo East - The Trojans came from behind to beat Waterloo West, 27-21, in overtime last Friday. Desmond Van Arsdale returned at quarterback and ran for 74 yards and three TDs. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 127 yards. Aaron Taylor ran for 74 yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Taylor 99-645 3 TDs, Van Arsdale 61-278 8 TDs; Passing: Van Arsdale 39-77-2-643 3 TDs, John Magnuson 32-60-4-528 6 TDs; Receiving: Javon Middleton 16-167, Jacob Hewitt 15-186 1 TD, Russell Jones 7-220 3 TDs; Tackles: Jones 82; PATs: Juan Martinez 15-19; FGs: Martinez 4-5 (long 39).
Cedar Valley Christian (0-6, 0-5) at Central City (0-6, 0-5)
Site: Central City High School
Time: 7 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - The loser of this game likely will finish in the basement in Class 8 District 4. Cedar Valley Christian has scored points in its last four games, but the Huskies can't stop anyone from scoring. Opponents are averaging 77.3 points against them, and nobody has scored fewer than 68. Central City is allowing 50.5 points per game, but has not allowed more than 59 in any one game. In a similar situation a year ago, the Huskies were drubbed by the Wildcats, 57-6.
Cedar Valley - The Huskies were mauled by Midland, 70-24, last Friday night. Spencer Zielke completed 8 of 31 passes for 165 yards and two TDs. Arturo Melendez caught three passes for 117 yards and a TD. Zielke ran 20 times for 40 yards. CVC has been outscored 464-66, but has scored 6, 16, 20 and 24 points in each of its last four games. Season leaders - Rushing: Daniel Ostroot 26-217 1 TD; Passing: Melendez 21-69-7-104, Zielke 18-66-2-342 5 TDs; Receiving: Eric Gustafson 16-86 1 TD, Melendez 9-205 3 TDs; Tackles: Gustafson 38; PATs: None.
Central City - The Wildcats were thumped by Lansing Kee, 49-6, last Friday night. David Mosher passed for 85 yards and a TD, but also threw two interceptions. Central City had eight yards rushing. The Wildcats gave up 354 yards, 224 on the ground. Central City has been outscored 303-58, with a high point total of 26 in its opener against Dunkerton. Season leaders - Rushing: Nick McCarry 53-114; Passing: Mosher 50-121-12-783 5 TDs; Receiving: Seth Schlotterbeck 12-205 1 TD, Deshawn Leudeman 10-218 2 TDs, McCarry 5-146 2 TDs; Tackles: Colton Visek 72; PATs: Skyler Matthias 0-1.
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