The leaves have changed, the temperatures dropped and the high school football season is winding down.
There are two games remaining in the regular season for most football teams.
While Xavier, Marion and Prairie have already secured playoff berths, two other Metro teams have only two more games to clinch their spot.
Kennedy and Linn-Mar are 2-5 heading into their games Friday.
Kennedy needs to beat Hempstead Friday night and probably beat Iowa City High next Friday night to gain a berth. A loss to Hempstead means the Cougars have to beat City High, and still likely would not qualify. A win and a loss puts the Cougars in the spot of needing help from several teams - Wahlert (1-6), Davenport West (1-6) and Davenport North (0-7) - to name three.
Linn-Mar needs to win one of its two remaining games against either Iowa City High Friday or at Xavier next week to have a slim chance to get in. Wins in both games probably secure a playoff berth for the Lions.
Jefferson is 1-6 and all but mathematically eliminated. A win at Iowa City West and against Dubuque Senior next week would put the J-Hawks in the same position as Linn-Mar would be with a split of its games -- on life support.
Washington is 2-6 and on life support after losing to Prairie on Thursday night.
It's clear as mud.
Thursday
Prairie (4-3, 2-2) at Washington (2-5, 0-4)
Site: Kingston Stadium
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Television: KCRG 9.2 (Mediacom 109, Imon 709)
Radio: KGYM (AM-1600, FM-106.3, FM-107.5), WMT (AM-600)
Storyline - Washington has its backs up against the wall as far as securing a playoff berth. The Warriors could beat the Hawks and Wahlert next week and still find themselves on the outside looking in, according to point projections. A loss in either game sticks a fork in their season. Prairie could possibly earn a first-round home game by beating Washington and Waterloo West next week. Washington has won four straight games in the series, including a 51-26 decision last year in Mike Morrissey's debut as Prairie coach. Prairie has not beaten Washington since a 61-21 victory in 2005.
Prairie - The Hawks built a 49-3 lead last week against Linn-Mar and routed the Lions, 49-27. Jace Hanna passed for 219 yards and four TDs, Jarred Edmonds caught seven passes for 158 yards and three TDs. Edmonds leads Class 4A in receiving yards (904) and TD receptions (13). Season leaders - Rushing: Mitch Christensen 49-242 2 TDs, Hanna 44-184 2 TDs; Passing: Hanna 84-135-5-1453 19 TDs; Receiving: Demetrius Harper 35-383 5 TDs, Jarred Edmonds 33-904 13 TDs; Tackles: Cam Rathje 85, Casey Becker 62; PATs: Sam Drysdale 30-32; FGs: Drysdale 1-1 (long 34).
Washington - The Warriors scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and pulled away to beat Jefferson, 34-21, last Friday. Mitch Blades passed for 222 yards and two TDs and ran for another two TDs. Mitch Bredeson ran for 127 yards and a TD. Jason Oney caught two TD passes. Season leaders - Rushing: Bredeson 138-597 7 TDs, Blades 86-302 7 TDs; Passing: Blades 80-166-10-1169 6 TDs; Receiving: Jason Oney 39-536 5 TDs, Noah Dostal 14-257 1 TD; Tackles: Jake Bjornsen 51; PATs: Riyad Ajram 19-22; FGs: Ajram 3-4 (long 42).
Friday
No. 4 Xavier (7-0, 4-0) at No. 2 Cedar Falls (7-0, 5-0)
Site: UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls
Time: 7:30 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5:15 p.m.
Radio: KMRY (AM-1450, FM-93.7)
Storyline - This is the battle for the Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division title. Cedar Falls takes the title with a win. Xavier clinches a title tie with a win and can then earn an outright crown next week with a win over Linn-Mar. Cedar Falls has a four-game winning streak in the series, including a 27-7 win last season. The last Xavier win came in the quarterfinals of the 2006 playoffs when the Saints prevailed, 28-7, and went on to win a state championship. Cedar Falls has staged huge second-half comebacks to beat Waterloo West (17-16) and Prairie (41-30) this season. Xavier has beaten its seven foes by an average score of 45-9. This will be a head banger.
Xavier - The Saints blasted Waterloo West, 49-14, last Friday night. Reggie Schulte threw three TD passes, Corbin Woods caught seven passes for 118 yards and two TDs, and Nick Steingreaber ran for 117 yards and two TDs. Schulte is tied for second in the state with 24 TD passes and his 75.9 completion percentage ranks first among 4A QBs. Season leaders - Rushing: Brendan Miller 83-576 5 TDs; Passing: Schulte 78-107-3-1236 24 TDs; Receiving: Woods 28-565 10 TDs, Matt Nelson 9-87 6 TDs; Tackles: Craig Murtha 36 (19 for loss); PATs: Ryan Persick 42-43; FGs: Persick 3-5.
Cedar Falls - The Tigers blanked Wahlert, 35-0, last Friday night. Brayden Longnecker passed for two TDs and ran for another. Nick Clark ran for 93 yards and two TDs. The defense held Wahlert to minus-18 rushing yards and 88 total yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Jake Buck 116-614 6 TDs, Clark 77-514 9 TDs, Eli Berregaard 38-314 2 TDs; Passing: Longnecker 49-79-2-616 7 TDs; Receiving: Ike Boettger 19-275 3 TDs, Brandon Corkery 13-193 3 TDs; Tackles: Jared Farley 60 (10 for loss); PATs: Jacob Newton 21-22; FGs: Newton 1-2 (long 28), Berregaard 2-3 (long 37).
Hempstead (0-7, 0-5) at Kennedy (2-5, 2-2)
Site: Kingston Stadium
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - Kennedy needs a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Hempstead hasn't won. The Cougars have scored 82 points the last two weeks and boast the state's second-leading rusher in Alex Hillyer, who has run for 982 yards. Hempstead won the last meeting of the teams, 17-13, in 2009. The Cougars can't afford to look ahead to next week's game at Iowa City High -- and they won't.
Hempstead - The Mustangs were beaten by Dubuque Senior 40-20 last Friday. Drew Wagner passed for 124 yards and a TD and ran for 108 yards and a TD. Season leaders - Rushing: Matt Zenner 101-537 1 TD, Wagner 67-149 5 TDs; Passing: Wagner 59-132-9-882 6 TDs; Receiving: Travis Boleyn 19-430 3 TDs, Zenner 19-161 2 TDs; Tackles: Kyle Frommelt 57, Blake Thurston 49; PATs: Fred Kalb 7-9, Chris Francis 5-5; FGs: Francis 2-3 (long 50).
Kennedy - The Cougars recorded their second straight win, downing Waterloo East 38-30 last Friday at Waterloo. The Cougars scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to erase a 9-point deficit. Alex Hillyer ran for 145 yards and two TDs. Riley Fergus threw a TD pass and ran for another TD. Hillyer is second in Class 4A in rushing yards (982). Season leaders - Rushing: Hillyer 181-982 9 TDs; Passing: Fergus 44-102-3524 8 TDs; Receiving: Jacob Frazier-Flores 10-204 4 TDs, Patrick Martin 8-122 2 TDs; Tackles: Grant Miller 55, Andrew Johnson 51; PATs: Eric Bertroche 16-18; FGs: Bertroche 4-5 (long 38).
Iowa City High (4-3) at Linn-Mar (2-5)
Site: Linn-Mar Stadium
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: KCJJ (1630-AM)
TV: Mediacom 22 (Replays Saturday at 9 p.m., Sunday at 6 p.m.)
Storyline - City High needs a win in either this game or next week at home against Kennedy. But the Little Hawks find themselves in the rare position of having lost two games in a row. Further, they were shutout in both contests, losing 44-0 to Iowa City West last week and 21-0 to Dubuque Senior the week before. Linn-Mar, meanwhile, most likely needs to beat City High and Xavier to get back to the playoffs. The Lions got the monkey off their back and beat City High a year ago, 17-12. The Lions need a lot of magic to repeat that win.
Iowa City High - The Little Hawks were thrashed by Iowa City West 44-0 last Friday. City High managed only 98 yards of offense against West, with 73 coming on the ground. West gashed the Little Hawks for 338 yards of rushing offense. Season leaders - Rushing: Amos Lavela 103-605 8 TDs, Xavier Washpun 59-316 5 TDs, Bryson Runge 38-233; Passing: Mitch Wieland 21-37-3-246 2 TDs, Tyler Stika 15-38-5-184 2 TDs, Jake Leohr 6-9-0-141 2 TDs; Receiving: Tony Perry 12-187 1 TD, Washpun 6-115 2 TDs; Tackles: Tyler Hill 35; PATs: Drew Cornwell 22-22; FGs: Cornwell 2-2 (long 21).
Linn-Mar - The Lions battled back from a 49-3 deficit but lost to Prairie, 49-27, last Friday night. Rhys Davis passed for one TD and ran for another. Ross Lembeck rushed for 100 yards and a TD, and caught a TD pass. Austin Burbridge and Lucas Meyer had 11 tackles apiece. Season leaders - Rushing: Davis 127-581 9 TDs, Lembeck 94-575 4 TDs, Nick Trabucco 44-156 3 TDs; Passing: Davis 58-122-5-639 5 TDs; Receiving: Zach Martins 13-165 2 TDs; Tackles: Meyer 60, Dakota Digmann 49 (11 for loss); PATs: Wolter 19-19; FGs: Wolter 3-6 (long 38).
Clear Creek Amana (4-3, 2-2) at No. 8 Marion (6-1, 4-0)
Site: Thomas Park Field
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: KGYM (AM-1600, FM-107.5)
Storyline - Marion can clinch a tie for the Class 3A District 6 title and a first-round game on home turf with a win over CCA. The Indians have rolled to five straight wins since a 35-0 loss to Decorah in Week 2 and have outscored their opponents 153-38 over that span. Trev Biery is 10th in rushing in Class 3A with 890 yards is tied for fourth with 14 rushing touchdowns. CCA is still in the hunt for a playoff berth, but that likely will come down to next week's season finale against Maquoketa. The Indians take care of business -- again.
Clear Creek Amana - The Clippers bashed Anamosa 31-13 last Friday. Konrad Moore threw two TD passes. Jonathan Nzombo ran for 117 yards and a TD. Tanner Bandy and Jared Ganschow caught TD passes. Season leaders - Rushing: Nzombo 106-590 4 TDs, Ganschow 8-131 1 TD; Passing: Moore 99-191-6-1134 11 TDs; Receiving: Bandy 34-462 4 TDs, Zach Anderson 27-228 3 TDs; Tackles: Aaron Campbell 66, Stephen Jensen 64; INTs: Bandy 4; PATs: Niels VanElsas 21-22; FGs: VanElsas 3-7 (42 long).
Marion - The Indians powered past Solon, 24-14, last Friday night. Trev Biery ran for 178 yards and three TDs and the Indians piled up 236 yards of rushing offense. Trevor Hardman completed 7 of 11 passes for 95 yards. The Indians intercepted four Solon passes. Season leaders - Rushing: Biery 110-890 14 TDs, Colton Mowry 64-274 5 TDs, Andrew Davis 19-149 2 TDs, Tyler Gunderson 24-143 2 TDs; Passing: Hardman 30-60-1-437 3 TDs; Receiving: Quinn Cannoy 9-180, Ethan Herren 8-78 1 TD. Tackles: Isaac Frazier 52 (17 for loss); PATs: Dalton Ott 16-18, Ben Kroemer 6-7; FGs: Ott 1-2 (long 33).
Jefferson (1-6, 1-3) at No. 3 Iowa City West (7-0, 4-0)
Site: Iowa City West
Time: 7:15 p.m. (approximately)
Sophomore game: 5 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - Iowa City West has clinched a playoff berth and can clinch a tie for the MVC Mississippi Division title with a win over Jefferson. A win and a loss by Dubuque Senior to Waterloo East gives the Trojans the title outright. Jefferson has been riding a rollercoaster,, playing well one week and poorly the next. The J-Hawks beat Hempstead, 12-7, then lost to City High 38-0. They battled Waterloo East in a 30-24 loss, then got flattened by Kennedy, 44-0. Jeff played one of its best games of the year last week in a 34-21 loss to Washington. This week the J-Hawks face a team that loves to score points. The Trojans are averaging 52 points per game, Jefferson 9. This one likely will not be pretty on the scoreboard.
Jefferson - The J-Hawks were outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter and fell to Washington, 34-21, last Friday. Layne Sullivan ran for three TDs and passed for 187 yards. Brandon Wiederin caught six passes for 71 yards. Michael Moncivais ran for 46 of Jeff's 72 rushing yards. Season leaders - Rushing: Michael Moncivais 58-269, Sullivan 85-147 6 TDs, Nick O'Connell 60-126 3 TDs; Passing: Sullivan 56-123-4-694; Receiving: Hunter Kloubec 14-130, Wiederin 10-164, Ben Koering 8-141; Tackles: Drake Allen 43; PATs: Nick Rocha 6-6; FGs: Rocha 1-1 (long 30).
Iowa City West - The Trojans smoked Iowa City High 44-0 Friday night. Ezra Reiners ran for 161 yards and a TD. The Trojans ground out 338 yards of rushing offense and 435 total yards. Nate Boland completed only four passes, but one went for a TD to Dondre Alexander. Boland is sixth in completion percentage (67.9) in 4A. Season leaders - Rushing: Reiners 75-693 8 TDs, Devin Raffensperger 37-331 4 TDs, Micah Kelsay 44-187 10 TDs; Passing: Boland 93-137-1-1465 12 TDs; Receiving: Alexander 32-580 3 TDs, Jeremy Morgan 30-527 7 TDs; PATs: Morgan 18-18, Mueng Sunday 23-23; FGs: Morgan 1-1 (long 27).
Elkader Central (1-7, 1-6) at Cedar Valley Christian (0-7, 0-6)
Site: LaSalle Middle School
Time: 7 p.m.
Radio: None
Storyline - Cedar Valley Christian needs to beat Elkader Central to move out of the cellar in Class 8 District 4. The Huskies have scored points in their last five games, but can't stop anyone from scoring. Opponents are averaging 76.3 points against them, and nobody has scored fewer than 68. Elkader Central is allowing 40 points per game, and has given up 63 and 60 in its last two contests. The Warriors are averaging 28 points on offense, the Huskies 12. This is the first meeting of the teams.
Elkader Central - The Warriors were thumped by Midland, 60-22, last Friday night. Anthony Bergan ran for two TDs and Isaiah Hopp passed for another while completing 10 of 19 passes for 111 yards. Sam Hilgerson caught four passes for 61 yards and a TD. Central has been outscored 320-224, and twice has scored 48 points. Season leaders - Rushing: Nathan Fitzgerald 172-737 10 TDs, Hopp 147-610 9 TDs, Bergan 42-187 5 TDs; Passing: Hopp 50-120-10-774 7 TDs; Receiving: Hilgerson 22-476 6 TDs; Tackles: Hilgerson 71; INTs: Austin Kelly 4; PATs: None.
Cedar Valley - The Huskies were slammed by Central City, 70-16, last Friday night. Spencer Zielke completed 7 of 26 passes for 91 yards and one TD. Eric Gustafson caught three passes for 80 yards and a TD. The Huskies have been outscored 534-82, an average score of 76-12. Only one opponent has scored less than 70 points. Season leaders - Rushing: Daniel Ostroot 34-196 1 TD; Passing: Arturo Melendez 21-69-7-104, Zielke 25-92-4-433 6 TDs; Receiving: Gustafson 19-166 2 TDs, Melendez 10-222 3 TDs; Tackles: Gustafson 43 (3 for loss); PATs: None.
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