We are officially halfway through the 2018 Iowa high school football season. Every team has played at least five games. 331-teams began the season undefeated, but five weeks in, there are only 33 teams who still have the realistic goal of finishing the season undefeated. Only six of these teams at most will finish the year with zero losses, but why don't we take some time, break down these teams and give them some of the recognition they deserve for starting the season 5-0 or in some cases 6-0.
We will begin with Class 8-Man.
Undefeated Teams Remaining: 9
1: Ar-We-Va
Wins: Boyer Valley 41-0, Woodbine 68-6, West Bend-Mallard 38-22, Harris-Lake Park 39-6, St. Mary's Remsen 49-12.
Remaining Schedule: at Newell-Fonda, vs. Clay Central-Everly, at Kingsley-Pierson, at River Valley.
The Rockets have been a juggernaut so far, last year the Rockets mustered a post-season appearance despite replacing Jake Danner, one of the most prolific passers in the history of 8-man. Keegan Simons stepped in to replace Danner and he's done a stellar job, tossing 13-touchdowns while adding seven more with his legs. Drew Schurke has been Simons' favorite target, hauling in 26-passes for 425-yards and six scores, he's also ran for 332-yards and four-touchdowns. While Schurke leads the team in catches and yards, Derek Oeser leads this team in touchdowns with eight, he's only caught 17-passes this year. That means nearly half of the passes he caught have gone for touchdowns. As good as Simons has been offensively, he's been just as good defensively, hauling in five interceptions, two of which he returned for scores. The Rockets play an incredibly tough district that consists of a handful of recent powers, they have a big matchup this week with another undefeated, Newell-Fonda, a game in which I might be at---maybe.
2: Central City
Wins: Colo-Nesco 61-22, Tripoli 61-16, West Central-Maynard 55-10, Kee, Lansing 60-12, Turkey Valley 56-42
Remaining Schedule: at Easton Valley, vs. Central Elkader, at Midland, Wyoming, vs. Springville
Central City is an interesting team because unlike most successful 8-man teams, they have multiple weapons that split the load rather than one or two work-horses. Quarterback Nick Reid has thrown just 28-passes but has completed 19 of them for seven touchdowns. When Reid is throwing passes, he's catching them, hauling in five catches for three scores The Wildcats have been led on the ground by the rushing-trio of Trey Holub, Isaiah Damm and Kyle Marsh who have combined to run for over 1,500 yards and 26 scores. Holub has been responsible for over 700 of those yards and 11-scores. He's also caught just four passes this year but found the end zone on three of them. Holub also leads the team in tackles and has hauled in four interceptions, tied with Ethan Tye for team-best. The Wildcats picked up a big win over a previously unbeaten Turkey Valley squad last week, their next toughest test will come in three weeks when they face Midland-Wyoming.
3: Don Bosco, Gilbertville
Wins: Gladbrook-Reinbeck 50-6, Baxter 84-6. Rockford 80-6, Janesville 46-34, Tripoli 64-6
Remaining Schedule: vs. Northwood-Kensett, at Dunkerton, vs. North Iowa, at Riceville
The Dons are the consensus number-one team in the state and rightfully so. They've outscored their five opponents by an average of 65-12, and 34 of those points came in one game, outside of that, they've allowed just six points in each of the four games. The Dons have been led by quarterback Cael Frost, who has completed 26 passes with half of them resulting in touchdowns. Thomas Even has led the ground attack, rushing for 598-yards and 14 scores. Frost's favorite receiver has been Kendall Becker, who has hauled in nine-catches for 262-yards and four scores, a pair of Tenolds, Cael and Cade have also been on the receiving end of four scores. On the defensive side, they have just two interceptions, but they've recovered 8 fumbles, QuikStats does differentiate whether they were offensive or defensive, but Easton Larson does have one scoop and score on the season. The Don's toughest test will come this week when they face an unbeaten Northwood-Kensett squad.
4: Exira-EHK
Wins: Fremont-Mills 45-27, Sidney 43-8, Audubon 34-28, Glidden-Ralston 51-20, CAM 52-34
Remaining Schedule: vs. West Harrison, at Woodbine, vs. Boyer Valley, at Coon Rapids-Bayard.
One cannot overlook how ridiculously tough the first five games were for the Spartans. Take away their wins over these teams and those five teams are a combined 18-2. I anticipated the Spartans to make huge steps forward this year, but not even I expected them to come out of this five-game gauntlet unbeaten. Signal-caller Josh Pettepier has thrown for over 1000-yards and tossed 11-scores while adding four with his feet. The treat that is Cole Burmeister has run for 7-scores and caught 30-passes for 444-yards and six touchdowns. The Spartans have also relied on receivers Jayden Goodwin and Trey Nelson, who have hauled in three and two scores respectively. Baumeister has been equally effective on the defensive side of the ball, snagging four picks. Cade Bruns has also corralled two interceptions and scooped up a fumble. The hardest part of their schedule is undoubtedly behind them, but given how wild their district has been, there's not a given win left on their schedule.
5: Iowa Valley
Wins: Collins-Maxwell 62-16, WACO 46-32, Lone Tree 56-17, Tri-County 64-6, Winfield-Mt. Union 84-22
Remaining Schedule: at English Valleys, vs. New London, at Montezuma, vs. HLV, Victor
The Tigers are another team that has rolled in their first five games, winning them by an average of 62-19. It is important to note that the five teams they beat have a combined record of 7-22, but they've still looked dominant night in and night out. They've been led by quarterback Ben Smith who has thrown just four touchdowns, but he's made up for it by racking up 510-yards and seven scores on the ground. Noah Mumby has contributed 425-yards and seven scores, Garet Sims has found the end zone five times on just 10-carries. Zach Pierce has been responsible for three-touchdowns, Derek Leonard, Gavin Patterson, Evan Reuter and Brody Ward have all found the end-zone twice for the Tigers. Their toughest test is yet to come with upcoming matchups against English Valleys (4-1), New London (5-0) and HLV-Victor (4-1) to cap off the season.
6. New London
Wins: HLV, Victor 51-16, Moravia 42-0, WACO 71-12, Lone-Tree 53-6, Tri-County 81-8
Remaining Schedule: vs. Winfield-Mt. Union, at Iowa Valley, at English Valleys, vs. Montezuma
The Tigers have had a balanced attack this season, relying on quarterback Isaac McSorley, who has thrown for over 600-yards and 10-scores while adding 362-yards and nine scores with his legs. Keontae Lockett has been productive both in the receiving game and on the ground. Lockett has 524-yards and six scores while averaging an excess of 10-yards a clip. Lockett has also hauled in two receiving touchdowns. Darius Whaley and Mason Porter lead the Tigers in receiving with four touchdowns apiece. On the defensive side, the Tigers have been mighty opportunistic, picking off nine passes and recovered 10-fumbles. McSorley has been responsible for three of those interceptions including one he took for a score, while Mason Porter also had a pick six this season. In total, the Tigers have returned four interceptions for touchdowns. They have a few tests coming up with unbeaten Iowa Valley as well as a road trip to a solid English Valleys squad.
7. Newell-Fonda
Wins: Collins-Maxwell 53-14, Coon Rapids-Bayard 37-26, Clay Central-Everly 59-13, Kinglsey Pierson 27-26, River Valley 52-8
Remaining Schedule: vs. Ar-We-Va, at Harris-Lake Park, vs. St. Mary's-Remsen, vs. West Bend-Mallard
While most 8-man teams on this list have dominated, the Mustangs have eked out close wins over good Kingsley-Pierson and Coon Rapids-Bayard squads. The Mustangs have been led by junior quarterback Bryce Coppock, who has completed 22 passes, eight of which have gone for scores. Coppock has added 763-yards and 13-scores on the ground. Tanner Gerke has 25-carries but is averaging 6.8 yards a clip and has found pay dirt four times this season. Coppock's favorite pass catcher has been Damon Bartek, who has corralled in 5-catches for 191-yards and three scores, Hunter Christiansen also has three-scores. Their kicker, R.J. Rojas has made plays with his hands as well, picking off four passes and scooping up four fumbles on the defensive side of the ball. Newell-Fonda has played a tough schedule so far and it won't get easier. They host an unbeaten Ar-We-Va squad this week and only one of their last three opponents (Harris-Lake Park) boast a losing record. This district is bananas.
8. Northwood-Kensett
Wins: Clay Central-Everly 67-0, Harris-Lake Park 26-0, Dunkerton 42-8, North Iowa 54-0, Riceville 41-0
Remaining Schedule: at Don Bosco, vs. Janesville, vs. Tripoli, at Rockford
The Vikings have allowed just eight points all season while averaging 46-per-game, but their five opponents have a combined record of 7-18. The Vikings have thrown the ball just 25-times this year and have relied on a heavy dose of the running game. Lane Anderson has been their go-to with 10-scores, quarterback Logan Bejegerdes has found the end-zone eight times, Caden Shrage has found it three times and they have four other players who have rushed for at least one touchdown. Wide Receiver Nathan Cordle has caught two of Bejegerdes' five passing scores, Anderson, Marquise Berry and Trey Waldamar have each caught one score. The Vikings have been greedy on the defensive side of the ball, Schrage has picked off four passes, Kliment has two INTs and Bejergedes has one as well. Their schedule has been in their favor thus far, but they will be put to the test this weekend against top-ranked Don Bosco.
9. Southeast Warren
Wins: Montezuma 46-35, Griswold 63-22, Clarinda Academy 57-8, Moravia 46-8, Seymour 82-12, East Union 78-14
Remaining Schedule: at Lenox, vs. Mormon Trail, at Murray, vs. Lamoni
The Warhawks are the only squad that is 6-0 on the season. In their first year as an eight-man team, they have an offense that might be the best in the state. Quarterback Colby Page has tossed 8-man best 26 touchdowns. The Warhawks are super-balanced with senior running back Alex Hommer racking up 814-yards for 10-scores, Page has found the end-zone five times with his legs. Bryce Hall has hauled in 27-passes for 568 yards, the second most in 8-man, he's also found the end-zone nine times. Teammate Kaleb Bauer has caught 20 balls for 407-yards and 9 touchdowns. Hall has also found the ball on defense, picking off four passes. Bauer, Hommer and Mason Merfeld hold claim to two interceptions on the season. The Warhawks gave up 57-points in their first two games, but they've allowed just 42 in the last four. They face a Lenox squad this week that is coming off a 108-point performance and led by the bruiser of a running back that is Colton Gordon. This will be the toughest test of the year for Southeast Warren.
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