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've already looked at Class 8-Man, now let's look at Class A.
Undefeated Teams Remaining: 7
1: AHSTW
Wins: Underwood 41-14, Shenandoah 45-0, Westwood 48-27, Martensdale-St. Mary's 65-8, Riverside 48-3
Remaining Schedule: at Earlham, vs. Nodaway Valley, at Southwest Valley, vs. St. Albert
Last year, the Vikings were darn good, they started the season 8-0 before dropping two games, I think this year's team is even better. They've won their five games by an average of 40-points-per-game. Blake Osbahr has done a stellar job replacing AHSTW legend R.J. Harris, Osbahr has chucked the pigskin for over 700-yards and a Class A best 12-touchdowns and has added two scores with his legs. Gabe Pauley has bruised his way through defenders for 547-yards and eight scores. Osbahr's favorite receiver has been Drake Partridge, who has corralled 11-passes for 342-yards and seven scores, Brayton Tuma has nine catches for three scores while Korbin Martin and Gabe Madsen have also been on the receiving end of Osbahr touchdown throws. Four Vikings; Blake Tuma, Brayton Tuma, Partridge and Osbahr have an interception on the year with Partridge's resulting in a pick six. Pauley leads the team in tackles and has a fumble recovery. This team has bullied it's way through their first five games including an impressive win over a good Westwood team, their biggest test will come in Week 8 against another unbeaten, Southwest Valley, however, don't sleep on matchups with Earlham or St. Albert.
2: Belmond-Klemme
Wins: Eagle Grove 61-6, Nashua-Plainfield 55-0, Southeast Valley 43-36, North Butler 49-6, West Fork 21-14
Remaining Schedule: at Bishop Garrigan, vs. Graettinger-Terril, at North Union, vs. West Hancock.
The Broncos have posted three blowout wins, squeaked a touchdown victory over a solid Southeast Valley squad and held on for the win over West Fork last week. Quarterback Easton Barrus has only thrown 38-times, but he's got 332-passing yards and three scores. The Broncos prefer to beat you on the ground with running back Tucker Kroeze, who has 456-yards for 10-touchdowns on 45 carries, Gustavo Suarez has added 435-yards and six scores, while Barrus has found the end-zone seven times on the ground. Logan Heaberlin has been the go-to wideout for the Belmond-Klemme signal callers, hauling in nine passes for 225-yards and four scores. On the defensive side, five Broncos have a pick; Barrus, Heaberlin, Kroeze, Koty Kuhlers and Jayden Warren. They've also recovered seven fumbles, two of which were scoop and scores. The Broncos will be put to the measuring stick this week when they take on a Bishop-Garrigan squad that I have ranked second in Class A. Speaking of which.
3: Bishop Garrigan
Wins: Emmetsburg 14-12, Newman Catholic 28-21, Lake Mills 48-28, St. Edmond 52-0, West Hancock 28-14
Remaining Schedule: vs. Belmond-Klemme, at North Union, vs. West Fork, at Graettinger-Terril
The Golden Bears have relied on Brad Capesius's six passing touchdowns and five on the ground to propel themselves to a 5-0 start. They haven't done it pretty, winning two games by one possession, but a win is a win. They have a very balanced rushing attack helmed by Capesius and Preston Kohlhaas, who has run for a team-best 378-yards and five scores. Eric Thul has added four scores and Sam Vaske has found pay dirt twice. T.J Schnorr has been Capesius's favorite receiver, hauling 10-passes for 179-yards and four scores, Tristan Ferguson and John Meis also have a receiving score for the Golden Bears. Capesius has played ball-hawk defensively, picking off four passes, Ferguson has three INTs and Vaske has snagged one as well. The Golden Bears have a tough test this week with the team I have ranked fifth in Class A, Belmond-Klemme, but they have the pieces to move to 6-0.
4: BGM, Brooklyn
Wins: Lisbon 35-24, Grandview Christian 58-0, North Mahaska 56-0, East Marshall 41-0, Highland, Riverside 31-22.
Remaining Schedule: vs. Belle-Plaine, vs. Pekin, at Durant, vs. Cardinal, Eldon
You could certainly make the case that the Bears are playing with a little extra motivation given the tragic passing of recent BGM grad Mollie Tibbetts. It's been Mollie's younger brother, Scott that has led the Bears thus far. The senior signal caller has thrown for 578-yards and eight touchdowns, he's also scored two rushing touchdowns. Tibbetts has been aided by the dominance of running back Noah Beck who has 598-yards for 12-scores. Dawson Owens has two receiving scores. On the defensive side, Beck has snagged two passes, so has Devon Maxfield. Ulises Felix and Hunter Rudd have each accounted for an INT and Dylan Staker has scooped up two fumbles. The Bears have looked good in the first five games and just took a down a stellar Highland, Riverside team, but their last four-games are not a cake-walk every one of their opponents boast a winning record. If they go 9-0, they will have earned it.
5: Hinton
Wins: Woodbury Central 30-19, Unity Christian 28-14, Lawton-Bronson 42-0, Logan-Magnolia 31-14, Akron-Westfield 17-16.
Remaining Schedule: at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, vs. MMCRU, vs. Gehlen Catholic, at South O'Brien
There's got to be something in the water in Northwest Iowa because football, particularly in small class 11-man is so darn good up there. The Hinton Blackhawks are a prime example of that, they've been led by quarterback Braden Vonk, who has thrown for 730-yards and seven touchdowns to go with the two scores he's picked up on the ground. Wyatt Stucky has found the end-zone five times on the ground, Jesse Ridgeway and Tate Kounkel have two rushing scores. Kyle Brighton also boasts a score. Vonk has spread the wealth through the air, Brighton has been the recipient of two-passing scores as has Jacquez Williams, Aiden Brock, Keanan Wiseler and Thomas Bishop each hold claim to one receiving score this season. The Blackhawks have forced opposing teams to cough up the ball seven times and seven different players have scooped it up for the Blackhawks. As I mentioned, football in Northwest Iowa is so tough, but the Blackhawks might have the toughest part of their schedule in the rear-view mirror as Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn is the only team they face that currently has a winning record.
6: Hudson
Wins: Jesup 46-8, Columbus Catholic 14-0, GMG, Garwin 35-0, North Tama 24-21, BCLUW 49-0
Remaining Schedule: vs. St. Ansgar, at Wapsie Valley, vs. Grundy Center, at East Buchanan
The defending state runners-up and consensus top-ranked team have played smashmouth old-school football. The Pirates' quarterback, Jacob Murray has completed just 47-percent of his passes but has thrown for 457-yards and seven scores, Murray has also added one score on the ground. The Pirates rely on a hefty-dose of the run game led by the thunder and lightning duo of Christian Seres and Ethan Fulcher. Seres has bruised his way to 843-yards and 11-scores despite not having a carry of longer than 25-yards, Fulcher is averaging 15.9 yards-per-touch on 17 carries for four scores including an 82-yard scamper for six. Four different Pirates have been on the receiving end of touchdown tosses from Murray; Fulcher, Jackson Lehr and Payton Stuart have all caught two, Izik Rodriguez has the other. On the defensive side, the Pirates force their opponents to put the ball on the ground a lot. Fulcher has three fumble recoveries to go with two by Lehr and Carter Swope, three other Pirates each have one scoop. The Pirates have defeated three teams that are 1-4, but they've also beat two teams that hold a 4-1 record. Their next three opponents all boast 4-1 records, the Pirates will probably be favored in those games, but they are not guaranteed victories.
7: Southwest Valley
Wins: Red Oak 24-21, Central Decatur 25-14, West Central Valley 20-18, Clarinda 20-16, Nodaway Valley 28-6
Remaining Schedule: at St. Albert, vs. Earlham, vs. AHSTW, at Riverside.
The Timberwolves have been the cardiac cats this year and to be honest, their 5-0 record is a bit surprising to me given how much production they lost from last year's 9-0 team. Coach Anthony Donahoo will be the first to tell you that they have not won pretty, but a win is a win. Senior Dustin Lund was tasked with filling the shoes of do-all quarterback Chance Cobb and he's done a stellar job, throwing three scores and adding eight with his leg. Aiden Gaule has found the end-zone three times while Blaine Venteicher and Matt Johnston each have a rushing score to their name. Lund's favorite receiver has been Teagan Lundquist, the senior has hauled in 13-passes for 159-yards and two scores.
Where Southwest Valley has made it's mark this year on the defensive side of the ball, The T-Wolves love to hit the quarterback, boasting 15-sacks on the season; five from Jacob Webb, three from Tucker TePoel and Hunter Poston and two apiece from Scotty Adcock and Evan Davis. The T-Wolves have also been opportunistic in the secondary, picking off 11-passes. Lund leads the team with three, but eight others have an INT to their name; Venteicher, Lundquist, Gaule, Davis, Tepoel, Brendan Knapp, Brendan Pearson and Tallen Myers. The T-Wolves defense has also scooped up eight fumbles. This defense is bananas. The Timberwolves hold close victories over an underrated Red Oak squad, a gritty Central Decatur team and a tough Clarinda team, but they have a tough stretch to finish their season with a road trip to St. Albert and a date with AHSTW in Week 8, who is also unbeaten. This team surprised me that they are 5-0, but then again it should not have.
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