Composite Preseason Football Rankings: Class 3A & 4A.

Preseason football rankings are the best. OK--not really, but it gives us something to look at, so that's cool. Three major media publications; The Des Moines Register, The Cedar Rapids Gazette and Radio Iowa compile weekly rankings throughout the high school football season. Last year I compiled a composite preseason football ranking by combining the three sets of rankings. I then continued to do that throughout the season. So why don't we do it again?

The scoring system behind this pretty easy. A first place ranking receives 10 points, nine points for second, eight for third and so on all the way down to 10th. The Cedar Rapids Gazette uses a six-voter points system for their rankings, so their rankings occasionally include ties. If there is a tie I divide the points between the spots. For example, if there is a tie for 1st, each team gets 9.5 points rather than 10.

For the preseason, I will break the rankings up into classes per blog Lets start with Class 3A & 4A

The points received by each team is in parentheses.

CLASS 4A
1. Dowling Catholic (30)--The Maroons were the unanimous top pick in Class 4A and will certainly be the favorite to capture the state title, which would be a record-setting seventh consecutive. They lost their quarterback Zach Watters and 2,000-yard rusher Jayson Murray, but they conveniently replaced Murray with former Southeast Polk standout and Iowa commit Gavin Williams.

2. Ankeny Centennial (22)- Three different teams received a runner-up vote, but The Jaguars had the most overall points. Ankeny Centennial defeated Dowling in the regular season, but never got a chance to end Dowling's streak because they were stunned by Southeast Polk in the first round. Could that be motivation for them this year?

3. Valley, WDM (21)-Valley also received a second-place vote. The Tigers got the rematch with Dowling that Centennial never did. Dowling took care of Valley, ending their season with a 31-9 quarterfinal defeat. The Tigers graduated quarterback Beau Lombardi and 1,200 yard rusher Creighton Mitchell, but it's Valley, they will be fine.

4. Waukee (19)-Waukee received a second place vote from Radio Iowa, but an eighth place vote from The Register. The Warriors return 2,000 yard passer and 1,000 yard rusher Mitch Randall, so they should be fun to watch this year.

5. Iowa City West (17)-The highest ranked non-Des Moines area team received votes of third, sixth and seventh. They had a pretty senior-heavy lineup last season, but they return standout junior quarterback Marcus Morgan, who already has an offer from Iowa State.

6. Cedar Falls (15.5)- Last year's state runner-up was pegged at a tie for third, sixth and eighth in the preseason rankings. They went toe-to-toe with Dowling last season in the 'ship before losing 22-16. They will have to replace a 1,000 yard rusher (Sam Gary) and a 1,000 yard receiver (Logan Wolf), but they return 2,000 yard passer Cael Loecher.

7. Bettendorf (15)- The Bulldogs were ranked third by The Register, but received rankings of seventh and eighth by Radio Iowa and The Gazette respectively. Bettendorf's lost just two games last year--to the state finalists, Dowling & Cedar Falls, by a combined 12 points including a heartbreaking 41-34 state semifinal loss to Dowling.

8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (14)- Kennedy finished 6-4 last season with losses to Valley, Prairie, Bettendorf and Iowa City West by a combined 151-42, but they were ranked ahead of Valley in the Radio Iowa poll and Iowa City West in The Des Moines Register poll. The Register also put them ahead of Cedar Falls.

9. Ankeny (8)- The Hawks started the season 1-4, finished the regular season with four straight wins, then fell to Valley 24-21 in the first round of the playoffs. They return quarterback Jase Bauer (1,231 yards, 13 TD's, 9 INTS), leading rusher Cael Boyd (979 yards, 13 touchdowns) and leading receiver Brody Brecht (30 rec, 513 yards, 6 TD's). I think is a team that will be much improved, I probably would have ranked them ahead of Kennedy like The Gazette did.

10. Pleasant Valley (1)- Three different schools received a vote for the final spot. Pleasant Valley, like Ankeny, started the season 1-4, won four in and a row and then lost their postseason game, a 31-14 defeat to Bettendorf

     Dubuque Senior (1)- The Rams went 3-6 and their six losses came by an average of 21 points-per-game, but that didn't stop Radio Iowa from giving them a 10th place vote.

     Fort Dodge (1)-The Dodgers offense was a touchdown waiting to happen last year. They averaged 43 points a contest during the regular season. Their defense was pretty salty, too, allowing just 16.5 points per game until a 41-0 first round defeat to Dowling.

CLASS 3A

1. Western Dubuque (30)- The unanimous number one pick suffered three losses last season. Two of which came to eventual runner up Cedar Rapids Xavier. The return of their starting quarterback and their top three rushers make them the early favorite to dethrone Xavier in Class 3A.

2. Solon (26)- Solon's lone blemish in 2018 was a 48-13 shellacking to Western Dubuque in the first round of the playoffs. The Spartans have an FCS committed quarterback (Cam Miller, North Dakota State) to complement a pair of FCS committed wide receivers (Jace Andregg, UNI and A.J. Coons, South Dakota State). This team should be able to score points, lots of them.

3. CR Xavier (24)-The defending 3A champs graduated dual threat signal-caller Quinn Schulte and 1,300-yard rusher Braden Stovie, but still received a second, third and fourth place ranking. Teams that know how to win, typically win and Xavier probably won't be an exception to that.

4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (20)-The Warrior played a tough schedule last season and earned the number one seed in the state semifinalist despite a 28-point loss to an undefeated state semifinalist Lewis Central. Outside of the LC loss, the Warriors scored an average of 32.4 points a game. The offense should continue to march along under the guidance of signal-caller Daniel Wright.

5. North Scott (19)-North Scott's season was book-ended by two losses. A 28-7 opening night defeat to Iowa City West and a 45-21 defeat to Western Dubuque in a state quarterfinal. The defense was stingy in between, allowing just 79 points in that nine-game span and never allowed more than 15 points. Can the defense carry them again?

6. Pella (15)-The Dutch lost two games by a combined nine points. They chucked the pigskin a lot last season, including 52-times in their postseason loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier. They graduated 1,000-yard passer Ryan Gustafson, but the Dutch always plug in play, which is a large reasoning for their fifth, sixth and seventh place rankings

7. Lewis Central (9)-The Titans were not ranked by Radio Iowa for some reason. I understand that they lost star quarterback Max Duggan and his father/head coach Jim Duggan, but the Titans are still loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. The Register pegged them at sixth and The Gazette at seventh. I think that's probably an accurate rating, but definitely not putting them in the top ten seems a bit silly.

8. Spencer (4)-The Tigers suffered three losses last season, two of which came at the hands of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. They return stud running back Isaiah Spencer, but they reside in the daunting District 1 that also contains Sergeant Bluff, Bishop Heelan and Denison-Schleswig.

   Decorah (4)-Decorah also suffered just three losses, two of which were blowouts to eventual champion Xavier. They graduated their quarterback (Jace Johnson) and leading rusher (Drake Shelton) so there's questions for the Vikings. They'll get the chance to answer them against Xavier on September 6th.

  Dallas Center-Grimes (4)-This is an interesting vote. The Mustangs went 1-8 last season and their lone victory was a 14-13 win over a Perry squad that finished 0-9 but Radio Iowa ranked them seventh. They return a quarterback who threw twice as many picks as he did touchdowns and the three running backs that scored all five of their rushing touchdowns. Yes, this team was ranked ahead of Lewis Central.

11. West Delaware (3)-West Delaware began the season 3-0, lost four in a row, then won two in a row, but missed the playoffs. They showed enough promise at times in 2019 to earn an eighth place ranking by The Des Moines Register, but they will have a new quarterback in 2019.

     Bishop Heelan (3)-Bishop Heelan came into the final week of the regular season at 7-1. They then lost the regular season finale to Spencer and was shutout by Sergeant Bluff-Luton in the playoffs. The Crusaders have not won a playoff game since their victory over Creston in a 2014 state semifinal. Will they snap that skid this year?

13. Harlan (2)-We don't know much about Harlan this season, except that they will most likely be their usual, stellar self. There are lots of questions for the Cyclones this year with many key pieces to replace, but The Cedar Rapids Gazette trusts Curt Bladt enough to rank the Cyclones ninth. Smart choice.

14. Carroll (1): The Tigers had a weird season last year. They started the season with a 1-3 record, but peeled off five straight wins to win their wild district. They won their district despite a 13-16 touchdown-interception ratio and just nine rushing touchdowns. Good news for them is they return many pieces and should be much better. They might have been a year away last year.

     Clear Creek-Amana (1): The Clippers were spearheaded by their defense last season in their 8-2 campaign. They allowed just over 12 points a contest and shut their opponents out three times. They return their top tackler, J.J Denny and Division I prospect T.J. Bollers, so their defense will likely carry them again.

My preseason area power rankings

There was football last night. Quite a bit of it actually, so I am not sure if it can still be considered preseason, but last night was week zero, so I still consider it preseason. For the last few years, I've been a member of the KMA Sports power rankings every week during football season. Us voters are tasked every week with selecting 10 schools from Class 8-Man, eight schools from Class A, 1A and 2A as well as five from Class 3A & 4A for the rankings. Eligible teams include schools from the Bluegrass, Corner, Hawkeye Ten, Missouri River, Pride of Iowa, Rolling Valley and Western Iowa Conferences.

The first poll will come out Monday morning. I cannot speak for Derek, Ryan or Brent, but here is how I voted.

CLASS 8-Man

1. Fremont-Mills: The Knights lost some key pieces from a UNI Dome team, but the cupboard isn't close to bare and they have a tradition of excellence. The expectations are high for the Knights this year, as they are every year.

2. Audubon: I watched the Wheelers play last night and they are going to be really, really good this season. I debated putting them ahead of Fremont-Mills and they certainly have a case for number one. I guess we will truly find out when the two teams meet on September 6th.

3. Lenox: I was really high on Lenox coming into this season. They grinded out a 48-32 win over Taylor County foe Bedford last night to win the Back Forty Battle (awesome name) and appear to be primed to contend for the district title.

4. East Mills: The Wolverines' 61-26 loss to Audubon last night is sort of deceiving. The Wolverines went blow-for-blow with Audubon in the first half before the Wheelers contained Nic Duysen to an extent. Audubon Coach Sean Birks feels that East Mills is going to be really good this year and I agree with him.

5. Stanton-Essex: The first game for the combination of Stanton and Essex went about as well as they could have asked for, a 40-6 road win over Murray. They lost Drake Johnson, but Colton Thornburg is a high quality replacement if last night is any indication.

6. Glidden-Ralston: I think this is the team that has the best opportunity to dethrone Audubon in 8-Man District 8, but that district was wild last year and it might be even tougher this season.

7. Woodbine: This is the sleeper team in 8-Man District 8. They finished the season strong and return two of the most electric players in the district, Wyatt and Lane Pryor. Audubon is the safest pick for the district, Glidden-Ralston is probably the safest pick to dethrone Audubon, but don't sleep on Woodbine.

8. Ar-We-Va: The Rockets won their 10th consecutive regular season game last night courtesy of a thrilling, 56-50 overtime thriller over what I think will be a much improved Griswold squad. They lost a lot of pieces from last year, including Keegan Simons and Drew Schurke, but this team knows how to win.

9. Bedford: They gave Lenox all they could handle last night, but in the end, Lenox made just a few more big plays. This is another team that should be much improved this season. They will get a great opportunity to measure themselves with games against CAM and Worth County before beginning district play.

10. Exira-EHK: The Spartans lost Josh Pettepier and Cole Burmeister, so there are some questions about the names and faces that will shine for them, but I never doubt Coach Tom Petersen and you shouldn't either.

CLASS A/1A/2A

1. Treynor: Coach Jeff Casey has built an admirable culture at Treynor and it's shown by the improvements they've made every year. The Cardinals went 8-1 last season before running into the buzzsaw that was West Sioux. The Cardinals will have to replace their leading rusher, Kyle Christensen, but most the pieces are still there and they've had a taste of success. I am really high on the Cardinals this year.

2. St. Albert: The Falcons are my preseason pick to win Class A District 9. They nearly won it last year and I don't expect them to take any step backs. The question is, who will emerge victorious when St. Albert and Treynor meet on September 6th.

3. Mount Ayr: The Raiders had and still have the misfortune of being in the same district of perennial power Van Meter, but they appear to be pretty powerful themselves. This is a sneaky good team.

4. Kuemper Catholic: Good luck blocking Blaise Gunnerson. The Des Moines Register ranked the Nebraska commit as the top senior prospect in the entire state. Gunnerson, along with quarterback Cole Collison and the tradition Kuemper has, makes the Knights a stealthy threat in Class 2A

5. Underwood: The Eagles had three losses last season: a 28-26 loss to Treynor, a 39-34 week nine loss to Missouri Valley and an opening week loss to eventual Class A runner-up AHSTW. They were in the thick of a district title battle last season, but fell just short. They should be in the hunt again. Circle Underwood/Treynor on October 4th as a game to watch.

6. AHSTW: I have no idea what to think of the Class A runner-ups. They lost virtually all their offensive production and their head coach, but programs that know how to win a lot, typically win a lot. Plus their dominance last year allowed them to give some reps to younger guys. I don't think anything would surprise me from AHSTW this season.

7. Tri-Center: The Trojans reside in what of the most competitive area districts, A-10. They lost some valuable skill players, but Bryson Freeberg put up great numbers through the air this past season and he's back.

8. Nodaway Valley: I probably would have put Central Decatur in this spot if I voted prior to Friday. Well, guess what? Nodaway Valley beat Central Decatur for their first win in 686 days. Not many people probably expected the Wolverines to win last night, so there's no telling what this team is capable of this season after beginning the season 1-0.

Class 3A/4A

1. Lewis Central-No Duggan, no problem for LC, or at least I think so. I expect the Titans to keep a similar offensive philosophy under new coach, Justin Kammrad. Having Division I prospects Logan Jones and Thomas Fidone in their arsenal certainly helps, too.

2. Sergeant Bluff-Luton: Another Class 3A UNI Dome team from a year ago. Lewis Central and Sergeant Bluff will battle in six days. I'm not sure who will win, but I can tell you one thing. Whoever wins that game will be ranked ahead of the other one in my rankings, I'm not the RPI.

3. Harlan: Death, taxes and Harlan replacing star players without missing a beat. The Cyclones have been doing since DMart was born, so I don't expect them to stop now.

4. Denison-Schleswig: I am really high on Harlan's opening week opponent. The Monarchs return their quarterback, Charlie Wiebers and leading rusher Terrance Weah along with some stout pieces on defense. Keep your eyes on Denison this season.

5. Bishop Heelan: I really don't have any logic for picking Denison ahead of Heelan other than that Denison returns more production, but Heelan is going to do Heelan things and be competitive in every game, so I could be slighting the Crusaders. I guess we will find out.

The 10 biggest questions I have going into the 2019 football season

The countdown is down to single digits now. I get to call a football game in eight days and that's exciting. I've been trying to bottle the excitement and kill time with an ample amount of blogs previewing the upcoming season with breakdowns of returning offensive production and previews of the most intriguing matchups.

Now it's time to ask some important questions. They're at least important questions to me. I did a piece on the 10 biggest questions coming into the 2018 season last year. I think it's an appropriate time to do it again. I have more than 10 questions about this season, but these are the most pressing. So here they are, in no particular order.

#1. Will the result of East Mills/Audubon in Week 0 played a significant role in the playoffs? 
This is the game I have the luxury of broadcasting in just eight days. Audubon and East Mills both narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season and are more than capable of qualifying this season. However, the RPI system emphasizes winning, particularly against really good teams. Both those teams are really good. The winner of this game will have a quality win under their belt in the RPI rankings throughout the season. The loser? They could have a potentially tougher road, particularly if it is East Mills, who missed the playoffs despite a 7-2 record. Not to mention, they will have to dethrone Fremont-Mills to win the district and assume an automatic berth. I'm still not sure what to think of the RPI, but it has placed potential postseason implications on a Week 0 game, so I guess that's cool.

#2. What will a Duggan-less Lewis Central look like? 
2018 was record-breaking for Lewis Central. The Titans posted an undefeated regular-season and made the state semifinals for the first time in school history. Standout quarterback Max Duggan is now competing for the starting job at TCU while his father, Jim, who was the head coach, retired. Assistant coach Justin Kammrad has taken the reigns in Council Bluffs and he still has some nice pieces to work with including wide receiver Thomas Fidone, who is garnering Division I interest, and lineman/Iowa commit Logan Jones. All signs point to Bret Kobes filling in the shoes of the younger Duggan. They are big shoes to fill, but Kobes held his own when Duggan was injured in 2017.

#3 Who comes out of Class A District 9?
This was also a question last year. Last year I predicted the champion would be either AHSTW or Earlham. I think the question is a lot more open this year than it was last year. I think St. Albert is the favorite because they return basically all offensive production and finished the season strong, but Earlham returns some hosses and should be considered a threat, too. AHSTW's dream 2018 season was led by a dominant senior class and the offense will be almost entirely new. Southwest Valley was really young last year and plagued by injuries. Riverside lost the majority of their offensive production, but their defense might be the best in the district and I expect Nodaway Valley to be much more of a threat week in and week out this season. Buckle up, this district will be crazy.

#4 Who is the team to beat in Missouri 8-Man?
I asked a friend of mine from Missouri who he thought the team to beat was. The vibe is that Pattonsburg is the team to beat this season. The Panthers return prolific signal-caller Steven Wilhite as well as the bulk of their skill players. However, I've heard there was a coaching change at Pattonsburg this year. That doesn't really mean much, but it's something to think about. It would be silly to not at least consider the defending champion Mound City, who returns their quarterback and leading rusher. East Atchison also returns virtually everything and is primed to post the best season in team history.

5. Who fills the void of Maryville's two-headed monster rushing attack?
Maryville's backfield of Eli Dowis and Tyler Houchin was one of the most productive and entertaining in all the land, but both are now at Northwest Missouri State. The beauty of programs successful as Maryville is they always have a terrific "next man" up mentality. Replacing players the caliber of Houchin and Dowis is nothing new to Maryville and their offense almost always starts upfront with the trenches, so I fully expect the Spoofhounds to continue their ways, I am just curious to see who they do it with.

#6. How will a Collin Bevins led Clarinda team look?  
This will be Clarinda's third head coach in four seasons, but that doesn't mean the hire shouldn't excite Cardinal fans. The Cardinals appointed Creston alum and former Northwest Missouri star Collin Bevins to guide their program. Bevins spent one season as a grad assistant at his alma mater, but this is his first head coaching gig. Bevins played for some pretty darn good coaches, so the odds are he learned a lot from them. I would not be surprised to see the Cardinals' physical, run-oriented offense to stay intact and I've heard that former head coach Roger Williams is staying on-board as an assistant. Coach Williams has always been known as a guru on the defensive side, so I expect the defense to once again flourish. They lost some nice pieces from last year, but there's still a lot to be excited for in Clarinda.

#7. How does Stanton/Essex utilize Colton Thornburg? 
As you might have heard, Essex is not fielding a team this year, but rather sharing a team with Stanton. Essex was slated to return 18 players this season according to QuikStats. It's unknown how many of them will transition to Stanton, but it may be in the double digits. This dilemma gives the Trikings (I'm all for calling them that, DMart) the potential for a lot of depth. This will force the coaching staff to utilize them, particularly Colton Thornburg. Thornburg, who played quarterback for Essex last year, threw for 722 yards and 10 scores while also adding 1,022 yards and 14 scores on the ground. Stanton already has a pair of quarterbacks returning in Keygan Day and Colby Royal, so I'm curious as to how they will use Thornburg. I personally expect him to be used in a running back/wide receiver role, much like the Vikings used Drake Johnson. If they do use him like that, it will be fun to watch.

#8. Who replaces Cole Fossenbarger?
Johnson-Brock's offense was a dang treat to watch last season. The Eagles scored at least 50 points in all 13 games en route to a Nebraska Class D2 state title. Last year Johnson-Brock threw for 3,000 yards, ran for 2,000 and scored 119 touchdowns. They were an absolute machine. Quarterback Cole Fossenbarger guided the offense with the help of Kaden Glynn, Ty Hahn, and many others. Fossenbarger has since graduated and Glynn has transferred to Beatrice. All signs point to  Cole's younger brother Caleb, being the signal-caller. The younger Fossenbarger received some reps sparingly last season and will undoubtedly have big shoes to fill (assuming he's the guy), but having a player of Hahn's caliber will help, too.

#9 How many yards will Nick Haynes rush for? 
Missouri Valley's Nick Haynes was an absolute beast in his junior campaign. Haynes' stepped in last year and filled the void left by his older brother Nathan with a 1,666 yard, 12 touchdown season. Oddly enough, the two brothers' junior seasons were strikingly similar. Take a look.

Nathan (2016)-221 rushes, 1,622 yards, 18 touchdowns, 7.3 yards-per-carry
Nick (2018)- 241 rushes, 1,666 yards, 12 touchdowns, 6.9 yards-per-carry

Nathan's numbers (1,257 yards, 8 touchdowns, 5.4 yards/carry) actually dipped in his senior year due to enhanced production from his little brother and Skeeter Bostwick, but I don't see that happening with Nick. The Big Reds offense last year was guided by the legs of Nick, Duke Kyle, and Connor Lange. Lange and Kyle are both gone, so that opens the door up for more of a workload for Nick. Can he get to 2,000 yards? I wouldn't put it past him.

#10 What winless or one-win team from 2018 makes the biggest improvement?
Eight area teams; AL, Boyer Valley, Logan-Magnolia, Martensdale-St. Mary's, Nodaway Valley, Seymour, Shenandoah, and West Harrison all went either 0-9 or 1-8 last season. There were six teams on this list last season and two of them, Red Oak and Murray made the largest improvements by going 5-4 and 3-6 respectively. Who will be the team to make the largest improvement this year? AL was incredibly young last season, so they should have some excitement about a new year. I am high on Nodaway Valley this season but they play in the crazy Class A District 9, so I'm not sure how many wins their improvement will translate to. I am also high on Shenandoah this year, but their schedule will not be easy. Logan-Magnolia's 1-8 campaign was a surprise to many and it would be a surprise if they do it again. They would be my choice to improve the most if I had to pick, but I'm not ruling out Shenandoah either.

The most intriguing high school football games heading into the 2019 season

The start of high school football season is just around the corner. The first official week of the season begins on August 30th (24 days away), but there will be area football before then, my friends! A handful of area teams had gaps in their schedule due to schools not fielding teams and this opened the door for teams to play games on "Week Zero". It's certainly not ideal for those teams, but it means that we get football seven days earlier and I'm OK with that because it means I only have to go without football for 17 more days rather than 24.

I've already been preparing myself (and hopefully you) for the 2019 season with a look at returning production from area districts. You can view those here.

CLASS 8 MAN

CLASS A 

CLASS 1A & 2A

CLASS 3A & 4A

Last year I took a look at the 10 most intriguing games for the upcoming season. I decided to do it again. The 2019 schedules are, for the most part, the same as 2018 except the home and away games have been flipped. So let's get to it.

Week 0: East Mills @ Audubon 

These two teams were among the first teams outside qualifying for the playoffs last season. East Mills suffered losses to Fremont-Mills and Stanton during the season that kept them out while Audubon was upset in the final week of the season by CAM. The good news for these teams is that they both return the majority of their production from last year. The quarterback matchup between East Mills' Michael Schafer and Audubon's Skyler Schultes will be well worth the price of admission. Schafer led East Mills' air-raid attack last season to the tune of 2,003 yards and 28 touchdowns while Schultes guided a more balanced Audubon offense with 2,090 total yards (1154 rushing, 936 passing) and 40 touchdowns (26 rushing, 14 passing).

I think East Mills and Audubon are two of the top 8-man teams to watch in southwest Iowa, so a win here for either team would certainly set a statement to start the season and bolster their RPI ranking come postseason time.

 You can tune into myself and Todd Jacobson's call of this game on KMA 960 in exactly 17 days.

Week 1: Harlan @ Denison-Schleswig

This is one of many sneaky good rivalries in the Hawkeye Ten. Harlan has held the edge in football for a long time, winning the last seven meetings with their Highway 59 foe, six of which occurred by at least 21 points. Harlan's two recent victories have come by a combined score of 105-21. Denison's has not defeated Harlan since a 43-42 victory on August 19th, 2011 (which was also Denison alum DMart's last day as a bachelor), but I think this is the best chance the Monarchs have had to snap the skid in a long time.

I have a feeling Harlan will be their usual stellar self, but there are some voids to fill for the Cyclones such as quarterback Preston Mulligan, running back Caleb Bieker, wide receiver Brett Sears and linemen Jake McLaughlin and Derec Weyer. Meanwhile, Denison returns the combination of quarterback Charlie Wiebers and leading rusher/receiver Terrance Weah as well as some nice pieces on defense. Offensively, the Monarchs return 90 percent of their 2018 production and should only get better this year. Throw in the fact that this game will be played on Denison's beautiful home turf and I would not be surprised if the Monarchs defeat Harlan for the first time in 2,933 days.

Week 2: St. Albert @ Treynor
These would probably be my top two 11-man teams if I had to do a preseason power ranking, fortunately, I do not. Treynor posted an 8-1 regular-season record en route to a district championship. Their lone loss? A 30-20 defeat to St. Albert. St. Albert's 2018 season got off to a rocky start with a 1-3 record before peeling off five straight wins. The Falcons then suffered a heartbreaking week nine defeat to eventual Class A runner-up AHSTW in a de facto district championship game, the loss meant St. Albert missed the postseason for the first time since 2014.

The Falcons have not missed the postseason in back-to-back years since 1995-96 and they appear primed to keep that streak alive. The Falcons return all of their offensive production from 2018 and I think their strong finish before the AHSTW loss gave the program lofty expectations coming into this season. Treynor is without 1,000 yard-rusher Kyle Christensen, but that likely means an increased workload from Jake Fisher and Will Halverson. This should be one of the most entertaining non-district football games in all of the land and I have no idea who I would pick if this game were today.

Week 3: Stanton/Essex vs. Bedford
I'm not certain where this game will be played. Last year's game was slated to be played in Stanton but was moved to Bedford because of weather. Schools typically just swap dates when something like that happens, so I'm guessing the game will be in Stanton, but Bedford's school website lists this game as a home game, so I dunno.

This game is intriguing to me wherever it happens. Bedford started 2018 0-6 before peeling off three straight wins and perhaps gaining some momentum heading into 2019. The Bulldogs return quarterback Cooper Nally, dynamic wide receiver Brennan Sefrit and a duo of running backs. I expect the Bulldogs to bounce back from a rough 2018 season and this could be their opportunity to showcase it. The first-year combination of Stanton/Essex will also have many nice offensive pieces to rely on such as Keygan Day, Colby Royal and Colton Thornburg. Stanton edged Bedford last season in a 36-32 thriller and I think this game could be just as exciting and could loom large in determining how the final standings in 8-Man District 8 shakeout.

Week 4: Clarinda @ Southwest Valley

This is the only repeat game from last season's list, so that's cool. Southwest Valley started the season 5-0 but finished 0-4 while Clarinda never could find a rhythm and finished the season 3-6. Southwest Valley's season was marred by injuries, which allowed for many underclassmen prominent playing time and gives the Timberwolves hope to bounce back in 2019. Coach Anthony Donahoo told me this year's team reminds him a lot of the 2016 squad that went 6-3 and laid the groundwork for an undefeated 2017 regular season.

Clarinda's hope for a rebound season is sparked by a new head coach. Former Creston and Northwest Missouri State star Collin Bevins is now the head man in Clarinda. Southwest Valley plays a throwback style of football that relies on pounding the rock and playing physical defense and I expect Clarinda's philosophy to be similar under the guidance of Coach Bevins. This is going to be your grandpa's style of football with lots of rushing, low scoring and physical defense much like Southwest Valley's 20-16 victory in 2018 and I'm completely here for it.

Week 5: Earlham @ St. Albert 

I think St. Albert is the team to beat in Class A District 9 this season, but you still cannot discount Southwest Valley, AHSTW or Earlham. All three teams are capable of vying for that top spot and I'm not sure who I'd consider the favorite behind St. Albert. I've already mentioned Southwest Valley's outlook and AHSTW has a lot of holes to fill from their state runner-up team a year ago. Meanwhile, Earlham returns the bruiser, Caleb Swalla (1,669 yards, 14 touchdowns) from their run-oriented offensive attack. The Cardinals also return their quarterback Alex Caskey and some important pieces on a defense that should be much improved.

St. Albert has lost the district championship in the last two years (to Southwest Valley in 2017 and AHSTW in 2018) by losing just one district game. The district championship tends to come down to one particular matchup in virtually every district and this could very well be that matchup in Class A District 9 unless Southwest Valley or AHSTW have something to say about it.

Week 6: Mound City @ East Atchison (Missouri)

The most intriguing Week 6 matchup occurs in the Show-Me state. Last year, Mound City razzled and dazzled their way to an undefeated state championship campaign that was capped off by a thrilling 36-32 victory over Worth County in the 8-Man Show-Me Bowl. The champs lose some key pieces but also return just as many. The Panthers will be forced to replace the dynamic playmaker that was Dylan Marrs, but they still have leading rusher TJ Hopkins as well as electrifying quarterback Landon Poppa to rely on.

The buzz from people I've talked to in northwest Missouri is that East Atchison will take another step forward this season. The Wolves posted a respectable 7-4 record in 2018 but fell short of their goal of claiming the 275 Conference title. The cupboard is almost completely full for Coach Aaron Behrens, who returns quarterback Jake McEnaney (1,899 total yards, 33 total touchdowns) and running back Briacin Bywater (1,318 yards and 23 touchdowns). The Wolves have never won the 275 Conference crown under the Tarkio/Fairfax co-op and this looks as if it might be their best chance to date, but until otherwise, the conference runs through Mound City, who defeated East Atchison 62-12 last year.

Week 7: East Mills @ Fremont-Mills

As I noted earlier, I am really high on East Mills this year. They return too many pieces to overlook and should be highly motivated after being forced to sit at home during the postseason despite a 7-2 record. Fremont-Mills thumped East Mills 62-3 in one of the Wolverines' two blemishes last season. The Knights dominant victory was guided by an impressive performance from Division I prospect, Seth Malcom, who ran for 201 yards and three scores while also recovering a fumble on defense. F-M does have some pieces to replace, but a storied program like them rarely has trouble plugging new kids in and picking up where they left off.

It's also worth noting this should be East Mills' final district game. The Wolverines were scheduled to complete the season with games against Essex and Clarinda Academy, but neither school will field a team this season, so the Wolverines' regular-season could end here, meaning that this could serve as de-facto district championship game if both teams come in with an undefeated district record. East Mills has not beaten their Corner Conference brethren since 2007, their first year as East Mills. I'm sure the Wolverine faithful would love nothing more than to finally get the best of their foe and this could be their best shot in quite some time

Week 8: Lenox @ Lamoni

This might look like a strange choice on the surface but hear me out. Class 8-Man District 6 is wide open this season. Defending champion Southeast Warren lost a bunch of pieces from a state semifinalist squad, so the door is open for somebody else to snag the crown and I think these are the two most likely candidates.

Lenox grounded and pounded their way to a 7-2 record and a playoff berth in 2018. The Tigers graduated quarterback Carter Still, but he was a third of their three-headed monster rushing attack of Cullen Wood and Colton Gordon, so the cupboard is still full. I have a feeling that Gordon is going to churn out a monster year, Wood will produce better numbers and someone new will step into a bigger role.

Lamoni started 2018 with two losses, won five in a row and then closed the season with losses to Lenox and Southeast Warren to end the season at 5-4. The Demons had just five seniors on the roster last season and return all offensive production from 2018. Quarterback Patrick Savage made ground with his arm and legs last year. The senior-to-be threw for 895 yards and 15 touchdowns with just one interception and ran for 1,364 yards and 27 scores. This game looks to feature a pair of dynamic playmakers and a possible district championship on the line. Sign me up.

Week 9: Creston @ Glenwood

These are two programs that have been to the UNIDome within the past five years but posted losing records in 2018. Creston finished 3-6 and Glenwood 4-5, but Creston defeated Glenwood. I expect both teams to vastly improve this season. Creston's offense should focus around versatile quarterback Eli Loudon. Coach Cory Faust's team will continue to pound the rock and play stellar defense. Throw in an added year of experience for quarterback Zach Carr and the recipe for improvement is there.

Creston and Glenwood also benefit from the top dogs of Class 3A District 9 (Harlan and Lewis Central) losing many key pieces. I am not sure I'm ready to predict a district championship for either of these teams, though I certainly would not count it out. However, I don't think it's crazy to say that this game could have large playoff implications in Class 3A if these teams perform like I think they will this season. Glenwood and Creston have played games with postseason implications in the past and this year could be another.