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.
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