These Area High School Football Teams Could Surprise People This Year.

It's a new season of high school football in Southwest Iowa. With a new season comes new surprises. Every year, there is at least one team that totally exceeds expectations (2013 Southwest Valley, 2014 Clarinda for example). So let’s take a look at the six area teams that I think are most likely to surprise people this year. 

The only requirements to make this list are; 1) Must have had five wins or less last season 2) Did not make the postseason. 3) I can envision at least a two win improvement out of them this season.

This list is in no particular order.

1: Atlantic (5-4 in 2017)

Last year, the Trojans improved from a 1-8 2016 campaign to a 5-4 record in 2017. Last season's improvement was so impressive to me that head coach Mike McDermott received my vote for area coach of the year. The Trojans lost their starting quarterback, Jackson Eden, but return a do-it-all athlete in Chase Mullenix who racked up almost 500-yards receiving last season. Atlantic lost a handful of key pieces from last season, but I think last year was a testament to the culture being instilled under Coach McDermott, plus their district appears to be wide open with the exception of perhaps Kuemper Catholic.

2: Creston (2-7 in 2017)

Unfortunately for Creston, replacing stud athlete Chase Shiltz was not the Panthers’ biggest problem last season. The fact that they played in a super tough district did not do them any favors either. The addition of Lewis Central to the district makes it even tougher, but I think this is a much better Creston team. The Panthers lost current Iowa State offensive lineman Trevor Downing, but they return the dynamic duo of quarterback Eli Loudon and wide receiver Kylan Smallwood. Loudon came on late in the season and anyone that's ever seen Smallwood knows his athletic potential. This could be the most potent combination in the area and Creston's recent history with the exception of last year indicates that they could bounce back this season.

3: Exira-EHK (5-4 in 2017)

For as long as I can remember, Exira-EHK has been a staple among area 8-Man teams. The Spartans were victims last year of injuries and an incredibly tough district. This year, they hope to keep everyone healthy and their district appears much more wide open. The Spartans return their leading passer and rusher in Josh Pettepier and Cole Burmeister respectively, as well as the majority of their defensive playmakers. This a team that I think has the potential to make a deep postseason run. The pieces are definitely there.

4: Bedford (5-4 in 2017)

Bedford has the toughest 8-Man district in this area with Sidney, Fremont-Mills and Stanton also residing in this district. However, the Bulldogs have the duo of Cooper Nally to Brennan Sefrit that could dazzle people and put up points at the same time. The real question is whether their high-powered offense will be enough to dethrone the beast that is Fremont-Mills and an equally high-powered offense in Stanton. It's not a guarantee, but it's definitely a possibly that the Bulldogs improve by a few wins.

5: Clarinda (2-7 in 2017)

Aside from Exira-EHK, this is the team on this list I am the most confident in. Last season, The Cardinals had a young team, a first year coach and a tough district. This year they have a more experienced team, a more experienced head coach and more-wide open district. They return just about everybody from last season and I have been told by someone who would know that they have retired the "spinner" offense for an offense that better suits Coach Roger Williams' style of smash mouth football. I am really high on this team and I hope they can show you why.

6: Treynor (4-5 in 2017)

The Cardinals might be the sleeper team of all sleeper teams heading into 2018. Last year, Treynor was an incredibly young team and it showed at times, but they still managed a 4-5 record. To give you an idea of how young they were, they lost just four seniors and 36 of the 49 players on their roster were either freshman or sophomores. Teams like this tend to take some bumps and then respond with some progress. It helps that the Cardinals return their quarterback (Jake Fisher) as well as every single rushing yard from 2017. This is a much more seasoned team. It's also worth noting that this year they play in a district where no team in it won more than six games last year and the one team that did (Missouri Valley) graduated a decent amount of key contributors. Call me crazy, but I think this is a team that has playoff potential.

We are just 15-days away from finding out.