Here’s my rundown of the MAC HS football teams right now. Remember, this is how good I think the teams are right now, not how good they’ll end up at the end of the year. If you don’t like ‘em, rank ‘em yourself! Its easy and free.
1. Bettendorf – The ‘Dogs put on a nice display against Assumption at Touvelle, and are obviously going to be the top rated squad in the conference until someone unseats them. But it still wasn’t the dominant performance a deadbolt lock #1 team would have given; Assumption outgained the ‘Dogs by 116 yards, had 8 more first downs, and 51 less penalty yards. But, Bettendorf got the win nonetheless, on the back of Jake Eikenberry’s 105 yards. Let’s see how the D handles Muscatine this week.
2. Assumption – The thrashing of North Scott was a nice confidence boost for an Assumption team that could have and should have beaten Bettendorf the previous week. Injuries are starting to mount for this small squad, with RB Noel Pacha and OL Ethan Tuftee out for awhile, if not the year. Dead ducks West, PV and North come calling before facing the MAC South at year’s end. Can Assumption get better on special teams in time for the playoffs?
3. Muscatine – OK, so the passing offense is filthy, with the Muskies having the best three WR, numbers wise, in the QC. But the run defense could use some work. Central rolled up 247 rushing yards, Clinton got 100, PV got 307 and Burlington got 289 on the ground. Good running teams like Assumption and Bettendorf should be able to control the ball and keep the Muskie offense from establishing a rhythm. But for now, #3 is fair.
4. Burlington – Here’s a squad a little under the radar that might be efficient enough on offense to beat some teams it shouldn’t. Jarred Herring’s 119 rushing yards against Bettendorf were the most anyone has put up all year, and Nick Kohlkof is looking like he might have what it takes to manage the offense effectively. Kohlkof was 10-14 for 105 against Central and 13-21 for 181 against the ‘Dogs.
5. North Scott – Why do I get the feeling that this team is still coasting off last year’s 9-0 campaign? It took a last minute TD to beat West, 9-3, and the Lancers gave an underwhelming performance against PV before getting hammered by the Knights. The loss at Brady exposed a lot of weaknesses – Assumption only had to throw 9 passes to beat North Scott by 25, and was up 28-0 at the start of the second quarter. If the Lancers can’t stop the run, they’re going to be 3-3 by October.
6. Clinton – Yeah, at 1-3 the River Kings have no shot at the playoffs, but the schedule was tough early with road dates at Assumption and Burlington. Clinton bounced back with a nice win over PV, getting 204 rushing yards from David Johnson and holding the Spartans to just 12 first downs. Any chance the Kings catch Bettendorf napping on October 5th?
7. Pleasant Valley – The Spartans showed signs of getting back on track against West, 35-0, before dropping a disappointing loss to Clinton that cost them any realistic chance of a winning season. PV had their chances against Muscatine, as well, with both Nick Ehrecke and John Lindstrom getting 148 yards or more, and the offense averaging 7+ yards per play. But they couldn’t score twice in the 4th quarter, and lost, 30-27. This is the lower division team with the best chance of springing an upset. They’ll get their chance late; both Assumption and Burlington visit the Valley in October.
8. North – Sure, the Wildcats might win the Davenport public title, but that’s not saying a lot. Even with wins over Central (32-14) and West (8-0, yuck), North showed how far they’ve got to go to catch the big boys, getting drilled 50-0 and 35-7 against Bettendorf and NS. The passing attack is 18 of 45 for 147 yards…in four games. Yikes.
9. Central – Everybody circle it on your calendars: Central battles West on October 26th in a contest that should match two 0-8 teams with, literally, nothing left to lose. At least Central has scored; the Devils got 183 passing yards and 3 TDs against Assumption’s prevent defense, but couldn’t do anything against Burlington, letting a 13-0 halftime lead slip away in a 27-13 loss. Central will beat somebody, though…
10. West –My alma mater has fallen on tough times. The Falcons have dropped four by a combined 114-3, and the bleeding has no chance of stopping until the Central game on October 26th. Kicker Tyler Pantzner is the only Falcon to score this year, booting a 36 yard FG. Paging the ghosts of TJ, Tommy, Terry and Tommy Rubley: come back, we miss you.
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