Linn-Mar riding improvements in all phases into playoffs

MARION - If it's possible to be a quiet 8-1 team, the Linn-Mar football team has been it this season.

With other teams stealing the spotlight for various reasons, and a head-to-head loss to the No. 1 team in Class 4A, the Lions haven't grabbed the headlines or shot up the rankings.

After turning around a 2-7 team from last season into this season's 4A District 5 champions, maybe they should.

'There's no doubt (the turnaround is because of) our seniors' commitment to the program,” said Coach Bob Forsyth. 'Right from when the season was over last year, they made a commitment in the off-season and the summer that they wanted things to change. And that's what you need, people who want to create some change.”

You'd be hard-pressed to find a phase of the game in which Linn-Mar hasn't improved. The Lions put up 34.3 points per game this regular season, compared to 27.7 in 2013.

Attribute that, as Forsyth did, to the knowledge of a senior class who have put in the time and gelled together. Or attribute it to the in-sync play of who players in particular. Quarterback Ryan Schmidt has completed 58.9 percent of his passes this season for 1,178 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Four of those touchdowns came Friday night against Cedar Rapids Jefferson, tying a school record.

'When the line's blocking well and (receiver) Trevor (Noble) is going up to get the ball all the time, it's a credit to them,” Schmidt said. 'I think (2013) is a helpful experience to get us going this year and making it a lot more important to us to win games. It made us a lot hungrier.”

All four went to receiver Trevor Noble, breaking a school record in the process. What's more, eight of the last nine times Noble has touched the football, he's crossed into the end zone for a touchdown. His last three receptions against Waterloo West were for touchdowns, and he had an interception return for a touchdown in that game before four of his five catches against Jefferson went for scores.

Forsyth said he and his staff don't know of any player at any level doing something like that before. Without those two players' production, they also don't know where this offense would be.

'We're having a lot of kids who are overachieving and our hope is they keep on overachieving,” Forsyth said. '(Trevor's scoring) is a huge accomplishment, and something I've never heard of before at any level. He's a hard worker and multisport athlete.

'And really, as we hit the grind here in the playoffs and last few weeks, the multisport athletes are really rising to the top because they know how to work.”

But it's the defensive side of the ball that might've seen the biggest jump.

Last season's Lions struggled to tackle and cover the Mississippi Valley Conference's wide receivers to the tune of giving up 42 points a game.

This season? Linn-Mar has given up just 16.7 points per game. Throw out the 43-3 loss to Cedar Rapids Washington, and it's 13.4. Led by Logan Nelsen's team-high 60 tackles (52 solo), and Noble's team-high four interceptions, the defense has given its offense some license to be two-dimensional, establishing the run with Perrion Scott to go with the Schmidt-Noble combo.

Nelsen said the defense is much crisper this season, and combines athleticism with knowledge.

'It all started during the summer. We got stronger and kept going every week, studying every team and how we can defend them,” Nelsen said. 'There's nothing that really surprises us now. There's nothing we're not prepared for. We've taken the best measures we can to be ready for every game.”

All that said, the improvements don't mean much if the Lions don't win Wednesday night against Davenport Central. The lack of a bracket plays right into so many coaches' philosophy of 'one day at a time,” and Forsyth said as much before practice Monday.

He and the players did differ on one thing, though. The players said they've been able to appreciate this season more, and maybe have been a little hungrier to do what they've done after going through last season and all the disappointment that came with it.

Forsyth laughed at that question, giving a quick 'No,” when asked if in retrospect he's almost glad they went through it to be primed for now. But what he did acknowledge was being grateful for this season based on last year because he knows things like this are cyclical.

And there's still that one big fish out there to catch. That big fish that hung 43 points on them at home. The Lions may not be looking ahead, but they certainly hope to come across the Warriors soon.

'We were proud of a lot of things we did last year, but it does make you appreciate (this year), if you want to look at it that way. When you have some success you feel better about it, obviously,” Forysth said. 'I think every program, every coach goes through it. You're not going to be at the top all the time.

'We're really focused on getting the job done Wednesday night. … I think we're capable of doing a lot of things we set out to do. I don't think there's a doubt there's one team we're chasing out there and hopefully have a chance to play them again. We're hoping to force that rematch.”

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