South Winneshiek is rising again

That South Winneshiek yo-yo is spinning upward again.

A football program that has witnessed extreme heights and depths in recent years, South Winn moved to 5-0 Friday with a 46-30 Class 2A District 4 victory over Monticello.

"This is a good, solid team. It's a playoff-caliber team," said Warriors Coach Jason Ohrt. "We're running the ball well, probably better than we've run it since I got here.

"We've just got to take care of getting better at the basics throughout the rest of the season."

The year before Ohrt took over the program, the Warriors were 0-9. They moved to 3-6 in Ohrt's first season, 6-4 in his second.

Then came 2009. South Winneshiek went 12-2 and reached the Class 1A state championship game before bowing to Council Bluffs St. Albert.

Last season, the Warriors moved up to 2A and crashed to 1-8.

"We only had six seniors last year, and the injury bug bit us hard," Ohrt said.

That hurt last year's team and helped this year's squad.

Junior running back Colton Hageman has developed into "our go-to guy," according to Ohrt. Hageman has rushed for 708 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He runs behind a pair of linemen -- Nick Schmelzer and Austin Ashbacher -- who started on the 2009 team. Jared Holien is a three-year starter at quarterback. And Jordan Rommes, Ohrt said, "is not your typical freshman."

The Warriors' progress will be tested next week at West Union, where they'll face perennial power North Fayette (4-1) for sole possession of the 2A-4 lead. Both teams are 3-0 in district play.

"The kids are excited to go there," Ohrt said. "They're district champions, year after year. We're happy to play them and compete."

Backup QB spurs Knights rally

North Cedar was in trouble.

The Knights were trailing Highland, 15-6, in the third quarter at Riverside. Making matters worse, quarterback/defensive back Jordan Hay was on the sideline with a dislocated left shoulder.

"Give credit to Highland," said Knights Coach Clay Harrold. "We kept shooting ourselves in the foot, and they were making us pay."

But Seth Bendixen, the Knights' third-string quarterback, engineered a late rally as North Cedar survived, 30-15.

Bendixen hit Kyle Jackson for a 53-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 midway through the third quarter to jump-start the Knights, who moved to 5-0 overall, 3-0 in Class 1A District 6.

"It was a matter of finding a spark, and Seth stepped up," Harrold said.

An all-state basketball player, Hay is expected to miss 1-2 weeks. North Cedar hosts Alburnett (5-0, 3-0) in a 1A-6 showdown next Friday at Stanwood. 

Quick slants

* For the first time in 17 years, you can accurately say that Midland's got a winning team. The Eagles wrapped up their first winning season since 1994 with a 56-14 victory over Dunkerton. Midland (6-0) has ridden the legs of Ryan Leonard, the leading rusher in the eight-man game with 874 yards (on 112 carries) and 15 touchdowns.

* Make it five shutouts in five weeks for North Tama. The Redhawks blanked Valley Community, 45-0, Friday. The defending Class A state champion, North Tama (5-0) has outscored its first five foes by a collective margin of 248-0.

* Week 6 is chock full of area dandies. Take your pick Friday: Decorah at West Delaware in Class 3A District 4, Maquoketa at Union in 3A-5, South Winn at North Fayette in 2A-4, Iowa City Regina at Camanche in 2A-5, Alburnett at North Cedar in 1A-6, Postville at North Tama in A-5, Lone Tree at BGM in a Class A cross-district game, and Midland at Lansing Kee in Eight-Man Distict 4.