Week 4 area football capsules

Area capsules for Week 4 of the high school football season:

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON at DAVENPORT WEST

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Thursday, at Davenport (Brady Street Stadium)

* Records and rankings: Jefferson is 1-2; West is 0-3. Both teams are unranked.

* Overview: The J-Hawks return to the scene of their first win of the season (42-7 last week over Davenport North), and they're heavily favored to make it two in a row. Quarterback Jesse Furrow has lived up to the preseason expectations; he has passed for 441 yards, with receivers Bryce Lund and Mason Furnish averaging better than 20 yards per catch. West opened the season with a 24-22 loss to North, and hasn't been close to victory since. Tirael Malone has rushed for 309 yards and four touchdowns for the Falcons.

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON at LINN-MAR

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Linn-Mar Stadium

* Records and rankings: Both teams are 3-0. Washington is ranked third in Class 4A; Linn-Mar is No. 9.

* Overview: Linn-Mar has shown marked improvement since last year's 2-7 campaign. Friday, the Lions will discover how far they've truly come when they face the explosive Warriors. Linn-Mar QB Ryan Schmidt ranks second in 4A in scoring - he has scored seven rushing touchdowns to go along with two in the air. Washington's 37.3 points per game ranks sixth among the big schools. Tavian Patrick has rushed for 313 yards, and Reid Snitker has a pair of big-play receivers in Landen Akers and Isaiah Nimmers on the outside.

IOWA CITY HIGH at IOWA CITY WEST

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Trojan Field

* Records and rankings: City High is 0-3; West is 1-2. Both teams are unranked.

* Overview: This isn't your typical Battle for the Boot. West has managed just 18 points, and has dropped two straight games after a season-opening victory. City High has faced one of the toughest schedules in 4A (its first three opponents are a combined 7-2), and has surrendered 92 points in the last two weeks. Both teams have a definite go-to receiver; West's Oliver Martin has 18 receptions for 176 yards; City's Bryson Runge has caught 16 passes. West's John Milani is third in 4A with 31.5 tackles.

MARION at SOLON

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Solon

* Records and rankings: Marion is 1-2 overall, 0-1 Class 3A District 4; No. 8 Solon is 2-1, 0-1.

* Overview: Solon will try to bounce back after getting handled, 28-0, by Cedar Rapids Xavier in last week's district opener. The Spartans managed just four first downs and 111 yards of offense. It didn't help that they were somewhat banged-up, and they hope to get some key pieces back this week. Marion Coach Tony Perkins still needs one win to catch Les Hipple atop the school's all-time win chart. The Indians have dropped two straight (to Washington and Cascade) after opening with a win over Mount Vernon.

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER at DeWITT CENTRAL

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at DeWitt

* Records and rankings: Xavier (2-1 overall, 1-0 Class 3A District 4) is ranked No. 2; Central is 2-1, 0-1.

* Overview: Xavier stamped itself as the clear favorite in 3A-4 last week, yielding just four first downs in a 28-0 romp over a fine Solon outfit. The Saints got ignition from an interception for touchdown by Dylan Eller, his third pick of the season. Jay Kortemeyer rushed for 185 yards, pushing his season total to 368. Central dropped a heartbreaker to Dubuque Wahlert, 21-17, last week. Quarterback Logan Sheppard keys the Sabers' offense, rushing for 300 yards while Mason Cousins has added 281.

IOWA CITY REGINA at EDDYVILLE EBF

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Eddyville

* Records and rankings: Regina (2-1 overall, 1-0 Class 1A District 6) is ranked second; EBF is 1-2, 1-0.

* Overview: After rambling past Sigourney-Keota, 49-6, last week, it's hard to imagine a district opponent putting up much resistance against Regina. Jake Brinkman and Nick Phillips are a strong combination in the backfield, combining for more than 450 yards in three weeks. And quarterback Drew Cook has been efficient, completing 64 percent of his passes for 537 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. EBF sports a one-dimensional attack, with Treg Van Dorin and Blake Marolf combining for 677 rushing yards.

NORTH SCOTT at CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at John Wall Field

* Records and rankings: North Scott is 3-0 and ranked No. 7 in Class 4A; Prairie is 1-2.

* Overview: Prairie's late surge last week came a little too late. Down 34-7, the Hawks rallied within 34-28 before running out of time against Dubuque Senior. The passing/receving tandem of Trey Beckman and Jalen Rima has developed into a good one; Beckman's 686 passing yards is fourth most in 4A while Rima has 245 receving yards. North Scott has sprinted to 3-0 on the basis of a defense that is allowing just 10 points per game and a steady attack led by quarterback Matt Sacia (294 passing yards, 121 rushing).

PLEASANT VALLEY at CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Kingston Stadium

* Records and rankings: Both teams are 0-3 and unranked.

* Overview: It's little consolation, but these are probably two of the better winless teams remaining in Class 4A. Pleasant Valley's first three opponents are 9-0 and all ranked, and the Spartans were competitive in two of those games. Kennedy, meanwhile, continues to search for a spark offensively. The Cougars are averaging just 7.3 points per game. The defense has been decent behind Terrance Hall, who leads the team with 24 tackles. Homecoming week would be an optimal time for the Cougars to turn their season around.

SOUTH WINNESHIEK at NEW HAMPTON

* Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at New Hampton

* Records and rankings: South Winneshiek (3-0) is rated third in Class 1A; New Hampton (3-0) is No. 1 in 2A.

* Overview: After toppling 2013 Class 2A runner-up Waukon in the season-opener, South Winn goes after another 2A heavyweight on Friday. The Warriors have been explosive, racking up 44.7 points per game behind Jordan Rommes, whose 341 receiving yards (on 14 catches) rank second statewide in 1A. Despite the preseason injury to QB Cole McDonald, New Hampton has been glossy on both sides of the ball, outscoring its first three opponents, 131-23. Connor Frerichs has rushed for 336 yards and five touchdowns.

WEST BRANCH at NORTH CEDAR

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Stanwood

* Records and rankings: West Branch (3-0 overall, 0-0 Class 1A District 5) is ranked No. 4; North Cedar is 3-0, 1-0 and unranked.

* Overview: West Branch has been the most dominant team in Class 1A through the first one-third of the season; the Bears lead the class in both scoring offense and defense after outscoring their first three foes by a combined 136-3. West Branch possesses one of the top young running backs around in sophomore Luke Lenoch, who has rushed for 498 yards and seven touchdowns. North Cedar counters with the pass-catch combo of Jayden Johnson (whose 10 TD passes are fourth in the state in any class) and Ian Malaby (22 catches, 383 yards).

SOUTH TAMA at UNION

* Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at LaPorte City

* Records and rankings: South Tama is 3-0 overall, 1-0 Class 2A District 6; Union is 2-1, 1-0. Both teams are unranked.

* Overview: A year after finishing 3-6 as a 3A school, South Tama has moved down a class and found instant success. But this, without a doubt, is the Trojans' toughest challenge to date. Union is the district favorite, and opened league play with a 44-14 bashing of Roland-Story last week. Isaiah Vaughn is the new playmaker for a program that has had plenty of them throughout recent years; Vaughn has rushed for 451 yards (third-best in Class 2A) and his eight rushing TDs lead 2A.

BELLE PLAINE at COLFAX-MINGO

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Colfax

* Records and rankings: Both teams are 3-0 overall, 1-0 Class A District 7. Both are unranked.

* Overview: A pair of vastly improved teams battle for the right to stay atop the A-7 standings. Belle Plaine was 4-6 last season, Colfax-Mingo 2-7. They've made their ascent with opposite schemes - Colfax-Mingo has relied on the pass (Jared Myers leads Class A in passing yards, with 807, while Blake Summy has caught 17 passes for 339 yards), while the Plainsmen are run-oriented. Vance Bohlen rates fourth in Class A with 540 rushing yards, averages 10.4 yards per carry and has scored eight TDs.

OTHER GAMES INVOLVING METRO/IOWA CITY TEAMS

* Elkader Central (3-0 overall, 1-0 8-Man District 4) vs. Cedar Valley Christian (1-2, 0-2), 7 p.m. Friday, at LaSalle Middle School