Area football capsules, Week 7

 A dozen key area football games for Week 7: 

WATERLOO EAST at CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Thursday, at Kingston Stadium

TV: KCRG 9.2

Records and rankings: East is 0-6 overall, 0-3 MVC Mississippi Division; Kennedy is 4-2, 2-1.

Notable: It would take a hurricane of events to keep Kennedy out of the Class 4A playoffs now, and the Cougars are heavily favored to assure themselves a berth win their fifth win Thursday. The Trojans have taken a step backward after reaching respectability the last few seasons. Kennedy got 100-yard rushing nights from Miles Moa and Terrence Hall in a 35-14 stroll past Cedar Rapids Jefferson last week. Moa has run for 549 yards this season. East's running attack has been nearly non-existent, but John Magnuson has passed for 968 yards and seven touchdowns. 

IOWA CITY WEST at IOWA CITY HIGH

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Bates Field

TV: KCRG 9.2

Records and rankings: Class 4A No. 2 West is 6-0 overall, 3-0 MVC Mississippi Division; City High is 5-1, 4-0.

Notable: City High is back up after an injury-riddled 2012, and that makes the Battle for the Boot a potential dandy. Both teams have survived scares against Dubuque Hempstead in the past two weeks, with the Trojans prevailing 39-35 on Micah Kelsay's 3-yard touchdown run with 8 seconds left last week. West's Nate Boland has passed for 964 yards and seven touchdowns, with receiver Anthony Batie (23 catches, 473 yards, 5 TDs) the primary target. City High has the MVC's top rusher in Xavier Washpun, who has netted 1,050 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Little Hawks have won five straight games since a 14-13 loss to Cedar Falls in Week 1. 

IOWA CITY REGINA at WILTON

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Wilton

Records and rankings: Top-rated Regina is 6-0 overall, 3-0 Class 1A District 6; No. 4 Wilton is 6-0, 4-0.

Notable: Certainly the regular-season game of the year in Class 1A, as Wilton takes aim at Regina's 48-game winning streak. The numbers, in terms of scoring offense and defense, are startlingly similar: Regina has outscored its opponents by a 263-54 margin; it's 262-56 for the Beavers. Regina quarterback Drew Cook has gone over the 1,000-yard mark for passing (he's at 1,003) with 10 touchdowns. Wilton's Tyler Hetzler is in that neighborhood, with 913 passing yards and 16 touchdowns vs. two interceptions. Kaleb Schmidt has caught 24 passes for 412 yards and seven scores. 

LINN-MAR at CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at John Wall Field

Records and rankings: Linn-Mar is 2-4 overall, 2-2 MVC Valley Division; Prairie is 3-3, 2-1.

Notable: Prairie has won two straight games to reach the break-even mark, and a win Friday would put the Hawks into a first-place tie in the Valley Division race with two games to go. Prairie has ratcheted up its defense lately, shutting out Dubuque Wahlert in Week 5 and allowing a single touchdown to Cedar Falls in a 10-7 win at the UNI-Dome last week. They'll have to contend with Linn-Mar's Ryan Schmidt, who ranks eighth in the state (and fourth in 4A) in passing with 1,374 yards. Prairie's Mitch Christensen has rushed for 758 yards. 

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON at CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Kingston Stadium

Records and rankings: Jefferson is 1-5; Washington is 3-3.

Notable: In three weeks, Washington has gone from winless to first place in the MVC Mississippi Division. That's largely due to a shock-the-state 26-10 triumph over previous Class 4A No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier last week. The Warriors got in front and stayed in front for a signature victory. This is a non-divisional game, but no time for letdown against their longtime East-vs.-West rivals. Reid Snitker has passed for 817 yards and has rushed for 325. Jefferson quarterback Layne Sullivan also is multi-dimensional; he has passed for 897 yards (271 in last week's loss to Cedar Rapids Kennedy) and rushed for 368. 

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER at WATERLOO WEST

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Waterloo

Records and rankings: Class 4A No. 5 Xavier is 5-1 overall, 2-1 MVC Valley Division; West is 3-3, 1-2.

Notable: So, how does Xavier respond to last week's shocking upset loss to Cedar Rapids Washington? The Saints were uncharacteristically soft defensively and uncommonly undisciplined with penalties galore. But it's just one loss, the Saints have wrapped up a playoff berth and a divisional title remains very much in play. Brendan Miller leads the Saints' attack with 614 rushing yards. West has seen its share of tight games; four of six have been decided by one score. The Wahawks probably need one more win to reach the playoffs, and the best bet is Week 8, against Dubuque Wahlert. 

MARION at SOLON

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Solon

Records and rankings: Marion is 3-3 overall, 2-1 Class 3A District 6; Solon is 5-1, 3-0.

Notable: In relatively quiet fashion, Solon has assembled another fine season. The Spartans have more than bounced back from their Week 2 loss to Iowa City Regina, rattling off four consecutive wins and scoring 186 points in the process. They're tied with Maquoketa for the district lead, and face the Cardinals on the road in Week 8. Up-and-down Marion might provide a solid test. The Indians have not gone to the wire in a game all season; all six of their games have been decided by 19 points or more. Solon quarterback Jacob Black has rushed for 740 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

WAUKON at SOUTH WINNESHIEK

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Calmar

Records and rankings: Waukon (6-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A: South Winn (5-1) is No. 9 in 1A.

Notable: Waukon entered the meat of its schedule last week, and bit into it with ferocity, grabbing a 35-0 win over Union. The Indians rank second in 2A in scoring offense (45.8 points per game) and scoring defense (3.2 ppg). The Union shutout was the Indians' fourth of the season. Oregon State recruit Glyeb Ewing leads that defense with 48 tackles. South Winn absorbed its first loss of the season last week, a 44-34 defeat at North Fayette Valley in a game delayed nearly 3 hours by lightning. South Winn QB Garrett Bohach has passed for 1,123 yards and has run for 672, accounting to 19 offensive TDs. 

CRESTWOOD at DECORAH

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Decorah

Records and rankings: Crestwood is 4-2 overall, 3-0 Class 3A District 5; No. 2 Decorah is 6-0, 3-0.

Notable: The winner of this game is firmly in the driver's seat in 3A-5, and this figures to be Decorah's best remaining challenge of the regular season. The Vikings have won 20 consecutive games. Crestwood is working on a short turnaround; the Cadets handled Independence on Monday in a game pushed back by Friday's inclement weather. It was Crestwood's fourth win in a row. But it's tough sledding now; the Cadets face Decorah and West Delaware in successive weeks. 

MID-PRAIRIE at MEDIAPOLIS

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Mediapolis

Records and rankings: Mid-Prairie is 5-1 overall, 3-0 Class 2A District 5; No. 5 Mediapolis is 6-0, 3-0.

Notable: Mediapolis has had its way through this district the past year and a half, but Mid-Prairie figures to be more than a light challenge. The Golden Hawks are on a five-game winning streak after a Week 1 defeat against Washington (Iowa). Reid Miller has thrown for 769 yards and six touchdowns, with four different receivers catching at least 10 passes. This is Mediapolis' second showdown in two weeks; the Bulldogs handled West Liberty, 33-13, last week. Drew Foster has passed for 972 yards. 

CLAYTON RIDGE at TIPTON

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Tipton

Records and rankings: Clayton Ridge is 5-1 overall, 3-1 Class 1A District 5; Tipton is 4-2, 3-0.

Notable: The four playoff qualifiers in 1A District 5 have all but been decided -- Clayton Ridge and North Cedar are in; Tipton and Maquoketa Valley are awfully close. The Tigers stayed unbeaten in league play by rallying past North Cedar, 46-45, in overtime. The Tigers trailed 39-23 in the fourth quarter before coming back. Chandler Harden has rushed for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns, including the game-winner last week. Clayton Ridge suffered its lone loss in Week 3, 19-17 against Maquoketa Valley. The Eagles allow just 8.7 points per game. Kohle Helle has passed for 1,300 yards and 16 TDs, with Trey Roehlk the top receiver. 

PEKIN at MONTEZUMA

Time and site: 7 p.m. Friday, at Montezuma

Records and rankings: Ninth-ranked Pekin is 5-1 overall, 4-0 Class A District 6; No. 5 Montezuma is 6-0, 4-0.

Notable: It's a three-horse race with three furlongs to go in Class A District 6, and this is the first of three games that will determine who wins it. Both teams still have a date with No. 1 BGM, the district's other unbeaten. Montezuma has won all six of its games by 32 points or more. The Braves are allowing 3.7 points per game with a defense led by Bryan Gregson (45 tackles). They'll try to slow a Pekin attack that averages 44.5 points per game. The Panthers have a balanced running attack led by Chase Copeland (529 yards, 11 touchdowns). 

OTHER METRO/IOWA CITY GAMES* Central City (0-6 overall, 0-5 Eight-Man District 5) vs. Cedar Valley Christian (0-5, 0-4), 7 p.m. Friday, at LaSalle Middle School