Football 2012: Area 4A preview

The following is a preseason football glance for the Mississippi Valley Conference, as well as the east side of the state in Class 4A:

MVC MISSISSIPPI DIVISION

Overview -- "Why West?" you say. Would you believe defense? With seven of its top nine tacklers returning (including the top three -- Jessie Peterson, Ezra Reiners and Colin Baker),

Iowa City West figures to be vastly improved from a defense that would have rated as average last season. That, and the return of receivers Dondre Alexander and Jeremy Morgan, puts West on a level field with archrival

Iowa City High. We'll give the nod to West based on the fact that the Battle for the Boot is at Trojan Field.

Waterloo East has finally, legitimately ascended to the level of respectability, and should be better than its 5-5 team from a year ago.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy brings back its top rusher (Alex Hillyer) and five of its top seven tacklers.

How they'll finish (*playoff qualifier) -- 1. Iowa City West*, 2. Iowa City High*, 3. Waterloo East*, 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy*, 5. Dubuque Senior, 6. Dubuque Hempstead, 7. Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

MVC VALLEY DIVISION

Overview -- Barkley Hill and James Harrington have departed, but

Cedar Falls should be the class of this division. The Tigers have a stud lineman in Ross Pierschbacher, and Jared Farley is one of the top defensivee players. It's difficult, if not impossible, to put the Metro teams in order.

Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Cedar Rapids Prairie and

Cedar Rapids Washington, along with Kennedy, all could be within close quarters of each other. This much is certain: Prairie will be the most-improved team in the MVC, and if all the pieces come together, the Hawks could conceivably reverse their record from the 2-7 they posted a year ago. Linn-Mar will be a mystery, but for what it's worth, the Lions face most of the top MVC teams at home.

How they'll finish (*playoff qualifier) -- 1. Cedar Falls*, 2. Cedar Rapids Xavier*, 3. Linn-Mar*, 4. Cedar Rapids Prairie*, 5. Cedar Rapids Washington*, 6. Dubuque Wahlert, 7. Waterloo West.

MISSISSIPPI ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Overview -- The longtime carrier of the MAC flag,

Bettendorf is the favorite once again. Last year's state runner-up brings back its quarterback (Nick Heimendinger), its top receiver (Malique Hudson), who also doubled as the No. 2 rusher last year.

Pleasant Valley and

North Scott figure to be the top challengers. PV brings back its top two tacklers, while North Scott welcomes back top receiver Randy Schmidt.

Muscatine could be dangerous, with

Davenport Assumption, Davenport Central and

Burlington rounding out the MAC's seven playoff qualifiers.

How they'll finish (*playoff qualifier) -- 1. Bettendorf*, 2. Pleasant Valley*, 3. North Scott*, 4. Muscatine*, 5. Davenport Assumption*, 6. Davenport Central*, 7. Burlington*, 8. Clinton, 9. Davenport North, 10. Davenport West.