Redhawks brace for Madrid's wishbone

CEDAR FALLS -- Brent Thoren has concocted a scheme that will contain Madrid's ground game."Can we play 13?" he said."Seriously, though, this is a great challenge for our kids," said Thoren, the head coach at North Tama. "What Madrid does is run the football. It's not fancy."Top-ranked Madrid can score. No. 3 North Tama can stop. And whichever team does what it does best will cart home the Class A state championship Friday.Kickoff is 2:05 p.m. at the UNI-Dome.Both teams are 13-0, and both have an identity -- with the numbers to back it up.Madrid averages 439 rushing yards and 55.7 points per game. The Tigers are the highest-scoring team in Class A. North Tama's defensive average of 5.9 points per game is the lowest among small schools."We're going to have to tackle soundly," Thoren said. "We can't give them extra yards after contact. We need to get down and distance in a situation they don't want. Second-and-6, that's right in their wheelhouse."Timon Bell (1,918 yards, 24 touchdowns) and Jeremy Johnson (1,768 yards, 27 TDs) are the primary ground weapons in the Madrid wishbone. The Tigers have thrown only 50 passes in 13 games.Cade Isenhower has collected 177 tackles for the Redhawks. Brendon Boerm has intercepted five passes.Boerm also is the quarterback, and accounted for 3,549 total yards and 46 touchdowns (27 passing, 19 rushing).The Redhawks are uncommonly healthy for a team this time of the season. And, quite frankly, they're due for some magic to come their way.In 2008, Southern Cal successully used the swinging gate on an overtime extra-point attempt to edge North Tama, 22-21, for the championship. Last year, Mason City Newman slipped past the Redhawks, 28-26, in the semifinals.North Tama is 38-2 the past three seasons. So far, the championship has eluded them."We've basically played three seasons of football in the past two years," Thoren said. "I can't emphasize enough how much that helps a program. The younger kids get that much more preparation."