4 Downs: Gazette staff members break down questions as Iowa high school football hits Week 9

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football staff supplies answers to questions about the current season. Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their thoughts in 4 Downs:

1st & 10: Give us your top pick for an area semifinalist in 8-Player, Class A, 1A and 2A.

Linder: Central City is the best area 8-Player team by a wide margin. The Wildcats played No. 1 Winfield-Mount Union toe-to-toe in Week 1, and probably will be bracketed with either the Wolves or Clarksville in a 16-to-four pod. Pick from any of five Tri-Rivers schools in Class A; my hunch is East Buchanan. MFL MarMac has rebounded nicely from its loss to Sumner-Fredericksburg and is my best-of-1A bet. If Monticello can avoid the Lyon County powers and Van Meter in its bracket, I like the Panthers to advance deep in 2A.

Johnson: Harder to do with no true bracket, yet. But here we go: Central City in 8-Player, East Buchanan in Class A, Iowa City Regina in 1A and Monticello in 2A.

Pilcher: Predictions only prove how much you don’t know. Crystal balls don’t usually work with high school sports. The whole unpredictable thing. With that said, I have a strong feeling for Monticello in 2A and Central City in 8-Player. Iowa City Regina’s dominant win over Wilton has me back on the Regals’ bandwagon in 1A that could see MFL MarMac and/or Sigourney-Keota in the UNI-Dome. In a competitive Class A, East Buchanan has my vote.

Ford: My confidence isn’t high without knowing what the brackets will look like next week, but ahead of the first round I would pick Waukon in 2A, Iowa City Regina in 1A, East Buchanan in Class A and Central City in 8-Player. At least I got one pick in there who hasn’t been there before.

2nd & long: What Week 9 regular-season games (Class 3A, 4A and 5A) have the most at stake?

Linder: Cedar Rapids Prairie versus Iowa City West is the highest-stakes area game in 5A. The winner almost assuredly is in the playoffs. Prairie has a chance to get in with a loss; West does not.

Johnson: Linn-Mar needs to win at home against Pleasant Valley to make the playoffs. The winner of the Cedar Rapids Prairie-Iowa City West game is in, the loser out.

Pilcher: Linn-Mar hosts Pleasant Valley and the Lions have to have a victory to avoid turning in equipment Monday. Cedar Rapids Prairie and Iowa City West have come down to a win-and-in scenario for both. The loser probably doesn’t make it. Class 4A games aren’t compelling. DeWitt Central’s win over Wahlert makes the West Delaware game against the Sabers a crucial win for the Hawks.

Ford: I let Linder handle the RPI math, but I will say Class 3A District 3 is even more interesting after DeWitt Central’s postponed-to-Monday win over Dubuque Wahlert. Now the Sabers (2-2 in the district) face West Delaware (3-1) on Friday with the winner likely grabbing an automatic playoff bid. The Hawks have some excellent wins over Webster City and Independence and will be trying to secure the district title as well.

3rd & short: Which No. 4-seed is most likely to knock off an upset Friday?

Linder: Imagine everybody else is all aboard the North Linn-over-Lisbon train in Class A, and that looks like a break-even-at-worst possibility. I’m going to throw out two others that stand out, at least to me: Cherokee vs. Carroll Kuemper (2A, at Harlan) and Denver at South Hamilton (1A). Bank on at least one of these road teams to come through.

Johnson: Two that immediately hit my radar: North Linn over Lisbon and North Butler over Starmont. Still, those teams have TALL tasks ahead of them.

Pilcher: The four teams from Class 1A District 3 (MFL MarMac, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Dike-New Hartford and Denver) could sweep first-round games. Don’t be surprised if Denver (5-3) pulls an upset at South Hamilton (7-1). Class A District 4 is viewed in a similar fashion. North Linn (6-2) heads to Lisbon (8-0). The Lions are certainly favored but the Lynx should be a tough test.

Ford: Some of the teams I was thinking I’d pick got really tough draws, like Cherokee against Carroll Kuemper or Denver against South Hamilton. I guess that makes sense. I’ll go with North Linn over Lisbon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the unbeaten Lions make a run but the Lynx played in a tougher district.

4th & goal: What is the biggest benefit for non-playoff teams to play Week 9?

Linder: At the very least, it’s another week of preseason practice for 2024. It should be a competitive game, and a chance to finish the season on a high. For the seniors, it’s one more opportunity to put on the pads and play under the lights.

Johnson: One more game! Playing nine games like everyone else. Getting to be with your friends one more time.

Pilcher: Consider this a high school version of a low-tier college bowl game. Teams will get another week of practice, film study and reps that could be a benefit to underclassmen returning for next season. The experience can be invaluable. For seniors, it’s one more time to suit up and compete. Football isn’t like basketball, golf or track. Many are done after high school. There aren’t pickup games at the YMCA. You just can’t suit up and go to a field for a quick game. No recreation game coinciding with the local small-town festival. Schedule the game and give those athletes one more opportunity to play.

Ford: Scarcity is one of football’s biggest strengths, and one of its biggest weaknesses. Fewer competitions than any other sport means each one means more. Teams that schedule another game in Week 9 should cherish that opportunity. Plus, these are likely close to even-strength matchups for teams that didn’t have a ton of chances to celebrate a win.