Week 2's best bets

(Complete Week 2 schedule)

Top area football games for Week 2:

SOLON at IOWA CITY REGINA

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0. Solon is ranked second in Class 3A; Regina is No. 2 in 2A.

Notable: Hands down, the biggest game in the area. Both teams are defending state champions -- Solon's 3A title came after three consecutive 2A crowns while Regina succeeded the Spartans as 2A champs. Regina's 21-15 win at Solon last year snapped a 42-game win streak for the Spartans. The Regals opened the new season with a 41-0 stroll at BGM (Jacob Vollstedt rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns) while the Spartans scored a pair of late touchdowns to rally past DeWitt Central, 28-21.

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY at LINN-MAR

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Linn-Mar Stadium

TV: KCRG 9.2

Records and rankings: Kennedy is 0-1; Class 4A No. 8 Linn-Mar is 1-0.

Notable: Friday's the day folks at Linn-Mar have been awaiting quite some time -- the first game in a beautiful new stadium, outside a flood plain. The Lions' QB-receiver combo of Mark Atwater and Andy Henry struck three times for touchdowns in a 35-10 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson in Week 1. Kennedy struggled on both sides of the ball in a 28-0 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier and must improve drastically to avoid an 0-2 start.

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON at CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON

Time and site: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Kingston Stadium (Washington is the home team and its fans will sit on the west side)

Records and rankings: Jefferson is 0-1; Washington is 1-0.

Notable: So much for the Warriors being limited offensively. Washington put up 495 yards and 51 points in an opening-week win at Cedar Rapids Prairie. Quarterback Braedon Tovey passed for 252 yards and two touchdowns; Flynn Heald hauled in nine balls for 238 yards. Jefferson opened with a 35-10 loss -- its 14th straight -- against Linn-Mar, but was reasonably competitive for the most part. It was 21-10 before the Lions struck with a pair of late touchdown passes.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE at CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER

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

Records and rankings: Prairie is 0-1; Class 4A No. 10 Xavier is 1-0.

Notable: The Saints opened like a vintage Xavier team last week, completely shutting down Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a 28-0 victory. Carter Valentine rushed for 150 yards on 22 carries while Reggie Schulte completed 8 of 13 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns -- two to Jordan Hoffman. Xavier allowed just 24 yards through the first three quarters. Prairie sprung a leak defensively in Mike Morrissey's debut, suffering a 51-26 loss. Prairie's Demetrius Harper accumulated 167 yards of total offense. 

DUBUQUE HEMPSTEAD at IOWA CITY WEST

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

Records and rankings: Hempstead is 0-1; Class 4A No. 9 West is 1-0.

Notable: West exploded for 35 points in the third quarter last week, turning a competitive game into a laugher; the Trojans drilled Waterloo East, 56-13. Three of West's touchdowns came from the defense -- two on fumble returns, one on an interception. Hempstead suffered a 49-3 loss to top-ranked Cedar Falls.

IOWA CITY HIGH at WATERLOO WEST

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

Records and rankings: Class 4A No. 2 City High is 1-0; West is 0-1.

Notable: City High dominated all facets of a 28-0 win over Dubuque Senior in the opener, holding the Rams to 111 yards of total offense. Ronald Thompson rushed for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. West came up on the short end of a track meet with Dubuque Wahlert, suffering a 48-34 defeat. Shawn Bowers passed for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Dequayvious Martin ran for 124 yards and two TDs.

BENTON COMMUNITY at MARION

Time and site: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Thomas Park Field

Records and rankings: Benton is 0-1; Marion is 1-0.

Notable: Marion had a lot more difficulty than expected in coming away from Mount Vernon with a 14-10 victory last week. The Mustangs were 0-9 last season, but took the Indians to the wire. Colton Storla rushed for 119 yards and scored two touchdowns after Marion spotted the Mustangs a 10-0 lead. Benton dropped an 18-12 overtime decision to county rival Vinton-Shellsburg, throwing an interception on its overtime possession after the Vikings scored.

CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN at DUNKERTON

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

Records and rankings: Cedar Valley is 0-1; Dunkerton is 0-2.

Notable: Cedar Valley was idle last week after opening its program with a 62-8 loss at West Central on Aug. 19. Nick Henderson scored the program's first touchdown on a 43-yard reception. Dunkerton has been outscored 87-30 in its two games against strong teams in Clarksville and Janesville. The Raiders aren't afraid to throw the ball; Dillon Anderson has completed 33 of 59 passes for 380 yards.

WEST BRANCH at LISBON

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0. West Branch is ranked third in Class 1A; Lisbon is No. 4 in Class A.

Notable: West Branch had more difficulty than expected last week, needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the final minute to escape West Liberty, 21-20. Lisbon had an easy time with Valley Community in a 47-0 win. Ben Knake completed 14 of 17 passes for 164 yards and returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. The Lions racked up 518 yards of total offense, 354 on the ground.

NORTH FAYETTE at OELWEIN

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0. North Fayette is ranked third in Class 2A.

Notable: Fifty of the Hawks' 55 offensive plays were rushes in a 38-14 win over Waukon last week. Jake Greco toted it 27 times for 195 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Oelwein was a lot more balanced, and no less successful, in a 28-6 triumph over Sumner-Fredericksburg. Stephen Meyer completed 11 of 18 pass for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Rau caught eight balls for 143 yards.

WEST DELAWARE at WESTERN DUBUQUE

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

Records and rankings: Class 3A No. 8 West Delaware is 1-0; Western Dubuque is 0-1.

Notable: West Delaware got the season off to a solid start, outlasting a highly regarded Maquoketa outfit, 24-21. Trey McTaggart completed 10 of 14 passes for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Sam Lahr rushed for 101 yards and a score. Western Dubuque scored first against Dyersville Beckman, then surrendered 34 straight points in the second and third quarters.

IOWA VALLEY at ALBURNETT

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-0.

Notable: Both teams notched shutout wins in their season openers. Iowa Valley handled English Valleys, 41-0, while Alburnett downed North Linn, 27-0. John Gormley rushed for 212 yards and five touchdowns on just 14 carries for Iowa Valley. The Tigers won this battle, 21-14, last year. Both teams were fourth-place district finishers and first-round playoff casualties.