4 Downs: Gazette staff shares Iowa high school football information you didn’t know you needed

The Gazette’s Iowa high school football staff poses and answers questions about the current season. See how much Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford can gain in 4 Downs:

1st & 10: Will Cedar Rapids Jefferson get to 5-0?

Jeff Linder: It’s not a sure thing, by any means. Cedar Rapids Washington’s lone win last season came against the J-Hawks, and all signs are that this year’s Warriors are better than their 2023 counterparts. On the other hand, so are the J-Hawks. The guess here is that Jefferson learned a lesson last year and win a close one Friday.

Jeff Johnson: Aye, I hate predictions. You’re killing me here. LOL. I will say if Jefferson wins, yes, it will. If it doesn’t, no, it won’t. Cop out. Sorry.

K.J. Pilcher: The J-Hawks have been in this situation before and are better than last year’s team that started 4-0 and finished 4-5. Jefferson plays intracity rival Cedar Rapids Washington. Will it be “Beast of the East” or “Westside Best side?” The J-Hawks need two of three things to go their way: 1) Defensive line has to control the line of scrimmage to stop the run game and limit quarterback Grady McGuire. 2) Free up Ishara Kalolero and L.J. Nyenow Jr. for big plays. 3) Play disciplined and avoid penalties and emotional mistakes. The Warriors have had flashes of success. They just need to put all three phases together to spoil Jefferson’s streak.

Nathan Ford: BC Moore likes Cedar Rapids Washington by about five points. I trust the computer more than myself and will be quick to blame it if it leads me astray.

2nd & Long: The 11-Player games averaged 48.4 total points in Week 4. Are offenses better or defenses weaker?

Jeff Linder: I think the offenses are better. I was lucky to sit in on Iowa City Liberty’s 49-42 win over Cedar Falls on Friday, and both offenses were a step ahead all night. There were very few defensive breakdowns. The offenses – both of them – were incredibly efficient.

Jeff Johnson: Today’s football generally is about offense. So, I’ll say offenses are better..

K.J. Pilcher: The sport has evolved and continues to do so, exponentially. Athletes are bigger, faster stronger and simply better. They’ve surpassed past players in everything except toughness and meanness, in my opinion. With that said, offenses are much better and more complex. The players executing the offenses are so versatile that it is hard on defenses. It varies with each game but I’d credit offenses over selling defenses short. Plus, if you saw Solon and Mount Vernon play, you’d know there are great defenses.

Nathan Ford: I would guess high school football is following college football’s offensive innovations over the last decade-plus. This Bruce Feldman story in The Athletic about a Texas high school coach who “became a favorite follow for football coaches” illustrates how quickly ideas are shared among coaches at all levels these days. But I also love that Pleasant Valley is ranked fourth in Class 5A running a “double-wing” offense that is far from an air raid. Bottom line: offense is more fun!

3rd & Short: Who are your midseason Coach, Offensive Player and Defensive Player of the Year?

Jeff Linder: Coach: I’m going to go with Lucas Stanton of Solon. Full disclosure, I didn’t have the Spartans in my preseason 3A top 10. I just thought they lost too much from last year’s state-semifinal team. But Stanton has them among the 3A elite again. Offense: Can I split the award among the three ICCSD quarterbacks? Reece Rettig (Liberty), Jack Wallace (West) and Bobby Bacon (City High) have combined for 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. I’ll give the edge to Rettig because the Lightning are the best team of the three. Defense: I’ll stay with the incumbent; Williamsburg’s Rayce Heitman was the 2023 Gazette defensive player of the year and has collected 42 tackles.

Jeff Johnson: Lot of good candidates for COY. Mike Tangen has Decorah unbeaten in his first season, Caleb Huss has Anamosa at 4-0 and ranked in Class 2A, Jared Collum has North Linn at 4-0 and ranked in Class A, Scott Chandler has Liberty at 3-1 and humming offensively despite graduating one of better quarterbacks around last season in Graham Beckman. My OPOY is Williamsburg senior quarterback Grant Hocker. He leads the state in 11-player passing yards and the entire state regardless of class in passing touchdowns. DPOY? That’s difficult. I’ll give a shout out to Cedar Rapids Washington senior lineman Wyatt Young. He leads Class 5A in sacks (breaking a school record with five in one game) and tackles for loss, is fourth in solo tackles and fifth in total tackles.

K.J. Pilcher: At the midway point, I’d have to go with Solon’s Lucas Stanton. The Spartans are fairly young and handled their first three foes before a notable 7-6 win over then-No. 3 Mount Vernon. Solon has three tough games in as many weeks, including a climbing Grinnell team and defending state champion Williamsburg. We will see where they are after Week 7. Other coaches considered are Iowa City Liberty’s Scott Chandler, Decorah’s Mike Tangen and Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Ed Miles, who are a combined 11-1. Offensively, I’ll go with Lisbon’s Tiernan Boots. He ranked fourth in all classes with 982 all-purpose yards. Boots has rushed for 822 yards with 13 TDs and is second in the state with 11.9 yards per carry. He only has 31 receiving yards but the 4-0 Lions haven’t had to use him that way. Iowa Valley dual-threat QB Nolan Kriegel, Linn-Mar running back Dylan Muszynski and Liberty QB Reece Rettig are contenders. On defense, Independence’s Tate Wood is my pick. He’s been one of the top tacklers in recent years. He’s tied for second in all classes with 49.5 tackles, including 42 solo. He also has three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

Nathan Ford: I’ll shout out Scott Chandler for an early Coach of the Year pick. Iowa City Liberty was unranked in the preseason but is averaging 45.5 points -- best among Class 5A teams that have played 5A opponents. Williamsburg QB Grant Hocker has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards, 20 touchdowns and only one pick and was really good against 4A top-10 Cedar Rapids Xavier. Mount Vernon’s Kael Riniker has 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for the No. 1 scoring defense in 3A.

4th & Goal: What school has the best mascot?

Jeff Linder: Do you really have to ask? I profess my admiration for Stormin’ Norman for eternity.

Jeff Johnson: I mean, it’s gotta be Stormin’ Norman at Center Point, right, Lindy?

K.J. Pilcher: This question came to mind when I noticed Jefferson’s Jeffy the J-Hawk last week. My favorite remains Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Bernie the Saint Bernard for personal reasons. Attention mascots: My vote can be changed by your hospitality when I cover your teams. Just saying.

Nathan Ford: I’m a fan of any mascot that is unique and inoffensive, but I don’t think it gets better in this area than the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers.