Iowa high school football 2021: Picking the area 8-Player districts

Eastern Iowa favorites include Kee, New London, Janesville and Montezuma

Aug. 18, 2021 12:00 pm, Updated: Aug. 19, 2021 7:49 am

English Valleys’ Beau Flander runs against New London in a playoff game last season. (Courtesy Dana Royer)

This is the first in a series diving into the area high school football districts for the 2021 season. Today, we examine 8-Player.

Seventy-two teams are in the 8-Player class, with 32 advancing to the playoffs. That will consist of the top three teams in each of 10 districts, plus two at-large squads.

The 8-Player regular season will be eight games, with five rounds of playoffs. Teams not making the playoffs will be permitted to play a ninth regular-season contest.

A closer look at area districts:

District 5

OVERVIEW

At first glance, Easton Valley would be a good bet to roll through this district. The River Hawks went 9-2 and reached the quarterfinals last year, and have a prolific attack led by QB Conor Gruver (2,292 passing yards, 37 TDs). Look deeper, though, and you find a legitimate challenger in Lansing Kee (5-4). The Hawks were junior-laden last season, and if they can make significant strides in strength and maturity, they’ll be a handful. QB Damon Weber combined for 25 offensive touchdowns and led the team in tackles (79). Midland (4-4) has become a steady winner and welcomes back leading rusher Cayden Miller, and Edgewood-Colesburg is an intriguing addition to the 8-player world after going 8-1 in the traditional 11-player game a year ago.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Lansing Kee

2. *Easton Valley

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3. *Midland

4. Edgewood-Colesburg

5. Springville

6. Central City

7. Elkader Central

8. Calamus-Wheatland

District 6

OVERVIEW

Three years removed from a state championship, New London (7-2) rates as the favorite. Now a junior, quarterback Blaise Porter can beat you with his arm (he completed 73 percent of his passes) and his legs (1,340 rushing yards, 23 TDs). He also intercepted nine passes. If, in fact, New London is the team to beat, the race for second place is a logjam, with little separation among six teams — Lone Tree, English Valleys, WACO, Winfield-Mount Union, Iowa Valley and HLV. Speedster Beau Flander rushed for 1,593 yards (eighth in the state) for English Valleys (7-2), averaging 10.0 yards per carry and 26 TDs, and teammate Kaden Hall compiled 797 receiving yards, averaging nearly 25 yards per catch.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *New London

2. *Lone Tree

3. *English Valleys

4. WACO

5. Winfield-Mount Union

6. Iowa Valley

7. HLV

8. Tri-County