Iowa high school football 2023: Gazette-area Week 7 games to watch

The following are area football capsules for Week 7 of the Iowa high school football season:

Dubuque Hempstead at Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at Kingston Stadium

Records and rankings: Both teams are 4-2. Kennedy is ranked No. 3 in Class 5A.

Overview: We’ve documented several of Eastern Iowa’s most notable turnarounds this season, but we haven’t mentioned Hempstead, with was 1-8 last year. The Mustangs have put themselves in prime position to make the 5A playoffs with two wins in their last three games. Kennedy, meanwhile, has rattled off four straight wins, scoring 43.5 points per game in that span. In last week’s 34-14 victory over previously unbeaten Bettendorf, the Cougars got 100-yard-plus rushing nights from Jacob Doyle and Trevor Scott and 171 yards passing from Vincenzo Gianforte.

Iowa City High at Davenport North

Site and time: 7 p.m. Thursday at Davenport (Brady Street Stadium)

Records and rankings: City High is 3-3; North is 2-4.

Overview: City High returns to the Quad Cities for the second straight week; the Little Hawks stomped Davenport Central, 61-0, last Friday. Bobby Bacon passed for 210 yards and four touchdowns, Miles Parlet ran for 225 yards and the Little Hawks had a 47-0 lead by halftime. City sits at 18th in the 5A RPI standings, and with Linn-Mar and Bettendorf still on the schedule, this is a must-get if the playoffs are to be a potential destination. Parlet has rushed for 750 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Marion at Decorah

Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Decorah

Records and rankings: Marion is 4-2 overall, 1-1 Class 4A District 2; No. 10 Decorah is 5-1, 2-0.

Overview: Marion suffered a 35-7 home setback last week to No. 1 Western Dubuque, but all is not lost. The Wolves can position themselves nicely for a 4A automatic playoff berth if they can get a challenging road win this week, and are sitting 12th in RPI. Decorah already has surpassed its win total from 2022, when it went an uncustomary 3-6. Dakota Johnson is third among 4A backs in rushing yards (1,018) and second in rushing touchdowns (15). He averages 10.0 yards per carry. For the Vikings, a win would set up a Week 8 showdown for the district lead at Western Dubuque.

Cedar Rapids Prairie at Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Kingston Stadium

Records and rankings: Class 5A 10th-ranked Prairie is 3-3; Jefferson is 4-2.

Overview: At 11th in the 5A RPI race, Prairie is tops among the 3-3 teams and still has a shot at a first-round home game if it wins out. The Hawks are eight points from being 5-1, falling just short against Ankeny last week, 17-14. Casey Kelley is tops in 5A in all-purpose yards (1,240) and second in rushing yards (879, with 10 touchdowns), while Collin Velky is the 5A leader in tackles (57.5). Jefferson has dropped two straight games after a 4-0 start — it was 44-0 last week against Iowa City West — and looks to bounce back with its first Kolache Bowl win since 2015.

Linn-Mar at Davenport West

Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Davenport (Brady Street Stadium)

Records and rankings: Linn-Mar is 3-3; West is 4-2.

Overview: Linn-Mar snapped a three-game losing streak last week, 35-9 over Muscatine, and looks to build on that momentum. The Lions are 14th on this week’s 5A RPI chart, so they probably need to win two of their last three to make the postseason. They established a strong running game against the Muskies, racking up 311 ground yards, including 198 (and two touchdowns) by Dylan Muszynski, pushing his season total to 480. West is 12th in RPI, but this is the first leg of a challenging closing schedule for the Falcons.

Oskaloosa at Cedar Rapids Xavier

Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Saints Field

Records and rankings: Oskaloosa is 3-3 overall, 1-1 Class 4A District 4; No. 6 Xavier is 4-2, 2-0.

Overview: You can say with supreme confidence that Xavier will be the 4A District 4 champion. The Saints rallied from a 20-7 deficit to defeat North Scott in last week’s showdown, 26-20. Noah Schimberg ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Saints quarterback Ronan Thomas is second in 4A in QB rating and third in yards per completion, so the Saints’ air game is both efficient and explosive. Oskaloosa snapped a three-game losing streak last week, 22-19, against Clinton.

Iowa City Liberty at Ankeny

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Ankeny

Records and rankings: Liberty is 2-4; Class 5A No. 6 Ankeny is 4-2.

Overview: The Lightning are well-known for their prolific passing attack, but they struck with a balanced offense in a 60-10 rout of Cedar Rapids Washington last week. The Bolts rushed for 248 yards, passed for 245. Graham Beckman is the 5A leader in passing yards (1,795) and passing touchdowns (17), with Dallas Miller and Sutton Koller combining for 13 receiving TDs. Ankeny’s two losses came to the top two teams in 5A (Southeast Polk and West Des Moines Dowling), and the Hawks have won three straight.

Cedar Rapids Washington at Iowa City West

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at West

Records and rankings: Washington is 1-5; West is 3-3.

Overview: West worked its way back to .500 last week with an emphatic win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 44-0, building a 37-0 halftime lead. That moved the Trojans on the right side of the top-16 line in 5A RPI; they are at No. 15 this week. This is the first West-Washington battle since 2017. The Warriors were routed, 60-10, last week by Iowa City Liberty and has been virtually eliminated from playoff consideration.

Williamsburg at Solon

Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Solon

Records and rankings: Top-ranked Williamsburg is 6-0 overall, 2-0 Class 3A District 5; No. 7 Solon is 5-1, 2-0.

Overview: Solon has won five straight games, and its last one was an all-out thriller. The Spartans trailed 10-3 in the fourth quarter, then rallied for a 16-13 double-overtime victory over Benton Community (Grant Knipper kicked three field goals) to set up this showdown. Williamsburg has steamrolled its last four opponents by a 163-54 margin. Kellen Cockrell is tied for the 3A lead in passing touchdowns (20), including to a 3A-high nine to Braylon Wetjen. Rayce Heitman leads the Raiders’ defense and special teams. Solon’s Brett White is second in 3A in tackles, with 62.5. He had 16.5 last week.

West Branch at Wilton

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Wilton

Records and rankings: No. 8 West Branch is 4-2 overall, 3-0 Class 1A District 5; No. 5 Wilton is 6-0, 3-0.

Overview: A grueling pre-district slate has paid high dividends for West Branch. The Bears have won four straight games, including an emotional 21-17 triumph at home over archrival Iowa City Regina. West Branch can clinch the 1A-5 championship with a win Friday. The Bears have been emboldened statistically by depth and balance, not one standout player. Wilton has made a giant stride forward this season after a 4-4 campaign in 2022; the Beavers are one of two remaining unbeatens in 1A and are allowing just 5.2 points per game. Beware of Jordan Dusenberry, who has intercepted five passes.

North Linn at Maquoketa Valley

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Delhi

Records and rankings: Both teams are 5-1 overall, 4-1 Class A District 4.

Overview: It’s still a four-team cluster atop one of the most entertaining districts in the state, with these two teams tied for first place with Starmont and East Buchanan, and it’s a good bet that all four of them will make the playoffs. Maquoketa Valley has ridden the legs of Lance McShane into this position. McShane leads Class A in rushing yards (1,555) and rushing touchdowns (26) by a wide margin, and averages 10.7 yards per carry. He’ll attack a North Linn defense that has posted four shutouts this season, but struggled in its last game against an elite running game (East Buchanan two weeks ago).

Central City at Lone Tree

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Lone Tree

Records and rankings: Both teams are 5-1 overall, 4-0 8-Player District 5. Central City is ranked No. 6.

Overview: To the victor goes the 8P-5 championship. This was the position Central City expected to be in, and the Wildcats have delivered. They are scoring 61 points per game in district play and rushed for 480 yards in a 93-22 rout of Easton Valley last week. The Klostermann boys have rushed for more than 800 yards and 14 TDs. Lone Tree lost in Week 2 to Iowa Valley, but has won four straight since and has clinched a playoff berth. Ethan Bockelman leads a potent ground attack with 910 yards and 16 TDs for the Lions.

Other Metro/Iowa City games

* Dyersville Beckman (1-5 overall, 1-2 1A District 5) at No. 9 Iowa City Regina (5-1, 2-1)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com