Iowa high school football: Gazette-area Week 3 games to watch

The following are area football capsules for Week 3 of the Iowa high school football season:

Cedar Rapids Washington at Davenport West

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

Records and rankings: Washington is 0-2; West is 1-1.

Overview: This is a game that could go into the win column for the Warriors, but only if they make substantial improvement on both sides of the ball. Washington has been outscored by a collective 77-14 by Dubuque Hempstead and Linn-Mar. J'Quari Willis has been a quality receiver, with eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. West opened with a victory, then came back down to earth with a 48-0 loss to Bettendorf last week. Jordan Tate has a couple of rushing TDs for the Falcons.

Cedar Rapids Prairie at Southeast Polk

Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Pleasant Hill

Records and rankings: Both teams are 2-0. Southeast Polk is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A; Prairie is No. 3.

Overview: In two glorious weeks, Prairie has gone from unranked to No. 3 in 5A. Now, it’s time to see how the Hawks stack up against one of the state’s true giants. Two-time defending 5A champion Southeast Polk has faced two other Central Iowa suburban powers, earning a close win over West Des Moines Valley and a comfortable one over Ankeny. The Rams have done a lot of their damage through the air; Connor Moberly is second in 5A in TD passes (seven) and fifth in passing yards (464). Prairie, meanwhile, has been balanced, with 462 passing yards and 368 on the ground. Casey Kelley is tied for the 5A lead in rushing TDs (six) and has netted 349 ground yards.

Western Dubuque at Cedar Rapids Xavier

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

Records and rankings: Class 4A No. 3 Western Dubuque is 2-0; No. 5 Xavier is 1-1.

Overview: You have to go back to 2011 to locate Xavier’s most recent two-game losing streak, and the Saints will aim Friday to avoid back-to-back defeats. They more than doubled the yardage output of Williamsburg last week, but some errors (both mental and physical) were costly in a 21-20 defeat. Now they welcome a prolific Western Dubuque outfit that has scored 96 points in two games, which ranks as second most in 4A, and is averaging 493 yards per game. Tanner Anderson has passed for 407 yards and six touchdowns (with no INTs), and Grant Glausser has rushed for 436 yards (9.9 per carry) and five TDs.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Linn-Mar

Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Linn-Mar Stadium

Records and rankings: Kennedy is 0-2; Class 5A No. 4 Linn-Mar is 2-0.

Overview: Linn-Mar has been as dominant as anybody in 5A; the Lions are tops in the big-school class in scoring offense (56.5 points per game) and No. 2 in scoring defense (7.0 ppg allowed). That defense will be put to the test against a Kennedy passing attack that has stacked up the yards. Junior QB Vincenzo Gianforte leads 5A in passing yards (751) and passing TDs (8), while Cyrus Courtney has hauled in 25 catches for 456 yards and four scores. But all of those yards haven’t translated into wins, and Linn-Mar is favored to top the Cougars for the first time since 2014. Dylan Muszynski leads the Lions’ attack with 258 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Iowa State commit Keaton Roskop revealed this week that he has suffered a season-ending ACL tear.

Des Moines North at Cedar Rapids Jefferson

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

Records and rankings: North is 1-1; Jefferson is 2-0.

Overview: Without a doubt, Jefferson is the area’s feel-good football story of the season so far, and the J-Hawks are favored to ride high for at least two more weeks. They followed a Week 1 breakthrough (33-24 over Muscatine, ending a 26-game losing streak) with a 40-0 statement over Marshalltown. Ishara Kalolero ranks third in 5A with 371 rushing yards. North had its own breakthrough last year, winning four games. The Polar Bears opened 2023 with a win over Des Moines East, then lost last week to Waterloo East. Three North backs have more than 100 rushing yards.

Pleasant Valley at Iowa City Liberty

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-1.

Overview: Both teams rebounded very nicely in Week 2. Pleasant Valley hit on a 2-point conversion in the second overtime to outlast Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 36-35, while Liberty retained the Zeus trophy, 41-14, over Iowa City High. Graham Beckman passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and the Lightning’s defense blanked the Little Hawks in the second half to pull away from a 20-14 halftime score. Beckman is third among 5A quarterbacks with 554 passing yards, and Dallas Miller is tied for the 5A lead with five receiving touchdowns.

Muscatine at Iowa City West

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 1-1.

Overview: After turning the ball over three times in a 31-17 loss at Urbandale last week, West has designs on a big rebound, provided it plays a cleaner game. The Trojans outgained the J-Hawks, led by 210 passing yards from Jack Wallace. Muscatine earned its first win last week, 14-13, over Davenport Central despite being outgained by a 316-100 margin.

Center Point-Urbana at Marion

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

Records and rankings: CPU is 0-2; Marion is 1-1.

Overview: At last, Marion has an on-campus facility of its own on which to play, and it’s a beautiful one. Expect a defensive battle; both teams have been limited offensively and effective on defense. Marion is managing just 11 points per game while surrendering 19. Don’t blame defense for CPU’s 0-2 start; the Stormin Pointers are allowing 12 points per game, which ranks ninth-best in 3A. Trouble is, CPU has reached the end zone just once in two games.

Iowa City High at Ames

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

Records and rankings: Both teams are 0-2.

Overview: It’s probably not a stretch to call this an elimination game as far as the 5A playoffs are concerned. Neither team has been competitive so far — City High has been outscored by an 89-27 margin in its first two games; it’s 77-13 for Ames.

Iowa City Regina at Mediapolis

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

Records and rankings: Class 1A No. 8 Regina is 2-0; Mediapolis is 1-1.

Overview: The competition level rises dramatically this week for Regina after posting decisive back-to-back victories over West Liberty and Mid-Prairie, and this will provide a good test before district play begins next week. Gentry Dumont and Jackson Naeve have comprised one of the best 1A passing combos through the first two weeks. Mediapolis opened some eyes with a Week 1 win over Columbus Community, but followed with a 21-0 loss to Sigourney-Keota. Chett Mohr has picked up 22 tackles for the Bulldogs.

Benton Community at Mount Vernon

Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Mount Vernon (First Street Field)

Records and rankings: Both teams are 2-0. Mount Vernon is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A.

Overview: This might be the final game at Mount Vernon’s traditional stadium; the finishing touches are being put on a new facility at the high school. The Mustangs are tied for second in 3A in scoring defense (3.0 points per game) while Benton is tied for fourth (3.5). The two offensive attacks are polar opposites. Mount Vernon likes to sling it around behind quarterback Joey Rhomberg (450 passing yards), while Benton relies on the run. Led by Owen Tjelmeland, the Bobcats are averaging more than 300 rushing yards per game.

Maquoketa Valley at East Buchanan

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

Records and rankings: No. 9 Maquoketa Valley is 2-0 overall, 1-0 Class A District 4; No. 4 East Buchanan is 1-1, 1-0.

Overview: This will be a ground brawl, and the victor moves to the forefront of the A-4 race. Maquoketa Valley’s Lance McShane is the state’s rushing leader in all classes, rambling for 604 yards (on 67 carries) and nine touchdowns. East Buchanan had three 1,000-yards rushers last year, and two of them — Tanner Thurn and Hunter Bowers — are back. That duo rushed for 275 in the Bucs’ win over Bellevue last week. It was a nice bounce-back after a Week 1 overtime loss to Sumner-Fredericksburg.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com