It’s Week 5, time to reset in Class 4A

So now, the REAL season begins for big-school football.

Right?

With that statement, what exactly were those first four weeks? Exhibition games? Scrimmages with benefits?

'We never took that philosophy. We take every game seriously,” said Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth. 'You only get nine games, so we didn't feel any reason to approach it any differently than that all nine games are important.”

But the next five games, well, they're more important. There's no disputing that.

Class 4A district competition makes its debut in the east half of the state. It's a five-week race now for the playoffs, and everybody starts clean.

Dan Sabers isn't complaining.

'You know, for us, that's a good thing,” said Sabers, coach at Iowa City High. 'You start 0-4, and it's a chance to start over.”

The push begins Thursday night with a District 5 matchup between Cedar Rapids Jefferson (2-2) and Cedar Rapids Kennedy (0-4) at Kingston Stadium, and Iowa City West and Davenport Central (both 2-2) at Brady Street Stadium.

Then it begins full steam Friday.

In the past, determining the 4A playoff field, and seeding it, took a spread sheet and a lot of math, with wins and losses against winning teams and losing teams carrying different point values.

Now, it's simpler. Compete in a five- or six-team district. The top four teams play beyond Week 9.

'Every game matters, but the important part starts this week,” said Cedar Rapids Prairie Coach Mike Morrissey. 'You probably need two (district wins) to qualify, and the more you win, the better your seeding.”

The pre-district schedule? They played to win. And to learn.

Here's one thing we learned - No. 2-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington can play defense. The Warriors (4-0) - who host Muscatine (3-1) in a District 6 opener on Friday - have yielded just 10 points in the past three weeks.

'The way the defense has come together has been nice,” said Warriors Coach Paul James, whose team has strung together 10 consecutive regular-season victories.

'We knew the kids there had good quickness and strength. You put those together, and you've got something.”

Washington's most recent victim was Linn-Mar in a 43-3 rout. By Saturday morning, Forsyth had let it go. The Lions were 3-1, with one more win than they had managed in 2013.

'The first thing I told the kids, ‘At the first day of camp, if you'd told me we'd be 3-1 heading into districts, against the competition we play, I'll take that right now,'” he said.

Linn-Mar is heavily favored to rebound against winless Waterloo East. Prairie (2-2) is at Burlington (3-1).

A Pleasant Valley alum, Morrissey made his last trip to Burlington as a senior quarterback in 2000 (and won, 31-0). The Hawks will be playing without QB Trey Beckman, who suffered a concussion last week.

'For his safety, we're going to hold him out, and maybe get him up and going Monday,” Morrissey said.

City High goes to Ottumwa. For the Little Hawks to turn it around, Sabers said, an enhancement in discipline is mandatory.

'Certainly I hope we've learned from the first four games,” he said. 'No question, we need more discipline in everything we do.

'Football is a funny game. If you don't treat it with respect, it will kick your butt.”

CLASS 4A DISTRICT OPENERS (Friday unless noted)

District 5

Cedar Rapids Kennedy (0-4, 0-0) vs. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (2-2, 0-0), Thursday at Kingston

Cedar Falls (3-1, 0-0) at Waterloo West (1-3, 0-0)

Waterloo East (0-4, 0-0) at Linn-Mar (3-1, 0-0)

District 6

Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-2, 0-0) at Burlington (3-1, 0-0)

Iowa City High (0-4, 0-0) at Ottumwa (3-1, 0-0)

Muscatine (3-1, 0-0) at Cedar Rapids Washington (4-0, 0-0)

District 7

Iowa City West (2-2, 0-0) at Davenport Central (2-2, 0-0), Thursday

Davenport North (1-3, 0-0) at Pleasant Valley (1-3, 0-0)

Davenport West (0-4) at Dubuque Hempstead (3-1), non-district

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@sourcemedia.net