Week 8 area football capsules

Area capsules for Week 8 of the high school football season:

IOWA CITY HIGH at CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON

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

* Records and rankings: City High is 2-5 overall, 2-1 Class 4A District 6; No. 1 Washington is 7-0, 3-0.

* Overview: The 4A-6 crown belongs to the Warriors if they do the expected and handle the Little Hawks. But City High is on a two-game win streak, and the Little Hawks have plenty to play for, as well. They have put themselves in good position to make the playoffs, and can actually move into the driver's set for the district title if they can shock the Warriors. That will be a stiff challenge against an outfit that has held five of its last six opponents to a touchdown or less. Connor Vincent is the leader of that unit with 68.5 tackles, 17 for loss. Tavian Patrick has rushed for 685 yards for Washington.

IOWA CITY REGINA at CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Saints Field

* Records and rankings: Class 1A No. 2 Regina is 6-1; 3A No. 5 Xavier is 5-2.

* Overview: All eyes have been on this interclass matchup of parochial powerhouses since the day that schedules were released. Regina's only loss this season came to Solon in Week 1, a defeat that ended a run of 56 straight victories. Xavier bounced Solon, 28-0, two weeks later in its 3A district debut. Both teams thrive with their respective defenses; Xavier is allowing 8.3 points per contest, Regina 10.7. Regals quarterback Drew Cook continues to dazzle with his efficiency. He has completed nearly two-thirds of his passes for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. Xavier's Jay Kortemeyer has rushed for 771 yards and five TDs.

LINN-MAR at WATERLOO WEST

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Waterloo

* Records and rankings: No. 7 Linn-Mar is 6-1 overall, 3-0 Class 4A District 5; West is 3-4, 2-1.

* Overview: If Linn-Mar can avoid a letdown and prevail at Waterloo, it is the district champion. The Lions' run defense was dynamite last week, holding Cedar Falls to minus-26 rushing yards in a 22-14 victory. Quarterback Ryan Schmidt ran for three touchdowns, sending his season total to 14 (he also has passed for 725 yards). West has won two straight games and three of its last four. The Wahawks tripped Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 23-17, last week. Sophomore Devon Moore has passed for 1,036 yards while juniors John Draine and Isaiah Burt have combined to run for nearly 1,000.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE at MUSCATINE

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Muscatine

* Records and rankings: Prairie is 3-4 overall, 1-2 Class 4A District 6; Muscatine is 5-2, 2-1.

* Overview: The race for the second through fifth spots in 4A-6 remains unsettled. Prairie is in a spot in which it absolutely must beat Ottumwa next week to have a playoff shot. A victory this week would be a nice bonus, but not necessarily mandatory. The Hawks have dropped their last two games, including a 28-6 defeat to Cedar Rapids Washington last week. Jared Pinter has rushed for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. Muscatine has a strong offensive unit (averaging 32.1 points per game), but can be scored upon. QB Matt Weiskamp has passed for 771 yards, along with 372 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY at CEDAR FALLS

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Cedar Falls (UNI-Dome)

* Records and rankings: Kennedy is 1-6 overall, 1-2 Class 4A District 5; Cedar Falls is 5-2, 2-1.

* Overview: A 46-9 rout at Waterloo East last week did more than give Kennedy its first win of the season. It opened the door for some interesting playoff possibilities. A win next week over Waterloo West probably means a playoff berth. If they can add a mild upset Friday in the Dome, the Cougars could earn a first-round home game, something that seemed impossible as recently as last week. Sammy Lizarraga is closing in on 1,000 passing yards, and Shaun Beyer has been a solid two-way performer. Cedar Falls sputtered on the ground last week at Linn-Mar (minus-26 yards). The Tigers possess a talented, deep receiving corps for QB Taylen Alexander.

DAVENPORT NORTH at IOWA CITY WEST

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Trojan Field

* Records and rankings: North is 1-6 overall, 0-3 Class 4A District 6; West is 4-3, 2-0.

* Overview: All four of the playoff berths from 4A-6 have been determined, and West has one of them. If the Trojans do the expected and handle North this week, it would set up a set up a district-championship game next week at home against Pleasant Valley. West has won three of its last four games, with the only defeat in that span an overtime thriller against unbeaten Bettendorf. West QB Aaron Bleil ranks sixth in 4A passing yards, with 1,355. Sophomore Oliver Martin has 41 receptions for 535 yards. North is struggling with numbers and has lost six in a row. The Wildcats are allowing 43.7 points per game.

WATERLOO EAST at CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON

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

* Records and rankings: East is 0-7 overall, 0-3 Class 4A District 5; Jefferson is 3-4, 1-2.

* Overview: Jefferson could have virtually clinched a playoff berth last week, but instead stubbed its toe in a 23-17 loss to Waterloo West. Now, a postseason berth is iffy, even if the J-Hawks handle East on Friday, which they should. East has not been competitive in any of its seven games thus far, averaging 4.1 points per game and yielding 42.0. Jefferson quarterback Jesse Furrow has passed for 953 yards and nine touchdowns, and receivers Many Olutunde, Bryce Lund and Mason Furnish all are averaging better than 20 yards per catch.

DUBUQUE WAHLERT at MARION

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Thomas Park Field

* Records and rankings: Wahlert is 2-5 overall, 2-2 Class 3A District 4; Marion is 1-6, 0-4.

* Overview: All but eliminated from postseason contention, Marion settles into a role of spoiler. The Indians have hit the skids offensively; they haven't scored more than one touchdown in a game since Week 3, and have dropped six games in a row. They could have some luck moving the ball against the Golden Eagles, who are yielding 33 points per game. Wahlert's Riley Hasken has rushed for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns.

SOLON at WESTERN DUBUQUE

* Site and time: 7:15 p.m. Friday, at Epworth

* Records and rankings: Fourth-rated Solon is 6-1 overall, 3-1 Class 3A District 4; Western Dubuque is 5-2, 4-0.

* Overview: Western Dubuque has won three straight games and captures the district championship if it extends that streak. Solon, meanwhile, is trying to forge a likely three-way tie with the Bobcats and Cedar Rapids Xavier and force a tie-breaker based on points. Western Dubuque's physical defense has become particularly stingy recently, holding Xavier and Marion to six points apiece in the last two games. McKade Bockenstedt and Andrew Meyer lead that unit with 30 solo tackles apiece. Solon has scored 96 points in the past two weeks and has gotten 689 yards and nine touchdowns from Brandon Kramer this season.

DYERSVILLE BECKMAN at NEW HAMPTON

* Site and time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at New Hampton

* Records and rankings: Beckman is 5-2 overall, 3-1 Class 2A District 3; No. 6 New Hampton is 6-1, 4-0.

* Overview: The 2A-3 race is a four-team affair heading to the last two weeks, and if Beckman can pull the road upset, it's likely that all four of them (North Fayette Valley and Center Point-Urbana are the others) will have a loss apiece. These teams boast two of the best defensive units in 2A, with Beckman ranking third in scoring defense at 9.6 points per game and New Hampton sixth at 10.6. Tucker Tenge of New Hampton is tied for second in 11-man football with seven interceptions. Junior Tyler Hirsch leads Beckman's attack with 843 yards and nine touchdowns.

UNION at ANAMOSA

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Anamosa

* Records and rankings: Both teams are 6-1.

* Overview: The storyline keeps getting better for Anamosa, which has followed a 26-game losing streak with six wins in a row. The Raiders will chase a district title next week against Cascade, but steps out of league play for a big challenge with surging Union. The Knights have won five straight games, shutting out their last three opponents. Sophomore Isaiah Vaughn has netted 1,158 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns, averaging 9.8 yards per carry. Anamosa came back from a 10-point halftime deficit last week to beat Mount Vernon, 23-16. Junior Kolin Schulte has been stellar on both sides of the ball, throwing eight touchdown passes and collecting six takeaways.

MOUNT VERNON at CASCADE

* Site and time: 7 p.m. Friday, at Cascade

* Records and rankings: Mount Vernon is 4-3 overall, 3-1 Class 2A District 4; No. 8 Cascade is 6-1, 4-0.

* Overview: Cascade has been considered the favorite in this district from the start, and the Cougars get the opportunity to prove it in the next two weeks (they face Anamosa in Week 9). The Derek Lieurance-to-Nate Bergfeld combo continues to click along. Lieurance ranks in the top five of 11-man quarterbacks in completion percentage (78.5), yards (1,914), touchdowns (21) and QB rating (231.6). Bergfeld is the state's top receiver in yards (937, in 49 catches, with 11 TDs). Mount Vernon let a 16-6 halftime lead get away last week in a 23-16 loss to Anamosa. Mickey Hines, Jack Cochrane and Ryan Muller have combined for nearly 1,000 rushing yards.

OTHER GAMES INVOLVING METRO/IOWA CITY TEAMS

* Turkey Valley (6-1 overall, 4-1 8-Man District 4) at Cedar Valley Christian (1-6, 0-5), 7 p.m. Friday at LaSalle Middle School