Jeff Johnson

Cedar Rapids Kennedy football coach Brian White has been busy preparing his Cougars for Friday night’s Class 5A state playoff game. His oldest son, B.J., is an assistant coach for him, his youngest son, Calvin, is a senior fullback-linebacker for the Cougars. Middle son, Max, is a walk-on running back at Iowa who has played in every game this season on special teams. Let’s just say this fall has been extra special for the entire family, including mom, Debbie White, the “First Lady of Kennedy football.”

All seven classes will compete in the Iowa high school football playoffs this week. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their thoughts on topics related to the postseason.

In the first edition of Corridor Cross Checks for the 2023-24 season, we look back at the first two games of the ECHL season for the Iowa Heartlanders and the first nine games of the USHL season for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

A closer look at the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ 12-10 win Saturday afternoon over the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium.

Lisbon’s football team scored a pair of touchdowns in a dominant second half to rally past North Linn, 14-6, in a Class A state playoff first-round game Friday night. North Linn appeared poised to spring an upset on the fifth-ranked Lions with a dominant first half that produced a 6-0 lead that could have been higher.

Longtime professional coach Barry Smith helped run practice earlier this week for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, a guest of Riders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson. Smith has seven Stanley Cup championships to his credit, has coached in Russia and Sweden. But the 72-year-old’s goal today is making younger players and coaches better.

It’s playoff time in Iowa high school football, at least for Class 2A, 1A, A and 8-Player. This episode of the Prep Football Huddle podcast previews the Round of 32 in those classes and looks at what’s at stake in the final week of the regular season for 5A, 4A and 3A teams.

True freshman Darius Taylor burst onto the scene in Week 2 for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team with a 193-yard rushing performance. He backed that up with games of 139 yards and 198 before succumbing to a leg injury. Coach P.J. Fleck won’t say whether Taylor will be back Saturday for the Floyd of Rosedale game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The West Branch football team has dealt with the loss of legendary head coach Butch Pedersen, who died from cancer last spring. The Bears had a tough schedule to boot, especially early in the season, has dealt with injuries and a quarterback shuffle. Yet West Branch finds itself in familiar territory, a playoff participant in Class 1A, a first-round home game on tap Friday night against Pleasantville.

The Iowa Heartlanders begin their 2023-24 ECHL season with home games Thursday and Friday nights against the Rapid City Rush at Xtream Arena. The third-year club has struggled on and off the ice its first two years but feels confident about making strides both ways this season.

The Iowa high school football postseason begins for teams in Classes 2A, 1A, A and 8-Player. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their thoughts on teams bound for the UNI-Dome, upset-minded No. 4 seeds and the benefits of a Week 9 game for non-playoff programs.

A closer look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 15-6 win Saturday over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.

Starmont’s football program has a good history, though it has struggled the past decade with low numbers of players and even lower win totals. The Stars, who were 1-8 last season, finished the regular season 7-1 after a 27-6 win Friday night over Maquoketa Valley that gave them a Class A district championship.

Marion’s football team splished and splashed its way to a 38-0 win Friday over Mason City in a game played the entire way under rain, most of the time heavy rain. The Wolves believe the win all but locks up a Class 4A playoff berth.

It’s getting down to crunch time on the Prep Football Huddle podcast. This week’s show delves into eye-opening Week 7 wins from Solon, Marion and more, the updated playoff picture and Week 8 games to watch.