District opener has Aplington-Parkersburg's full attention

Iowa. And, you know you're gonna go down there and get a good test."Undoubtedly, this contest will test the toughness of both the Falcons and Saints. Aplington-Parkersburg has rolled up an eye-opening 679 total rushing yards so far. Saint Ansgar, meanwhile, will counter with a hard-charging, option attack led by fullback John Sievert, currently averaging 144 yards per game on the ground."He runs really hard, and he's definitely a big kid," Pollock said of Sievert, a 6-foot-2, 197-pound junior. "If they can get three, four yards at a time, they'll do that down the field on you. It can wear on you. So we'll have to bring our feet when we tackle, and get multiple guys to the football."To slow Sievert, the Falcons will call upon defensive leaders like seniors Dylan Bellows and Jake Everts. That linebacking duo has accounted for a combined 28 tackles so far this season.Pollock expects his somewhat undersized squad to rise to the challenge this week, in front of the always-passionate crowd in Parkersburg."It's an electric atmosphere for us," noted the young coach. "I think that's a huge homefield advantage for us. I love the hometown crowd."Two weeks ago in Parkersburg, Pollock led A-P to its first win ever over a Class 3A squad, as it tripped up Humboldt. With assets like junior rushers Jason Grill (272 rushing yards this year) and Curry Hoff (208) the Falcons' new coach is confident this week, too. ... Yet, he isn't about to overlook the always ornery Saint Ansgar Saints.After all, this week marks the district opener - a red-letter date on every club's calendar. Both the Falcons and Saints know they're in for a smashmouth affair."We know this game has serious implications on the district title," said Saint Ansgar's Clevenger. "We know that, this week, games start counting for real, so this is going to be a big one."- By KELLY BEATON, Waterloo Courier