HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: Weighing in on district football

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By Jacob Unmacht, Dubuque Hempstead junior

DUBUQUE - After West Des Moines Dowling beat Cedar Rapids Xavier on Nov. 22 for the Class 4A football state title, all hell broke loose on the eastern half of the state.

Three teams dropped from Class 4A to Class 3A, while another whined about not making it to the playoffs.  So the Mississippi Athletic Conference, or the MAC, re-opened discussion about changing to a district-style play. Eastern Iowa high school football would soon be changed forever.The discussion began because Mason City, located on the western side of Iowa, made the playoffs with a 2-7 record while Dubuque Senior, located on the eastern side, missed the playoffs with a 4-5 record.

Many thought since the western half already is under district play, changing the eastern half would 'level the playing field.'

On Jan. 8, it was officially announced the MVC and MAC would be joining the rest of the state under district football.

With the change to district play, a few problems arose. First, there are 46 Class 4A teams in the state of Iowa, 25 in the west and 21 in the east. When the districts were paired, Ottumwa moved to one of the eastern districts.

Even though the districts sound scary at first, it is a chance for Eastern Iowa schools to play teams they have never matched up against before.

'When I heard about the districts, I thought it would be interesting,' Hempstead junior Bailey Paulsen said. 'All my life we have seen the same teams, so it will be nice to get a change of competition.'

There will be three six-team districts and one five-team district. Districts will be realigned every two years. For a berth in the playoffs, teams have to be one of the top four teams in their district.

Therefore, only the teams in each district have a chance of knocking opposing teams out of playoff contention.

Since Hempstead isn't aligned in the same district as Senior, playing the Rams the next two years will not have any factor on either team's chances to make the playoffs.

'I was upset when I heard we weren't in the same district as Senior,' Paulsen said. 'Growing up, I always loved playing Senior and knowing it was a big game because of playoff contention. But we are still playing them for the city title and those are always tough games to compete in.'

The district setup definitely will take some getting used to. Everyone is familiar with the MVC, but it was time for a change.

'The Mississippi Valley Conference was very important to me,' Hempstead assistant coach Nate Oswald said. 'I played in it while I was a student at Senior and coached in it for 10-plus years. I will miss it but district football is the way to go.'

Maybe a change is exactly what's needed. Through 21 years of MVC play, Hempstead has an overall record of 95-103.

'Every game was tough and you couldn't take any days off,' Oswald said. 'There were times where you could win six games and not make the playoffs. Not showing up one week could ruin your entire season.'The new districts could be a fresh start and the team is headed in the right direction.