Losing streak behind it, Anamosa goes on win streak

ANAMOSA – Ryan Streets knew way back on the Fourth of July that his Anamosa Blue Raiders would end the long losing streak that has dogged the school's football program for three years.

He asked his team if he should open the school's weight room that day, telling his boys it didn't matter to him, one way or the other. They could just enjoy their holiday if they so wished.

They eventually did, but not until getting in a spirited lifting session.

'That told me we were going to be a good team,” Streets said. 'Our kids deserve it.”

Anamosa ended an unsightly 26-game losing streak with a 17-13 win at Oelwein last week and made it two wins in a row Friday night, beating Tipton, 31-15. Suddenly a school that couldn't win, can't lose.

'Lose, lose, lose. Once you win, you start to forget about losing,” Streets said. 'Once you get over that hump, which we needed to do, everyone could stop worrying about the streak.”

This is the second season at Anamosa for Streets, who was the defensive coordinator at DeWitt Central for 10 years. He has stressed discipline, with positive results following.

Anamosa had a 26-7 halftime lead in its opener against North Cedar, but couldn't close the deal and lost a heartbreaker, 32-29. Trevor Wehling had 105 yards rushing and a touchdown in last week's streak breaker, and the Blue Raiders survived a game-opening kickoff return for TD Friday night and the absence of top player Randy Von Behren, whom Streets said was wrongly ejected in the Oelwein game.

'He's the nicest kid in our entire school,” Streets said. 'We've got a good group of kids. All they've heard about is the losing streak ... Now we've got the monkey off our back. We did not play especially well against Oelwein, but the kids got it back. We played better against what I think is a good Tipton team. We've gotten better every week.”

The opponent this week is Northeast Goose Lake. Anamosa has dropped from Class 3A to 2A, which has been a help.

The Blue Raiders firmly believe they can go from laughingstock to the playoffs.

TOUCHDOWN TIDBITS

- Nathan Fitzgerald rushed for 383 yards and nine touchdowns as Elkader Central blasted Springville in an Eight-Player game, 76-29. Fitzgerald leads the state with 779 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in three games. Elkader (3-0) leads the state in scoring, averaging 77 points per game.

- Back to Eight-Player, West Central quarterback Ethan Steinbronn threw for 336 yards and four TDs as West Central won its first game of the season, 32-28, over Midland. Steinbronn also led the Blue Devils with 60 yards rushing. Great game, especially from a guy who is 6-foot-10. Steinbronn, Eight-Player's leading passer through three weeks, is headed to NCAA Division II Upper Iowa to play basketball.

- Jayden Johnson threw for 317 yards and five scores as North Cedar rolled past Alburnett, 50-19. The Knights (3-0) also got a huge game from receiver Ian Malaby (213 receiving yards, four TDs).

- Isaiah Vaughan rushed for 216 yards and five touchdowns in LaPorte City Union's 44-14 win over Roland-Story.

- Not many times do you allow a running back to rush for 369 yards and still win, but count North Linn among the few. Starmont's Jake Butler hit that huge number and scored three TDs, but North Linn got a touchdown in the final minute of regulation and scored again in overtime for a 42-36 victory.

- Nice road wins against ranked opponents Friday night for West Delaware and Williamsburg. WD rallied to beat Waverly-Shell Rock, 29-18, in a Class 3A district opener. Williamsburg built a 14-7 halftime lead and edged Mediapolis, 14-13, in a 2A district opener.

- Central City was shutout in its first two Eight-Player games but exploded for 56 points in a 56-36 win over Cedar Valley Christian.

- Tasty tidbits to chew on for Week 4 include Cedar Rapids Washington at Linn-Mar, South Winneshiek at New Hampton and West Branch at North Cedar. All are 3-0. South Winn is ranked No. 3 in Class 1A and New Hampton No. 1 in 2A.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com