North Cedar braces for a biggie with the Bears

Last season ended Oct. 28, 2009. This season began four days later.And that has made this season a season to remember.North Cedar continued to flex its defensive might Friday, whipping Wapello 41-0 and setting up unquestionably the biggest game in its school's existence.The sixth-rated Knights (8-0 overall, 6-0 Class 1A District 6) host No. 3 West Branch (7-0, 6-0) next week. The winner is the district champion."Our defensive coaches are breaking down film right now," Knights Coach Clay Harrold said early Saturday morning. "West Branch does a lot of good things, and we'll have to put together a good gameplan to slow them down."The Knights have been slowing everybody down. They have allowed seven points all season.That's right: One touchdown in eight games. That came against Cardinal in Week 4.North Cedar has won 12 consecutive regular-season games. At 1-4 last season, they rattled off four straight wins to scramble and make the 2A postseason dance, their first in school history.It was a brief appearance. The Knights lost to Davis County in the substate round. Four days later, a good number of players were in the weight room."They made a commitment to get better, and they did it right away," Harrold said.The Knights moved down a class this season, and have dominated. They have outscored their opposition by a margin of 318-7.But it gets a lot more difficult next week."We can't get caught up in the hoopla," Harrold said. "There are going to be a ton of people there. We've got to play our game, and we absolutely have to control the football. We have to sustain drives, and we have to finish drives."West Branch has the second-best scoring defense in 1A, allowing 4.9 points per game. The Bears have three shutouts of their own, including a 54-0 win over Cardinal on Friday.The battle at Stanwood is one of four Week 9 winner-take-all games in the area.Elsewhere:* Starmont (8-0, 6-0) takes on Wapsie Valley (7-1, 5-1) for the Class 1A District 5 crown at Fairbank.* Lisbon (7-1, 5-0) hosts WACO (8-0, 5-0) in the Class A District 5 title game.* BGM (7-1, 5-0) travels to Victor with the A-6 championship on the line against HLV (5-3, 4-1).

Comeback kids do it againThe Union Knights didn't quit, didn't panic. After all, they'd been here before.Down 11 points in the third quarter, the Knights rallied past Marion, 41-35, to claim the Class 3A District 5 championship."Once again, we showed a lot of resilience," said Union Coach Joe Hadachek. "We've been behind a number of times this season, and we've found ways to win."They did it against DeWitt Central. They did it against Maquoketa. And they did it again Friday.Yes, Wes Burnside rushed for 315 yards on a staggering 58 carries -- "He'll carry as much or as little as he needs for us to win the game," Hadachek said -- but Union's defense was just as much a factor in the fourth quarter.The Knights allowed just 10 yards and no points in the final period. Brad Siebel and Hunter Zempel intercepted passes on Marion's final two possessions.

Didio: Nothing brokenCedar Rapids Xavier quarterback Andy Didio suffered no skeletal damage after taking a hit to hit right shoulder in the Saints' 39-14 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Friday."No broken bones," Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said Saturday morning. "We're not sure how everything is with his soft tissue. He'll see an orthopedic surgeon (Sunday)."Xavier (6-2) plays at Linn-Mar (7-1) Friday at Armstrong Field. If Didio can't play, Blake Helms likely will get the start. Helms took the snaps against Jefferson after Didio went out."We threw him in at the spur of the moment, and he did a nice job," Schulte said. "He's a two-year starter at shortstop for the baseball team, so he's a competitor."

Monday night footballHighland will return to Eldon on Monday to complete a Class 1A District 6 game.Cardinal leads, 10-7, at halftime in a contest that began Sept. 12. It was suspended at halftime due to thunderstorms.