The top 10 prep football games this week

CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER at LINN-MAR

Time & place: 7:15 p.m., at Armstrong Field

Records: Xavier is 6-2; Linn-Mar is 7-1.

Notable: Both teams are guaranteed a home-field game for the first round of the playoffs. Assuming all the favorites win, ninth-rated Xavier would be the No. 5 seed in the 4A East with a victory and No. 8 with a loss; the No. 8-ranked Lions would be fifth with a win and seventh with a defeat. Xavier quarterback Andy Didio is questionable after suffering a shoulder injury early in last week's win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Linn-Mar's Jer Garman has rushed for 19 touchdowns, Mark Atwater has thrown for 16.

WEST BRANCH at NORTH CEDAR

Time & place: 7 p.m., at Stanwood

Records: West Branch is 7-0 overall, 5-0 Class 1A District 6; North Cedar is 8-0, 5-0.

Notable: A dream season for sixth-ranked North Cedar can include a district championship if the Knights can knock off No. 3 West Branch. The Knights have outscored their opponents by a 318-7 margin; their seven points allowed is the best in any team in any class. The Bears can stop the opposition as well, allowing 4.9 points per game. West Branch quarterback Brandon Young has thrown for 1,020 yards; Rilen Carew has 22 catches for 567 yards. Donny Wachendorf has rushed for 13 touchdowns and caught three TD passes for the Knights.

WACO at LISBON

Time & place: 7 p.m., at Lisbon

Records: WACO is 8-0 overall, 5-0 Class A District 5; Lisbon is 7-1, 5-0.

Notable: Another district title is on the line, this one at Walmer Field. Fourth-ranked WACO has won each of its last five games by 34 points or more, and the Warriors have collected 32 takeaways in eight games. Other than an overtime game with Lone Tree, No. 7 Lisbon has scorched its district competition. The Lions have averaged 49.4 points in district play. Tait Simpson has rushed for 10 touchdowns and passed for seven, and leads the team in tackles with 55. Ben Knake has 22 receptions for 366 yards, and has intercepted six passes.

GRINNELL at SOLON

Time & place: 7:30 p.m., at Solon

Records: Grinnell is 7-1 overall, 5-1 Class 3A District 6; Solon is 7-1, 6-0.

Notable: Solon has made the adjustment to 3A football quite nicely. The fourth-ranked Spartans' lone loss came to 2A Iowa City Regina in Week 2, and they have outscored their district foes by a 224-51 margin. It is a balanced team, both offensively and defensively. The Spartans are district champions if they win, or if Williamsburg beats Washington. No. 9 Grinnell takes the crown with a win and a Williamsburg loss. Jordan Ferch has rushed for 1,103 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Tigers can be scored upon: they have allowed 21 points or more on five occasions.

MARION at MAQUOKETA

Time & place: 7:30 p.m., at Maquoketa

Records: Marion is 7-1 overall, 5-1 Class 3A District 5; Maquoketa is 5-3, 3-3.

Notable: Marion is locked into the second playoff spot out of 3A-5 while Maquoketa probably faces a must-win to make the postseason. The Cardinals are one of four 3-3 teams in the district, and two of them (Western Dubuque and DeWitt Central) are very likely to win. Eighth-ranked Marion was gashed last week by Wes Burnside (58 carries, 315 yards) in a 41-35 loss to Union. Jake McDonald has tallied 106 tackles, 11 for loss. Colton Storla has rushed for 1,089 yards, and Dusty Albaugh does a little of everything, both offensively and defensively. Marion won last year, 14-13, on a goofy finish that included a personal-foul call that set up the winning field goal.

OELWEIN at WEST DELAWARE

Time & place: 7:30 p.m., at Manchester

Records: Oelwein is 5-3 overall, 4-2 Class 3A District 4; West Delaware is 6-2, 5-1.

Notable: Depending on the circumstances from around the district, West Delaware could finish anywhere from first to fourth. The Hawks are in a three-way tie for the lead with Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock, but since Decorah (which leads based on point differential) plays cellar-dwelling Independence, the Hawks probably are gunning for second. Brandon Domeyer has rushed for 1,178 yards and 20 touchdowns while Jordan Hoffmann has thrown for 1,069 yards and 11 scores. Oelwein has quietly put together a nice season, winning its last four games and has wrapped up a playoff berth. Stephen Meyer has passed for 1,426 yards.

WEST LIBERTY at IOWA CITY REGINA

Time & place: 7 p.m., at Regina

Records: West Liberty is 4-4 overall, 4-2 Class 2A District 5; Regina is 8-0, 6-0.

Notable: Without a doubt, the Regals have been the class of their district. Regina, which has been ranked No. 1 all season long, have not been threatened by anyone in their league. A lot of their scores have been strikingly similar - 42-6 on three occasions, 42-0 twice. Zach Pechous has been a special-teams monster, returning six kicks (three kickoffs, three punts) back for touchdowns. Daniel Larew, meanwhile, has been golden on all 41 of his PAT tries and 4 of 5 field goals. West Liberty's Erik McKillip has rushed for 691 yards and passed for 380.

STARMONT at WAPSIE VALLEY

Time & place: 7:30 p.m., at Fairbank

Records: Starmont is 8-0 overall, 6-0 Class 1A District 5; Wapsie Valley is 7-1, 5-1.

Notable: Another 1A-5 battle that figures to be heavily slanted toward the ground attacks, and the winner will be the district champion. Wapsie's Connor O'Brien has rushed for 1,766 yards and 25 touchdowns while Starmont's run attack is a bit more balanced: Ethan Moses leads it at 702 yards and 10 touchdowns. The eighth-ranked Stars average 325 yards per game on the ground, Wapsie nets 290. The Warriors had a hiccup three weeks ago at Maquoketa Valley, but bounced back with two straight wins, including a 21-12 triumph over Turkey Valley last week. Starmont has four shutouts under its belt.

ELKADER CENTRAL at NORTH TAMA

Time & place: 7:30 p.m., at Traer

Records: Central is 6-2 overall, 4-1 Class A District 4; North Tama is 8-0, 5-0.

Notable: The math is pretty simple. North Tama is the district champion if it wins, or if it loses by seven points or less. A decisive win gives the title to Central. The third-rated Redhawks have been typically stingy defensively this year. They have recorded five shutouts and are allowing a Class A-best 4.6 points per game. Cade Isenhower has racked up 111 tackles. Brandon Boerm has accumulated 2,036 total yards (1,118 passing, 918 rushing) and has run or passed for 26 TDs. Central has won four straight and is led by the legs of Zack Tade (1,428 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns).

BGM at HLV

Time & place: 7 p.m., at Victor

Records: BGM is 7-1 overall, 5-0 Class A District 6; HLV is 5-3, 4-1.

Notable: One more district race that has gone down to the wire. Sixth-ranked BGM has had its way through its district pursuit so far, outscoring its first five league foes, 186-36. Danny Brau has rushed for 941 yards and 15 touchdowns. HLV counters with Brandon Leonard (696 yards, 9 TDs). The Warriors suffered their lone district loss two weeks ago, 36-28, to Iowa Valley.

OTHER GAMES INVOLVING METRO/IOWA CITY TEAMS Cedar Falls (8-0) at Iowa City West (4-4), 7:15 p.m.Cedar Rapids Kennedy (4-4) at Dubuque Wahlert (2-6), 7:15 p.m.Cedar Rapids Washington (5-3) at Waterloo West (2-6), 7:15 p.m.Dubuque Hempstead (6-2) at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (0-8), 7:15 p.m.Iowa City High (8-0) at Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-6), 7:15 p.m.