Which semifinal game are you most excited about?
- Thread starter LukeFeddersen
- Start date
Well, for me it will be the Bettendorf - Iowa City West game because I'm a Bettendorf fan. But, the big news is is that QB Carter Bell (starter, 0INTs) is injured with a left arm/shoulder with a few minutes left in the 2nd quarter and didn't return. He left the sidelines. Not sure about if he'll play next week or not. It'll be a big blow if he doesn't because he knows how to play that position like a pro.
ICW is pretty unique team. When you look at the size of the kids in their defensive front it's kind of shocking, they are not a big unit. They are really fast, aggressive, and well coached. Their biggest defensive player is probably Doyle and most formations take him outside the box. Offensively they are really simple. Passing game is a lot of two man routes #7 and #17 can both beat corners and find holes in a zone. Running game is counter read and they run it really well. Their qb looks like an sixth grader without pads on and Johnny Unitas with the pads on.
Bettendorf appears to be the same as usual. They are physical and aggressive defensively. They will probably trust their corners in man, and get after the qb with the lbs. #14 and #43 live in the offensive backfield and rack tons of tfl and sacks. Offensively their run game is similar to ICW with the qb's ability to make the right read, and explosive. If the qb is hurt that would be a big blow to their run game. Their stretch read with the qb pulling it and running up the middle is really good. I have no clue how good their back up is, but you rarely see a wrong read out of Bell, and when he keeps it the chains are moving.
Bettendorf appears to be the same as usual. They are physical and aggressive defensively. They will probably trust their corners in man, and get after the qb with the lbs. #14 and #43 live in the offensive backfield and rack tons of tfl and sacks. Offensively their run game is similar to ICW with the qb's ability to make the right read, and explosive. If the qb is hurt that would be a big blow to their run game. Their stretch read with the qb pulling it and running up the middle is really good. I have no clue how good their back up is, but you rarely see a wrong read out of Bell, and when he keeps it the chains are moving.
Most people I talk to believe the Centennial Dowling matchup IS the championship. Centennial's offensive line has really gelled over the last 7 games since their loss to SEPolk where they had 8 starters missing due to injury. Jensen Gates with his vision and cutting ability and a host of other fast running backs make this offense extremely difficult to defend for 48 minutes. They live for big chunk plays. Centennial's defense stuffed Dowling's run game in their first matchup and were only able to get anything done over the top with Ingoli. Moss & Ingoli is an intriguing matchup and will likely again determine if Dowling can hang with Centennial.
LOL Get Real ... Centennial's win over Dowling was a fluke. We're the best team in the state. Dowling by 90. ACHS wont even be a challenge.
Joined today and first post. Who was that Sioux City East poster for the longest time?
On the original question, I am obviously more excited for the Dowling-Centennial game. I think it's going to be close and think it comes down to who can manage the situation better.
Fluke? So you weren’t there... Centennial was more physical up front and wore Dowling’ s defensive line down in the second half. I don’t think Centennial entered that game with much confidence and slowly realized they can absolutely play with the Maroons. The Jags are riding some serious momentum. I predict Centennial wins this one by 2 scores.
Yea bro, I was there. There's a reason we're 4 timers. Ingoli's about to catch balls all over Moss and Pinegar. Jags defense is decent at best....we had a few guys out too. Centennial lost to Johnston and got smoked by Polk. We had one fluke loss to an average Centennial Team. Weak.
Ask Wilson if Centennial is average. Yes, Dowling has been dominant for a long time and will continue to be. But for 2017, let's just say....they're not NEAR the team they were last year. Very very good. But the mystic is off this year. You think Johnston pushing Dowling to the end was a fluke too?
Kraftwerk... there were a few others too, but he was the main troll. As with Kraftwerk I'm guessing WDM is not actually from Dowling just as Kraftwerk was likely not actually from East.
I haven't seen any of the 4 teams play, I'm still anxious to watch them and hope they'll be as good of match-ups as they are on paper.
my .02 is that the level of play is down this year. Kerner, Zachary, Deskins and Wilson's son all graduated and yet Blake Clark, who hardly saw a down last year (reding was also a sr) is putting up insane numbers (like 12 yards per attempt), Ingoli (known more as a bb than fb player) is averaging like 25 yards a catch, and Murray, whos only a jr, is breaking a lot of school records.
Thank you DSMan, I’m not great with all the names but they’re also missing Hummel, Nank and lost maybe 3 guys off the defensive line. That is a LOT of D1 & D2 talent to replace. They recruit well but they’re not Ohio State. Don’t get me wrong, they are Dowling and until someone else wins the championship they are king of the hill. Clark is tremendous. Murray is nice but not the Zachary/Deskin juggernaut. Ingoli is big time and will have to have a HUGE night if Dowling is to win. I just thing their reign comes to a stop on Friday. Should be a LOT of fun.
KennyArnold,
I did some checking after looking at your "Dowling recruits" reference. Did you know that ALL of Ankeny Centennial's players are given a full-ride scholarship to Ankeny Centennial. All of them.Tuition paid. Many probably even get free lunches. I am totally not making this up. I also found out that EVERY family in Ankeny is FORCED to pay for Ankeny Centennial football, even the ones that pay to send their kids to Dowling, Iowa Christian, Grandview Park Baptist, etc., or that don't have Centennial football players, or that don't even have kids. I know, crazy, right? It turns out that Ankeny Centennial has over 1,000 students, not counting freshman! What is even more amazing is that these kids HAVE to go to Ankeny Centennial. They can't simply opt out and go somewhere else without a ton of hassle! (Unless they move, but then what kind of loser would move homes just to change high school athletic programs) Talk about an unfair advantage. I think that we need to get to the bottom of these nefarious shenanigans. Use your awesome talents and find out if this is a conspiracy to help Centennial football.
I did some checking after looking at your "Dowling recruits" reference. Did you know that ALL of Ankeny Centennial's players are given a full-ride scholarship to Ankeny Centennial. All of them.Tuition paid. Many probably even get free lunches. I am totally not making this up. I also found out that EVERY family in Ankeny is FORCED to pay for Ankeny Centennial football, even the ones that pay to send their kids to Dowling, Iowa Christian, Grandview Park Baptist, etc., or that don't have Centennial football players, or that don't even have kids. I know, crazy, right? It turns out that Ankeny Centennial has over 1,000 students, not counting freshman! What is even more amazing is that these kids HAVE to go to Ankeny Centennial. They can't simply opt out and go somewhere else without a ton of hassle! (Unless they move, but then what kind of loser would move homes just to change high school athletic programs) Talk about an unfair advantage. I think that we need to get to the bottom of these nefarious shenanigans. Use your awesome talents and find out if this is a conspiracy to help Centennial football.
is this some sort of snark. Obviously people pay for taxes in ankeny and the schools are basically free. It's part of what you call the social contract.
Diabolical,
I understand your reaction to me using the term recruiting in reference to Dowling. But honestly, I have no problem with it whatsoever. I think they're a great school and if it gives kids a chance at a better situation than their public alternatives then I say go for it. Good for the kids in a lot of situations.
However, I think you've missed what Centennial's stance on open enrollment is. Centennial is the ONLY high school in the state that doesn't allow open enrollment INTO the school. NOT EVEN A COACH'S KID is allowed the opportunity. But you can certainly open enroll out...or even go to Dowling. You actually have to live within the boundaries of the school whether you are a student or otherwise. That is definitely a DISADVANTAGE for Centennial given the open enrollment/recruiting capabilities of their competitors.
Either way, Centennial wins this one....
I understand your reaction to me using the term recruiting in reference to Dowling. But honestly, I have no problem with it whatsoever. I think they're a great school and if it gives kids a chance at a better situation than their public alternatives then I say go for it. Good for the kids in a lot of situations.
However, I think you've missed what Centennial's stance on open enrollment is. Centennial is the ONLY high school in the state that doesn't allow open enrollment INTO the school. NOT EVEN A COACH'S KID is allowed the opportunity. But you can certainly open enroll out...or even go to Dowling. You actually have to live within the boundaries of the school whether you are a student or otherwise. That is definitely a DISADVANTAGE for Centennial given the open enrollment/recruiting capabilities of their competitors.
Either way, Centennial wins this one....
To be fair, I was glad Ankeny had the good sense to create a second high school. Unlike West Des Moines, Ankeny apparently values creating more opportunity for its kids.But to call Centennial disadvantaged in any way is silly. The coaches are "stuck" with picking 22 football starters from the 1000 or so students that attend Centennial? (10-12) How do they cope? What a disadvantage to be limited to to kids from a large, wealthy school district.
Isn't Murray breaking some school records? That's a bit better than "nice." I get that people want to see a new champion but a 3 points loss to Centennial (missed field goal at the buzzer) does not make this as easy of a win as it seems some are looking for. Wishful thinking, methinks.
By no means is Centennial "disadvantaged". But not being able to open enroll is a disadvantage. These are all kids that live in the district. Not a single other school in the state can claim that. Big difference. Furthermore, Centennial currently stands as the 33rd biggest public school in the state. I don't think anyone is crying about it. Just fact. Regardless Centennial 24 Dowling 13.
3 personal fouls on Centennial in last 4 minutes. Don't think Ankeny getting the Sportmanship award....
Centennial is not the only school that doesn't allow OE in. Other schools don't. There are several ways to get a kid into a school district without OE. There can be a 'family' member in the district and it's not difficult to change your residence. Renting an apartment in the district works as well. Having an address that is used as a common address for kids. It has happened, is happening and will continue to happen. Much the same way that private schools recruit.
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Well that sucked. Great coaching. Dowling found a whole other gear (or two). Ouch.
Still very proud of season Centennial had.
Good luck ICW.
Still very proud of season Centennial had.
Good luck ICW.
Good luck ICW? Pretty salty there. Mystic means nothing, Dowling is a very well-run program with a very good coach at the helm.
Two of the best teams in the Championship game. This is coming from a Prairie parent. West is a sound and physical team. Dowling is just crazy good. I would have never picked Ankeny to go even that far. These two team are complete. Good luck to both teams. I was very proud that our kids put 28 points on West.As no other team could do so this year. Ill Pick West in a close game, 20-17.
A couple of comments after watching both 4A semi-final games on Friday. It is very apparent that ICW and Dowling are extremely well coached and it is easy to tell what they are trying to accomplish offensively and defensively. Both teams are versatile and multiple offensively and schematically attack what the other team is trying to do defensively with a purpose. Defensively, they are very similar in some respects, but quite different. Both teams are extremely effective and technically sound, but are a stark contrast in regards to size. Dowling comes at you with college looking athletes (big, thick and fast). While ICW's defense is long, rangy especially at the LB/DB level and run well. The difference will be upfront!! Can ICW handle the size difference on both sides of the ball. If not, it will be a long night for ICW.
That's exactly right. ICW is very well coached and they play hard. They do not have D1 size though. Dowling looks huge. Whether or not that is the difference in the game remains to be seen. CF for example is huge but ICW was able to play their game against them.
Yes, but Dowling is a totally different animal than CF. ICW will make it competitive because their kids play so hard and they are well coached. My apologies to all the skill players, but all games are won upfront and it is a mismatch. Wide receivers can't do their thing if the QB can't do his and running backs can only create so much if there is little space to run. ICW will get some here and there because they are good enough, but can they do it consistently to score enough? Defensively, ICW plays man to man all day long and overpopulates the offensive formation because of it. They are susceptible to being exploited if the Dowling OC knows how to take advantage of it. Make the extra defender miss and it's a touchdown or big yards. Win a one in one matchup and it's six points.
Watched the 4A final game last night, played out exactly the way I explained. ICW has a lot of guts and the QB is legit and very tough mentally. Couldn't hang up front though and that ultimately was their downfall. Closer than I thought because #7 and the WR crew plus the QB are excellent players. On top of that, the OC for ICW is a very good play caller.
11198- good call on the game. I too, was impressed by the ICW passing game. Dowling seemed to have feast or famine on the runs. When they got a hat on a hat or caught them slanting, I don't think anyone touched Dowling rb's on the long scoring runs.
Really surprised at ICW poor play on special teams and Dowling's inability to capitalize. The changes in field position were big however.
Seemed like Dowling had open receivers most of the night, but a strong pass rush from ICW kept that in check (most of the night.)
Really surprised at ICW poor play on special teams and Dowling's inability to capitalize. The changes in field position were big however.
Seemed like Dowling had open receivers most of the night, but a strong pass rush from ICW kept that in check (most of the night.)
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