who is your final four in 2A?

[PileJumper51]

give me your opinions

 

[UnionFootballFan]

Originally posted by PileJumper51:
give me your opinions

It's hard to predict without a bracket, but here's my stab...

Clear Lake
Spirit Lake
NFV
Hampton-Dumont

It will depend if they try any district rematches in the next round to avoid two teams from the same district in the dome. I do think HD is capable of making it if they don't get matched up with Clear Lake prior to.

 

[Y2KG21]

+1 on this one. This is what I cam up with. However, If Albia beats Clarinda then I could see Sp Lake vs Hampton Dumont in qtrs and Albia vs ??. I will go with the four below though too as I think Clarinda wins. Do you think the Stare would then go Clear Lake vs NF and SL vs Hampton?

 

[Iron Doc]

For what it's worth:

CL
SL
NH
H-D

 

[Highmark2424]

I really don't know much about the western teams so no comment there.

I know NFV is very tough but you have to remember NH only got beat by 1 point by them and Beckman beat NH 20-0. NFV also lost to a CPU team that seemed to tail off as the year went on. That being said most feel they are the best in the eastern part of the state. The Beckman/Cascade game is a toss up. I really think pending how its paired in round 3 there very well could be 2 teams at the dome from district 3 and 4. Cascade is a more unproven as D4 wasn't nearly as talented as some of the other districts, especially D3.

These 4 are all very respectable teams and I think there is a good chance 3 make it to round 3.
NFV
NH
Beckman
Cascade

You can't eliminate Union from that mix either but I think it would be a mild upset if they beat NH.
Mount Vernon is very solid but I don't think they can beat NFV.

 

[UnionFootballFan]

Originally posted by Highmark2424:
I really don't know much about the western teams so no comment there.

I know NFV is very tough but you have to remember NH only got beat by 1 point by them and Beckman beat NH 20-0. NFV also lost to a CPU team that seemed to tail off as the year went on. That being said most feel they are the best in the eastern part of the state. The Beckman/Cascade game is a toss up. I really think pending how its paired in round 3 there very well could be 2 teams at the dome from district 3 and 4. Cascade is a more unproven as D4 wasn't nearly as talented as some of the other districts, especially D3.

These 4 are all very respectable teams and I think there is a good chance 3 make it to round 3.
NFV
NH
Beckman
Cascade

You can't eliminate Union from that mix either but I think it would be a mild upset if they beat NH.
Mount Vernon is very solid but I don't think they can beat NFV.

Beckman vs. Cascade on Monday should be a good game. The question is which Beckman team shows up. While they had impressive wins this season (20-0 over New Hampton, for instance), they just barely squeaked by A-P in the first round. A-P was on the bad end of a running clock against Union in D3, and South Tama also easily beat them. So many teams are on an equal playing field in 2A, it could really come down to almost any of the remaining teams. The question will be who can play consistently well. Nobody in D3 has shown that, but in their defense that is a heck of a tough district. That's why I'm giving more thought to teams like Clear Lake, H-D, and Spirit Lake, but won't be shocked to see any of the remaining D3 teams move forward.

 

[tm33_08]

No good way to predict the final four, but I've got a gut feeling that Sioux Center knocks off Clear Lake tomorrow night.

 

[hartmat]

TM33...I agree, it's one round at a time. If your gut is right, and the Warriors beat the Lions tomorrow. They will have defeated the most balanced, experienced, and potent Clear Lake team's I've seen in the last 6 years.

 

[Rocket98]

Best Sioux Center team that I've seen in over 20 years. It's gonna be a great game! I wish I didn't have to travel 3 hours to see it.

 

[KarmaKiller]

I strongly dislike this new format. As a casual observer, I would usually take some interest in post season play as you could project bracket results and match ups. It actually made it interesting.

This new blind, behind closed doors matchup is crap.

 

[Hercuhawk]

Originally posted by KarmaKiller:
I strongly dislike this new format. As a casual observer, I would usually take some interest in post season play as you could project bracket results and match ups. It actually made it interesting.

This new blind, behind closed doors matchup is crap.

I agree. This lack of transparency opens things up to a lot more scrutiny.

 

[tm33_08]

Originally posted by hartmat:

TM33...I agree, it's one round at a time. If your gut is right, and the Warriors beat the Lions tomorrow. They will have defeated the most balanced, experienced, and potent Clear Lake team's I've seen in the last 6 years.

Clear Lake is definitely very tough. I went and watched them play against Hampton-Dumont a few weeks ago and came away pretty impressed, even if H-D shot themselves in the foot in a couple critical situations. Haven't seen Sioux Center this year, but all I've been hearing is that they're even better than last year. And the way they hung with Kuemper in the semis after losing their starting QB on the first series set the bar pretty high for them, IMO. This is the best match up anywhere in the state tonight, and honestly, only Solon-West Delaware in 3A even comes close.

 

[ballgame50401]

Originally posted by KarmaKiller:
I strongly dislike this new format. As a casual observer, I would usually take some interest in post season play as you could project bracket results and match ups. It actually made it interesting.

This new blind, behind closed doors matchup is crap.

Correct me if I'm wrong....this was the format before expansion and cross-matching districts

 

[PNation]

I think you have to look at 3 things when trying to determine your final 4, which eight teams will be playing Friday, Geography, and who the state wants to get there.

Spirit Lake is in the far NW part of the state if they win and Sioux Center pulls the upset no doubt these two play, if Clear Lake wins do they match up #1 vs. #2? Do Spirit Lake and Clarinda meet? What if Hampton Dumont is there? There is an imbalance of power in the NE part of the state which could lead to some big time match ups.

My final 8 as I picked in the pickem contest are as follows

Clarinda
Cascade
Spirit Lake
Hampton Dumont
NFV
New Hampton
Clear Lake
South Tama

Based on these I see it this way

Clarinda at Spirit Lake
Hampton Dumont at NFV
South Tama at Clear Lake
New Hampton at Cascade

Clarinda and Albia could put a wrench in this, as well as CMB vs. Hampton as that would probably switch which way other teams go, South Tama vs. Williamsburg is close enough that those teams could go the same place or switch slightly, Cascade and Beckman are the same way.

So if I had to guess a final 4 I would say

Clear Lake
Spirit Lake
Cascade
NFV

 

[WyattEarp1]

You are correct, ballgame. This is not a new thing, It just took a little break

 

[Highmark2424]

Hats off to Beckman for coming to Cascade and sticking to their game plan. Good luck in quarter finals.

Cascade jumped out to a 14-0 first half lead. Their best offensive weapon (Bergfeld) got hurt in the second quarter and couldn't return.

Momentum shifted to start the 2nd half when Beckman took the opening kickoff for a TD. Rain really hurt Cascade's normal offensive strengths.

Cascade made a valiant drive late the 4th only needing a PAT to tie the game with about 2 min left. Choose to go for 2 and ran the same play as the previous one and got stopped.

Failed on a on side kick. Beckman got a big first down after Cascade used its remaining 2 time outs. Cascade then let them score and the Beckman runner mistakenly went into the end zone instead of falling down prior to which would allowed them to kneel on it and run out the clock.

Cascade got the ball back on the 20 down 8 with just over a minute and ran the ball. Not sure why but passing was tough with the wet ball.
This post was edited on 11/4 8:03 AM by Highmark2424