2014/2015 Schedules Released

[tylercoan]

http://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014-15Class4AFootballSchedules.pdf

Share your thoughts. So far, I think they did a decent job.

http://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014-15Class4AFootballSchedules.pdf

 

[screwloose]

Here's the schedule in an easier to read format.

4A Schedule Matrix

 

[screwloose]

NEGATIVES

COUNCIL BLUFFS JEFFERSON...
I realize that Council Bluffs St. Albert is an in-town game, but a Class A opponent offers nothing positive. They should be favored being a Class 4A playing a Class A, but I'm not sure they will be. And if they lose that game, will that be such a demoralizing loss that their season is dead from that point? There had to be another 3A school within a close proximity.

MASON CITY...
Similar situation here, as they play Clear Lake, who is a 2A school. Clear Lake hasn't been your typical 3A/2A school in recent history. However, the precedent had already been set since these two schools had already played the last couple years. Clear Lake just happen to move down this cycle.

BURLINGTON...
Being down as far southeast as they are, the state probably could have done them a favor by getting them a second 3A opponent. This is pretty minor though, really.

CR KENNEDY vs. CR PRAIRIE...
This was the lone Cedar Rapids Metro match-up they didn't get put together.

POSITIVES

CROSS REGION MATCH-UPS...
W1: CR Xavier @ WDM Dowling
W1: Waterloo East @ Marshalltown

W2: Ames @ Cedar Falls
W2: Iowa City West @ WDM Valley
W2: Waterloo East @ DM Hoover

W3: Ames @ Iowa City High
W3: Waterloo West @ Fort Dodge
W3: Marshalltown @ Ottumwa
W3: Cedar Falls @ Mason City

W4: Ottumwa @ Indianola
W4: Mason City @ Waterloo West
W4: Urbandale @ Cedar Falls

MAC vs. MVC...
There are 12 out of division games between old MAC schools against old MVC schools. There's also 16 division match-ups between the old conferences. The state did a good job integrating between the two, without overdoing it.
This post was edited on 3/7 1:11 PM by screwloose

 

[tnobd]

Screwloose,
I agree with your statement about Burlington and their schedule....it seems like Keokuk would have been a natural choice for them, but the Purple Chiefs decided to play their local county 2A foe.

Marshalltown's schedule with longtime opponents Ames/ Newton were good choices, but this isn't the same Newton of 2000-2006. I think they are very concerned that the IHSAA will move them back up to 4A play again.

I am glad to see Oskaloosa back on the Ottumwa schedule I was surprised that Mt Pleasant chose to renew a home and away series with the Bulldogs this cycle.

I think there was one Des Moines city school match up left out also?

I can't see how Ft Dodge won't have a successful year with their schedule.

I think the state did a good job with scheduling non conference games based on distance and each school's non-district choices overall.

I think that district play at the 4A level will offer some new matchups every 2 years that could be interesting. When the Eastern teams were locked into conferences that was not possible.

I still am no fan of the 5 team districts. Even 6 teams per district makes 4 games meaningless. But if the goals for districts were to lower travel distances and ease scheduling problems for all the 4A football members ,then those goals were met.

I am surprised at two teams schedules

Dowling in 4A and Heelan in 3A.

If Dowling can schedule Xavier, then I look for them to schedule Heelan in the next 2 year cycle. But I can't imagine Dowling not playing SEP in the next cycle.

I think the crossover games in non-district were a very important part of this process. I wonder if those games will be retained in two years. it seems like they will if the ADs want to keep their home/away orders the same.

This post was edited on 3/8 6:31 AM by tnobd

 

[eyecy]

Originally posted by tnobd:

If Dowling can schedule Xavier, then I look for them to schedule Heelan in the next 2 year cycle. But I can't imagine Dowling not playing SEP in the next cycle.

The Dowling-Heelan rivalry has been dead for the past two decades because the schools have only played each other in football a handful of times the last two decades. Xavier makes much more sense for Dowling to start up a non-conference rivalry with because Cedar Rapids is only a 2-hour drive from Des Moines on Interstate 80, while Sioux City is a 3-hour drive from Des Moines.

Plus, Xavier has been one of the top Class 4-A teams every year and this year's game will be a rematch of last fall's Class 4-A championship game.

 

[tnobd]

eyecy,
I believe you are a longtime SEP fan... correct? I am really surprised Dowling did not retain that game unless the timing of the non-district games did not work for either Dowling or SEP? I understand your statement about a Dowling/Heelan game. But it seems like all five of the 4A/3A Catholic schools would try include some games in the future...especially since there is no penalty for playing 3A schools now.

 

[eyecy]

Originally posted by tnobd:

eyecy,
I believe you are a longtime SEP fan... correct? I am really surprised Dowling did not retain that game unless the timing of the non-district games did not work for either Dowling or SEP? I understand your statement about a Dowling/Heelan game. But it seems like all five of the 4A/3A Catholic schools would try include some games in the future...especially since there is no penalty for playing 3A schools now.

I actually played at Dowling, but I have no inside information.

Dowling's schedule is difficult enough without scheduling SEP. Next fall's Dowling team should be able to breeze through its schedule, but I'm not so sure about 2015. I don't know if a difficult schedule is going to help Dowling's 2015 team.

 

[ORSKY1]

I agree that Keokuk was a natural fit for Burlington and existing rivalry in all other sports. I would have actually preferred Keokuk over Fort Madison, but with the Bloodhounds being only 20 minutes away, I can see why the state linked the two.

 

[HawkinsandMelrose]

Originally posted by eyecy:
Next fall's Dowling team should be able to breeze through its schedule

Well they have to play Valley every year and Waukee may be rated as high as No 2 in the preseason

 

[HawkinsandMelrose]

nm

This post was edited on 3/24 7:37 PM by HawkinsandMelrose

 

[screwloose]

Originally posted by tnobd:
Screwloose,
I agree with your statement about Burlington and their schedule....it seems like Keokuk would have been a natural choice for them, but the Purple Chiefs decided to play their local county 2A foe.

I think there was one Des Moines city school match up left out also?

I still am no fan of the 5 team districts. Even 6 teams per district makes 4 games meaningless. But if the goals for districts were to lower travel distances and ease scheduling problems for all the 4A football members ,then those goals were met.

Looks like the state made sure to get all the other metro games they could. Why didn't they make it a priority to get DM Hoover/DM East and CR Prairie/CR Kennedy on there also? If you look at the games that were scheduled instead, it's hard to figure.

DM Hoover plays Urbandale and Waterloo East.
DM East plays Indianola.
CR Kennedy plays Iowa City West, North Scott and Pleasant Valley.
CR Prairie plays Dubuque Senior and North Scott.

Not so jumbled that a few games could have been moved around to accommodate these missing match-ups.

The more I look at it, I think the Burlington schedule was done as a favor to the Davenport public schools, giving them each a game with the Greyhounds. It gives all the parties involved a game with a team at least near their historic level of competition, not shunning one public school over another.

As for the districts, especially the five-teamers, I don't like them either. Namely for the reason you pointed out that five of the games really don't mean anything. I'd really like to see the state get rid of the "rank-and-file", strict district qualifying in favor of open qualifying. If it means a one game waiver for playing a lower class school, so be it. Nobody can tell me that the fifth place team from D6 isn't going to be weaker than the fourth place team from D5 or D8. Opening the east-west boundaries should be the first step into state-wide open qualifying.

 

[dk47]

The Des Moines schools made sure to prioritize each other for their non-district games. That's why (with the exception of one school) that Des Moines' "finest" are facing each other.

 

[screwloose]

Of course they prioritized, but still, somehow the state didn't get all the match-ups covered, even though they could have.

 

[dk47]

Screwloose, word from DMPS is that they went with the current "metro" conference set up they now use for basketball, etc. that includes Indianola, when they submitted their preferred non-district opponents. That's why you'll see them included in lieu of a DM school. What a great way to "raise the bar" ... what a joke.
This post was edited on 3/28 10:11 AM by dk47

 

[eyecy]

Originally posted by dk47:
Screwloose, word from DMPS is that they went with the current "metro" conference set up they now use for basketball, etc. that includes Indianola, when they submitted their preferred non-district opponents. That's why you'll see them included in lieu of a DM school. What a great way to "raise the bar" ... what a joke.

The DMPS administration has a long record of attempting to derail the city's high school sports programs. Heck, up until a couple of years ago, Hoover and North shared one athletic director between the schools.

 

[dk47]

Amen to that!