It seems many of the posts thus far have chosen Ankeny over Dowling, and I am inclined to agree. However, I can't help but think about the Psychology of the Dome. For example, it is clear Dowling has a history of winning at the Dome and playing on turf, and Dowling is also known for capitalizing on mistakes.
Ankeny has not been at the Dome for awhile, and the atmosphere, turf, and slightly higher nerves/stakes that all players (on both sides) feel makes me think Ankeny will commit more mistakes than usual. I wonder if Dowling comes out strong, they might make it hard for Ankeny to come back. Also, if I am correct, each of Dowling's losses in the past 8 years has been by a touchdown or less, usually like 4 points, so although history doesn't dictate the future, overall I am going to make the guess that Ankeny wins by a touchdown, or Dowling might come out on top if they start strong. Additionally, some have talked about how teams are sometimes intimidated by Dowling, but I don't think that is the case with Ankeny-they have reason to be confident. But, neither team has played each other this year, and I imagine both will try new tactics to win and have been studying film like crazy. Moreover, although they haven't played this year, they have met many times in the past few years, so each coach has an idea of how to try and approach the other's programs, and Dowling has always won.
To be clear, I think Ankeny is the better team, but I think it will be much closer than many think, and that Dowling's defense is better than it gets credit for. Thoughts?
Ankeny has not been at the Dome for awhile, and the atmosphere, turf, and slightly higher nerves/stakes that all players (on both sides) feel makes me think Ankeny will commit more mistakes than usual. I wonder if Dowling comes out strong, they might make it hard for Ankeny to come back. Also, if I am correct, each of Dowling's losses in the past 8 years has been by a touchdown or less, usually like 4 points, so although history doesn't dictate the future, overall I am going to make the guess that Ankeny wins by a touchdown, or Dowling might come out on top if they start strong. Additionally, some have talked about how teams are sometimes intimidated by Dowling, but I don't think that is the case with Ankeny-they have reason to be confident. But, neither team has played each other this year, and I imagine both will try new tactics to win and have been studying film like crazy. Moreover, although they haven't played this year, they have met many times in the past few years, so each coach has an idea of how to try and approach the other's programs, and Dowling has always won.
To be clear, I think Ankeny is the better team, but I think it will be much closer than many think, and that Dowling's defense is better than it gets credit for. Thoughts?
