Hope everyone had a safe and warm winter, with basketball down we're one sport closer to Football starting up again. With that said, my 4A Pre-Season Top 5 West-Side Teams
I plan on getting more involved with Eastern Iowa Teams this season as well. Good football played on the East and plan on including my opinion as best I can.
1) Dowling: As others have stated, they simply reload. Unlike many schools their back-ups from the prior season see almost as many snaps as the starters, so rebuilding starts the year before the need. Also the ability to practice every day against top level back-ups helps the starters but really benefits the back up ( the kid that will be starting this season). The above in my opinion is key to Dowlings reign in Iowa.
Waggoner will anchor a sold defense and Ross the OL. If you can make them beat you through the air it becomes a level playing field.... good luck!
2) Centennial: People say I am partial to Ank. Centennial, not true but they are darn fun to watch! They enter the season with a lot of "MO" after getting to the Dome and over the hurdle of winning a big time playoff game against Valley.
As i stated last year throughout the season, Centennial is the true meaning of "team" no superstars but a heck of a lot of really solid players on both sides of the ball. This is the TEAM that Dowling needs to circle on the schedule, you can bet I'll be at that one.
3) Valley; I debated long and hard on where and what to expect from Valley this season. They have a lot to replace on defense let alone replacing a multi-year starter at QB. Mason will carry much of the load PLUS they have a young back as well with JETS that should rise on the scene this year ( sorry can't recall his name). Valley has so many kids out for FB I'm banking on some young guns will step up and play good enough to get the job done. I also think other teams struggle mentally ( excluding the 2 teams above) in beating Valley. This one is a true "wildcard" pick
4) Waukee They return a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They will need to replace Wiggins and a few other (losses to graduation) however I like the Morrison kid and expect him to be one of the leaders. Should have a decent run game
5) CB Lewis Central. Not sure what to expect i believe they lost some big OL guys, to be successful they will need to establish some run game to open up their passing attack. What I do know having watched them is they have 2 dominant returners one on each side of the ball ( Duggan & Theobald) these 2 provide the foundation to build around. Fun team to watch play.
I plan on getting more involved with Eastern Iowa Teams this season as well. Good football played on the East and plan on including my opinion as best I can.
1) Dowling: As others have stated, they simply reload. Unlike many schools their back-ups from the prior season see almost as many snaps as the starters, so rebuilding starts the year before the need. Also the ability to practice every day against top level back-ups helps the starters but really benefits the back up ( the kid that will be starting this season). The above in my opinion is key to Dowlings reign in Iowa.
Waggoner will anchor a sold defense and Ross the OL. If you can make them beat you through the air it becomes a level playing field.... good luck!
2) Centennial: People say I am partial to Ank. Centennial, not true but they are darn fun to watch! They enter the season with a lot of "MO" after getting to the Dome and over the hurdle of winning a big time playoff game against Valley.
As i stated last year throughout the season, Centennial is the true meaning of "team" no superstars but a heck of a lot of really solid players on both sides of the ball. This is the TEAM that Dowling needs to circle on the schedule, you can bet I'll be at that one.
3) Valley; I debated long and hard on where and what to expect from Valley this season. They have a lot to replace on defense let alone replacing a multi-year starter at QB. Mason will carry much of the load PLUS they have a young back as well with JETS that should rise on the scene this year ( sorry can't recall his name). Valley has so many kids out for FB I'm banking on some young guns will step up and play good enough to get the job done. I also think other teams struggle mentally ( excluding the 2 teams above) in beating Valley. This one is a true "wildcard" pick
4) Waukee They return a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They will need to replace Wiggins and a few other (losses to graduation) however I like the Morrison kid and expect him to be one of the leaders. Should have a decent run game
5) CB Lewis Central. Not sure what to expect i believe they lost some big OL guys, to be successful they will need to establish some run game to open up their passing attack. What I do know having watched them is they have 2 dominant returners one on each side of the ball ( Duggan & Theobald) these 2 provide the foundation to build around. Fun team to watch play.
