South Tama @ Albia

[swaledale]

Some, if not a majority think that this should be the State Title game, yet the state paired them up in the quarterfinals. There will be some backlash regarding this matchup, but to be the best you must beat the best. Comments on how this game goes?

I don't know much about Albia, but from what I hear are fast and big. It just so happens that South Tama is fast and big as well. And with South Tama's stout defense, it's hard to see them going down easy. I honestly don't know who I would pick in this matchup.

 

[dirt33]

Not sure who I would pick either. Should be the game of the year in 2-A. And yes it is too bad it has to take place in the quarters, but it certainly won't be the first (or last) time that a deserving team has to bow out earlier than they should.

 

[Kakiyosata]

I was very shocked to see this as a matchup once I looked it up on the state's site. Honestly, couldn't they have sent some to South Tama, or in someway avoided this game? Clearly, most of us would love to see this game played in the Dome and for a 2A title. I think it will be a great game, and I believe South Tama will come out with a victory. That defense is really stout, and as I have seen posted by some others in the 2A threads, they don't believe Albia has quite played anyone. I don't know anything on Albia, just an observation of the threads. Nonetheless, it should be a great game and I'll be there in Albia Friday night. Winner of this game is definitely a favorite moving ahead!

 

[PNation]

Yes, there is no reason that a 2 loss North Fayette team gets to host a game and you send a 9-0 team to play another 9-0 team.

Mount Vernon at Albia
Waukon at Anamosa
NFV at South Tama
CL-GLR at Spirit Lake

that is what it should have been, the most deserving teams would have got to host.

 

[Footballfan_565]

Yes, there is no reason that a 2 loss North Fayette team gets to host a game and you send a 9-0 team to play another 9-0 team.

Mount Vernon at Albia
Waukon at Anamosa
NFV at South Tama
CL-GLR at Spirit Lake

that is what it should have been, the most deserving teams would have got to host.

I believe the state decided on these matchups in order to avoid district rematches in the dome. If the state would have gone with your matchups, there would have been a good chance of NFV playing Waukon in the semifinals.

 

[PNation]

You had NFV against Beckman last year in the dome, the state really doesn't care about that.

 

[tigerhawk2015]

There would have been a chance at a district rematch, not a good chance. I dont believe they both would have advanced IMO.

 

[wamachie]

Looks like "geography based "decisions may have won out over what many would think of as a "common sense" decisions. Rankings are subject to error/injuries/etc, so I don't automatically buy into the idea that Albia and South Tama are absolutely the best two teams, but I would agree that my scale tips in their direction for hosting the next round based on their season's body of work. These final 8 teams are all very salty.

 

[tigerpride_32]

Last year there was district rematch in the dome because district 3 dominated the competition. Top 3 seeds were all in the quarters and Beckman and NFV played in the dome. Who knows, maybe Albia isn't as good as we think they are as they got absolutely throttled in the dome last year.

 

[PileJumper51]

I agree with tiger, Albia is intimidating with Isley and the boys, but when watching the semi-final game last year against Sioux Center. There weak district came back to hurt them.

 

[wamachie]

Question: Those of you that saw Albia last year....do you think their poor performance against Sioux Center impacted IAHSAA's decision to put them with South Tama this week?

 

[PNation]

I really think the state doesn't put too much thought into anything like that, they probably have their favorite schools, but they just went with what is the easiest here, and in 3A which leads to two 9-0 teams traveling the farthest and two 7-2 teams hosting.

I really think the state needed to look into seeding the quarterfinal teams 1-8 and making a true bracket, and playing at neutral sites if necessary.

 

[jen44]

I really think the state doesn't put too much thought into anything like that, they probably have their favorite schools, but they just went with what is the easiest here, and in 3A which leads to two 9-0 teams traveling the farthest and two 7-2 teams hosting.

I really think the state needed to look into seeding the quarterfinal teams 1-8 and making a true bracket, and playing at neutral sites if necessary.

I think someone is a little salty of the defending state champions. Is South Tama as good as we think? They battled against an AP team that was throttled by Waukon last night. Not to mention, Waukon was destroyed by NFV by 40 points. Also, who has Albia played? This team is related to Cascade of last year. They dominated a weak district all season long and were ranked in the top 3 entering the playoffs, before bowing out in the 2nd round. If anything, I think NFV and Waukon should be unhappy as I believe these are two of the top three teams in 2A.

 

[PNation]

South Tama also beat New Hampton out of your vaunted district 3 49-0 last night, NFV only beat them 19-0. You really can't compare scores. I am just saying a 9-0 team should be rewarded with a home game more than a 7-2 when there is a reasonable way of doing it, which I think there is.

 

[Iabeastmode]

Explain to me how South Tama is all of a sudden the cream of the crop in 2a. They have only 2 wins against teams with winning records. Weak schedule, weak district, lose big on Friday.

 

[swaledale]

In all fairness, they can only play what the state assigns them for district play. They scheduled two 3a teams non-district who are typically good. I do think they are every bit of as good as they are hyped up to be however. It's not the fact how big they're winning, but HOW they are doing it. Most people don't realize the first team offense and first team defense rarely play in the second half of their games. This leaves their backups playing the second half and they're still not giving up any points. If I recall correctly, South Tama's first team defense has given up 17 points..the second team has given up the remaining 10 points. That is tough to do despite who you are playing.

 

[UnionFootballFan]

Explain to me how South Tama is all of a sudden the cream of the crop in 2a. They have only 2 wins against teams with winning records. Weak schedule, weak district, lose big on Friday.

Out of 56 teams in 2A...
Albia's SOS ranks 49th
South Tama's SOS ranks 36th

...so no, not a valid argument to come to the conclusion of "lose big on Friday."

http://ia.bcmoorerankings.com/fb/2015/playoff2/2ARank.html

 

[Iabeastmode]

We will see won't we. I just don't want to here any crying about how the state screwed South Tama on Saturday. You can't put together one good team every ten years and expect to have any respect.

 

[UnionFootballFan]

We will see won't we. I just don't want to here any crying about how the state screwed South Tama on Saturday. You can't put together one good team every ten years and expect to have any respect.

"Respect" should have no impact on playoff matchups. Performance on the field for the season should.

I am a believer that to be the best you have to beat the best, so there should be nothing to complain about. With that said, this matchup should have come in the Dome.

 

[NewHampshireWildcat]

I like South Tama in this one. Plus, I don't' know how healthy Albia is going to be on a short turnaround.

 

[Highmark2424]

I think someone is a little salty of the defending state champions. Is South Tama as good as we think? They battled against an AP team that was throttled by Waukon last night. Not to mention, Waukon was destroyed by NFV by 40 points. Also, who has Albia played? This team is related to Cascade of last year. They dominated a weak district all season long and were ranked in the top 3 entering the playoffs, before bowing out in the 2nd round. If anything, I think NFV and Waukon should be unhappy as I believe these are two of the top three teams in 2A.

Did you even see Cascade play last year? Cascade was up on Beckman 14-0 at half during their 2nd round loss. Lost their best offensive weapon who played both sides of the ball to an injury (a kid who was 1st team all state 2 years in a row) in the first half and it also started to rain which tremendously impacted their passing game. Beckman also returned the starting 2nd half kick for a TD that if doesn't happen changes the game. Many things played into that loss that you obviously don't know about. Cascade was a very good team last year and loss to a good Beckman team that went on to the semi-finals losing to eventual champions NFV. District 3 while not as strong as 4 had 3 good teams in Anamosa, Mt. Vernon and Cascade. Every district has at least 3 weak teams. District 3 was unusually strong last year having 4 good to very good teams. After that it dropped off fast like every other district. Not many districts ever have that many.

Regarding this year Waukon beat Beckman who beat NFV but also got beat by a 1A team that didn't even make the playoffs so you cannot make a judgement based off a single game or two. Beckman who I thought was better after beating NFV got destroyed by Mt. Vernon in the first round. Fact is good teams sometimes have poor games.

I agree that the NFV vs Waukon and Anamosa vs Mt Vernon match ups are completely wrong. Should have been NFV vs. Mt. Vernon and Anamosa vs Waukon. I'd rather see inner districts meet at the dome than in the quarters. These are the 1-2 teams from districts 3-4.

 

[Mother Teresa 2]

Really couldn't this have been held at WM. Penn?? Standing room only and expecting 4,000 people!!!

Parking Info For Albia Football Game (Nov. 6)

Due to a larger than normal expected crowd at Friday's quarterfinal playoff football game in Albia, secondary overflow parking has been made available. Details, directions, and a map can be viewed below. Albia is approximately 1hr 40min from South Tama and kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Make sure to plan for additional time to get parked and into the stadium.

The primary spectator parking lot is West of the Albia High School. That lot is expected to be full shortly after the gates open at 5:00 pm. Extra parking will be provided in the HS Track Parking Lot. In addition, there will be a third parking lot open at the Trinity United Methodist Church where a shuttle service will be available free of charge. The track parking lot is approximately two blocks away from the field, while the church parking lot is approximately 6-7 blocks away.

Directions to the Track Parking(No Shuttle Service): Address- 498 N 3rd St, Albia, IA
Coming in from Eddyville, you will turn left(east) at the Water Park. Continue up the hill to the T intersection and then turn right(south), continue over the railroad tracks and turn into the Mordan Center(the track entrance). It will be marked by a “Football Parking” sign. It will be first come first serve. Please be courteous and respectful and park in organized rows running North and South. The football field is up the hill on your right (North). There is a walk way up to the field.

Directions to the Trinity Methodist Parking Lot (Shuttle Parking): Address- 1117 Benton Ave. East, Albia, IA
Coming from Eddyville Continue on Highway 5 to the Main Square. Turn Left(east) at the first stop light. Continue on Benton Avenue to the Trinity United Methodist Church. The parking is on the North Side of the church. There will be a sign reading “Football Parking” at the entrance and a person directing traffic into the parking lot. The shuttle buses will be located at the North side of the parking lot.They will start running at 5:00 and run until game time. They will pick up on the South entrance of the Football Field immediately following the conclusion of the game. There will be no charge for the shuttle service.

*Enclosed is a map highlighting the Trinity United Methodist Church and the Mordan Center and the Track Entrance.

 

[tigerhawk2015]

William Penn would have been perfect place for this game! I think it is going to be a nightmare around there tomorrow night! Thanks for the info. On a seperate note South Tamas defense has given up 10 points this year the other 7 was a pick six against Williamsburg.

 

[denverhawkfan]

I believe the state decided on these matchups in order to avoid district rematches in the dome. If the state would have gone with your matchups, there would have been a good chance of NFV playing Waukon in the semifinals.

Pretty sure the state doesn't worry about district rematches in the dome since Denver and Gladbrook-Reinbeck are playing each other for the second year in a row on Friday in the semis.

 

[jen44]

Well, this arguement for #1 vs #2 in the quarters got shot down on Saturday....

 

[walkingstick24]

Good point jen, NFV vs Spirit Lake was clearly the title game, and Waukon might be the 3rd best team in the state behind those two.

 

[tigerpride_32]

Yeah this whole thread is pretty awkward now. I don't why everyone seems to jump on the Albia bandwagon every year. The type of teams they play down south are barely capable of putting their cleats on and putting their shoulder pads on the right way. I guess at least they didn't get stomped like they did last year..

 

[RoundMound1]

Can't say for sure, but Albia's fate may have swung a different direction had Carter Isley played the entire game, however, Leshen ran the ball tough for Albia in his absence.

Does anybody know why Isley didn't enter the game until midway through the 3rd quarter? He looked healthy when he was in.

 

[Teenage Dirtbag]

Obviously Albia feels things would have been different with healthy Isley, just like NFV blaming officiating in lopsided loss to SL. But Albia losing doesn't change anything. NFV played a tougher schedule and ended up with 3 losses to 3 different teams. The championship game is in fact Spirit Lake and Mount Vernon. They deserve to be there. Good luck to both teams.

 

[wamachie]

I was at the two games and I liked what I saw out of all 4 teams. I thought the overall team speed and offensive excitement between NFV and Spirit Lake was a thing of beauty...really fun to watch, but I also thought their fundamental play wasn't as strong as what I saw out of Albia and Mount Vernon. Not only was Isley hurt, dang near every skill player from Albia was banged up by the end of the game. Mount Vernon is a little better than anyone has given them credit for....a varied offensive attack based on what the other team gives them.

 

[GarbageTime_11]

Dirtbag, if NFV would of won and been in there with 2 losses just like Mount Vernon, you would say they deserved to be in there? Or would you keep hating on them and say they don't belong there?

 

[walkingstick24]

Wamachie, by this point in the season most teams are beaten up, I don't like that you are using that as a valid excuse for Albia.

 

[Teenage Dirtbag]

That's a tough one. What do you say about Beckman who also was eliminated by a team in the finals and beat NFV head-to head? Does Beckman have just as good an argument? Isn't head to head results always the tiebreaker? I don't hate NFV, but not sure I've ever read a post where they give full credit to someone who beat them. Not blame the refs, not blame injuries, or accuse the other team of recruiting. Just give full credit to the other team like their coach did after Spirit Lake game.

 

[tigerpride_32]

Dirtbag when you called this game lopsided you lost all of my respect for your opinion, not that there was much left to begin with. It was a hard fought game on both sides and was back and forth the whole way. NFV didn't have an answer for Spirit Lake's passing game, and Spirit Lake didn't have an answer for NFV's running game. And speaking of injuries I'm pretty sure you were just making excuses for Albia and Isley. But I don't think it was mentioned once on here that NFV had their first and second string tailbacks with ankle injuries and their All-State offensive lineman playing with a torn tendon in his elbow and a dislocated shoulder that was popped back into place. Also you also seem to imply NFV recruited Juan Harris, when it's was said last year multiple times that his dad had lived in West Union for years. Also if you wanna talk giving teams credit, give NFV a little credit on their third straight trip and their third straight district title since moving up to 2A.

P.S, Your name fits you well, you are indeed a dirtbag.

 

[Teenage Dirtbag]

And again, no credit to any other teams or their players. It's all about NFV. Thanks for proving my main point! And your comments reflect on you and your school more than anything else. The season is over. Get over it. You need to be done with it...just like I am with this thread.

 

[wamachie]

I really enjoyed the 4 football teams I saw on Saturday....all very, very good. I still think NE district with NFV, Waukon, Beckman, and New Hampton was the toughest in 2A. Sleeper pick of the year goes to Mount Vernon....they just keep knocking teams off. I would have also liked to see both South Tama and Anamosa play on the turf.....I think both those teams are in a discussion with the top 4 teams....perhaps Waukon is in there also. I am not an Albia fan, I'm just pointing out they were pretty battered and bruised...and hats off to the kids that left it all out there on the field...tough players. Mount Vernon is playing hard, fast, and with lots of confidence....they might just win this.

 

[tigerpride_32]

Hey dirtbag you are the one who brought NFV into this by trying to bash them yet again on South Tama v. Albia thread, not me. Lol