Week 3 Top 10 Pick 'Em

[jayhawksalumni1990]

#1 Cedar Rapids Xavier @ Linn-Mar
Xavier's RB will be too much to handle and I see Schulte having a much better game passing than last week. Xavier 38-13.

#2 Pella vs. #8 DCG
Great match-up for both teams. Depth will be the difference in this game. I expect Finney to have a big game for Pella and Clapper to have a big game for DCG. Pella 27-24

#3 Norwalk vs. Winterset
Norwalk is just good. After watching them last week against Indianola I think they will really settle in and having another offensive explosion. Norwalk 56-10

#4 Bishop Heelan @ Carroll
Heelan will roll in this one. Carroll played an easy first opponent and will be caught off guard by the athlete coming from Heelan. Heelan 48-7

#5 Washington vs. #1(2A) Mid-Prairie
Washington has a tough task with the #1 ranked team in 2A, but Washington is GOOD. This will be a statement game from them. Washington 42-6

#6 Spirit Lake vs. Forest City
Spirit Lake jumped to 3A this year and this week will be no issue for them. I expect them to compete very well the entire season. Spirit Lake 28-0

#7 Creston @ Clarinda
Creston could very well be a top 3 team by the end of the year. They didn't run their RB as much as I expected first game. They are trying to save him so he can have 50+ carries at the end of the year. Very balanced attack. Creston 56-14

#8 DCG @ #2 Pella
Great match-up for both teams. Depth will be the difference in this game. I expect Finney to have a big game for Pella and Clapper to have a big game for DCG. Pella 27-24

#9 West Delaware @ #3(2A) Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon will come in with a lot to prove having getting beat by Solon. I expect MV to come out on top with their balanced offense. MV 28-13

#10 Davenport Assumption @ #10(4A)Bettendorf
I feel bad for Assumption. Bettendorf got whooped by Valley and you know the ball coach will have his guys ready to play! Bettendorf 42-20

 

[jayhawksalumni1990]

Standings after week 2:

1. Jayhawksalumni1990 7-2

 

[jayhawksalumni1990]

The majority of the top 10 teams are on the road this week. We will see how they respond. Here are my predictions.

#1 Xavier @ Benton: Xavier will roll in this game. Expect the QB & RB to have a field day. Xavier by 24.
#2 Pella @ Bondurant-Farrar: This could be a good game. Probably a 1 vs. 3/4 matchup in the district. Pella has too much. Pella by 20.
#3 Norwalk @ Knoxville: Knoxville will have a tough time stopping the Norwalk QB. Expect big numbers again. Norwalk by 42.
#4 Washington @ Mount Pleasant: Washington is too powerful and there offense puts up too many points. Washington by 35.
#5 Spirit Lake @ LeMars: Should be a decent match up up in Northeast Iowa. Spirit Lake prevails by 14.
#6 Creston vs. Harlan: Not sure what to think of Harlan this year and could be a telling game. Schiltz will have his carries and ride this Creston team to a victory. Creston by 17.
#7 West Delaware @ Assumption: Assumption will be out for redemption in this one after getting manhandled by Bett. Assumption by 10.
#8 Carroll @ Glenwood: Should be the top game of the week. See if Carroll can come back after a big win last week. I will take Glenwood by 3.
#9 Heelan vs. Sergeant Bluff: After losing to Carroll and I don't see things getting better for Heelan. Look out for the upset from SB. SB by 1.
#10 Webster City @ Gilbert: The ground game is too strong for Webster City. The train keeps rolling and pounds Gilbert. Webster City by 28.

 

[PNation]

Xavier
Pella
Norwalk
Washington
Spirit Lake
Creston
West Delaware
Glenwood
Heelan
Webster City

 

[EastIowaHawk]

Xavier
Pella
Norwalk
Washington
Spirit Lake
Harlan
Assumption
Carroll
Heelan
Webster City

 

[makelovenotwar]

Xavier
Pella
Norwalk
Washington
Spirit Lake
Creston
West Delaware
Carroll
Heelan
Webster City

 

[westside rules]

Harlan over Creston by 7
Carroll over Glenwood by 17 Lock

 

[StatewidePundit]

Xavier by alot, see you at the dome
Pella another easy win
Norwalk in a rout
Washington score alot of pts
Spirit Lake way overrated , Lemars wins
Creston good rb will run wild
West Delaware Assumption wins here
Carroll they roll Glenwood
Heelan D1 Clark stats look bad , SBL here
Webster City easy

 

[jayhawksalumni1990]

Jayhawksalumni: 13-6 (6-4 this week)
PNation: 6-4
EastIowaHawk: 5-5
Makelovenotwar: 7-3
StatewidePundit: 8-2

 

[jayhawksalumni1990]

Xavier vs. Charles City: Xavier runs away with this one against a weak opponent. Xavier by 35
Pella vs. Carlisle: Seems to be an intriguing matchup. Pella seems to be the stronger opponent. Pella by 21.
Norwalk vs. North Polk: Norwalk will manhandle North Polk. Norwalk by 56.
Washington vs. Solon: Another great matchup. Probably for the district title. Washington by 28.
Creston @ Denison: I don't see Creston using Schiltz as much after his heavy load last week. They still ride his shoulders in this one. Creston by 28
West Delaware vs. CPU: West Delaware will go heavy on the ground ride Hite to a victory. WD by 24.
Carroll vs. ADM: Carroll will put up some good numbers this week against a very weak ADM team. Carroll seems to be a dark horse this year. Carroll by 35
Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs. LeMars: Match up of the week!!! LeMars cracks the top 10 and is hungry for more. LeMars by 13
Ballard @ DCG: Injuries are taking a toll for DCG. After getting pounded by Pella they seem to be in a funky. Ballard is on the rise and rolls in this one. Ballard by 24.

 

[westside rules]

lock of the week, SBL over LeMars!

 

[StatewidePundit]

Xavier
Pella
Norwalk
Washington
Creston
West Del
Carroll
DCG

 

[HawksFan19]

I wouldn't say SB-L is a lock to beat LeMars, but I do think SB-L will beat LeMars. The offense that SB-L runs will be something that LeMars hasn't seen all year, for the most part the teams they have played ran the same type of offense. LeMars seems to be a different type of team this year, not the doormat that they have been the last couple years. I do see this being close, but high scoring. If LeMars has any chance to win they will have to get there run game going and on defense it will be to limit SB-L's big plays. Should be an exciting game to watch!

SB-L - 38
LeMars - 30

 

[StatewidePundit]

Whoops forgot SBL over LeMars too.

 

[bigfridaynite]

Thanks Jayhawk for doing this I enjoy looking at them

 

[makelovenotwar]

Xavier Delete, honestly, not a challenge.
Pella vs. Carlisle: Pella.
Norwalk vs. North Polk: Norwalk and ugly.
Washington vs. Solon: Washington and best game on the night.
Creston @ Denison: Creston
West Delaware vs. CPU: West Delaware
Carroll vs. ADM: Carroll
Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs. LeMars: LeMars
Ballard @ DCG: Ballard.

So, now that I am done, I realize I agree with you on all counts. Geez, maybe and upset in the Solon game?

 

[nwiowahawkeyefan]

Here's the thing about LeMars: if the defense continues to produce turnovers, they will be fine. LeMars has grabbed 13 interceptions and snagged 5 fumble recoveries for 18 turnovers in just three games. That's an average of 6 forced turnovers a game. Granted, some of that might have a little to do with the quality of competition but still, LeMars has struggled on defense the last few years and they have made some changes in order to fix that and, so far at least, it has been working incredibly well.

LeMars also relies on QB Gabe Eckstaine a lot and as he goes, so will the team IMO. He reminds me of LeMars QB Levi TeBrink a few years back who led LeMars to a shared district title with Heelan in 2012. Not an elite D1 type passing QB, but an absolutely exceptional athlete overall. He is a very good passer but an even better runner. His dual threat ability is what keeps drives going a lot of the time and without him, there would be a lot more punting.

The game with SBL is at SBL and they're riding high off a big W against Heelan so most would say they have the advantage this week, but don't count LeMars out. I don't necessarily believe that this is an elite LeMars team (circa the mid 2000's), but what I do think is that it is a bunch of talented young men who have been pushed around the last couple of years coming together as a family, playing their hearts out and battling back. And that is making a big difference. These current players were beginning to fall in love with the sport of football when LeMars was consistently a top dog in the state and you can bet after the lackluster seasons recently, they will be doing everything they can to bring respect back to the Bulldogs.

I honestly have no idea how this game will go, and I could see it going a myriad of ways, but I'm going to believe in my alma mater and call for a slight upset, LeMars 36 SBL 28.

Other picks:
Xavier
Pella
Norwalk
Solon
Creston
West Delaware
Carroll
Ballard

 

[westside rules]

I told everyone that SBL was the Lock of the week and would beat LeMars yet many people doubted me people Believe!
I am 3 for 3 going against the popular pick yet many still doubt.

 

[HawksFan19]

It's to bad that LeMars didn't play the way they had the first 3 weeks. The first quarter and a half of that game is really what won the game for SBL. LeMars missed a bunch of tackles, they were really slow off the ball and the quarterback Eckstein was not on his game. I think that maybe the moment might have been a bit to much for LeMars, but they have 2 more tough weeks ahead of them with Heelan this week and @ Storm Lake the following week. Give credit to SBL for playing a really good game, but I would like to see these 2 teams matchup again sometime in the playoffs, if they both would make it that far.