An eight-man rated matchup in district two finds third ranked Northeast Hamilton at home against number seven Tripoli. Northeast Hamilton coach John Seiser says Tripoli will have the size advantage. He says they will give up 40 to 50 pounds per player across the line, and he says their team is very solid at every position.

Seiser says the Trojans will need to counter with quickness off the ball and maintain their blocks. Seiser says it is a great mid-season matchup that will be a huge test for them to tell both teams where they are at right now.

Tripoli coach Tom Nuss says the game will be won in the trenches. He says people always talk about who got the yards and touchdowns, but he says it’s the offensive and defensive linemen that control the line of scrimmage and determine who wins the game.

Nuss says the teams employ similar styles. They run a lot of I-formation that runs between the tackles.

Class A fourth ranked WACO has taken the sign on the lockeroom door to heart. The Warriors have given up only 14 points in a 4-0 start heading into tonight’s game against Montezuma. The sign says “If your opponent doesn’t score, they can’t win.”

WACO coach Chad Edeker says that try to back that up by playing solid defense and making it tough for their opponents to score. He says when your defense can dominate a game the offense needs to be willing to punt the ball. Edeker says he keeps the word “punt” written on his play sheet in 3 inch letters to remind him that it’s okay to punt. Edeker says coaches are always tempted to go for it on fourth and short, but he says you can get your team in a better position by punting the ball.

Another goal for the offense is not to give the opponent a short field. He says they want every possession of the opponent to start inside the 35-yard line. Edeker says they’ve been able to do a good job of that thus far.

Two of the unbeatens in class 1A district two collide as third ranked Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn hosts second rated West Lyon. HMS coach Steve Waechter was asked if his team is ready for the challenge, and says about as ready as they are going to be.

Waechter says it will take a complete effort to get a win and if they don’t play four quarters of good football, it will be a long night.

Waechter says a young offensive line faces a tough challenge as West Lyon has a strong big defense, and he says they will try to utilize their quickness.

Homecoming at Cedar Falls where the class 4A third ranked Tigers host a fourth ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier team that is looking to bounce back from a two point loss to top ranked Iowa City High. Cedar Falls coach Pat Mitchell says his defense faces an outstanding offensive line and he says Xavier always plays hard the entire ballgame.

Mitchell says they have tried to limit distractions during homecoming week, and he says every coach has to go through the same thing.

Mitchell says it is easy to identify the key to this game, the line play on both sides of the ball.

Elwin Huffman,KOEL, Oelwein contributed to this story.