In Class A, top ranked North Tama faces their toughest test to date as they face #5 Postville. The RedHawks have yet to allow a point though their first five games of the season, and is the only team in Iowa that has not been scored upon.
Coach Brent Thoren says that keeping a zero on the scoreboard is something his team strives for every time they play. He says shutting people out is a great conversation piece and he says it’s nice that people are recognizing how well the defense is playing.
But North Tama’s shutout streak will be put in jeopardy Friday night as fifth-ranked Postville comes to town. The Pirates have scored in the neighborhood of thirty points per game on their way to a 5-0 start to the season.
Thoren says that Postville will throw a lot of different looks at his defense with multiple formations and he says it will be important for the defense to identify the formations and understand what they are trying to do.
North Tama has been a bit more reliant on their rushing attack over their last couple games. Thoren says that while they’ll look to be more balanced against Postville, if they get room to run they’ll be happy to keep the ball on the ground. Thoren says they’d like to throw the ball more, but says there’s no point in doing that if they can gain a lot of yards running the ball.
Quarterback Jacob Wrage leads the multi-faceted RedHawk rushing attack. He’s doubled his season total for rushing yards over the past two games.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls