Second-ranked Don Bosco has yet to lose an eight-player contest after moving into the division from Class A this season. The Dons face the only other team that has yet to lose a game in District 3 Friday when they visit Riceville.
Dual-threat quarterback Jake Hogan leads the Don Bosco attack, and Dons coach Colby Yoder says the junior has only gotten better as the season has moved along. Yoder says Hogan still needs to work on reading defenses, but is only a junior and can only get better. Yoder has yet to throw an interception this season.
The Dons are giving up an even 21 points per game this season, which is up from the sixteen points they allowed per contest in the eleven player game last year. Yoder says that there’s always a possibility of giving up a big play in eight man football.
He says any time you get past the front 4 you can break a big play after going one-on-one with the secondary. Yoder says that has been the biggest adjustment in going to 8-man football.
The Riceville team that Don Bosco lines up against tonight divides their power rushing attack among four different backs, including quarterback Ryan Shedenhelm. Yoder says his defense will stick to their base defense, but still expect a test as he says they spread the ball around on offense.
The Dons have a bye next week before finishing the season in Week 9, meaning they can lock up at least a share of the district title with a win over Riceville.
The lead in class 2A district 8 is on the line as third ranked Carroll Kuemper visits OA-BCIG. It will match a Falcon running game that averages more than eight yards per game against a Kuemper defense that is yielding only six and a half points per game.
OA-BCIG coach Larry Allen says Keumper has a lot of good athletes and they will to try and control the ball. He says they will need to limit mistakes against a Kuemper defense that hasd forced 25 turnovers and scored five touchdowns. “They are very aggressive, they’ve taken some back to the house, fumbles and interceptions and the like. We’ve done a great job this year of taking care of the ball and we just need to be able to do that on Friday night,” Allen says.
Allen says the Falcons need to do a good job of tackling against the Kuemper offense.
Kuemper coach Chad Klein says experience has been a big factor in the success of their defense as he says the defensive backs especially are experience and the linebackers and they had hoped they would help the offense until it caught up, and that’s what they have done.
Klein says that defense faces a tough challenge against the OA-BCIG ground attack that features a double-wing and a lot of motion in the backfield.
Klein says balance has been the key to success for the Knights on offense, as he says it is tough to know what to prepare for and what to try and take away, as they have so many options.
Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls contributed to this story.