Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Landon Schleisman of South Central Calhoun runs the ball during the playoffs last season.

Area teams hit the field for the first time last week.

Now they know what they have to work with and are ready to press forward.

In the first rankings of the season, five area teams were in the AP Top-10. Algona, a state quarterfinalist a year ago, is third in Class 2A. Greene County is fifth in 2A. South Central Calhoun is No. 6 in Class 1A, while Emmetsburg is ninth.

Newell-Fonda is ninth in eight-man.

Four of the five will face an opponent on Friday that also won the first week of the season.

South Central Calhoun takes on Carroll Kuemper, which defated Council Bluff St. Albert 27-3. The Titans didn’t allow a point in a 44-0 rout of East Sac County.

The E-Hawks won a defensive tilt against perennial playoff contender Bishop Garrigan. The Eagles took a 48-26 shootout against Garner-Hayfield-Ventura.

Algona was a 61-27 victor versus Humboldt, and Greene County blanked Perry 54-0. Newell-Fonda was a 52-44 winner against Collins-Maxwell.

Manson Northwest Webster (1-0) won for the first time in 12 games dating back to 2017. The Cougars will face Panorama, which shut out St. Edmond on the road.

Southeast Valley (1-0) at Pocahontas Area (1-0)

Southeast Valley made a run in the playoffs last season, and Pocahontas Area has the pieces in place to obtain a similar goal.

The Jaguars rode sophomore running back Lathe Muench to a 27-6 victory over Hampton-Dumond-CAL last week. Muench ran for 139 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Hunter Kruse was 5-for-12 passing for 92 yards. Classmate Chase Swieter caught two balls for 50 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, University of Iowa commit Aaron Graves had 11 tackles — four for loss — and four sacks.

In their opener, the Indians defeated a solid Sioux Central program, 20-2. Junior quarterback Trey Oehlertz threw for two TDs and ran for another. Oehlertz was 10-for-18 and 208 yards. He also ran for 32 yards and a score.

Cage Arends led the ground attack with 64 yards on 15 carries.

Catching Oehlertz’s scoring strikes were senior Cooper Christians and junior Cole runneberg. Junior Luke Crosgrove had five grabs for 75 yards.

Carroll Kuemper (1-0) at No. 6 South Central Calhoun (1-0)

Both the Titans and the Knights put forth stingy defensive performances last Friday, as South Central Calhoun only gave up 83 yards and the Knights allowed just 111.

On offense, Titan junior quarterback Cole Corey threw for 174 yards and two scores on 9 of 16 passing. He connected with senior Chase Scheidegger and sophomore Blake McAlister for scores.

Senior Landon Schleisman was the leading receiver with three grabs for 71 yards. Seniors Keagen Meyer, Schleisman and junior Evan Jacobs all ran for touchdowns.

Defensively, junior Brennan Holder had nine tackles and a sack.

For Kuemper, senior quarterback Cole Collison rushed for three touchdowns and 55 yards. He passed for 67 yards.

Senior Kyle Berg was the groundhog with 21 carries for 109 yards and a score.

West Hancock (1-0) at No. 9 Emmetsburg (1-0)

Emmetsburg squeaked out a victory over Bishop Garrigan in their opener, holding the Golden Bears to just one touchdown.

Senior Mason Griffin carried the ball 30 times for 132 yards and a touchdown. Jon Lace added the other TD for the E-Hawks.

On the defensive side, Bret Hoyman had eight tackles and Gerard Ruiz had six. Ben Dunlap came up with two interceptions.

West Hancock churned out 331 yards on the ground and had three 100-yard backs. Tate Hagen ran for 196 yards on 27 attempts and scored three touchdowns. Josef Smith had 123 (18 carries) and a 44-yard score and Cole Kelly had 114 yards (14 attempts) and a 64-yard score.

No. 9 Newell-Fonda (1-0) at Coon Rapids-Bayard (1-0)

Coon Rapids-Bayard turned in a strong showing in week 1, routing Baxter 74-20.

The Crusaders rushed for 367 yards. Jeffrey Eagle ran for 212 yards on 13 carries. He had a 16.3 yard per carry average and three TDs, the longest coming from 45 yards out.

Peyton Clipperton had 63 yards and two scores. Jalen Rosenbeck had a touchdown and 71 yards. Easton Hays and Gabe Obert also hit paydirt.

For Newell-Fonda, junior Hunter Christiansen carried the load for 199 yards and 28 carries. Sophomore Trey Jungers reached the end zone four times and had 67 yards on the ground. Juniors Jake DeMey and Gabie Sievers each scored.

Juniors Alex Spangler had eight tackles, and Tanner Gerke had six.

Panorama (1-0) at Manson Northwest Webster (1-0)

Manson Northwest Webster had a weight lifted off of its shoulder, ending an 11-game losing streak last Friday.

The Cougar defense spearheaded the victory, recording five turnovers. Carson Collins, Kadin Birkey, Dayton Snell and Sean Peters had fumble recoveries, while Brayden Johl recorded an interception.

Senior Austin Anliker threw for 120 yards on 14-for-21 passing and a touchdown in his first start at quarterback. Collins had the touchdown catch. Sophomore Tate Bianchi came up with five catches for 66 yards.

Panorama blanked St. Edmond 25-0 in their opener, throwing for 158 yards and rushing for 117. Domonic Walker was 20-for-28 passing for 158 yards and a TD on a 16-yard strike to Lucas Leiferman.

Domonic Walker ran for 55 yards and a score, and Luke South had two touchdowns.

Garner-Hayfield/Ventura (0-1) at Humboldt (0-1)

Humboldt’s offense did the job in a loss to Algona, as the Wildcats threw for over 200 yards and had a 100-yard rusher.

Senior Jacob Thurm was 13-for-21 passing for 237 yards. Thurm threw two TDs, the longest coming on a 67-yard bomb to senior Caiden Baker. Junior Sam Fischer added a 25-yard score, and senior Jamison Heinz had a 27-yard TD.

Heinz finished with 153 yards on the ground on 21 attempts, and reached paydirt from 50 yards out. He was also Humboldt’s leading tackler with nine.

In a 48-26 loss to West Hancock, the Cardinals scored two times on the ground. Jared Shaw had 85 yards on 17 totes and a five-yard score, while Joe Pringnitz had 71 yards on 18 carries and a one-yard TD.

Landon Dalbeck had a 21-yard touchdown strike to Shaw.

Other area games: Webster City (1-0) at Spencer (0-1); No. 3 Algona (1-0) at Hampton-Dumont (0-1); Eagle Grove (0-1) at Clarion-Goldfield/Dows (0-1); Perry (1-0) at No. 5 Greene County (1-0); OABCIG (1-0) at East Sac County (0-1); Bishop Garrigan (0-1) at Mason City Newman (0-1); AGWSR (0-1) at West Bend-Mallard (0-2).