Photo by Rick Thompson: Algona sophomore Alex Manske leads the 10th-ranked Bulldogs in passing, rushing and tackling so far this season.

Outside of a few select games, district action will now take priority for high school football teams around the area this Friday night.

That includes a big Top-10 matchup in Class 3A in Alleman, as Algona heads to tangle with North Polk. It will also be the district opener for both, with the Bulldogs and Comets coming in at 3-1 overall.

No. 10 Algona is led by sophomore quarterback/safety Alex Manske, the brother of Tyler Manske, who helped the Bulldogs reach the state semifinals when he was a 9th-grader.

The younger Manske has been on fire to begin the season, completing 44 of 73 passes for 851 yards and seven touchdowns. He also leads the team with 267 yards rushing and five scores, while anchoring the defense with 27.5 tackles and an interception.

Porter Reffer is a dual-threat for the Bulldogs, averaging 35.4 yards per reception and 10 yards per rush. He has 354 yards receiving and four scores, and 131 yards rushing and another TD.

Seniors Caden Weber and Lamorn Ulfers also have over 100 yards receiving.

Fifth-rated North Polk has used a pair of juniors at quarterback in Isaac Zoske and Reggie Postel. Zoske has 271 yards passing and Postel 285, with Brady Miller leading the team with 421 yards rushing and six touchdowns to go along with 16 receptions for 130 yards and a score.

Miller is also dangerous in the return game, taking back two kickoffs for TDs and averaging almost 56 yards when he touches the ball.

Last year, Algona pulled out a 28-27 victory over the Comets.

Pocahontas Area (3-1, 0-1) at No. 10 (2A) Clarion-Goldfield/Dows (3-1, 0-1)

This is a critical game for the postseason hopes of the Indians and Cowboys alike, and it will also be Homecoming for Clarion-Goldfield/Dows. Both are coming off defeats in their district openers last week and looking to avoid falling to 0-2 in league play.

Pocahontas Area is led by the ground attack of senior Alex Welander, who has carried the ball 78 times for 415 yards and four scores. Lucas Kopriva has 204 yards rushing and 183 yards passing with a couple of scores, while Ryan Sommerlot leads the defense with 33 tackles.

Sommerlot also is the third-leading rusher with 163 yards and four scores.

The C-G/D offense goes through senior Preston Gardner, who is in his second season at quarterback. Gardner has racked up 477 yards and five touchdowns with his legs, while also throwing for 183 yards and two scores.

Nevan Foss is his backfield mate, averaging seven yards per carry and scoring eight times. On defense, Mason Allen has recorded 4.5 sacks and Diego Gonzalez three, giving the Cowboys pressure off the edges.

Pocahontas Area has won all three meetings in the series, including a 24-17 victory last year.

South Central Calhoun (2-2, 1-0) at Eagle Grove (1-3, 0-1)

After a 1-2 start through non-district play, South Central Calhoun looked more like the Titans of old in a lopsided win over Manson Northwest Webster last week. They scored 51 points, getting big efforts out of a handful of players.

Junior Gavin Batta has shined at quarterback for SCC, completing 40 of 71 for 797 yards and nine touchdowns. Classmate Keegan Soard is one of the top deep threats in the state, racking up 532 yards receiving on 20 catches with eight touchdowns.

Dominik Kistler leads the Titans on the ground with 154 yards and four scores.

The SCC defense will be tested this week by the rushing attack of the Eagles. Jake Jeske has 339 yards, Cayden Schultz 280, Tate Richardson 197 and Trenton Sorenson 108 as they have 1,025 yards as a team and average five yards per rush.

Richardson has four of the nine touchdowns, while also throwing for 138 yards.

This will definitely be a battle between a more wide-open, spread passing attack of South Central Calhoun and a ground-oriented rushing offense of Eagle Grove. The Titans won last year, 64-12, and picked up a 69-0 victory in 2019.

West Bend-Mallard (3-1, 3-0) at GTRA (4-0, 2-0)

GTRA, led by Max Hough, claimed the district title last year and is off to a perfect 2-0 start in league play once again.

West Bend-Mallard would like nothing more than to spoil Homecoming and knock them off this week.

The Wolverines pushed No. 4 Newell-Fonda to its limit in the season opener, and has since reeled off three consecutive wins over St. Edmond, Bishop Garrigan and Northwood-Kensett in district action by a combined score of 153-40.

Like GTRA and Hough, West Bend-Mallard has its own superstar dual-threat at quarterback in Max Fehr, as the senior leads the team with 440 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He has also thrown for 244 yards and a pair of TDs.

Ben Massner will be among those tasked with containing Hough, as the senior has 28.5 tackles, including seven for loss with 2.5 sacks.

Hough has completed 14 of 25 passes for 313 yards and six touchdowns, adding another 799 yards rushing and 12 scores already for the Titans. Drew Schnell has 173 yards receiving and four TDs on six receptions, with 176 yards rushing and three more scores.

In the last 12 meetings, GTRA has won 12, including a 26-12 decision last year. The Titans are 5-1 in the last six vs. the Wolverines.

Other area games Friday: No. 1 (3A) Humboldt (4-0, 0-0) at Ballard (1-3, 0-0); Estherville-LC (2-2, 1-0) at Southeast Valley (2-2, 0-1); Clarinda (2-2, 1-0) at Greene County (3-1, 1-0); Emmetsburg (1-3, 0-1) at Sibley-Ocheyedan (1-3, 0-1); Belmond-Klemme (0-4, 0-1) at Manson NW (0-4, 0-1); East Sac County (0-4, 0-1) at Treynor (3-1, 1-0); North Union (3-1, 2-1) at No. 1 (A) West Hancock (4-0, 3-0); No. 4 (eight-player) Newell-Fonda (4-0, 2-0) at Kingsley-Pierson (1-3, 1-1); Harris-Lake Park (3-1, 2-0) at Bishop Garrigan (2-2, 1-1).