POWER PLAY
2A-2 loaded again with four ranked squads
Trending
For the second straight season, Class 2A, District 2 is stacked with ranked teams.
The power struggle will only get more intense from here on out.
Four district squads are ranked in the Week 3 Associated Press poll, and five have cracked the Top-10 now at one time or another.
OABCIG is rated third, while Spirit Lake is fifth. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows and Pocahontas Area are tied for the 10th spot.
The four ranked programs are a combined 12-0 to begin the season. Southeast Valley, which is 2-1, was eighth last week. The six district squads have a combined record of 15-3.
The lone ranked matchup in District 2 this week will be the fifth-ranked Indians heading to No. 10 Pocahontas Area.
Spirit Lake has outscored its opponents so far, 109-36. The Indians have rushed for 626 yards and thrown for 442, and are coming off a 35-20 win over Western Christian.
Quarterback Caden Lundt threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns last Friday, while Bode Higgins had 113 on the ground.
Lundt has 442 yards passing and five touchdowns on the season. Higgins has run for 44 yards and six scores. Jake Cornwall has 112 yards and three scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Justyn Hamm leads Spirit Lake with 22.5 tackles and one sack.
Pocahontas Area, meanwhile, squeaked out a 12-6 overtime victory against Sioux Central last week.
Alex Welander rushed for 170 yards and three-yard touchdown, while Lucas Kopriva had a seven-yard score.
On the season, PAC has rushed for 754 yards. Welander has been the groundhog with 391 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan Sommerlot has 157 yards and four trips to the end zone, while Kopriva has 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Sommerlot has 23.5 tackles on defense, while Brett Johnson has recorded 21.
Southeast Valley (2-1, 0-0) at No. 3 OABCIG (3-0, 0-0)
For the first time in eight games, defending 2A champion Southeast Valley suffered a defeat, losing to Hampton-Dumont-CAL 13-6. The Jaguars only mustered 170 yards of offense, with 34 coming on the ground. Brady Hanson's 10-yard run was the only score.
Now the Jaguars -- who beat the Falcons twice last year -- must turn their attention to the Falcons, who have put up some big scores in the first three weeks.
OABCIG has scored 143 points and allowed only 13. They are coming off a 54-7 victory over East Sac County. Quarterback Beckett DeJean threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns, while Kelton Ladwig had two rushing TDs.
DeJean has thrown for 570 yards and eight touchdowns, while completing 30 of 53 passes. He also has 220 yards and two scores.
Ladwig has 220 on the ground with five scores. Andrew Parks has three trips to paydirt.
Dalton Crouse has 348 yards passing and a score for the Jaguars, while Berglund has 128 rushing yards and two scores. Hanson has three touchdowns.
Bishop Garrigan (2-1) at No. 4 Newell-Fonda (3-0)
Newell-Fonda has been a mainstay atop the eight-player rankings, and the Mustangs will have their second tough test of the season as they host the Golden Bears.
Newell-Fonda is coming off a 48-6 win at River Valley, as Mason Dicks threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns while running for two scores.
Dicks has thrown for 396 yards and eight TDs, while running for five scores. Ryan Greenfield has 159 yards rushing and three touchdowns, with 12 catches for 202 and three scores.
The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season, falling to West Bend-Mallard (30-12). Garrett Heying threw for a touchdown and ran for another.
The Golden Bears have rushed for 583 yards and 10 TDs. Cal Birkey has been the groundhog with 260 yards and four scores. Heying and Caden Roethler have both hit paydirt twice.
Heying has thrown for 164 yards and three TDs.
Manson NW (0-3, 0-0) at South Central Calhoun (1-2, 0-0)
South Central Calhoun is coming off a tough 63-28 setback versus Emmetsburg. It was the most points allowed by the Titans since 2016, when the Titans lost to Carroll (56-20).
SCC gave up 426 yards on the ground and zero through the air against the E-Hawks.
Gavin Batta threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
On the season, Batta has thrown for 620 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Cougars are coming off a 32-0 loss to Okoboji.Caydin Anderson has thrown for 138 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for a score. Matt Condon has a TD catch.
Boone (0-3) at No. 1 Humboldt (3-0)
Top-ranked Humboldt has been masterful on offense and defense. The Wildcats have not allowed a point this season and have scored 64 in their first three wins.
Humboldt secured a 17-0 win over Estherville-Lincoln Central a week ago. Lance Coon had another big game on the ground, running for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Trever Beach added a 35-yard field goal.
On the season, the Wildcats have run for 527 yards. Coon has 395 yards and three scores.
Thurm has a rushing and passing touchdown, while Corey Dettmann has a rushing TD and Will Orness has a scoring catch for Humboldt.
Owen Hubbell leads the defense with 19.5 tackles and 3.5 sacks to go along with nine tackles for loss.
Beach is tied in 3A for the most field goals made (3) and is the 3A leader in field goal percentage.
Other area games: Mason City (2-1) at Webster City (1-2); Boyden-Hull/Rock (1-2) Valley at No. 5 Algona (3-0); No. 10 No. 10 Clarion-Goldfield/Dows (3-0, 0-0) at Estherville-LC (1-2, 0-0); Des Moines Christian (1-2, 0-0) at Greene County (2-1, 0-0); Emmetsburg (1-2, 0-0) at No. 3 West Sioux (2-1, 0-0); Eagle Grove (1-2, 0-0) at Woodward-Granger (1-2, 0-0); No. 6 Underwood (3-0, 0-0) at East Sac County (0-3. 0-0); Lake Mills (0-3, 0-1) at North Union (2-1, 1-1); Northwood-Kensett (1-2, 0-2) at West Bend-Mallard (2-1, 2-0).