- Grand View (5-0) – The Vikings kept the Rock & Ladder Trophy and flexed their muscles over rival, William Penn, with a 41-9 beating of the Statesmen. Jackson Waring (Des Moines Christian) showed yet again why he’s one of the best dual-threat options in college football with 175 passing yards and four touchdowns in addition to 60 rushing yards and a score on the ground. John Argo (Davenport Assumption), Kellen Moore (Forest City), and Tucker Dickherber (Camanche) each picked off William Penn’s Sterling Ramsey and contained Destynd Loring to just 45 rushing yards on 17 carries. They’re off this coming weekend and host Peru State on Thursday, October 16.
- Drake (2-2) – West Des Moines, Valley alum Jacob Auen made an improbable pick-six after fellow defensive lineman Shaku Sangarie applied heavy pressure to Valpo’s Rowan Keefe early in third quarter to kickstart a 21-point period as Drake rolled 41-0 on Family/Parents weekend in Des Moines. Nick Herman found the end zone twice on the ground and kudos to kicker Harry Balke who was 5-5 on PATs and made both of his field goal attempts on a windy Saturday. The Bulldogs have quite the road trip ahead of them as they play at San Diego on Saturday.
- Morningside (4-1) – If we had to nitpick Mustang QB Zack Chevalier’s performance against Waldorf, we’d say he threw an incompletion and only ran for 10 yards on his lone carry. Chevalier went 16-17 passing for 317 yards and five scores as Morningside thumped the Warriors 69-6. The Mustang rushing attack was equally effective, as they ran for 245 and four scores. We’d be remiss not to mention Drew Sellon, who had 107 receiving yards and found the end zone thrice. The Mustangs travel to Mitchell, SD, this weekend for a game against Dakota Wesleyan.
- Dordt (4-0) – The Defenders jump up to our number four spot after a 51-0 smack down on Briar Cliff. Dordt lives up to their nickname as they are allowing just under seven points per game on their way to a 4-0 record. Alta-Aurelia graduate Preston McCoy needed just three carries to rack up 112 yards, as he ran for a 75-yard score in the fourth quarter. Stephen Leinen also had a day to remember as he hit field goals from 44, 47, and 60 (!!!) yards to go along with making all six of his extra points. They head to Forest City to take on winless Waldorf this Saturday.
- Upper Iowa (4-1) – It was the Damon Head Jr. show last Saturday in Rolla, MO. The former Valley Tiger ran for 111 yards and four touchdowns as Iowa’s favorite Division II team took down MUST 36-26. Jayden Gordon scored Upper Iowa’s other touchdown as they lead by 17 until the final minute of the game when the Miners added a late touchdown pass. The triumph was the fourth straight for the Peacocks, their longest winning streak in over a decade. Can they make it five straight this weekend on the road at Truman State? P.S. The distance between teams 3-5 in our Power rankings is razor thin, and it is very debatable which team should be in each spot.
- William Penn (5-1) – The Statesmen took their first L of the season on Saturday after the defending NAIA National Champion Grand View Vikings won 41-9. As mentioned above, William Penn’s workhorse, Destynd Loring, was kept in check for most of the day. The Statesmen not only lost the battle on the scoreboard, but they gave up the ball on four different occasions to the Vikings, which is a recipe for disaster against any team, let alone NAIA and SGI’s top-ranked team. A much needed off weekend lies ahead for Marc Benavidez’s team.
- Briar Cliff (4-2) – Things went south in a hurry last weekend for Briar Cliff as Dordt dominated them 51-0, handing the Chargers their second loss of the season. Brock Saya was sacked four times and threw an interception while the rushing attack netted just 64 yards on 29 attempts. The defense failed to stop the run as Dordt averaged 7.6 yards per carry and finished with 290 yards and five touchdowns. There’s got to be a sour taste in their mouth after this loss…
- Northwestern (2-3) – … but is it as sour as the taste in Northwestern’s mouths? The Raiders have now lost by one point in back-to-back weeks, as Hastings invaded Orange City and won 10-9. Jovany Kabongo, a freshman from LeMars, may have missed a pair of fourth quarter field goals in the loss but we are going to tip our cap to the youngster. It says a lot for a coach to call upon ANY kicker to try kicks from 31, 51, 52, 58, and 65 yards on an incredibly windy day. Kabongo nailed the 31-, 52-, and 58-yard attempts – the 58 yarder is now the best in program history. Simply put, the offense needs to provide more than 210 yards if they’re going to win games. They’ve got a chance to make things right this Saturday against rival Briar Cliff. Historically, it has been all Northwestern, who owns a record of 22-0 over Briar Cliff.
- Clarke (1-5) – Clarke lost for the fifth time this season as they were dominated in all aspects of the game by Peru State, 54-0. The Pride were just 4-20 on third down and tallied only 251 yards of total offense. They didn’t force a punt; they threw three picks and possessed the ball for less than 23 minutes. It was a game to forget and not a fun way to enter an off week.
- Graceland (2-3) – It looked like it was going to be all Graceland on homecoming as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Culver-Stockton roared back with 28 unanswered points and secured a 28-21 victory. Freshman signal- caller TJ Shanks had some highs (309 passing yards and two touchdowns) and some lows (two interceptions and a lost fumble) while Javon Minor rushed for 111
yards and a touchdown. Aaron Bullock had a career day through the air as he hauled in seven catches for 201 yards and both of Shanks’ touchdown passes. There’s a lot to build on for Graceland, but they’ve got to put it all together for 60 minutes if they’re going to start winning games. They’re off this weekend and will be preparing to take on SGI’s 11th ranked program.
- St. Ambrose (1-5) – The Bees suffered a tough loss on the road to Missouri Valley by a final tally of 30-28. St. Ambrose had their chances to put away Missouri Valley as they led by 14 at halftime and blocked an extra point late in the game to cling on to a 28-27 lead late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Bees, Missouri Valley’s Bruno Kincaid wouldn’t be denied twice as he made a game-winning field goal with eight seconds left to hand St. Ambrose their fifth loss of the season. We must shout out the Bees’ Tre Jenkins, who toted the rock 38 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns. St. Ambrose is on bye this week as well.
- Waldorf (0-6) – The woes continued for the Warriors as they lost to Morningside 69-6. Jamari McCollum-Mattox was a bright spot for Waldorf as he registered a late pick-six to dress things up to go along with a TFL and four total tackles. Things don’t get any easier for this squad as they host Dordt for homecoming this Saturday in Tree Town.
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