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Getting to Know the 2015 Dowling Catholic Maroons

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By Romelle Slaughter

In a perfect world, people would ask for an encore performance and they receive one.

But what type of encore will Dowling Catholic give this year?  After all, they are the two-time defending Class 4A champions. The next question is how will they win their third straight title without the likes of Ryan Boyle, Nick Wilson, and Max Morris?

If you asked the Maroons’ football Tom Wilson, it won’t be easy to replace that amount of talent, but they will fill in with capable players. With 40+ letterwinners, including the only returning starter Michael Zachary who will not be eligible to play until October. Cole Deskin, Michael Palme and Brawntae Wells saw significant game time during the season, the Maroons still have a target on their back as they prepare for the road to the UNI-Dome.

Junior Cole Deskin will take over full-time in the backfield after an 80 carry, 511 yards, 8 touchdowns performance last season and will be expected to be the workhorse on offense. Deskin also turned heads this spring for his work on the track. Kurt Walding and J.T. Brown will compete to replace Ryan Boyle at quarterback. Both Walding and Brown combined for 6-10 passing for 47 total yards last season. That pales in comparison to Ryan Boyle, who racked up 137-221, 18 touchdowns for 1934 yards in his final season as the Maroons’ signal-caller. 

What will Dowling Catholic look like in the post-Ryan Boyle era? (Courtesy: Sports Spotlight)

Cole Scieszinski will fill see more time at receiver. Alec Hemann replaces “Mr. Perfect” Nick McClellan at placekicker.

Ross Otte and Michael Zachary will lead the Maroons’ defense, which will need to replace standouts Max Morris, Nick Wilson, Jo Jo Jok, and Dante Campero.

Dowling Catholic stats

2014 record:

Head Coach: Tom Wilson,

Assistant Coaches: Jim Williams, Grant Bousum, Jay Campbell, Craig McClain, Adam Jack, Andy Pollock, Jeff Motz, Fred Tiernan, Steve Smith, Ryan Van Veen, Luke Bengtson, Aundra Meeks

Returning offensive players with significant time

QB J.T. Brown and Kurt Walding, SR

WR Cole Scieszinski, SR

RB Cole Deskin, SR

Returning defensive starter

LB Michael Zachary

Total Returning Starters: 1

Total Returning Letterwinners: 40+

Offensive Scheme: Spread

Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

Facts & Info: Former Johnston star Luke Bengston joins the Dowling staff. Bengston returns to the Des Moines area after being on the University of Arkansas staff. The Maroons will strive to be the first Class 4A school to win three straight football titles. Six schools, including Dowling (Bettendorf, Linn-Mar, Iowa City High, Iowa City West, WDM Valley) has won back-to-back titles. Dowllng and Bettendorf has won back-to-back twice since the playoff era began in 1972.

2015 Schedule (district games in bold)

Aug. 28 @ Cedar Rapids Xavier

Sept. 4 vs. Urbandale

Sept. 11 @ Waukee

Sept. 18 vs Valley (at Drake Stadium)

Sept. 25 @ CB Lewis Central 

Oct. 2. @ SC East

Oct. 9 vs. Johnston

Oct. 16 @ DM Roosevelt

Oct. 23 vs. DM North

Getting to know the 2015 Ames Little Cyclones

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2014 Ames Little Cyclones in action against Sioux City North. (Sioux City Journal photo)

By Seth Nutting

A year after finishing 6-4 and third in the Class 4A- District 1 standings, the Ames Little Cyclones will look to reach the playoffs for a second straight year after falling to Dowling Catholic 24-59 in the second round of the 2014 playoffs.

Led by quarterback Michael Frankl, the Little Cyclones will rely heavily on the senior to once again lead the offense. Frankl threw for 2,351 yards and 21 TD’s while throwing only four INT’s as a junior. After hauling in 85 passes and 1,006 receiving yards from Frankl in his junior campaign, 2nd team All-State honoree Colby Shane is the lone returning starter at wide receiver.

The Little Cyclones will also be without leading rusher Chris Woodward, who ran for 909 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior last year. Stepping into the starting role will presumably be senior Darrius Martin. Last season’s backup for Ames was one of the best sprinters in the state last spring.

Other than Colin Newell, a 1st team All-Division left tackle as a sophomore who has already received an offer from Iowa State, the offensive line looks to be one of the biggest question marks of the upcoming season. Four starting lineman from a year ago must be replaced, including Drake recruit Anthony Mooney.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ames will return a strong secondary and defensive line, led by multi-sport athlete and three-year letter winner Michael Agbaje at safety and duo Kaleb Stevens and Harrison Townsend along the defensive line. Agbaje recorded 46.5 total tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for touchdown as a junior.

At linebacker, Ames must replace Hank Swalla and Chris Halbur, both insdie linebackers, from a year ago. Senior Andy Christensen is the lone returner, recording 28.5 tackles as a junior.

The biggest loss from a year ago may have been to the special teams unit. The team must replace kicker Sam Rathe, who ranks third on Ames All-Time scoring list.

The Little Cyclones have some key returning pieces to make a run at another state playoff appearance, but lack of depth at several key positions: WR, OL, and LB will make the hunt for a 4A-District 1 title challenging. As usual, perennial powerhouses Ankeny and Southeast Polk look to be the favorites in a top-heavy district.

Ames stats

2014 record: 6-4 overall, 2-2 conference

Head Coach: Bruce Vertanen, 15th season, 85-56 career record

Assistant Coaches: Vance Downs, Tracey Rial, Mike Shane, Kyle VanWinkle, Kerry VanWinkle, Graham Lundt, Taylor Vanden Wynboom, and Joel Sullivan.

Returning offensive starters

QB Michael Frankl, Sr.

WR Colby Shane, Sr.

OL Colin Newell, Jr.

OL Jacob Mooney, Sr.

Returning defensive starters

S Michael Agbaje, Sr.

LB Andy Christensen, Sr.

DL Kaleb Stevens, Sr.

DL Harrison Townsend, Sr.

Total Returning Starters: 11

Total Returning Letterwinners: 21

Offensive Scheme: Multiple

Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

2015 Schedule (district games in bold)

Aug. 28 @ Centennial

Sept. 4 vs. Cedar Falls

Sept. 11 vs. Iowa City High

Sept. 18 @ Marshalltown

Sept. 25 vs. Ankeny

Oct. 2. vs. SC North

Oct. 9 @ SE Polk

Oct. 16 vs. DM East

Oct. 23 @ CB Jefferson

The 2014 Girls’ Basketball Preview

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Sneakers, gyms, nets, and basketball. Hoops season is back. (Maxpreps)

Sneakers, gyms, nets, and basketball. Hoops season is back. (Maxpreps)

The winter sports season is upon us, and that means the start of girls’ and boys’ basketball across the state of Iowa.

As a prelude, CISN will roll out our team preview capsules (better known as “Getting to Know You”) of the teams in the Central Iowa Conference (CIC) that we will be following and covering this winter.

This week, we will start with the girls’, since they start their season on Friday.

Can Dowling Catholic go back-to-back and win their 2nd 5A girls title, or will Southeast Polk get their second title in three years? Does Valley, Des Moines East, and Ames have what it takes to take the crown? Will Hoover and Roosevelt get over the hump and make their return to State?

Or is there a dark horse team that could make a splash?

We’ll find out to all of those answers as the curtain rises for the ’14-’15 season.

We’ll have our first look at several teams starting Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

 

Tigers Slay The Dragons in Second Round Play, 35-7

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Throughout the season, Rocky Lombardi and Dominique Dafney have made big plays in big games. Tonight, the duo connected on two plays before halftime that provided the spark West Des Moines Valley needed as they defeated Johnston, 35-7, in a Class 4A second-round playoff game at Valley Stadium.

A week after a pedestrian performance by Lombardi and Dafney against Des Moines East, both players got back on track when they were needed. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Lombardi (10-17, 153 yards, 2 TDs) orchestrated a 16-play drive over 87 yards, punctuated by Lombardi’s 1-yard quarterback sneak for a 7-0 lead with 10:19 left in the second quarter. That drive had Drew Gray written all over it. Gray racked up nearly 65 yards rushing on 12 of those plays.

Johnston’s defense was up to the task in the first half, forcing Valley to punt three times, despite Gray gaining 169 yards rushing. The Dragons’ offense punted on 4th down with about 2:00 left before halftime, setting up the key drive of the game. Lombardi ran on consecutive plays for nine and three yards respectively, and on the third play of the drive, he finds Dominique Dafney (4 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD) streaking down the middle of the field and completes a 42-yard pass to the Johnston 8 yard line. On the ensuing play, Lombardi hooks up with Dafney again on a corner route to give Valley a 14-0 lead with three seconds left before halftime.

The scoring drive swung the momentum in Valley’s favor as the second half began. Gray (24 carries, 169 yards, 1 TD) continued his assault on the Dragons with the ground game. Johnston went for it on fourth down at their own 28, and running back T-Boy White was stuffed by Dan McCoy and the Tigers defensive line. A penalty on Johnston after the play, gave Valley the ball on the Dragons’ 14 and Lombardi made the most of the opportunity, completing a 14 yard pass to Austin Hronich to push the Tigers’ lead to 21-0 at the 2:08 mark of the third quarter.

Johnston went three and out to start the fourth quarter and Valley struck again, this time a 29-yard sweep play by Blake Salsbury made it 28-0.

The Dragons, who were able to gain yardage against Valley sporadically throughout the contest, got on the scoreboard with 4:00 left in the game when wide receiver Jared Seay took a reverse play to the Johnston sideline, reversed course, went back towards the Valley sideline and followed a convoy of blockers into the end zone for a 42 yard touchdown.

That fleeting moment would be short-lived for Johnston. Valley took the kickoff return and started their next drive past midfield in the Dragons’ territory and Drew Gray put the exclamation point on the Tigers’ win by slipping past defenders and exploding down the field for a 43-yard score.

Valley garnered 440 total yards, 287 of it rushing behind Gray, Javon Mason, and Lombardi. Reid Sinnett completed 12 of 26 passes for 118 yards for Johnston, while T-Boy White rushed for 13 times for 44 yards. The receiving tandem of Andrew Heuss, Jared Seay, Mark Johnson, and Regen Siems combined 9 receptions for 94 yards.

johnston ends their season with a 7-4 record. Valley advances to the quarterfinal round with a 10-1 record and a date with Waukee on Friday evening at 7:00 pm.

2014 Playoff Pairings Are Set For Class 4A

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The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released the playoff pairings for all six classes in prep football early Saturday morning.

The list of games can be found here: 2014 Post-Season Schedule.

Central Iowa Sports Network will bring you the Des Moines East (4-4) vs. West Des Moines Valley (8-1) 1st round game from Valley Stadium on Wednesday. We will go on live at 6:50 pm CDT, with Paul Yeager, Dar Danielsen, Keith Borness, and Jim Kirby on the broadcast team.

Please note that all of the playoff coverage from here on out will be audio only. No live video streams, as stipulated by the IAHSAA, in accordance to their playoff rules and regulations.

Here are the other games in Central Iowa, with respects to Class 4A, of interest:

Ames @ Urbandale

Des Moines Lincoln @ Ankeny at 5:30 – Ankeny Stadium

Johnston @ Ankeny Centennial at 8:00 – Ankeny Stadium

Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln @ Lewis Central

Indianola @ WDM Dowling Catholic – Williams Stadium

Fort Dodge @ Southeast Polk

Sioux City East @ Waukee

Riders Swing But Maroons Hold Firm, Score Knockout

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Dowling Catholic took every punch the Roosevelt Roughriders gave them. In the end, the Maroons were still standing with a convincing 70-21 win in their regular season home finale at Valley Stadium Friday night.  But, the Maroons had to be tired after racking up 730 yards of offense, 452 on the ground and 279 via the air.

Dowling raced out to a 7-0 lead with a 9 yard touchdown run by Gray Gouchenour, with a little over a minute into the game. After a pair of 3 and outs from both teams, Max Kasap (16-144)would hit paydirt for the first of his three touchdowns from 7 yards out. The Maroons were knocking on the door again with 1:15 left in the first quarter, leading 14-0, when Ryan Boyle fumbled the ball on the Riders’ 1 yard line. Roosevelt’s Logan Hoile picks up the ball and ran it 99 yards for a score. The extra point was blocked.

Boyle (21-25, 279 yards, 1 TD) would make up for the fumble early in the second quarter when he dashed for a 21 yard score, and then tossed a 56 yard strike to Joe Gorsche. Gray Gouchenour would score again to push the Maroons lead to 35-6. Charlie Schulte led the Dowling receiving corp with 10 receptions for 110 yards, and Eric Fardal with 6 catches for 98 yards.

Martavian Hall’s 1 yard touchdown plunge cut the lead to 35-14 for the Roughriders (3-5). Max Kasap’s second score would make it a 42-14 halftime lead for the Maroons.

Kasap tacked on his third touchdown of the night with 4:50 left in the third quarter to go up 49-14. Roosevelt would score once more when quarterback Mikal Settles finding receiver Blake Obe for a 69 yard touchdown pass.

Dowling would have their reserves in for most of the third and all of the fourth quarters. Danny Denkinger, Kurt Walding, and Christian Cavan would score three more touchdowns for the Maroons, who are ranked #1 in Class 4A Sports Spotlight poll.

Maroons coach Tom Wilson was excited to see the younger players get onto the field in the second half and play well.

DCHS finishes the regular season on the road next week at Des Moines North, who lost to Sioux City East, 63-2. Then they’ll await playoff pairings. Roosevelt will host Lewis Central, who rallied late to defeat Johnston,  31-28, Friday night.

Our next video game will feature Valley and DM Lincoln. Valley defeated Ankeny Centennial 28-3, while Lincoln scored a mild upset of Hoover, 49-35.

Valley Breezes Past Sioux City West 76-6

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The West Des Moines Valley Tigers do not believe in taking an opponent for granted. They should know…everyone wants to take their best shot at them.

The Tigers (6-1 overall, 3-0 district) carried that mindset onto the field against Sioux City West and cruised to a 76-6 win over the winless Wolverines (0-7, 0-3) Friday evening.

Valley went three-and-out on their first possession. It was the only time they would punt in the game. On West’s first drive, Valley’s Zach Grasso stepped in front of a Ricardo Quintana pass and rumbles in for a 46 yard touchdown with 9:38 left in the first quarter.

Valley would score on their next eight drives before the first half was over. Drew Gray took a Rocky Lombardi hand-off for a 22 yard score to make it 14-0. Gray would add two more touchdowns (from 3 and 6 yards) on the next two drives, and then Rocky Lombardi (5-11-0 111 yds, 2 touchdowns) threw a 44-yard strike to Austin Hronich to push the lead to 35-0 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, fullback Blake Salsbury got into the act with two scores of his own, a one yard dive into the end zone at 10:32 of the second quarter, and an 11 yard scamper four minutes later. Lombardi would connect with Dominique Dafney for a 27 yard touchdown and Javon Mason would tack on one final touchdown from 10 yards to make it a 62-0 lead at the half.

Drew Gray would finish with 12 carries for 90 yards, while Dafney had 5 receptions for 67 yards.

The lone bright spot for the Wolverines took place with 1:31 left in the third quarter when Noah McWell threw a 17 yard pass to Richardo Quintana for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked. It was the sixth touchdown of the season for West.

McWell, who started at running back but also plays quarterback, was 12-16 for 108 yards, while Quintana was 7-12 for 17 yards.  West was unable to gain traction in the ground game, totaling 22 yards on 32 rushing attempts. Jalen Roseland hauled in eight catches for 82 yards, most of it against the Valley defensive reserves.

Next week, Valley will head to Ankeny to take on the Centennial Jaguars (6-1, 3-0), while West will host Council Bluffs Abe Lincoln (3-4, 1-2) in a Thursday night contest.

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Maroons Flex Muscle, Knocks SC East From The List of Unbeatens

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The Sioux City East Black Raiders entered Friday’s game against Dowling Catholic with one goal in mind: prove that they were worthy of their 5-0 record.

Dowling made sure East didn’t get that chance.

The third-ranked Maroons continued to find new ways to score as they manhandled the Black Raiders 52-3 at a cold and windy Valley Stadium.  The loss knocked the #7 Black Raiders from the list of unbeaten teams in Class 4A, leaving Bettendorf and Cedar Rapids Washington as the two teams left without a loss.

Quarterback Ryan Boyle once again took center stage as he led the Maroons offense down the field for their first score, ending with a Gray Gochenour 56 yard touchdown run. After a three-and-out by East, Dowling had a chance to increase their lead, but Nick McLellan’s 41 yard field goal attempt was short.

dowlingcatholic_siouxcityeast_football

Action in the 4th quarter between Sioux City East and Dowling Catholic, Oct. 3, 2014.

On the ensuing drive, Dante Campero intercepted a JJ Stephens pass, and on the next play, Boyle hooked up with Eric Fardal for a 41 yard scoring strike. No matter what SC East attempted, Dowling’s defense kept Class 4A’s leading rusher Alex Stueve to 17 carries for 29 yards and Stephens was 6-19 for 55 yards and 3 interceptions. East was out-rushed by Dowling, 320-76.

Dowling’s scoring binge continued as Boyle (8-17-0, 154 yards passing, 67 yards rushing) rumbled for a 25 yard score, and found Charlie Schulte for a 62 yard touchdown pass. Junior Linebacker Jacob Shedenhelm intercepted Stephens pass for a 20 yard score, and later McLellan’s 31 yd field goal made it 38-0. East’s Jared Amundson’s gave the Black Raiders their only score of the night with a 24 yard field goal at the half, 38-3.

Dowling completed the scoring in the game with a Cole Deskin 2 yard run and backup quarterback J.T. Brown’s 2 yard touchdown plunge, all in the third quarter.  Cole Deskin rushed 13 times for 90 yards and Gray Gochenour carried the ball three times for 64 yards for the Maroons. The lone bright spot for the Black Raiders was Austin Ahrendt grabbing 6 passes from Stephens for 60 yards.

A side note was that Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz and offensive coordinator Greg Davis attended the game to watch Boyle, who has committed to play for the Hawkeyes next fall.

Next week, Sioux City East (5-1) will host Council Bluffs Lewis Central (5-1) in a Class 4A District 2 matchup.  Dowling (5-1) will travel to Johnston (5-1) for their annual clash against the Dragons in another District 2 contest.

Valley Holds Off Dowling Rally For 24-21 Upset Win

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Dominique Dafney wanted to make a statement. He wrote “Beat Dowling” on his shirt, wristband and anything else that would hold ink.

The senior wide receiver from Valley had the game of his career with 10 catches and 141 yards and two TDs. But it was his catches in the clutch that helped the Tigers pull the upset over top-ranked Dowling Catholic. The 24-21 win is the Tigers’ first over the Maroons since 2012.

Rocky Lombardi and Dominique Dafney was the 1-2 punch that the Tigers needed to snap the Maroons’ 17-game winning streak. Lombardi passed for 15-28 for 206 yards and two touchdown strikes to Dafney. Drew Gray grinded up the Dowling defense with 97 yards on 32 carries. After a Gabe Honnold 27-yd field goal to take a 3-0 lead, the Tigers recovered a kick off return fumble and capitalized 2 plays later with when Lombardi found Dafney for a 20-yard scoring strike for a 10-0 lead.

Dowling closed the gap to 10-7 on a Ryan Boyle to Charlie Schulte 29-yard touchdown pass. Rocky Lombardi found Dominique Dafney again for an 8-yard scoring pass. With 38 seconds left before halftime, Boyle forced a pass and it was intercepted by Noah Barr and Barr weaves his way for a 38-yard touchdown as Valley went into the half with a 24-7 lead.

Dowling crawled back into the contest as Boyle plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out to make it 24-14, with 8:34 left in the game. After forcing a three-and-out, Dowling hit paydirt once again with another Boyle 2 yard quaterback sneak. That drive was set up by a 42 yard pass play from Boyle (10-20, 138, 1 TD, 2 INT) to Schulte.

But when the Tigers needed to keep a drive going, it was Dafney who made a catch on 4th and 11 to extend the drive and ice the game away.

“It was an awesome win for the kids,” said coach Gary Swenson after the game.

The Tigers open District play at Des Moines Hoover.

The Maroons will host Council Bluffs Lewis Central in district play next Friday.

Boyle Dazzles as Dowling overwhelms Waukee, 45-14

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Ryan Boyle is a competitive person. He doesn’t like losing at anything. And it seems that mentality carries over to big games, the bigger the stage, the larger he performs.

Dowling Catholic’s signal caller took the highly anticipated #1 vs. #2 matchup to new heights with 45-14 win over previously unbeaten Waukee.

The Maroons dominated from start to finish at Valley Stadium, rolling to 436 yards of total offense. Boyle was involved in five scoring plays. Three came on runs of 6, 22 and his most exciting may have come on a 48 yard run on a 4th and 1 play. Boyle also threw two passes for TDs, one to Charlie Schulte for 23 yard and Ben McNeal for 8 yards.

Dowling sprinted to a 28-0 lead after one quarter. At half, they were up 45-7. Waukee scored its first touchdown in three games against Dowling when QB Ben Ferkin found TE Michael Jacobsen in the endzone for a 15 yard score. Jacobson would leave the game and never return.

Action in the 3rd quarter between Dowling Catholic and Waukee Friday night.

Action in the 3rd quarter between Dowling Catholic and Waukee Friday night.

The Maroon defense forced several three-and-outs, but special teams, according to coach Tom Wilson, “were huge.” Three punts were altered by the punt return team. Charlie Schulte would block one that would lead to a 2 play drive to go up 21-0 after Boyle’s 6 yard touchdown run.

Gray Gochenour would score a TD and Nick McLellan finished the scoring in the 1st half with a 25 yard field goal to give the Maroons a 45-7 halftime lead.

The lone score in the 2nd half was a Ferkin 22 yard touchdown pass to Adam Rose with 8:22 left in the game to make the final score 45-14.

Dowling will come back to Valley Stadium next week as the visitor against the Valley Tigers who improved to 2-1 with a win at Southeast Polk, 42-14. Waukee will play host to Johnston before beginning district play in two weeks.

We’ll have the Dowling/Valley game on Central Iowa Sports Network next week beginning at 7pm.