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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

#Liiveblog 2 of IC West @ WDM Valley

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Start of 2nd Quarter: Valley 7 IC West 0

ICW will have the ball on their own 46, 3rd and 8. Bleil pass to Koch is complete. Gain of 13 for 1st down.

1/10, V43: Bleil handoff to Dowell. Tackle by Vertin. Gain of 5.

2/5, V38: Delay of game on ICW, will be 2/10, ball on V43

2/10, V43: Bleil pass to Doyle, gain of 19.

1/10, V24, ICW fumbles ball, Valley recovers. Valley start drive on own 21.

1/10, V21, Gray run, gain of 11, for first down.

1/10, V35: Gray run, fumbled, recovered by Valley. maintain possession.

2/8, V37: Lombardi sacked by Milani, loss of 7.

3/15, V30: Lombardi scrambles up field, gain of 14.

4/1, V44: Gray run picks up 1st down, gain of 4

1/10, V48: Gray run, cuts up field, Milani trips him up, gain of 19.

1/10, W29: Lombardi fakes handoff and runs for a first down, tackle by Adcock, gain of 20.

1/G, W9, Valley run, gain of 3

2/G, W6: Gray run, tackled by Yoerger, gain of 2

3/G, W4: Lombardi pass to Carlo Marble for 4-yd TD. PAT good. Valley 14  IC West 0, 5:47 left in 2Q. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yds

KICKOFF – VALLEY

City West ball to start drive on own 16.

1/10, W16: Bleil pass to Martin, tackle by Huinker, gain of 6

2/4, W20:

2/11, W25: Bleil pass intercepted by Dan McCoy. McCoy tackled at W17. Valley ball

1/10, W17: Drew Gray run for 17-yd TD. PAT good, Valley 21  IC West 0, 4:00 left in 2Q.  Drive: 1 play, 17 yds

KICKOFF – VALLEY

Tyler Eads KO return, tackled at W27.

1/10, W27: Bleil pass overthrown, incomplete

2/10, W27: Dowell run, loss of 1

3/11, W26: Bleil pass incomplete. Penalty on play.

4/11, W26: City West punts to Valley. Ball on W30

1/10, W30: Lombardi pass intercepted by Oliver Martin of ICW. Ball on W20, Trojans ball. 2:52 left in 2Q

1/10, W20: Timeout, ICW. Eads run, tackled out of bounds. PF-Valley. Gain of 5, tack on 15.

1/10, W40:  Illegal procedure on ICW. 5 yd penalty

1/15, W35: Dowell run, gain of 1.

2/13, W37: Bleil pass to Martin complete, gain of 21.

1/10, V42: Bleil sacked by Walsh. Loss of 6.

2/16, V48: pass incomplete

3/18, V49: Bleil pass caught by Eads, but out of bounds. Incomplete.

4/18, V49: ICW punts. Dafney with punt ret. Penalty on play. Holding against Valley.

1/10, V13: Drew Gray run, tackled by Martin. Gain of 28, 1:15 left in 2Q

1/10, V42, Lombardi pass to Dafney incomplete

2/10, V42: Penalty on play. Penalty on Tigers.

2/15, V37: Lombardi pass incomplete, broken up by Conner Greene

3/15, V37: Gray run, tackle by Koch, gain of 19. Timeout Valley. :50 left before halftime.

1/10, w44: Lombardi pass to Salsbury incomplete

2/10, W44: pass inc. Penalty, illegal receiver down field on Valley.

3/18, V48: Lombadi sacked.

4/8, W42: Lombardi pass to Dafney complete. Ball on 14, gain of 29

1/10, W14: Gain of 5 for Gray

2/5, W9: Hahn FG attempt from 26 yds is good. Valley 24  IC West 0, :03 left before halftime.  Drive: 

HALFTIME: VALLEY TIGERS 24  IC WEST TROJANS 0

START OF THE 2ND HALF. CITY WEST BALL ON OWN 22.

1/10 w23: Bleil pass to Martin, gain of 6

2/4, W29: Bleil pass to Martin, gain of 4 for 1st down

1/10 W33: Bleil pass to Eads incomplete

2/10 W33: Bleil tucks it and run, gain of 5

3/5 W38:

2/13 V43: Bleil to Martin complete, gain of 2

3/11, V41: Bleil scrambles down sideline. Penalty on ICW.

3/29 W39: Bleil pass intercepted by Keller Prien. Valley ball on V39

1/10 V39: Gray tackled behind line of scrimmage. Penalty on play. Offsetting PFs.

2/12 V41: Lombardi pass to Hronich incomplete

3/12 V41: Lombardi pass for Salsbury incomplete

4/12 V41: Valley punts. City West downs ball at own 16

1/10 W16: Bleil pass to Xavier Koch complete, gain of 5

2/15 W21: Penalty, defensive offsides, Valley.

1/10, W26: Dowell run, tackled in backfield, no gain

2/10, W26: Bleil scrambles and tackled by Prien, gain of 1

3/9, W27: Bleil run, tackled by Turner Scott. Gain of 1

4/8 W29: City West punts.

1/10 V37: Lombardi pass to Glinecki complete, gain of

1/10 W30: Lombardi to Dafney complete, gain of 21

1/G W9: Lombardi pass to Dafney incomplete

2/G W9: Gray run, tackled by Milani, loss of 2

3/G, W11: Lombardi pass to Quinton Curry incomplete.

4/G W11: Cole Hahn 29-yd FG is good. Valley 27  IC West 0 3:39 left in 3Q. Drive: 

 

Start of 4th Quarter: City West ball on own 46.

4/8 W46: City West punts. Ball downed by Prien. Penalty on Valley, illegal use of hands. Tigers start drive at own 10

1/10 V10: Gray run, gain of 9

2/1 V19: Salsbury run, tackled by Hicks, gain of

_________________________________________

Carlo Marble 48-yd reception from Lombardi

1/10 W16 : Gray run, gain of 6

2/4 W10: Lombardi pass intercepted by Tyler Eads of ICW

3/5 W6: Bleil pass to Conner Greene complete, gain of 63

1/10 V32: Eads run, gain of 2

2/8 V30: Bleil to Martin pass incomplete, out of bounds

3/8 V30: Bleil pass to Martin complete, gain of 5.

4/3 V25: Bleil to Martin pass complete, gain of 9

1/10 V16: Hicks run, gain of 7

2/3 V9: Bleil pass incomplete, penalty on Valley – DPI.

1/G V5: Koch run up middle, gain of 3

2/G V2: Bleil sneak, tackled, gain of 1

3/G V1: Bleil 1 yd TD sneak. PAT no good. Valley 27 IC West 6, 2:55 left in 4Q. Drive:  97 yds

 

FINAL: VALLEY 27 IC WEST 6

#Liveblog of IC West @ Valley

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Chronological order from top to bottom (most recent will be at the bottom).

7:34pm

Hello everyone!  It’s a cool Friday night across the land between two rivers (Iowa).

The warmups have been completed, final instructions are being given. Kickoff is in a few minutes, as a tunnel has been formed to welcome Valley out of their locker rooms.

7:39 pm

Valley will receive and will start 1-10 at their own 20. Rocky Lombardi is the starting QB.

Handoff to Drew Gray and he’s stopped by Dowell for no gain.

7: 40pm

2-10 at the V20, Lombardi pass complete for gain of 7.

3-and-3 at V27, Handoff to Gray. Tackle by Koch. Pickup of 3 for the first down.

7:42pm

1-and-10 at V30 for Valley, handoff to Gray for +18. 1st down Tigers, ball on V48.

7:43 Gray handoff for a 1st down run. Ball now on CW48. Valley runs again for a 1st down, ball on CW30.

2-nd-1 from V21: Gray run, Yoerger with the tackle, gain of 8, ball on CW13.

1-10 on CW13: Gray run, gain of 5.

2-5 CW8, Gray run, gain of 1

3-1 CW4, Gray run for a 4-yd TD run. 6:56 remaining in 1Q. PAT by Hahn is good. Valley 7  City West 0 Drive: 11 plays, 80 yds

__________________________

City West ball on V34, 2-and-10, Bleil pass complete, gain of 5.

3-and-5, V29, Bleil is tackled for a loss, penalty on play. Chop block on Trojans, penalty declined, City West goes for it on 4th.

4-and-8, V32: Bleil pass to Martin incomplete. Trojans turn ball over on downs.

Week 2: CenturyLink Game of the Week: Iowa City West @ WDM Valley

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Valley_Tigers_logo ICWest_Trojans_logo

Last week, one team got a last-minute win…the other team was outplayed. On Friday, one team looks to shrug off a slow start, and one team looks to even up their record with some home cooking.

Your Century Link Game of the Week this Friday returns to Valley Stadium as Iowa City West (1-0) faces West Des Moines Valley (0-1) in another big Class 4A east vs. west non-district showdown.

Valley opened the season at Waukee. Though both teams mirrored each other statistically, two Tigers interceptions and mustering two field goals proved to be Valley’s undoing, falling to the Warriors, 28-6. In his first start at quarterback, Rocky Lombardi completed 13 of 24 pass attempts for 154 yards and was picked off once. Returning starting running back Drew Gray shouldered the rushing game load for 16 carries for 117 yards, and wide receiver Dominique Dafney hauled in 8 catches for 86 yards, even after an awkward landing after a catch on his neck.

The Trojans of Iowa City West, on the other hand, were on their way to losing their home opener to Cedar Rapids Kennedy. With 1:59 left in regulation, West quarterback Aaron Bleil’s 4th-and-15 pass to Gabe Huniker for a 33-yard touchdown gave the Trojans a 12-9 win over the Cougars. Bleil was 15-31 for 201 yards and had a rushing touchdown in the Trojans first score of the night. Oliver Martin caught 7 receptions for 106 yards to spark the West offense, as the rushing game sputtered.

Who: Iowa City West (1-0) at West Des Moines Valley (0-1)

Where: Valley Stadium, West Des Moines

When: Friday, September 5th, 7:30pm kickoff

The Facts: Iowa City West escaped with a 12-9 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy, after a 4th down touchdown pass from Aaron Bleil to Gabe Huniker. Valley fell to Waukee, 28-6, only mustering two field goals and having two passes intercepted by Waukee’s defense.

Things to watch:

  • Will West mix up their defense to confuse Valley QB Rocky Lombardi?
  • Can the Trojans play all 4 quarters?
  • Will Valley’s sophomores step up and make a difference?
  • Will the injuries hamper the Tigers?

Valley – Project Starting Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Rocky Lombardi, RB Drew Gray and Austin Koch, WR Dominique Dafney and Austin Hronich, TE John Gliniecki, T Cody Genzen and Sam Rogers, G John Rairdon and Zachary Matt, C Brady Smith

Defensive starters – NG Trey Walsh, DT Dan McCoy, Caleb Herrick, and JC Yates, RE Austin Turner, CB Matt Vertin and Noah Barr, LB Zach Downs and Ben Campos, S Gabe Honnold and Keller Prien

Special Teams – P Zach Downs, K Cole Hahn

Iowa City West – Projected Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Aaron Bleil, FB Mason Koch, TB, Kevin Dowell, WR Oliver Martin and Tyler Eads, TE Conner Greene, T Alex Kleinow and Carter Parker, G Blake Moser and Logan Stevens, C Mitch Boxwell

Defensive starters – DL Kevin Dowell, Blake Moser, Mitch Yoerger, and Chase Blatz, LB Conner Greene, Mason Koch, and Xavier Koch, C Tyler Eads and Gabe Huinker, SS John Milani, FS Oliver Martin

We will have a live blog of the game (Twitter hashtag #CISNliveblog). Check in to see any story lines develop and stats as they become available, and we’ll keep you updated on other happenings as the night progresses.

Paul Yeager, Keith Borness, and Jim Kirby will have the call of the game. Follow us on Twitter @CISportsNet

Our Audio Game of the Week, presented by Scheels, will be Des Moines Roosevelt (1-0) @ Ankeny Centennial (1-0), with Dar Danielson doing the play-by-play on CISN.  As an added bonus, our partners at High School Cube will have the live online stream of  #2 Waukee (1-0) at Southeast Polk (0-1).

 

Scheels_logo CenturyLink_logo

 

Week 1 Preview: Cedar Rapids Xavier @ Dowling Catholic

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xavier-saints-ia dsm-dowling-ia

They ended 2013 in the UNI-Dome.

They will begin 2014 at Valley Stadium.

And, to add, this will be your Century Link Game of Week here on CISN.

How’s that to kick off Week 1 of the Iowa prep football season?

For Cedar Rapids Xavier, the Saints has a score to settle with the Maroons. Dowling Catholic turned a highly anticipated title game into a rout en route to their second state title in four years. Could Dowling do it again? Many pundits have predicted that this could be Tom Wilson’s best squad…even better than last year’s title team.  Xavier has now dropped down to 3A, and are in a rebuilding mode. Head Coach Duane Schulte expects his seniors to lead and for his juniors to follow suit as they begin the season in West Des Moines.

Who: Cedar Rapids Xavier (0-0) at West Des Moines Dowling Catholic (0-0)

Where: Valley Stadium, West Des Moines

When: Friday, August 29th, 7:30pm kickoff

The Facts: Dowling defeated Xavier in the 2013 Class 4A championship game, 44-13.  The Maroons return All-State QB Ryan Boyle, FS Nick Wilson, and K Nick McClelland, among 30+ letterwinners. Xavier returns three starters, RB/LB Nik Ekland, RB/LB Jay Kortemeyer, and RG/DE Louis Hasley.

Things to watch:

  • How can Xavier stop Iowa recruit Ryan Boyle?
  • How will the Saints respond to their farthest road trip in years?
  • Xavier coach Schulte says stopping the big plays is key to winning.
  • Dowling’s Tom Wilson says this game will be determined at the line of scrimmage.
  • Xavier starts a sophomore QB in Bryan Schulte, but his genetics tell you to not let age determine his effectiveness.
  • Who will be the most “dependable” in the Maroon offense?

Dowling Catholic – Projected Starting Lineups

Off. Backfield: QB Ryan Boyle, TB Isaiah Patton, FB Gray Gochenour, SE Eric Fardal, FL Charlie Schulte

Offensive Line: C Cole Wymore, G Joe Brett and Kevin Vaughn-Carber, T Elijah Swehla and Conner McPhee, TE Ben McNeal

Def. Backfield: FS Nick Wilson, CB Dante Campero and Michael Zachary, Rover Kevin McMurray, WLB Jordan Theis, MLB, Rodney Harris, Bandit Gray Gochenour

Defensive Line: Stud Max Morris, T Ross Carpenter, NG Steven Johnson, Whip Jo Jo Jok,

Special Teams: P/K Nick McLellan, Holder Frankie Mauro, LS Quinn Sonntag, PR Michael Zachary, KR Joe Gorsche

CR Xavier – Projected Lineups

Off. Backfield: QB Bryce Schulte, RB Jay Kortemeyer and Nic Ekland, FL Nick Stark, SE, Joe Welch

Offensive Line: C Ben Fahnle, G Logan Brown (or Sanders Ferring) and Louis Hasley, T Joe Constant and Tim Ottig, TE Noah Clasen

Def. Backfield: LB Jay Kortemeyer Thomas Eckes and Nic Ekland, DB Camden Stovie and Matt Downey, S Dylan Eller and Sean Murphy

Defensive Line: DE Noah Clasen and Louis Hasley, DT Nick Kellen and Mike Maher

Special Teams: K Dallas Klein and Connor Vogl, P Connor Foley

We will have a live blog of the game. Check in to see any story lines develop and stats as they become available.

Paul Yeager, Mark Kenkel and Jim Kirby will have the call of the game. Follow us on Twitter @CISportsNet

We also will have a live blog to keep you updated on other happenings as the nigh progresses.

Our other game on the website will be  Valley at Waukee, and that game will be on the audio cast, with Dar Danielson doing the play-by-play on the Central Iowa Sports Network.

 

The CISN Game of the Week is proudly presented by CenturyLink.