Posts

Getting to Know the 2015 Dowling Catholic Maroons

/in /by

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

DowlingCatholic_girlsbasketball

Getting to Know You: Dowling Catholic Maroons

/in /by

Dowling_shield_logo

When you win a state title, you don’t rest on your laurels.

In the case of the Dowling Catholic Maroons, they don’t expect any opponent to “Step to the Rear” on their way to a second consecutive Class 5A title.

It’s business as usual once again for the Maroons…just the way Bob and Sharon Hanson prefers it. The legendary coaches welcome back 1st team All-Stater Audrey Faber and Becca Hittner (3rd team All-State) to the starting lineup. Marin Daniels also returns, including Kennedy Childers, who was sidelined for most of the year with an knee injury.

The Maroons will start the season off with a bang…against Class 4A defending champion Harlan on December 2nd. Then they’ll meet Iowa City High, who they defeated in the 5A semifinals, and Cedar Rapids Xavier, as part of a non-conference slate.

The Maroons are ranked #1 by the IGHSAU in their preseason Class 5A poll.

Dowling Catholic Maroons

2013-14 record (overall, conference): 23-3, 4-2

Class, Conference: 5A, CIC – Western Division

Head Coaches: Bob and Sharon Hanson, 42th season,  739-227

Assistant: Jerry Schartner

Retunring starters: Audrey Faber 1st Team All State—Becca Hittner  3rd Team All State–Kennedy Childers  Knee Injury last season played limited in state tournament.  Being recruited by 4 or 5 division I colleges.  Marin Daniels returning starter recruited by Iowa State Soccer.

Returning letterwinners: Amber Gierstorf, Jamie Pithan, Callie Andersen, Soph Maddie Andersen.

Players lost to graduation: Lucie Sarcone and Hayden Butler

Key games on schedule: Iowa City High, Harlan, Ankeny Centennial (2), Valley (2), Johnston (2), SE Polk, Mason City, Waukee, CR Xavier

Interesting storylines: Dowling has one of the toughest schedules in the state this season. The Hansons have won 6 state titles (1 with Des Moines East in 1979, and 5 with Dowling, including last season).

Team goals: Develop some very good young players to complement the talented returners.

Follow on social media: @dchsmaroons (Twitter)

 

 

Game Plan for Friday Night’s 4A Quarterfinal Games

/in /by

Valley_Tigers_logo Waukee_Warriors_logo dsm-dowling-ia Ankeny_logo

 

 

 

 

Tonight, we’re going to take a slightly different pass route for the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

CISN will have the night off…but that doesn’t mean you will miss any football here on the site.

Our partners at High School Cube will be carrying the Valley vs Waukee quarterfinal game, and we’re happy to let you know that carry the audio broadcast of the Ankeny vs Dowling Catholic game as well, courtesy of Iowa Catholic Radio. You can go to our “Home” page and to access the audio links for both contests tonight.

The Des Moines Register’s Chris Cuellar and Andy Hamilton has the breakdown on what to expect from both games, as well as the other quarterfinal games between Iowa City West vs. Cedar Rapids Washington and North Scott vs. Bettendorf.

Both games will kickoff at 7pm, and you can hear both games here on Central Iowa Sports Network.

 

Riders Swing But Maroons Hold Firm, Score Knockout

/in /by

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.

Maroons Host Roughriders for Home Finale

/in /by

DMRoosevelt_logo dsm-dowling-ia

On the west side of Des Moines, Roosevelt High is hungry for a post-season berth. They have not made the playoffs since 1996. They’ll have a chance to not only inch towards that goal, but to also spoil Dowling Catholic’s senior night.

The Roughriders and the Maroons will meet for a Class 4A District 2 game Friday night as the CISN Game of the Week, presented by CenturyLink.

Dowling (6-1 overall, 3-0 district) has a 1-game lead in the district race over Johnston and Lewis Central, both at 2-1. Roosevelt is tied with Sioux City East at 1-2. The next two weeks for the Roughriders (3-4, 1-2) are crucial. A win against Dowling and Lewis Central will build their case for the 4th playoff spot from District 2. But that is all contingent on Sioux City East losing one or both of their final games (vs. Des Moines North and at Johnston).

Running back Martavian Hall (136 rushes, 735 yards, 9 touchdowns) and receiver Jordan Johnson (28 receptions for 451 yards and 3 touchdowns) lead the Riders. Quarterback Michael Settle is 70-120 for 907 yards, have thrown for 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Prince Krah, Harley Davidson, and Logan Hoile lead the Riders’ defense with a combined 50 tackles between them.

Dowling looks to close out their home portion of the season undefeated and send out senior stars Ryan Boyle, Max Morris, Jo Jo Jok, and others with a bang. Sophomore Cole Deskin and senior Max Kasap has kept the Maroons’ rushing game in sync with Boyle after replacing an injured Isaiah Patton. Kasap has rushed 31 times for 233 yards and Deskin carried the ball 51 times for 288 yards.

The Dowling defense hasn’t missed a beat, even with Max Morris being out for the last two games, giving up a combined 16 points.

Can the Roughriders “Cowboy Up” and get a program-defining win over Dowling, or will the Maroons send their 39 seniors out in style with another dominating performance?

Who:  Des Moines Roosevelt (3-4) at #3 West Des Moines Dowling Catholic (6-1)

Where: Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, Iowa

When: Friday, October 17, 7:30 pm kickoff (freshman play first)

The Facts: Last week, Dowling defeated Johnston 50-13, while Roosevelt handled Des Moines North, 51-0. Roosevelt and SC East are tied for third in the District 2 race at 1-2. This will be the first meeting between both teams since September 18, 2009, when Dowling defeated Roosevelt, 63-0.

Things to watch:

  • Will Roosevelt put it all together for a program-building win?
  • Will Dowling have a let down or ease off the pedal for Senior Night?
  • Speed makes a difference and will the Rough Riders run past the Maroons?
  • 39 Dowling seniors have only lost once the last two years on varsity.

Des Moines Roosevelt – Project Starting Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Michael Settle, RB Martavian Hall and Zayne Smith, WR Jordan Johnson and Daniel Luckett, TE Luke Donnelly, T Sunday Deng and Brock Stillmonks, G Jack Rollison and John Hawkins, C Anderson Ruble

Defensive starters – Luke Donnelly DE, Victor Wong DT, Nick Ballard DT, John Hawkins DE, Tanner Murray OLB, Chance Slinger LB, Nathaniel Bolden LB, Dane Vobrich OLB, Prince Krah DB, Daniel Lucket CB, Logan Hoile S.

Special Teams: P Luke Sutherland, K Caleb Shudak, KO Return Caleb Shudak and Main Thomas

Dowling Catholic – Projected Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Ryan Boyle; TB Max Kasap, FB Gray Gochenour; SE Eric Fardal; FL Charlie Schulte; C Cole Wymore, G Joe Brett and Kevin Vaughn-Carber, T Elijah Swehla and Conner McPhee, TE Ben McNeal

Defensive starters – FS Nick Wilson, CB Dante Campero and Michael Zachary, LB Kevin McMurray, Ross Otte, Rodney Harris, and Gray Gochenour; DE Brawnte Wells and Jo Jo Jok; T Ross Carpenter; NG Quinn Sonntag,

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

We’ll go on the air live on Central Iowa Sports Network (centraliowasportsnetwork.com) with the pregame at 7p CDT and the kickoff at 7:30 pm.

Join Paul Yeager, Taylor Bennett and Jim Kirby for the call of the game.  You can follow us on Twitter @CISportsNet for game updates throughout the evening

Our Scheels Audio Game of the Week is a great one with Dar Danielson calling the Valley Tigers traveling to Ankeny Centennial for a match up with the Jaguars.   Our partners at High School Cube will have the live online stream of other area games of interest and we’ll be offering links to games in eastern Iowa as well through QC Sports Net.

CenturyLink_logoScheels_logo

dowlingcatholic_siouxcityeast_football

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

/in /by

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.

Perennial Powers Black Raiders and Maroons Meet for District Showdown

/in /by

dsm-dowling-ia EastSC_BlackRaiders_logo

Road trips can be long and boring. Don’t tell that to Sioux City East. They are accustomed to putting on the headphones, cue up the iPod, and making the trip eastward from the Siouxland to Central Iowa.

It’s “Eastbound and Down” for the Black Raiders as they bring a perfect 5-0 record to West Des Moines on Friday to take on the Dowling Catholic Maroons in this week’s CenturyLink Game of the Week.

Coach Bob Goodvin’s Black Raiders rallied from 14 and 13 points respectively to beat Des Moines Roosevelt, 30-26 last Thursday in Sioux City. Alex Stueve, the leading rusher in Class 4A, rushed for 106 yards and scored 1 touchdown. Quarterback JJ Stephens went 29-37 for 238 yards and two touchdown strikes, both to Austin Ahrendt.

Dowling shook off the hangover from the loss to Valley by scoring 37 unanswered points in a 51-10 win over Lewis Central last week. Dowling’s special team and defense scored 23 points by blocking a punt for a score, a safety, ran a punt return for another score, an interception return for a touchdown, and forced a fumble that resulted in a Max Kasap rushing touchdown. Kasap and Cole Deskin combined for 158 yards in place of an injured Isaiah Patton.  Eric Fardal grabbed 5 catches for 111 yards from Ryan Boyle, who was 8-15 for 142 yards.

Will the road warriors conquer the demons of Valley Stadium or will Dowling fend off another tough district opponent?

Who:  Sioux City East (5-0) at #3 Dowling Catholic (4-1)

Where: Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, Iowa

When: Friday, September 26th, 7:00 pm kickoff (note the time change)

The Facts: Dowling bounced back with a 51-10 win over Lewis Central last week. Sioux City East rallied from a 20-7 deficit to knock off Des Moines Roosevelt, 30-26 last Thursday.

Things to watch:

  • Can the Black Raiders and the Maroons cut down on penalties?
  • Will Sioux City East finally get a win at Valley Stadium?
  • Bubbles or handoffs, which will happen more in the Black Raider offense?
  • Which Dowling offense will be featured, the feet or arm of Boyle, the legs of new RBs or someone else?

Sioux City East – Project Starting Lineups

Offensive starters – QB JJ Stephens, TB Alex Stueve, FB Austin Ahrendt, SE Dom Flemister and Ty Benson, TE Jacob Wiley, T Andrew Miller and Ethan Fahrendholz, G Manny Zertuche and John Alexa, C Jose Deanda

Defensive starters – DT Charlie Marquez, NG Thomas Dunlap, LE Alex Stibbs, RE Albert Saul, CB Ross Godfrey and Black Schmidt, SLB Dakota Blatchford, MLB Keaton Lewis, BLB Cole Schoenfeld, WS Kaleb Hanks, FS Connor Koza

Special Teams: P Connor Koza, K Jared Admundson, H Ty Benson, PAT LS Jose Deandra, Punt LS Alber Saul, KR Alex Stueve and Dom Flemister, PR Grayson Brower

Dowling Catholic – Projected Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Ryan Boyle; TB Max Kasap, FB Gray Gochenour; SE Eric Fardal; FL Charlie Schulte; C Cole Wymore, G Joe Brett and Kevin Vaughn-Carber, T Elijah Swehla and Conner McPhee, TE Ben McNeal

Defensive starters – FS Nick Wilson, CB Dante Campero and Michael Zachary, LB Kevin McMurray, Ross Otte, Rodney Harris, and Gray Gochenour; DE Brawnte Wells and Jo Jo Jok; T Ross Carpenter; NG Quinn Sonntag,

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

The live pregame show will begin at 6:30pm, with kickoff to follow at 7:00 pm on Central Iowa Sports Network (centraliowasportsnetwork.com).

Join Paul Yeager, Taylor Bennett and Jim Kirby for the call of the game.  You can follow us on Twitter @CISportsNet for updates throughout the night.

Our Audio Game of the Week will have Dar Danielson in Ankeny for the Hoover vs. Ankeny Centennial game, presented by Scheels.  Our partners at High School Cube will have the live online stream of other area games of interest and we’ll be offering links to games in eastern Iowa as well through QC Sports Net.

CenturyLink_logoScheels_logo

Maroons Ride Special Teams and Defense to 51-10 Win

/in /by

At the beginning, it appeared that Dowling Catholic was still dealing with the hangover from last week’s loss to the Valley Tigers.

The Maroons’ defense and special teams had other plans on this night.

The Maroons blocked a punt, got a safety, ran an interception and a punt return back, and forced a fumble for touchdowns as they reeled off 37 unanswered points to defeat previously unbeaten Lewis Central Titans, 51-10, at Valley Stadium for Homecoming.

Lewis Central scored first with a 13-play, 76 yards drive that ended with quarterback Austin Simmons plunging into the endzone from 1 yard out.

Dowling’s offense continued to sputter and the defense struggled to stop Simmons and his receivers Brian Rew, Michael Brinkman, and Conner Hanafan.

After trading drives, the Titans went three-and-out and was forced to punt on 4th and 7. That was all the Maroons needed to jump-start themselves.  Dowling’s Bryan Bisenius blocked Caleb Shudak’s punt and recovered it in the endzone to tie the game 7-7. On the ensuing drive, Simmons was chased out of the pocket and was sacked in the endzone for a safety by Max Morris.

Dowling finally got their offense to score some points on the next drive, going 9 plays 65 yards as Max Kasap took the hand-off from Ryan Boyle for a 12 yard score, going up 16-7. Things went from bad to worse for Council Bluffs Lewis Central as Simmons’ pass was tipped and intercepted by Dante Campero. Campero raced into the endzone for a 42 yard touchdown. After another 3-and-out, Michael Zachary fields a Titans punt and bolts for a 54 yard punt touchdown return.

Dowling forced a fumble and capitalized again, with Cole Deskin’s 5 yard scoring run for a 37-7 lead.

One bright spot for Lewis Central was Caleb Shudak ending the 1st half scoring with a 54 yard field goal for the Titans, as the Maroons took a 37-10 lead into the locker room.

However, DCHS head coach Tom Wilson was quick to point out after the game that penalties were an area for improvement.

The Maroons improve to 4-1 overall and a 1-0 record in the district. Dowling Catholic will stay at home next week for a Class 4A District 2 match up with Sioux City East (5-0).

The Titans (4-1) will host Des Moines North (0-5) in another 4A District 2 contest next Friday.

 

Boyle Dazzles as Dowling overwhelms Waukee, 45-14

/in /by

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.

Week 1 Preview: Cedar Rapids Xavier @ Dowling Catholic

/in /by

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.