5 Up, 5 Down (Week 3)
5 Up West Hancock Just like last season, Connor Sonius and Nate Paulus are putting up video game numbers for the Eagles, and they’ve have had a direct influence of the team’s 7-0 start. The seven game win streak is…
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West Hancock
Just like last season, Connor Sonius and Nate Paulus are putting up video game numbers for the Eagles, and they’ve have had a direct influence of the team’s 7-0 start. The seven game win streak is impressive, but more impressive is that they’re winning by an average of 39 points per game.
Danville
Four seniors graduated from last season’s wildly successful state tournament qualifier. Yet the Bears continue to breeze through their competition. It seems in Danville they don’t rebuild, but rather reload. It’s now six straight wins to start the season for Kolton Jackson and Co. – they’re pummeling teams, winning by an average of 33 points.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck
Like Danville, it seemed Gladbrook-Reinbeck may have a slight drop off from last year’s 1A state champion team after it graduated three senior starters. But instead, the Rebels have raced out to a 5-0 start, winning by an average margin of 31 points. The team is catalyzed by last year’s tournament MVP Joe Smoldt, who is evolving into one of the state’s megastars.
Davenport Central
The Blue Devils have been the surprise team in 4A this season, and they’ve already eclipsed their win total from all last season. Senior Tim Rummels is leading the team averaging 13.7 points per game – he and his talented group of guys are off to a 6-1 start this season.
Pocahontas Area
It was a coming out party last week for our 15th-ranked 2017 Austin Roetman, and he propelled his Pocahontas Area team to three wins in five days, including an impressive 86-79 win over Carroll Kuemper. Freshman Jace Davidson is having a better freshman season than anyone in the state, and Tanner Youngberg has been sensational from the guard spot. Watch out for the Indians.
5 Down
Southeast Polk
After a 1-0 start to the season – a 17-point win over Indianola – the Rams have dropped five straight games. The losing streak got real ugly last Friday night when they lost 79-27 to Ankeny, a game in which they were outscored 33-4 in the first quarter.
Burlington
Burlington is off to an 0-6 start, and have lost by an average margin of 24 points. Outside of a five point loss to Davenport West last week, the Grayhounds have not been within single-digits of any opponent this season. They’ll look to get in the win column for the first time after the winter break against Davenport Assumption.
Winterset
The Huskies are win-less this season (0-5), and have yet to be within 10 points of any opponent. Last week they fell victim to a good Bondurant-Farrar team, before dropping one to a beatable Carlisle team, 66-42. It was Carlisle’s first win of the season.
Emmetsburg
It’s an 0-6 start for the E’Hawks, and they’re losing games by an average of 33 points. In their defense, they’ve played an extraordinarily tough schedule to date, which has included losses to Pocahontas Area, Spencer, Western Christian, and Spirit Lake. Emmetsburg will have one more chance to get into the win column before the new year when they play a beatable Cherokee team Tuesday night.
Melcher-Dallas
Outside of Heartland Christian, Melcher-Dallas has the largest margin of defeat in the state. The Saints are 0-8, and are losing by an average 45 points. The problem lies with the poor shooting; they’re shooting just 27 percent from the floor this season, and just 38 percent from the free throw line.