Iowa High School Football Week Eight Preview

With the Iowa high school football season winding down, several area teams can clinch district championships and No. 1 playoff seeds by winning their week eight games Friday night (Oct. 15, 2015).

One of the marquee match-ups takes place in Manchester, where sixth-ranked Independence (7-0, 5-0) faces No. 2 West Delaware (7-0, 4-0). The match-up features two of the top three offensive teams in Class-3A and the winner claims the District 3 crown.

According to QuikStats, West Delaware's 3,407 total yards ranks fourth among all teams across the state and is second-best among 3A squads. The Hawks have scored 44 touchdowns this season, which leads the class. The Mustangs' offense ranks third in 3A with 2,924 total yards.

Two other rated teams could lock up district championships this week. In Class-1A, No. 2 Dike-New Hartford (7-0, 4-0) plays Sumner-Fredericksburg (4-3, 1-3) with an opportunity to claim the District 4 title at home. In Class-A, fifth-ranked Denver (6-1, 4-0) can also secure a District 4 title and a No. 1 playoff seed by beating Waspie Valley (3-4, 2-2) at on its home field.

In 8-player football, No. 2 Don Bosco (5-0, 4-0) and seventh-ranked Central Community (7-0, 5-0) both win district titles with victories. Central travels to Lansing for a game against Kee High (2-5), one of four teams tied for fourth place in the District 4 standings with a 2-3 record. The Dons host Dunkerton (1-6, 1-3) for Homecoming, a game initially scheduled to be played in Dunkerton, but was moved after the Raiders forfeited last year's game in Gilbertville.

Playoff positioning and bragging rights will be on the line when Grundy Center (4-3, 3-1), and 9th-ranked Gladbrook-Reinbeck (5-2, 3-1) resume one of country's oldest small school rivalries west of the Mississippi River. The teams are currently tied for second-place in Class-A District 4 and the winner secures a No. 2 playoff seed.

Grundy Center is hosting the 96th annual "Battle For The Bell". The series between the Spartans and Reinbeck, which are separated by just nine miles, began in 1920. Grundy Center owns a slight lead in the all-time series with Reinbeck and Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 44-42-9. The Rebels, however, have won 14 of the last 17 meetings.

Regarding playoffs, Waterloo West (3-4, 1-2) plays an important game this week. The Wahawks need a victory  to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They travel to Marion to face a Linn-Mar team that knocked off Cedar Falls last week.

The schedule of games involving Cedar Valley and Northeast Iowa teams Friday night is posted below.