March 28, 2024

Tigers, Eagles square off in area matchup

Football season is here, and the Creston News Advertiser coverage area teams are ready for the season to begin.

“They are tired of beating on each other,” Lenox head coach Allen Dukes said about his team. “They want to go against somebody different, because at this time, everybody kind of knows what everybody is going to do. We need to see somebody different.”

The Tigers will get that opportunity Friday night when they travel to East Union to take on the Eagles in the first game under new co-coaches James Hardy and Craig Ditzler. It is the only matchup of two area teams on Friday.

It will also mark the first game at East Union with new lighting in the stadium that should enhance the viewing experience from the stands.

“I think with this new lighting, you’re going to be able to see our scoreboard better,” Hardy said. “That whole stadium has had a nice facelift over the past several years. They say it’s going to be a nice improvement.”

Hardy said the key to the Eagles being successful against Lenox on Friday will be ball control.

“I think without a doubt one of the biggest things is you don’t want to turn the ball over to Lenox on three-and-outs,” Hardy said. “I think if we can maintain our drives and finish them out with scores, I think that’s a big part of it. Without doing that, it puts a lot of pressure on our defense.”

Hardy said Lenox provides East Union with a quality, well-coached opponent right out of the chute. Discipline will be key for the Eagles.

On the flip side, Dukes said his team must be prepared for anything with the new coaching staff in place at East Union.

“Since they have a new coaching staff, we have no idea what they’re going to run offensively and defensively,” Dukes said. “With coach Ditzler being there for a few years, and I know coach Hardy has been around, they kind of know what we are about, what we try to accomplish. We don’t know what to expect out of them. It’s kind of an unknown for us right now.”

One of Lenox’s goal going into the game against East Union on Friday is to be the more physical team, and take advantage of the team’s size.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Afton.

Coach Daut Kickoff Classic

Meanwhile, in Greenfield, the Nodaway Valley Wolverines kick the season off against Central Decatur in the Coach Daut Kickoff Classic.

This year, the 2006 team will be honored. Coach Bob Daut recorded his 200th career win in 2006, his final year as coach of the Wolverines.

“It’s a great legacy that he’s left for the school,” Nodaway Valley head coach Steve Shantz said. “He’s immortal up here. He’s got a memorial up there right outside the stadium. It’s a great thing to recognize coach Daut and all the time and effort he put into Greenfield and then Nodaway Valley.”

Having not played Central Decatur in recent years, Shantz said he’s not sure what to expect from the Cardinals after seeing mixed signals from film study.

“The first game is so tough,” Shantz said. “We’re looking at last year’s film to maybe see what they did. Today, I told the coaches first and then told the kids, we’re preparing for last year’s team. It’s a new year. They’ve got new people in. You never know how it’s going to go.”

Shantz said the key to his team being successful Friday night will be taking care of what it does.

“Hopefully we can be in a position to win it in the fourth quarter,” he said.

Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tough opener

Mount Ayr opens its season with a road trip to Class 2A power Albia, which was a state quarterfinalist last year.

It will be a matchup of speed vs. speed, featuring the Drake Relays 4x400 champion Albia and Mount Ayr, which dominated Class 1A at the Co-ed State Track Meet in the spring.

“That’s got to be probably one of the toughest non-district games we’ve ever played,” Mount Ayr co-coach Delwyn Showalter said. “Since we’ve gone to district football, I don’t know that we’ve had a tougher opponent than Albia. They had a tremendous run last year, and they bring back a number of those kids. That’s going to be a big test for us.”

And that’s exactly what Mount Ayr was looking for when scheduling non-district games.

The Raiders struggled to find teams willing to put them down on the list of teams they hoped to play. They wanted to find a tough opponent, and no one seemed to want to give them the opportunity.

“Albia, they were good enough to agree to play us,” Showalter said. “We have good history with Jerry Staton from when he was at Pella Christian. I knew they were kind of in the same boat. When we called and talked to him, Jerry right away said they’d play us. I’m really grateful that he was willing to do that. He’s taken a little bit of heat in his community, I think. We’re a Class A school and he’s 2A, stepping down to play us. But we’re very appreciative of him being willing to do that.”

Kickoff for that game is 7:30 p.m. in Albia.

New regimes

A pair of area teams under new leadership look to get the season started on a positive note on Friday, as Murray travels to Mormon Trail and Southwest Valley hosts Clarinda Academy.

Murray is now coached by former Lamoni head coach Taylor Fulton, who succeeds Keith Shields. Shields remains on the staff as a volunteer assistant coach.

Southwest Valley, meanwhile, moves up from Eight-Man to Class 1A and is now coached by former Sioux City Bishop Heelan assistant coach Bob Casagrande.

Both teams kick off their seasons at 7 p.m.