Area Football: Cardinals, Bobcats renew rivalry at H.A. Lynn Stadium

Newton and Marshalltown have played on the gridiron seven times since 2008. The now Class 5A Bobcats hold a slim 4-3 advantage and currently have bragging rights after defeating the Cardinals 42-8 at H.A. Lynn Stadium last fall.

This year’s game also will be in front of Newton’s home fans but head coach Andy Swedenhjelm is not focusing on the most recent meeting in the rivalry series.

“We haven’t talked much about last year at all,” Swedenhjelm said. “We are focused on what we can do in the present time to be successful and understand what our keys are going to be.”

This year’s game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff. There will be no freshmen game.

Last year, the Bobcats ran for 334 yards and piled up 464 yards of total offense.

But Newton won the 2016 and 2017 games in blowout fashion, too. The Cardinals rushed for 419 yards in the 49-28 win in 2017 and ran for 276 yards and had 409 total yards in the 45-14 victory in 2016.

None of that will matter Friday. And several of the key players from last year’s game have graduated. Most of Marshalltown’s production a year ago came from its 2020 senior class.

The new quarterback is sophomore Dalen Huston, who has started the season 8-of-26 for 92 yards in two games.

The running game is led by junior Malachi Holmes and senior Dominick Garth.

Holmes is the big-play threat in the offense. He has rushed for 99 yards on 17 carries so far but 62 of those came on his lone touchdown. He’s also gained 37 yards on his three receptions.

Garth is who they pound the rock with inside as he has gained 61 yards and scored two TDs on 16 carries. His lone catch went for 33 yards.

The Bobcats (1-1) have rushed for 260 yards in two games and averages 4.3 yards per carry.

“Malachi Holmes is a speedy player,” Swedenhjelm said. “They work hard to get him the ball in space and get it to him with some misdirection. He is a big-play threat every time he touches it. We will need to work hard to keep him contained.

“(Garth) is a big, physical runner who will be tough to bring down. They also try to work their passing game through their tight end Gannon Williams. He is a big, athletic kid who plays hard.”

Williams, a senior, also is one of the most productive defensive players on the team. He’s compiled 11 tackles, one sack and 2 1/2 tackles for loss in the team’s first two games.

Junior Nick Rebik also has 12 tackles and returned a kick for a TD.

The Bobcat defense in two games has registered six sacks, three interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and 19 1/2 tackles for loss.

Most of that production came in last week’s 33-14 win over Waterloo East when they finished with five fumble recoveries, three sacks, 15 1/2 tackles for loss and a pick 6.

“Their defense is led by their front seven,” Swedenhjelm said. “They have a big and physical line and Williams plays in the middle and seems to be involved in all of their tackles. We need to be fundamentally sound and play with great effort up front this week to be successful.”

Newton is 2-0 for the first time since 2017 after a dominating win over Knoxville and a narrow victory last week in the home opener against now state-ranked PCM. The last time Newton was 3-0 also was 2017.

Marshalltown is 1-1 after an opening-week loss (14-7) to Ames and a Week 2 win over Waterloo East.

A handful of Newton players missed last week’s win, including seniors Adam Mattes, Alex Thomason and Jaden Shannon. Senior quarterback Zay Arguello also was one of the Cardinals who left the game early.

“Hopefully we get a bulk of those guys back this week,” Swedenhjelm said. “Alex, Zay and Jaden were back at practice Monday. We will know a little more about Adam as the week progresses so hopefully we are full strength going into Friday.”

Pella Christian (2-0) at PCM (1-1), 7 p.m.

The Mustangs are coming off their first regular season loss since Oct. 10, 2019. The Eagles are flying high after starting their season with a pair of blowout wins.

The PCM-Pella Christian football rivalry gets another chapter on Friday. This time, the game is in Monroe and features two ranked teams.

The two teams have played every year since at least 2008 and the 1A No. 6 Eagles hold a narrow 7-6 advantage. However, the Mustangs have won three in a row, including last year’s 42-7 victory.

The 2A No. 9 Mustangs (1-1) pulled away from Davis County, 30-14, in their season opener but fell 10-8 to 4A Newton last week.

Pella Christian (2-0) hammered Des Moines Christian 56-22 in its opener and then cruised past Panorama, 44-7, last week.

The Eagles’ best player so far has been quarterback Isaac Kacmarynski. He’s thrown for 235 yards, four TDs and three picks, rushed for 116 yards and two scores, returned a kickoff for a TD and registered a defensive score in the team’s first two games.

Pella Christian’s offense also features Benny Schirz, Eric Mulder and Bennett Spronk.

Schirz has rushed for 143 yards and two scores, three of Mulder’s five catches have gone for TDs and Spronk also has more than 100 receiving yards and two scores.

The Eagles’ defense has tallied five interceptions, four sacks, 15 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries and two defensive scores in two weeks.

Logan Kelderman leads that unit with 10 1/2 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for loss.

Colfax-Mingo (0-2) at North Mahaska (0-2), 7 p.m.

Something’s got to give in this Class A District 6 matchup in New Sharon. The Tigerhawks and Warhawks are both seeking their first wins of the season.

North Mahaska opened its 2021 campaign with a 7-0 loss to Class 1A West Central Valley. The Warhawks lost 46-6 last week in the district opener to Lynnville-Sully.

Sam Terpstra headlines the roster. He’s thrown for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also has 11 tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss on defense.

When Terpstra throws, the ball goes to Nash Smith the most. Smith has hauled in 11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. But North Mahaska has just 121 rushing yards in two games.

Jaydyn Stell leads the defense with 15 1/2 tackles and one interception. He’s also the punt returner.

The Tigerhawks lead the series 3-2 but North Mahaska won 48-12 last fall. The 2019 game went to C-M, 50-22.

Colfax-Mingo played up a class in Week 1 during its 26-21 loss to Panorama. It played 2A Clarke in Week 2 and lost 35-19.

Woodward Academy (0-2) at Baxter (2-0), 7 p.m.

The Bolts return to Class 8-man District 7 play this week and the opponent is Woodward Academy.

It’s the district opener for the Knights, who lost 46-12 to Collins-Maxwell and 51-6 to Coon Rapids-Bayard in the first two weeks.

Ricky Promise and Joseph Smith lead Woodward Academy. Promise has 114 rushing yards and a TD and 57 passing yards and a touchdown and also is the team’s kick returner and punter. Smith leads the defense with 11 tackles.

Baxter is 2-0 for the first time in program history. Last week’s 68-0 win over Melcher-Dallas was the first shutout in Bolts’ history, too.

This is the first meeting between the two programs.

East Marshall (1-1) at Lynnville-Sully (1-1), 7 p.m.

The first meeting between these two schools (at least in the Varsity Bound era) will be in Sully on Friday night.

Class 1A East Marshall shut out BCLUW 23-0 in Week 1 but lost to 2A Roland-Story 26-7 last week.

Bo Lee has thrown for 223 yards and a TD and rushed for 88 yards. Dom Ridout has more than half of the yards in the receiving game as he has four catches for 113 yards and a score and also a pick on defense.

Garrett Kerber is the running back. He’s gained 281 rushing yards and scored three TDs. Kerber is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has one interception on defense.

Tim Benson leads the Mustangs’ defense with 16 1/2 tackles. He also has 98 rushing yards.

East Marshall’s defense has accounted for four sacks and two interceptions. The offense has rushed for 475 yards in two games.

Lynnville-Sully got its first win last week during a 46-6 triumph over North Mahaska. The Hawks ran for 335 yards in that victory, averaging 8.8 yards per carry.