PCM football gets new foes in 2023

Every high school football program in the state of Iowa requests seven teams to play during the non-district season and the Iowa High School Athletic Association forms the schedules after creating new districts every two years.

The PCM football team will play in Class 2A District 6 the next two falls and the schedule includes several new opponents.

The district slate features home games against Jesup (Sept. 15), West Marshall (Oct. 6) and Iowa Falls-Alden (Oct. 13) and long road trips to Union, LaPorte City (Sept. 15) and Vinton-Shellsburg (Sept. 29).

In non-district action, the Mustangs open with a home game against Sigourney-Keota (Aug. 25) and road matchups with Pella Christian (Sept. 1) and Nevada (Sept. 8).

The home and away games flip in 2024.

The Mustangs are very familiar with West Marshall. They’ve been in the same district the past several seasons and the Trojans are 8-4 against PCM since 2008. The Mustangs have a 4-3 advantage since 2014.

Iowa Falls-Alden also was in the same district as PCM and West Marshall and the Mustangs and Pella Christian have been playing each other in non-district action since 2008, but Nevada, Jesup, Union and Vinton-Shellsburg are all new to the schedule.

The Eagles are 9-6 against PCM since 2008, but the Mustangs have won three of the past five matchups.

The Mustangs’ request list included (in order) Newton, Pella Christian, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Nevada, Fairfield and Grinnell. The only two schools who also listed PCM were Pella Christian and Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference rival Nevada.

Both PCM and Pella Christian put each other second on the non-district request list. Nevada and PCM had each other fifth on their lists.

South Hamilton also listed the Mustangs sixth on its list.

The Mustangs have will make two long road trips in each of the next two seasons.

PCM’s road trips to Vinton-Shellsburg and Union Community next season will be around 100 miles one way.

In 2024, the trip to Iowa Falls-Alden is 82 miles one way and the trek to Jesup covers 120 miles each way.

Before these schools start football season, they will all finish their spring seasons. The track and field state qualifiers will take place on May 11.

Newton returns to Pella and that Class 3A state qualifier features the host Dutch, Bondurant-Farrar, Grinnell, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Saydel and South Tama County.

PCM and Colfax-Mingo will compete in 2A and Baxter and Lynnville-Sully are in 1A.

The Tigerhawks go to Van Meter and that site features the host Bulldogs, AHSTW, Des Moines Christian, Missouri Valley, Ogden, Panorama, Pleasantville, Treynor, Underwood, West Central Valley and Woodward-Granger.

PCM’s 2A site is at Central Decatur. The Mustangs and Cardinals will be joined by Albia, Centerville, Chariton, Clarinda, Davis County, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Interstate 35, Pella Christian, Red Oak and Shenandoah.

Baxter’s track and field team goes to Madrid. The host Tigers and Bolts will be joined by Ankeny Christian Academy, Collins-Maxwell, Colo-NESCO, Earlham, Grand View Christian, Martensdale-St. Marys, Morman Trail, Paton-Churdan, South Hamilton, Southeast Warren, Wayne and Woodward Academy.

The Lynnville-Sully Hawks go to BGM. Joining the two South Iowa Cedar League schools will be BCLUW, GMG, HLV, Lisbon, Melcher-Dallas, Meskwaki Settlement School, Montezuma, Moravia, North Mahaska, Seymour, Tri-County and Twin Cedars.