Henry County football: Tigers, Wolves meet in homecoming clash

There will be plenty of football played in Henry County this weekend as four of the five area teams are playing inside the county walls. Nobody is on bye, but there are only four games due to New London and Winfield-Mt. Union facing off against each other. Mt. Pleasant and Iowa Wesleyan are also at home, while WACO travels for a big district showdown.

MT. PLEASANT VS. KEOKUK - The Panthers have now won three games in a row, and they've done so in impressive fashion. After suffering two early losses to Clear Creek-Amana and Pella, the Panthers have outscored opponents 106-17 in a win streak that has put them back in the playoff hunt.

The Panthers found a steady run game with quarterback Zach Beason using his legs last week to become Mt. Pleasant's first 100-yard rusher in a game this season.

Mt. Pleasant should have a decent amount of running room against the Cheifs, who have allowed 76 points over their last two games, both losses.

Keokuk's offense struggled last week in a 28-6 loss to Washington. The Chiefs gained just 86 yards on the ground and 81 through the air.

Sophomore quarterback Corey Skinner and junior running back Braylon Martinez have shouldered the load for Keokuk this year, but they've yet to have a breakout game. The Chiefs haven't scored more than 14 points in a game this year.

NEW LONDON VS. WINFIELD-MT. UNION - New London will have a bump from homecoming this year, as if the Tigers have needed any sort of extra advantages this season. New London has scored at least 42 points in each of their five games, and have given up a maximum of 16.

For W-MU, it's the third-straight game against a top-tier opponent. Daunte Oepping led the offense to 22 points last week against H-L-V, but the Wolves gave up 72, and New London's offense has proven to be one of the best in the entire class.

It will be the first of two Henry County road games for W-MU. They'll play at WACO next week and home the next, making it four-straight Henry County games for the Wolves.

WACO @ H-L-V - The WACO football season is up in the air this weekend in Victor. The Warriors sit at 4-2 with the bottom of the district awaiting in their final two games, which means they'll be favored for a two-loss final record if they can pull out a win.

The Warriors have used a balanced attack this year to light up opposing defenses, and last week was no different. Quarterback Nik Coble therw for 110 yards and two scores, and running back Colton Horak had 155 yards and there touchdowns on the ground.

WACO's defense will have the biggest challenge. They've got to slow down a rushing duo that has been running through the district ever since H-L-V's opening loss to New London. Chase Sternhagen had ran for 714 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Dean Shaull has 421 yards and nine scores on the ground. Both running backs average over seven yards-per-carry.

If the Warriors do win, they'll need a little help throughout the district. They need the league to beat each other up enough in the final weeks to make two losses enough to squeeze into second place.

IOWA WESLEYAN VS. CROWN COLLEGE - Something's got to give at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex this Saturday. IW and Crown College will both be looking for their first win of the season.

The Tiger offense has struggled this season, but they'll be going against a Crown defense that has done the same. Crown has lost every game by at least 20 points, giving up a season-low 38 points last week against Northwestern. In their first three games, Crown gave up 49, 42 and 46 points respectively.

IW does have history on their side, winning three of the last four matchups between the two teams, including a 41-34 home win last year.

If you're planning on coming out to watch on Saturday, expect a tight one. All of the last five games between the two teams have been decided by eight or less points.

The two eight-man games will begin at 7 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 28. Mt. Pleasant's contest will begin at 7:30 p.m., that same day. IW will kick off at noon on Saturday, Sept. 28.