Collins-Maxwell/Baxter’s football team was cruising along. The Raiders began the season 4-0 and were thought to once again be a contender in Class 2A.
Then, adversity hit.
Four starters were suspended a few hours before the team faced rival Prairie City-Monroe, standout wide receiver Brady Stover was injured during the loss to the Mustangs and quarterbacks Hunter McWhirter and Brad Ritter were both injured during a win over Clarke.
The Raiders hit rock bottom when they struggled through a 63-6 loss to No. 1 Albia last week.
However, with two weeks left in the season, there is still plenty to play for. The Raiders are still in the hunt for a home playoff game, but a win Friday would guarantee the three seed out of District 7.
CMB will as healthy in its Week 8 game at North Polk then it has been since the opening week of the season.
Stover and McWhirter are both expected to return from injury, while Blake Coughenour, Tucker Maxwell, Bailey Holgate and John Newton are slated to return from a three-game disciplinary suspension, according to Luther. Ritter is not expected to play Friday after injuring his ankle.
“We are excited to see what happens these last few games with our full team intact,” CMB coach Rob Luther said. “When we were full strength, we were undefeated. Our team will look entirely different than it has the past few weeks. There is still time to get some momentum for the playoffs.”
Coughenour was one of the top rushers in 2A before missing the past three games. Maxwell will be a welcomed addition at wide receiver and in the defensive backfield. Newton also starts in the defensive secondary and Holgate is the starting kicker.
Getting those four players back will certainly help turn things around. Stover and McWhirter also will boost the Raiders on both sides of the ball.
The Raiders took some lumps without seven starters. The loss to Albia was such a bummer that the coaching staff decided to bury the film, and the team hasn’t mentioned the Blue Demons since the loss.
“We are moving on from the last three weeks,” Luther said. “We got our guys back and we need to focus on the rest of the season. North Polk is a good football team. They have our full attention.”
North Polk’s offense features Max Karpinske, who ranks third in 2A in passing yards with 1,484 and ninth in touchdown passes with nine.
Wide receiver Matt Cox was an all-stater last year and Luther said he’s as good a wideout as the Raiders will face this year. Cox is third in 2A with 31 catches and fifth in receiving yards with 626.
Kapinske has rushed for a team-high 331 yards and six scores. Adam Moxley has 11 receptions and five have gone for touchdowns.
The Comets’ defense is led by Michael Ballard, who has 41 tackles. Grant Rampton has three interceptions.
“North Polk is well-coached and it always has a great defense,” Luther said. “Our No. 1 concern is to protect the ball and we’ll need to cut down on the big plays. They are a big-play team.”
A common non-district opponent this year is Roland-Story. CMB knocked off the Norse, 48-30, in Week 2, while Roland-Story defeated North Polk, 23-21, in Week 5.
“We won’t look much into that game for them,” Luther said. “They had some injuries, too. We just have to take care of ourselves and do what we do.”
North Polk controls its own destiny for a No. 2 seed. After hosting CMB this week, the Comets head to Prairie City-Monroe in Week 9.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Alleman.
Prairie City-Monroe (6-1, 4-0)
at No. 1 Albia (7-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m.
The two remaining teams with undefeated records in Class 2A District 7 will square off in Albia this week.
PCM will take its six consecutive wins on the road and another win would put the Mustangs in prime position to claim the district championship.
Logan Gilman is second in 2A with 1,563 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, while Lucas Greiner is seventh in catches (35), seventh in receiving yards (545) and third in touchdowns (10). Noah Clark also has 28 catches, 496 receiving yards and seven scores.
And when PCM doesn’t want to throw it, it can hand it off to Logan Littrell, who has rushed for 610 yards and 11 scores.
Chase Wilkie leads 2A with 23 touchbacks in 46 kickoff attempts. He is 35-of-37 in extra points and 2-of-2 in field goals. Reid Jenkins leads the defense with 47.5 tackles.
Albia’s closest game this season was a 62-21 win over Pella Christian. In the other six wins, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents 313-26.
Carter Isley is second in 2A with 1,263 rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns with 23. Blake Bayer leads 2A with seven interceptions and he has thrown for 303 yards and four scores on offense. Blake Lawless has 61 tackles and three interceptions.
No. 2 BGM (7-0, 5-0)
at Colfax-Mingo (6-1, 5-0), 7 p.m.
The Tigerhawks can do no worse than the No. 2 seed in Class A District 7, but they can win the district title with a victory over second-ranked BGM, which has scored at least 44 points in every district game this year.
Colfax-Mingo has won six straight games, and its wide-open, high-powered offense is the biggest reason.
Jared Myers leads all classes with 2,113 passing yards. He is tied for first with 24 touchdown passes and that number also sets a new single-season record at the school.
Some other single-season records are close to falling, too.
Jacob Lietz needs five catches to set a single-season school record in receptions, Blake Summy needs two receiving touchdowns to set a single-season record, and Colin Lourens needs 1.5 sacks to set a new single-season mark.
Lietz’s 48 catches leads Class A, his 642 yards ranks second and he is third with 77.5 tackles. Summy is third in receiving yards, tied for fifth in catches and fourth in touchdown catches. Lourens is tied with Summy with 31 catches.
BGM will bring a two-dimensional offensive attack.
Colton Massengale is fourth in Class A with 1,146 rushing yards and tied for second with 19 rushing touchdowns, but Jayce Knight has 571 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on just 17 catches. He also leads Class A with a 30 yards per catch average.
Kaiden Fiebelkorn leads the defense with four interceptions, and kicker Andrew Crady has the most touchbacks in Class A.
Lynnville-Sully (4-3, 3-2)
at North Mahaska (2-5. 1-4), 7 p.m.
A win over North Mahaska on Friday will give the Hawks the inside track to the district’s No. 3 seed.
Lynnville-Sully, which has won three of its last four games, can lock up the No. 3 seed with a road win over the Warhawks and then a home win over Belle Plaine in Week 9.
Sage Ehresman returned from an injury last week to lead the Hawks to an easy win over GMG. He has 649 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns this year.
Dylan Roozeboom leads the defense with 53 tackles, Kobe Fisk is tied for fourth in Class A with four interceptions, and Jesse Van Wyk is tied for third with three fumble recoveries.
North Mahaska has lost four of its last five games and its only district win came against GMG.
Brandt Fleener has thrown for 298 yards and four touchdowns, while Jakob Bortell has rushed for 1,048 yards and eight scores. Cole Rozendaal has 106 receiving yards and four touchdowns on six catches, while Cole Spoelstra leads the defense with 35.5 tackles.
BGM (5-0) and Colfax-Mingo (5-0) have locked up the top two spots in the district. Lynnville-Sully (3-2), Montezuma (3-2) and Belle Plaine (2-3) are playing for the final two playoff spots.
The Hawks have already defeated Montezuma, and the Braves will host top-ranked BGM in Week 9.
Contact Troy Hyde at
641-792-3121 ext. 6536 or thyde@newtondailynews.com