We'll step away from all the Xavier-centric discussion this time to talk about some of the other former MVC schools, and the changes they'll be facing on the football field this fall.
Districts really shook things up. Cedar Rapids Washington and Prairie got placed in a separate district from fellow Cedar Rapids-area schools Jefferson, Kennedy and Linn-Mar. Iowa City City High and Iowa City West got put in different districts - Iowa City West, in fact, is in a district with three Quad City-area schools and Dubuque Hempstead ... nary another corridor opponent in the group. So yeah, it's weird.
Also, because there are only 46 schools in 4A in the entire state, the districts have only 5 or 6 members, instead of the 7 or 8 in all the other classes. That means only 4 or 5 games will be the deciders for playoff qualification. It's just bizarre that the District 7 and 8 teams will make the playoffs based on the outcome of less than half a season. It's conceivable (very, very unlikely, but still mathematically possible) that a district could end up with playoff qualifiers featuring records of 1-8, or 2-7. A particularly odd result could have the district champion sporting a dandy 4-5 record, with all three other qualifiers sitting at 2-7. Bleah.
The district setup for former MVC teams looks like this: District 5 includes Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Cedar Falls, and both Waterloo East and Waterloo West. District 6 holds Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa City City High, Burlington, Muscatine and Ottumwa. District 7 features Iowa City West, then Davenport North, Davenport Central, Pleasant Valley, and Dubuque Hempstead. District 8 has Dubuque Senior joining former MAC teams Bettendorf, Davenport West, North Scott, and Clinton.
Anyway. As far as looking ahead to some of the former MVC teams and their prospects for 2014, I have to think CR Washington is set for a good year. Their incoming seniors have been terrific since they were sophomores, they featured a darn good sophomore team last year, the program is building momentum, and they were the only MVC team to have a win against Xavier since 2011. They do have always-tough City High in their division, but the rest of that group (Prairie, Burlington, Muscatine, Ottumwa) doesn't quite seem up to that level. Plus, Wash only has one long road trip this year, closing the season at Burlington.
CR Kennedy and Iowa City West are both breaking in new head coaches, so who knows how that's going to shake out. I believe both the new coaches are from within the school, so I wouldn't look for any dramatic changes or problems adapting to the players, but it's still going to be different without Tim Lewis and Brian Sauser around. Kennedy has been a consistently good program for a long time, and I don't see that changing ... plus they have a favorable district, with Cedar Falls and then a bunch of programs trying to get better (CR Jefferson, Linn-Mar, Waterloo West and Waterloo East). Iowa City West has a lot of travel with that strange Quad City-Dubuque district, and probably one of the toughest non-district schedules you'll see anywhere (Kennedy, West Des Moines Valley, CR Washington, City High, and Bettendorf. Yikes).
Linn-Mar had a rough season last year. The glory days of 2009 and 2011 seem awfully long ago. But they were pretty young last year, and will be returning some experienced players this fall. They only need to finish ahead of two of Jefferson/Waterloo East/Waterloo West to make the playoffs.
I still keep hoping CR Jefferson can turn the corner and start on the upward trend. As the winner of the first state football championship game in 1972 (and until Xavier's win in 2006, the only Cedar Rapids school to hold a state football championship), it's a proud program that's fallen on pretty tough times over the past 10 years or so. They did show some signs of life last season, but their offense was basically Layne Sullivan, and he's graduated. The young coaching staff seems optimistic and hopeful, and there have been some significant infrastructure upgrades, so ... perhaps the J-Hawks will get a few wins this fall. I don't think they'll finish last in District 5 (Waterloo East is a program in turmoil, losing their head coach again and having almost none of their top players returning this year), but it'll take some progress for them to make the playoffs.
Prairie ... I don't know what to think about these guys. They did lose quite a few seniors, but they do return Iowa State recruit Bryce Meeker, who is still a big force up front. I like coach Mike Morrissey's offensive approach, which is a lot of fun to watch (and probably play). They had a great playoff run in 2012, but were just 5-5 last year. They are in a tough district with Wash and City High, but have a great shot at the playoffs again this season.
That's a quick look at some of the area 4A schools as they adapt to districts. Things are going to be strange ... but you still have to make things happen on the field. Stay tuned. A look at Xavier's upcoming season is on the way.
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