West Lyon Football 2010

First off here is an article out of the Des Moines register.

=== CLASS 1-A ===
Who's No. 1: Defense gives West Lyon edge

West Lyon of Inwood has one of the strongest playoff traditions of any Iowa program.

The Wildcats have reached the playoffs 20 times, including the last seven years.

Coach Jay Roozeboom led the team to state titles in 1998 and 1999 and runner-up finishes in 1995 and 2008.

Linebacker Brendan Ter Wee led his team with 83 tackles last season. He was named to the Des Moines Sunday Register’s Class 1-A all-state second team.

West Lyon returns its top six tacklers and traditionally boasts one of the state’s strongest defensive teams.

Quarterback Cody Grotewold rushed for 461 yards and passed for 324 last season. The team’s top returning rusher is Sully Al-Ostaz, who gained 617 yards.

Last year’s team reached the state playoff quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Council Bluffs St. Albert 24-21.

West Lyon was placed in a district with fellow state powers Emmetsburg and HMS of Hartley.


Team 2009
1. West Lyon 10-2
2. C. B. St. Albert 14-0
3. West Branch 12-1
4. Emmetsburg 10-1
5. IKM-Manning 11-2
6. Aplington-Parkersburg 6-4
7. Prairie Valley (Gowrie) 12-1
8. Eagle Grove 9-2
9. Turkey Valley (Jack. Jct.) 10-2
10. Clayton Ridge (Gutt.) 10-2


Contenders

— Council Bluffs St. Albert went unbeaten last year, going 14-0. Among the team’s returning players are kicker Gabe Meis and receiver Stephen O’Neill, both of whom were all-staters last year.

— West Branch returns eight starters from last season’s playoff semifinal team. Coach Butch Pedersen has 225 victories in his career.

— Emmetsburg reached the first round of the playoffs last season, falling to eventual state runner-up South Winneshiek of Calmar.

Players to Watch

— Josh Thompson of Garner-Hayfield caught 66 passes for 895 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned first-team all-state honors. His teammate, Jace Engstler, passed for 1,700 yards.

— Lake Mills’ Royce Byrnes plays quarterback, defensive back and was an all-state punter, too.

— Evan Mikels of Logan-Magnolia was a second-team all-state defensive lineman. He led his team with 104 total tackles. Mikels also qualified for the state wrestling tournament last winter.

Quick Kicks

— Among the teams that dropped from Class 2-A to 1-A this season are IKM-Manning.

— Alta and Aurelia went to a sharing program and will compete in Class 1-A.

— AGWSR of Ackley moved from Class A to 1-A. Evan Johnson earned all-state honors last season as a defensive back. He also plays quarterback.

And the rankings from Radio Iowa:

Class 1A
1-West Branch (1)
2-St. Albert (Council Bluffs) (2)
3-West Lyon (Inwood) (3)
4-IKM-Manning (4)
5-Aplington-Parkersburg (5)
6-Hinton (6)
7-Northeast (Goose Lake) (7)
8-Woodward-Granger (8)
9-Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (9)
10-Mount Ayr (10)

Watch List: Clayton Ridge (Guttenburg) (1-0), Dike-New Hartford, Emmetsburg, Hudson, North Cedar (Stanwood), Pekin, Saint Ansgar, Starmont (Arlington), Treynor, Turkey Valley (Jackson Junction)


Big Blue had their scrimmage Friday night, but I was not able to go. It was pretty hot out anyway. From what I understand there is alot of confidence in out starters, just some nerves about how deep we are this year. Sounds to me we are in the same spot we are every year, 2-3 studs, 3-5 good players, a couple question marks and underclassmen you can never be completely sure about. I also saw we are getting alot of attention in the polls. Well, I think CBSA is number one till someone beats them. I am really looking forward to the game against CL/GLR. Folks in Rock Rapids feel like this is a district champion level team in 2A. Granted, a weak 2A district this year, but 2A none the less. I think it will be fairly low scoring with Big Blue winning 20-7 or something close to that. Work hard, eat your vegetables, say your prayers and BEAT Central Lyon/GLR!!!!!!!!!