Will Ames get past Valley? Our Week 5 Ames-area Iowa high school football predictions
The Ames football team is fresh off its first victory of the season with an impressive 34-14 road win at Des Moines Roosevelt last Friday.
The Little Cyclones got big games from Cameron Cantonwine and Jamison Poe in the victory. Cantonwine ran for 219 yards and one touchdown and Poe had 83 yards and three touchdowns rushing plus a 60-yard scoring reception.
Ames also stepped up on defense in keeping Roosevelt off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.
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"The kids played great last week," said Ames coach Brian Sauser. "We decided to go to man coverage and the best thing about last week is he had a shutout until late. A bunch of kids stepped up and we were extremely physical."
Sauser said Ames will need to ramp up its physicality even more this week. The Little Cyclones travel to West Des Moines to face last year's Class 5A state runner-up Valley.
Valley is winless on the season at 0-4. But the Tigers played the top two teams in the state — Dowling Catholic and Southeast Polk — close in respective 14-0 and 24-18 battles. They also lost a close 21-9 affair to Johnston before struggling last week in a 37-15 loss to No. 5 Waukee.
"Their record doesn't mean anything," Sauser said. "We have an extremely hungry, backs-against-the-wall Valley team. They're the biggest team we've faced and with their size and skill they present a big challenge."
Valley is led by 330-pound nose guard Ramez Naba, who has 2.5 tackles for loss and is excellent at clogging up holes in the trenches. Tight ends A.J. Conover (5 catches for 74 yards) and Zach Schemper provide matchup problems on the other side of the ball with their size at 6-foot-4 and 6-3, respectively.
Receivers Noah Cracraft (17 catches for 152 yards) and Jayden McGregory and running back Damon Head (323 yards and one touchdown) are also weapons for the Tigers.
Sauser said his team is up to the challenge.
"Our kids had a great week of practice," Sauser said. "They keep coming back to work and that makes it a fun team to coach."
Ames vs. Valley prediction
Ames is building confidence after the Roosevelt win.
The Little Cyclones have also learned valuable lessons starting the season with two ranked teams (Waukee and Ankeny Centennial) and a strong Iowa City High squad. They will give Valley a big scare on Friday, but it will not be quite enough to get them over the hump against a Tiger team that is desperate for a victory. Valley 27, Ames 20
Other Week 5 predictions for Ames-area teams
Des Moines Hoover (0-4) at Class 4A No. 3 Gilbert (4-0)
Gilbert continued to serve notice that it has arrived as a legitimate 4A football program last week with its 31-12 road victory against Boone.
After winning just one game over the previous two seasons combined, the Tigers remain undefeated in 2023 at 4-0 heading into the start of district play this Friday against a winless Des Moines Hoover team.
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Junior linebacker and running back Will Hawthorne has been a monster for Gilbert this season. Hawthorne has 415 yards and four touchdowns rushing and three touchdown catches on offense, and he has piled up 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks on defense.
Tayshawn Gillen has been a force on the defensive line with seven sacks and a fumble returned for a touchdown. On offense, he has 141 yards and one score running the ball.
Receiver Ean Eldred has two touchdown catches and quarterback Connor Nash has thrown for 289 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.
Hoover had a rough night last Friday, falling to Knoxville by a 50-0 score. The Huskies (0-4) are led by quarterback Damian Miller (215 yards and four touchdowns passing) and receiver Niyo Francois (101 yards and three scores receiving).
Gilbert will have no problem keeping the magic going this week. The Tigers roll to set up a big district home game with 2022 state semifinalist Carlisle on Sept. 29. Gilbert 48, Hoover 7
Class 3A No. 7 Nevada (3-1) at Perry (1-3)
Nevada opens district competition Friday at Perry.
The Cubs coming off their first loss of the season, a 24-21 setback at No. 3 Hampton-Dumont-CAL. That will not sit well for a team with district championship and playoff aspirations, so expect Nevada to take out its frustrations on a Perry team that has dropped three straight after opening the season with a 33-18 win over Hoover.
Nevada quarterback Connor King (571 yards and eight touchdowns passing), running back Cason Stevenson (655 yards and four touchdowns rushing), receiver Jacob Khounsourath (336 yards and six touchdowns receiving) and linebacker Jackson Burlage (39.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks) will be too much for Perry. Bluejay dual-threat quarterback Geren Kenny (529 yards and six touchdowns passing, 284 and two rushing) will present the Cubs with some problems, but Nevada has more than enough firepower and chemistry on both sides of the ball to win this game comfortably. Nevada 51, Perry 14
More: Friday's Week 5 schedule of Iowa high school football games, kickoff times across the state
Ballard (2-2) at Indianola (2-2)
Ballard enters 4A District 5 with a lot of momentum after shutting out Dallas Center-Grimes at home last week, 24-0.
The Bombers go on the road this Friday to face an Indianola squad trying to rebound from a 17-6 loss at Carlisle. Jake Pontier gives Indianola a good weapon on the ground having rushed for 504 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries and Jack Hilton and Jack Strong lead the team in tackles with 23 and 21.5, respectively.
Indianola quarterback Andrew DeWall has been inconsistent with just 244 yards on 47.9% completions with two touchdowns and interceptions apiece. But he is a threat on the ground too with 148 yards and three touchdowns rushing and has a big-play receiver to throw to in Jonce Hale, who has 146 yards and one touchdown receiving on just four catches.
Ballard has an elite running back in Eli Rouse, who has 705 yards and six touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry. Senior defensive back and receiver Chance Lande is an excellent playmaker with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and a touchdown reception in last week's win over DCG.
The Bombers found out a lot of good things about themselves in their win over DCG. They will find out even more this Friday in a grind-it-out victory. Ballard 20, Indianola 17
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Roland-Story (2-2) at Southeast Valley (3-1)
Roland-Story and Southeast Valley are both coming off lopsided losses in their 2A District 8 openers.
Roland-Story fell at home to Kuemper Catholic by a 42-7 score and Southeast Valley was dealt a 52-12 setback at Des Moines Christian. Both teams will be going all out to turn the tide this week.
Roland-Story running back Hesston Johnson has 349 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground and Jonovan Wilkinson had 165 yards rushing and 114 receiving. Defensive back Cody Long (34.5 tackles, one interception and fumble recovery apiece), Johnson (33.5 tackles) and linebacker Charlie Watts (32 stops) lead the Norsemen on defense.
Southeast Valley features running back Brady Hanson (346 yards and nine touchdowns rushing) and disruptive defenders Cale Vansickle and Preston Kennedy, who both have three sacks.
Friday's game will be close all the way. Roland-Story wins in overtime. Roland-Story 30, Southeast Valley 24
Baxter (3-1, 2-1) at Colo-NESCO (3-2, 1-2)
Colo-NESCO picked up its first 8-Player District 9 victory last Friday with a 46-26 triumph at Collins-Maxwell.
Baxter is coming off its first loss, a 42-32 home setback to Glidden-Ralston.
Breckin Clatt (715 yards and four touchdowns rushing), Trenton Beard (55.5 tackles and four sacks) and Ben Ryan (six sacks) will try and outpace Baxter's Perrin Sulzle (1,098 yards and 15 touchdowns passing), Treyton Travis (644 yards and 12 touchdowns receiving) and Cody Samson (28.5 tackles and three fumble recoveries).
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Expect Colo-NESCO to pressure Sulzle all game. If the secondary holds up, the Royals prevail. Colo-NESCO 66, Baxter 60
Collins-Maxwell (1-3, 0-3) at Glidden-Ralston (3-1, 3-0)
Collins-Maxwell's loss to Colo-NESCO last Friday was its third in a row after opening the season with a 60-28 non-district victory over GMG.
Glidden-Ralston's win over Baxter kept the Wildcats perfect in 8-Player District 9.
In order to pull off an upset on the road this Friday, Collins-Maxwell will need big games from Cooper Wierson (504 yards passing and nine total touchdowns) and Josef Dvorak (481 yards and seven touchdowns rushing and receiving plus 32 tackles and three interceptions and fumble recoveries apiece). The Spartans also must slow down the Wildcats' Colby Wallace (471 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing) and Emmett Snyder (309 yards and four scores on the ground).
Collins-Maxwell puts up a good fight for two quarters, but Glidden-Ralston pulls away in the second half. Glidden-Ralston 50, Collins-Maxwell 26
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Week 5 high school football picks: Ames vs Valley, Gilbert vs. Hoover
