Will Ballard upset No. 1 ADM? Our Week 7 Ames-area Iowa high school football predictions
The Ames football team is looking to keep the momentum from a dominant 62-23 homecoming victory over Ottumwa going this week when the Little Cyclones travel to Marshalltown to take on the Bobcats.
Ames (2-4) saw quarterback Cameron Cantonwine throw for 253 yards, run for 119 and account for four touchdowns last week against Ottumwa. Lane Kenny, Matt Hall and Jeffrey Roberts each caught a touchdown pass and Jamison Poe ran for two scores against the Bulldogs.
The Little Cyclone defense also played well in holding Ottumwa to just eight points until both teams started emptying their benches in the fourth quarter.
Ames coach Brian Sauser was pleased with his team's performance against Ottumwa. But he said the Little Cyclones will need to perform at a higher level this week against Marshalltown (1-5).
"We knew after the loss to Valley (two weeks ago) that we were down to a four-week schedule and that each game would get progressively tougher," Sauser said. "That's certainly the case this weekend."
More: What we learned from Ames' dominant 62-23 homecoming victory over Ottumwa
Marshalltown's only win came against Ottumwa in Week 5. Like Ames, the Bobcats also dominated the Bulldogs, winning 44-7.
"They have a lot of athleticism and size," Sauser said. "They'd be pretty scary if they can figure out how to put it all together."
Treshaun Brooks is Marshalltown's top offensive weapon. Brooks has 17 catches for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and he also has 138 yards rushing.
More: How Cameron Cantonwine's move to quarterback makes Ames a more dangerous football team
Tate Riang is the Bobcats' top rusher with 221 yards and one touchdown.
"We need to make them uncomfortable," Sauser said. "If we keep improving physically, stop the run and run the football we're going to be tough to deal with."
Ames vs. Marshalltown prediction
Ames gained a lot of confidence from last week's win and the Little Cyclones have an excellent opportunity to build on that this weekend.
Marshalltown will hit Ames with a couple of big plays, but the Bobcats will struggle to sustain drives and keep Ames out of the end zone. The Little Cyclones will come out on top to keep their playoff hopes alive. Ames 48, Marshalltown 18
Other Week 7 predictions from Ames area teams
Class 4A No. 2 Gilbert (6-0, 2-0) at No. 3 Bondurant-Farrar (5-1, 2-0)
Gilbert has worn the glass slipper well this season.
The Tigers have gone from also-rans with just one victory in two years to one of the best teams in 4A behind the coaching of Graham Lundt, outstanding team defense and special teams, and a methodical and efficient offense.
But they have not faced a team with the firepower of Bondurant-Farrar.
The Bluejays feature one of the best running backs in the entire state, senior Titus Cram, who has 951 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing on almost 10 yards per carry. They can also do damage through the air.
Bondurant-Farrar quarterback Jordan Rial has thrown for 999 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception and receiver Reed Pfaltzgraff has 28 receptions for 695 yards and nine scores.
More: How a struggling Gilbert football program turned things around. Tigers are 5-0 in 2023
Will Hawthorne, a Division I recruit at linebacker, quarterback Connor Rash, defensive lineman Tayshawn Gillen and playmakers Camden Stephens and Ean Eldred will help Gilbert hang tough for most of the night Friday. But in the end, Bondurant-Farrar has too many weapons to overcome.
The Bluejays will hand Gilbert its first loss, but the Tigers will still be in good shape heading into Week 8. Bondurant-Farrar 30, Gilbert 17
Ballard (3-3, 1-1) at 4A No. 1 ADM (5-1, 2-0)
Ballard is riding high after upsetting No. 10 North Polk in a 7-6 defensive battle at Huxley last Friday.
But the Bombers did not get much time to soak in the victory with top-ranked Adel-Desoto-Minburn coming up this Friday.
More: From one-two punch to No. 2 leading the show: ADM's Aiden Flora steps up as quarterback
After suffering a 38-31 loss to last year's 4A state runner-up Lewis Central three weeks ago, ADM has racked up victories over Norwalk, Boone and Des Moines North by a combined score of 155-22. The Tigers are led by quarterback Aidan Flora, who has 1,185 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing and 780 yards and 11 scores through the air.
Ballard running back Eli Rouse has 845 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground and Chance Lande has 257 yards and two scores receiving and three interceptions and one touchdown on defense. Ballard also possesses one of the best linebacker trios in 4A with Brody Sampson (11 sacks), Jackson Wacha (63.5 tackles) and Jack Nelson (46.5 stops).
The Ballard defense will give Flora fits for most of the night to keep the game close. But the Bomber offense will struggle to move the ball against a potent ADM defense and that will prove to be the difference. ADM 20, Ballard 7
Harlan (4-2, 1-1) at Nevada (5-1, 2-0)
Nevada will be out for revenge against two-time defending 3A state champion Harlan this Friday.
Harlan defeated the Cubs in the 3A quarterfinals en route to its 2021 and 2022 state titles. A matchup with this year's Cyclones is not as daunting as those teams were, but it still presents Nevada with a big challenge.
Will Arkfeld has 1,246 yards and 13 touchdowns passing and Cade Sears gives the Cyclones one of the best receivers in the state with 23 receptions for 487 yards and seven touchdowns. Franz Reize has 25 tackles and three sacks for Harlan on defense.
Nevada crushed Knoxville in a 43-0 homecoming win last Friday. The Cubs will be looking for their third win in a row since falling at Hampton-Dumont-CAL, 24-21, in a matchup between two teams who were ranked in the top 10 at the time.
Cason Stevenson has 939 yards and nine touchdowns rushing on 8.9 yards per carry, Jacob Khounsourath has 528 yards and eight touchdowns receiving, Kyle Kingsbury's posted 20 receptions for 390 yards and five scores and Connor King's added 990 yards and 13 touchdowns passing for Nevada on offense. Jackson Burlage has 51.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks, Anthony Eaton has 41.5 tackles and eight stops behind the line and Kingsbury, Khounsourath and Isaac Williams have two interceptions apiece for the Cubs defensively.
If Nevada wins this game, it will keep pace with No. 2 Creston in the 3A District 6 title race. The Cubs will put up a much better fight against Harlan than they did during their last two playoff trips, but in the end, Harlan will still have a little too much firepower. Harlan 27, Nevada 20
Roland-Story (4-2, 2-1) at Des Moines Christian (3-3, 2-1)
A win over Des Moines Christian puts Roland-Story in position to place second in 2A District 8 behind No. 7 Kuemper Catholic.
The Norsemen are coming off an explosive offensive performance against Greene County last week. They cruised to a 62-31 homecoming victory over the Rams.
Hesston Johnson has 583 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing and Jonovan Wilkinson has seven total touchdowns and 617 all-purpose yards for Roland-Story. Freshman Carlson Fiston has also come on strong on both sides of the ball in recent weeks.
Des Moines Christian saw its three-game winning streak end last week with a 61-7 loss at Kuemper Catholic. The Lions have an explosive passing attack featuring quarterback Tate Platte, who has thrown for 1,538 yards and 19 touchdowns, and four players with over 300 yards receiving.
More: Here are 10 Iowa high school football games to watch and our predictions for Week 7
Expect another high-scoring affair for Roland-Story this week. The Norsemen will prevail once again. Roland-Story 56, Des Moines Christian 30
Fort Dodge St. Edmond (3-3, 2-2) at Colo-NESCO (5-2, 3-2)
Colo-NESCO has won three straight games by at least 20 points heading into its final home game of the season Friday against St. Edmond.
Breckin Clatt has 767 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing and 293 yards and five scores passing as the top offensive playmaker for the Royals. Linebacker Trenton Beard already has 75.5 tackles, Ben Ryan's posted eight sacks and Lucas Frohwein has added 6.5 sacks on defense.
St. Edmond is coming off a 59-34 home loss to Coon Rapids-Bayard. J.T. Laufersweiler has 1,526 yards and 21 touchdowns passing and Grant Galles has put up 679 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving for the Gaels.
St. Edmond will keep Colo-NESCO's defensive backfield busy Friday night. But the Royals will also get to Laufersweiler often and Clatt will make several big plays to keep things rolling for his team. Colo-NESCO 66, St. Edmond 42
Collins-Maxwell (1-5, 0-5) at Audubon (5-1, 4-0)
Collins-Maxwell wraps up 8-Player District 9 competition this Friday with a road game at district leader Audubon.
The Spartans will try and snap a five-game losing streak. They are led by Josef Dvorak, who has 445 yards and six touchdowns rushing, 370 yards and three touchdowns receiving and 55.5 tackles with three interceptions and fumble recoveries apiece.
More: Friday's Week 7 schedule of Iowa high school football games, kickoff times across the state
Audubon picked up a 34-20 homecoming win over Glidden-Ralston last week to earn its fifth victory in a row. The Wheelers feature quarterback Aaron Olson, who has 707 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing plus 331 yards through the air, and back Evan Alt with 834 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Collins-Maxwell will hang around until the midway point of the second quarter. Then Audubon will take control and pull away. Audubon 54, Collins-Maxwell 28
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 7 Iowa high school football picks: Gilbert-Carlisle, Nevada-Harlan
