Can Roland-Story upset Nevada? Our Week 2 Ames-area high school football predictions
The Ames football team will be looking to bounce back from a 35-7 loss to Waukee during its season opener when the Little Cyclones host No. 10 Ankeny Centennial for their home opener this Friday.
Ames was banged up last week, but the Little Cyclones have some good news on the injury front heading into their Week 2 game.
"We get a few guys back, which will definitely help," said Ames coach Brian Sauser. "We get (quarterback and safety) Lane Kenny back and it is certainly a better feeling to be close to full strength."
The Little Cyclones will need those extra bodies against a Centennial team that is also looking to right the ship. The Jaguars are coming off a heartbreaking 39-38 loss to top rival Ankeny in double overtime.
"It will be a good challenge on both sides of the football," Sauser said.
Ames had some success moving the football against Waukee. The Little Cyclones had a respectable 286 yards with 158 passing and 128 rushing, but they struggled to finish drives.
Jamison Poe ran for 89 yards on just 11 carries, Cameron Cantonwine filled in at quarterback and threw for 100 yards and Cameron Strawhacker made two catches for 63 yards.
On defense, they had a difficult time slowing down Waukee's running game. Ames must see significant improvement on that side of the ball if it expects to hang with Centennial.
"We just need to be much better fundamentally on defense," Sauser said. "We have to stop the run."
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Centennial running back and UNI recruit Elijah Porter ran for 187 yards against Ankeny. Jaguars quarterback Trenton Smith threw for 118 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, and receiver Max Snyder made six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Sauser expects Centennial senior tight end Chase Schutty to also be a handful this Friday.
"Porter does a great job and so does their line and they run a lot through No. 10 (Schutty)," Sauser said. "It will be just as big of a challenge as last week, if not bigger."
The game could come down to which team establishes momentum first.
"It'll be how the game starts," Sauser said. "We can't get down 14-0 quickly like we did against Waukee."
Ames vs. No. 10 Ankeny Centennial prediction
Both teams will be on a mission to atone for their Week 1 losses.
Ames will be in much better shape with the return of Kenny and a few other key parts, plus the Little Cyclones will likely take a big step forward fundamentally, as is often the case from Week 1 to Week 2. But Centennial will also be out to prove itself and the Jaguars have a little more manpower than an Ames team that still is not 100%.
The growth from Week 1 to Week 2 and home field advantage will help Ames keep this one close. But Centennial will prevail in the end. Ankeny Centennial 27, Ames 20
Other Week 2 predictions for Ames-area teams
Roland-Story (1-0) at 3A-No. 7 Nevada (1-0)
Nevada and Roland-Story both head into their Week 2 matchup with a ton of momentum after they each posted a shutout victory on the road in Week 1.
Nevada crushed then-2A No. 6 West Marshall by a 31-0 score. Roland-Story rolled over South Tama by a 40-0 margin.
Nevada features one of the best defenses in 3A led by linebacker Jackson Burlage and defensive back Kyle Kingsbury. Burlage made 11.5 tackles and Kingsbury added four tackles plus one interception against West Marshall.
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Roland-Story will utilize its talented trio of running backs, Hesston Johnson, Jonovan Wilkinson and Jake Berggren, to try and move the ball on that stout defense that yielded only 86 total yards to West Marshall. Johnson ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns, Berggren posted 64 yards and two scores and Wilkinson had 46 yards plus 98 yards and one touchdown receiving against South Tama.
The Nevada offense saw Connor King make an impressive debut at quarterback last week. He threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 80 yards and a score.
Two-time 1,000-yard rusher Cason Stevenson ran for 97 yards and a touchdown and Kingsbury and Jacob Khounsourath combined for 135 yards and two touchdowns receiving.
Roland-Story has an elite linebacker of its own in Charlie Watts, who finished with six tackles against South Tama. Sophomore Cody Long added seven stops and a fumble recovery.
It will be tough for both teams to move the football in this game. But Nevada has a little more depth and experience on both sides of the ball, and that combined with the home field advantage will give the Cubs the win. Nevada 28, Roland-Story 10
Carroll (1-0) at Gilbert (1-0)
Gilbert wants to keep its momentum going after a hard-fought 14-12 home victory over Dallas Center-Grimes last Friday.
The Tigers get another home game this week. They host a 1-0 Carroll team that shut out Greene County by a 20-0 score last week.
Gilbert was inconsistent moving the football last week, but Tayshawn Gillen and Will Hawthorne were able to grind out 98 yards and one touchdown rushing between them. Tiger quarterback Connor Rash added a big-time 29-yard touchdown throw to Ean Eldred.
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They will struggle to move the football again against a Carroll team that only gave up 218 yards and forced two turnovers against Greene County.
But Gilbert was fantastic on defense itself against DCG. The Tigers held the Mustangs to 211 yards and they forced three turnovers.
Hawthorne (10 tackles) and Gillen (two sacks) will try and stop a balanced Carroll offense that features dual-threat quarterback Carter Essick, who had 139 yards and three touchdowns passing and 87 yards rushing against Greene County. Cooper Ludwig added 138 yards rushing for Carroll last week.
Gilbert will need flawless execution to get past Carroll. But the Tigers will open up their offense a little more and the defense will once again deliver to give them their second close home victory in a row. Gilbert 20, Carroll 17
Class 3A No. 5 Humboldt (1-0) at Ballard (1-0)
Ballard will be out for revenge after dropping a 26-14 battle to Humboldt at home last season.
The Bombers get another crack at the Wildcats at their home stadium Friday. Last week Ballard ran for 284 yards and held Pella to 213 total yards in a 20-17 road victory over the Little Dutch.
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Eli Rouse ran for 215 yards and totaled three touchdowns and Rhett Hedrick had 10 tackles and two stops behind the line for the Bombers.
Humboldt cruised to a 20-3 victory over 4A No. 10 Spencer last week. The Wildcats only had 189 yards, but they held the Tigers to 160.
Corey Dettmenn had 6.5 tackles and he returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown last week for Humboldt. Coen Mattson ran for 108 yards.
It will take everything clicking on both sides of the ball and limited mistakes for Ballard to pull off the upset. The Bombers will hang with the Wildcats for all four quarters, but they will come up just short. Humboldt 17, Ballard 14
Audubon (0-1) at Colo-NESCO (2-0)
Colo-NESCO is making some noise in 8-player football after two impressive victories to open the season.
The hot streak could keep going this Friday when the Royals host Audubon (0-1). Audubon is coming off a 42-12 home loss to No. 2 CAM, and the Wheelers will have a tough time moving the football against a Royal defense that is only giving up 10 points per game and has forced seven turnovers.
Breckin Clatt gives Colo-NESCO one of the best playmakers in 8-player football on offense. Clatt has 416 yards and nine touchdowns rushing on 12.2 yards per carry and he also has a punt return for a touchdown.
Audubon will put up a great fight for three quarters, but Colo-NESCO will pull away late to go to 3-0. Colo-NESCO 36, Audubon 26
Fort Dodge St. Edmond (1-0) at Collins-Maxwell (1-0)
Collins-Maxwell finally gets a home game.
The Spartans had to spend all of last season on the road due to construction at their football stadium and track. Now the new stadium is ready to host a Collins-Maxwell team coming off a lopsided 60-28 victory over GMG.
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Cooper Wierson threw for 231 yards, ran for 116 and totaled six touchdowns for the Spartans last week. Josef Dvorak had nine tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
St. Edmond edged out Bishop Garrigan, 42-34, in its opener last Friday. Klay Baker had 120 yards and two touchdowns receiving and 78 yards and one score on the ground for the Gaels.
St. Edmond will push Collins-Maxwell for all four quarters. But the Spartans will not go down in their first game at the new Collins-Maxwell Stadium. Collins-Maxwell 48, St. Edmond 36
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him atjrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Week 2 predictions: Nevada vs Roland-Story, Ames takes on Centennial
