Repeat? OABCIG & Class 1A Preview

Over the coming days, before the 2020 Iowa High School Football season kicks off, we will check in with all the champions from last season. How likely is it they repeat as champions? Who wins the title in that Class this year? Let’s dive into it. Today we take a look at Class 1A, last year’s (2A) champ - OABCIG, and contenders to watch out for. Class 1A, like Class A and 2A, are different because of Iowa’s redistricting and teams going up or down Classes. Last year’s Class 1A champ West Lyon has moved up to Class 2A, while the Class 2A champ, OABCIG, has moved down to Class 1A. We will wait for the 2A preview to go in-depth on West Lyon, and instead, we will go in-depth with OABCIG. OABCIG, first, let’s start with the basics. It stands for Odebolt–Arthur–Battle Creek–Ida Grove. The Falcons rolled to the Class 2A title last season, going 13-0. They outscored their opponents by 412 points, 592-180. The offense starts with one of the best ’21 prospects in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="23817" first="Cooper" last="DeJean"]. The University of Iowa Commit is the top ATH prospect in our PrepRed Zone Iowa database. The numbers for DeJean speak for themselves. It would be quicker to list the categories he didn’t lead Class 2A in last year then the categories he did. Here we go, 70 total touchdowns, 42 passing touchdowns, 24 rushing touchdowns, 5,062 all-purpose yards, 3,546 passing yards, 66 offensive touchdowns, 4,838 offensive yards, 236 completions, 396 passing attempts, and a 98-yard touchdown scored. DeJean led or tied all of those categories in Class 2A last season. OABCIG will use more than just DeJean in their run for another title in a new Class. Receivers - DeJean wouldn’t be able to throw for video game numbers without receivers to catch those passes. The Falcons will be without Jake Nieman (1,000 yards 16 TD’s) and William Grote (500 yards 7 TD’s) as they were both lost to graduation. Instead, they will lean on junior [player_tooltip player_id="23962" first="Easton" last="Harms"], who caught nine touchdowns and 1,114 yards last season. They also have a core of senior receivers who will be tapped to catch more passes this season. Cameron Sharkey, Trust Wells, and Kolton Knop all caught two or more touchdowns passed last season. Rushers - On the ground, two sophomores will be among a group of ball carriers. Griffin Diersen ran for 240 yards and a score; Beckett DeJean will also help the offense on the ground and in the air. Defense - One of the most alarming stats that jump off the page from last year’s team for opponents is the Falcons forced 42 turnovers last season. That’s almost three and a half turnovers per game. With Regina down to Class A, OABCIG is the overwhelming favorite in Class 1A, but who could give the Falcons a run? South Central Calhoun is a team to watch out for this year in Class 1A. The Titans lost just one game a year ago to the eventual runners-up, Van Meter, in the quarterfinals. They return a bulk of their talent from that team, including senior quarterback, Cole Corey. Quarterback - Corey threw for 887 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran almost 200 hundred yards. Rushers - You can’t even use the term committee when talking about the Titans backfield. It’s more like rushing by the army. Nineteen different rushers saw the field last year for South Central Calhoun, fifteen of which return this year. Keep an eye on ’22 prospect Blake McAlister; he will be who they lean on. Also, seniors Brennan Holder, T’Juan Sander, and Evan Jacobs will help carry the load. Defense - On defense, 44 different athletes recorded a tackle last year. Expect the Titans to move a lot of guys in and out again this year as they try and reach the UNI-Dome. The next group of teams in Class 1A is all unique: they all are missing key pieces from last year’s team that made a postseason run. Dike New-Hartford, West Branch, Van Meter, Underwood, Osage, and West Christain Hull. Watch out for teams that didn’t make the playoffs such as Belmond-Klemme, Sigourney-Keota, and Southeast Valley. But one team sticks out to me that I think could make a run this season. Panorama, Pandora, the Panthers return some key pieces from a team that was bounced from the playoffs in round one. Quarterback - Domonic Walker returns after throwing for 1,313 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He also scrambled for 334 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Walker may not be a guy to pick up big yardage with his legs, but can use them not to take a sack and punch it in near the endzone. Receivers - The Panthers have a core group of four senior wideouts back; all were over 100 yards receiving last year. Lucas Leiferman, Evan, and Drew Taylor, and Jack Weinkoetz will all anchor the air attack. Rushers - The ground game is where the Panthers will be looking for some help. A majority of the carries last year graduated. Defense - The Panthers will return their top SEVEN tacklers from last year’s team. Drew Taylor (55.5), Trent Hambleton (48), Wyatt Appleseth (41), and Evan Taylor (37.5) are all seniors on this year’s team. They forced 29 turnovers last year, just four of those turnovers graduated. Junior offensive lineman Jared Wasson is also a PrepRed Zone Preseason All-State honorable mention selection. Senior Zach Rizzuti has offers from Graceland and Loras, he will help in different capacities. Watchlist: West Branch, Dike New-Hartford, Osage, Underwood, West Christain Hull, Van Meter, Belmond-Klemme, Sigourney-Keota, and Southeast Valley.