The 4A Club Conference Preview: CIML-Iowa

Because of the pandemic, the Iowa High School Athletic Association has let Class 4A schools and conferences make their own schedules, essentially bringing back conference play in Class 4A football for the first time since 2013. So here’s a preview of every school in the Iowa Conference of the Central Iowa Metro League. <strong>Disclaimer: </strong>Mason City is also apart of the Iowa Conference, but since they were brought down to 3A as apart of the new football realignment and I’m only covering 4A schools, I won’t be covering them this season.   Ames My Preseason Ranking: 34th My Team Rating: 28.4444 (E+)   Head Coach: Kevin Ferguson Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Ferguson Defensive Coordinator: Jamie Smith Base Offense: Multiple (1-0, 2-0) Base Defense: 4-2-5   Watchlist Players: TE [player_tooltip player_id="23951" first="Corey" last="Phillips"], JR   Returning Starters: RB Derek Papin, SR DE Mikael Broders, SR OLB Jack White, SR OLB Franck Biyoghe, SR MLB Caleb Grawe, SR   Risers/Arrivals: WR/S Tamin Lipsey, JR (returning from injury) CB Brady Burkheimer, SR S/WR [player_tooltip player_id="24016" first="Evan" last="Grey"], JR S Emilio Sandoval, SR   A quick word: There is a changing of the guard in Ames, as longtime head coach Bruce Vertanen called it a career, and ex-Simpson College assistant and most recently an assistant at Southeast Polk, Kevin Ferguson became the new HC. He’s got an uphill battle to get through, as the Little Cyclones lost a ton of starters from last year, but with basketball superstar Tamin Lipsey returning to the field after a torn ACL took away his sophomore year of sports, to go along with D-1 caliber TE [player_tooltip player_id="23951" first="Corey" last="Phillips"], the uphill battle seems a little easier for the rookie head coach to handle.     Ankeny My Preseason Ranking: 2nd Team Rating: 44.7273 (A+)   Head Coach: Rick Nelson Offensive Coordinator: Adam Booth Defensive Coordinator: Nick Nelson Base Offense: Spread (1-0, 1-1, 2-1) Base Defense: 3-4   Watchlist Players: QB [player_tooltip player_id="23828" first="Jase" last="Bauer"], SR RB [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"], JR WR [player_tooltip player_id="23810" first="Brody" last="Brecht"], SR WR Arland Bruce IV, SR MLB Brecken Manus, SR CB Cooper Cox, SR S [player_tooltip player_id="23845" first="Cael" last="Boyd"], SR S [player_tooltip player_id="23955" first="Ryan" last="Crandall"], SR   Returning Starters: FB Brock Chiodo, SR WR Kade Somers, SR TE Weston Fulk, SR G Antonio Espino, SR CB [player_tooltip player_id="23989" first="Will" last="Cornwell"], SR K Max Pelham, JR P Boston Sanderson, SR   Risers/Arrivals: RB Nate Nessa, JR (from Ballard) WR Arland Bruce IV, SR (from Olathe North, Olathe, KS) DE/TE [player_tooltip player_id="23957" first="Braden" last="Simonsen"], JR MLB Brice Peterson, SR OLB Will Johnson, SR OLB Jackson Penningroth, JR S [player_tooltip player_id="23931" first="Caleb" last="Rathjen"], SR   A quick word: There aren’t many teams as loaded as the Hawks are this season. Arland Bruce IV, all-around stat machine as QB at Olathe North and son of a three-time CFL All-Star has just moved up from the Kansas City area to team up with his future Hawkeye teammate [player_tooltip player_id="23810" first="Brody" last="Brecht"] to lead the states most deadly passing game along with QB [player_tooltip player_id="23828" first="Jase" last="Bauer"]. Defensively they’re led by a good and experienced secondary that can certainly hold the fort for a front seven that only returns one starter from 2019.     Ankeny Centennial My Preseason Ranking: T-21st My Team Rating: 35 (C)   Co-Head Coaches: Jerry & Ryan Pezzetti Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Pezzetti Defensive Coordinator: Dave Jones Base Offense: Multiple (2-1, 3-1, 2-2) Base Defense: 4-3   Watchlist Players: N/A   Returning Starters: RB/OLB [player_tooltip player_id="23860" first="Tyler" last="Johnson"], SR G Nate Howe, SR DE Nathan Wilde, SR DT/OT Jackie Wells, SR   Risers/Arrivals: QB Peyton Goode, JR RB Carter Cahill, JR OT Logan Stewart, SR G Johnathon Beuter, SR DT Griffin Neal, SR CB/RB Trey Porter, JR K Scott Talmadge, SR   A quick word: The Pezzetti’s look like they got their hands full as just about every noteworthy starter from last season’s 8-2 campaign is gone. But the Jags have been excellent in developing incoming varsity players through their lower class and JV teams so don’t expect them to take too much of a drop off in 2020.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>     Fort Dodge My Preseason Ranking: T-21st My Team Rating: 35 (C)   Head Coach: Nik Moser Offensive Coordinator: Dan Adams Defensive Coordinator: Blake Utley Base Offense: Spread (1-0, 2-0) Base Defense: 3-4   Watchlist Players: RB Dayson Clayton, SR   Returning Starters: G/DE Brandon Porter, SR C [player_tooltip player_id="23900" first="Sawyer" last="Springer"], SR CB Jerry Chada, SR S [player_tooltip player_id="23876" first="Sam" last="Daniel"], SR   Risers/Arrivals: QB Cael Mason, JR WR Javion Jondle, SO G Colten Munter, SO G Keaton Nichols, SO MLB Kaden Lynch, SO OLB James Daniel, SR OLB Thomas Daniel, SR   A quick word: Matt Miller, the Dodgers all-time winningest coach announced his retirement after the 2019 season, and taking over as head coach will be his offensive coordinator, former Iowa State safety Nik Moser. Offensively, Dayson Clayton has been a starter since he was a freshman and is ready to fully break out now that most of the offensive pieces from last year are gone, and the defense is going to be led by the triplets; Sam, James, and Thomas Daniel.     Marshalltown My Preseason Ranking: 17th My Team Rating: 37.1111 (B-)   Head Coach: Adam Goodvin Offensive Coordinator: Adam Goodvin Defensive Coordinator: Duncan Ferch Base Offense: Wing-T (2-2) Base Defense: 4-3   Watchlist Players: QB, [player_tooltip player_id="23887" first="Brendan" last="Bates"], SR TE/MLB [player_tooltip player_id="23822" first="Carson" last="Williams"], SR   Returning Starters: OT [player_tooltip player_id="23874" first="Aidan" last="DeVolder"], SR OT Ethan Wertzberger, SR G Tristan Weir, SR C Spencer Snyder, SR DE/FB Patrick Landeros, SR CB Dwight Joar, SR CB Jaiden Buchanan, SR   Risers/Arrivals: HB Malik Haynes, SR HB Nick Rebik, SO FB [player_tooltip player_id="23993" first="Dominick" last="Garth"], JR MLB/TE Gannon Williams, JR (returning from injury) G Tristan King, JR   A quick word: The Bobcats have some making up to do from 2019 as they came *this* close to a playoff berth after starting 6-0, but faced a tough stretch of teams to end the season and lost all three of them. Their two-way ace [player_tooltip player_id="23822" first="Carson" last="Williams"] is a University of Buffalo commit, and his younger brother Gannon is looking to break out too after missing most of last season to help lead a strong Marshalltown team to new heights in 2020.