North Central Teams Take Advantage Of Extra Week Of Play

With all the changes to the prep football season, one will allow four north central Iowa teams to see the field for a ninth time. Teams not qualifying for the playoffs were allowed to schedule a game this week, and that is exactly what Manson Northwest Webster, North Union, Bishop Garrigan and St. Edmond will do. Manson NW and North Union will play each other, while Garrigan heads to Riceville and St. Edmond visits Siouxland Christian. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148744" first="Tate" last="Bianchi"] - Manson Northwest Webster - RB/CB - 5-7 - 160</strong> A bright spot for the Cougars this year has been senior [player_tooltip player_id="148744" first="Tate" last="Bianchi"]. During his first few years with MNW, Bianchi was a tough player to cover out wide. This fall, he moved to the backfield and has shined. Bianchi surpassed 1,000 yards rushing, entering this week with 1,095 and nine scores. He has also caught 17 passes for 227 yards and two more scores. His ability to be a dual threat on the field makes him so difficult to cover. Bianchi has excellent hands and a strong presence on the field for creating big plays. He also is excellent in the return game, making him a valuable multi-tool asset. <strong>Bryer Prochinak - North Union - RB/CB - 6-0 - 175</strong> Excellent size and the ability to turn little plays into big ones is what Bryer Prochniak presents. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound junior has rushed for 1,066 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, averaging almost eight yards per carry. Prochniak is also a capable receiver out of the backfield, hauling in 25 passes for 276 yards and two more scores. With his size, he could become an interesting candidate to play the slot in an open offense, while also bringing him into the backfield on sweeps and tosses. <strong>Cal Birkey - Bishop Garrigan - RB/CB - 5-6 - 155</strong> Bishop Garrigan junior Cal Birkey does a little bit of everything for the Golden Bears and legendary head coach Marty Wadle. Where Birkey could make an impact at the next level, though, is special teams. On the season, is averaging over 11 yards per kickoff return and five yards per punt return. That might not sound out-of-this-world, but on an eight-player field, it is a little more difficult to rack up the yards. Birkey has great speed, soft hands and improving vision out of the backfield. Look for big things out of him next fall as he continues to grow. <strong>Tyler Rossmanith - St. Edmond</strong> It has been a tough senior season for Tyler Rossmanith at St. Edmond. The change to eight-player and the constant battle with injuries have kept him from playing at 100 percent. Last week, though, Rossmanith flashed some potential once more. A powerful - yet quick - runner, Rossmanith has 453 yards rushing and has also caught six passes for 68 yards on the year. He could slot into a conventional two-back system at the college level as a multi-threat fullback, and is also a strong defender as evident by his tackling skills. &nbsp;