Spotlighting Friday Night’s North Central Matchups

As we hit the second "Football Friday Night" of October, you can feel the pressure rising and the intensity growing. Teams continue to jockey for a district title or a playoff spot, while others are looking to build momentum into the offseason for a run at the postseason in 2023. Around the north-central Iowa area will be several interesting games. Here’s a look at some of those and the key players to keep an eye on. <strong>South Central Calhoun at Woodward-Granger</strong> A pair of 5-1 teams battle it out at Hawk Stadium when South Central Calhoun meets Woodward-Granger. The Titans feature an excellent dual-threat skill player in [player_tooltip player_id="148364" first="Blake" last="McAlister"]. The senior has 527 yards rushing and seven scores, while also catching 11 passes for 203 yards and four more TDs. Over the years, South Central Calhoun has evolved and always features someone like McAlister. Current South Dakota standout Kody Case was one of the first, and McAlister has the size, speed and tools to follow him to the next level. Keep an eye on a rising sophomore in quarterback Gavin Batta, who has thrown for 502 yards without an interception on 62 attempts. His ability to read opposing defenses is improving with each week. On the other side of the field will be Carter Moran, the Woodward-Granger junior signal-caller. Moran has thrown for 850 yards with a 12-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Moran is also very athletic, adding 234 yards and eight TDs on the ground. At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Moran has good size and another season to continue his upward climb. <strong>Pocahontas Area at Southeast Valley</strong> Expect nothing short of fireworks as Southeast Valley looks to continue its unbeaten run at home. The Jaguars have scored some of the biggest wins of the season led by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="147479" first="Kolson" last="Kruse"]. A senior, Kruse has almost 1,200 yards passing with 13 touchdowns, adding 677 yards and nine scores on the ground. He directs an uptempo offense that can slow it down and grind you away with running back Lathe Muench whenever they want to. The Indians will need another big night from Chase Boysen to pull the upset. Boysen is a dual-threat like Kruse, passing for 506 yards with 557 yards on the ground. If he can move the chains and pick up first downs, that would give Pocahontas Area the best chance. Also, taking advantage of his top receiver, Chase Cook, an excellent vertical threat averaging over 21 yards per catch. <strong>Humboldt at Gilbert</strong> Honestly, this should just be another easy night for the Wildcats and standout quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="148361" first="Caden" last="Matson"]. But, it is hard to go a week without mentioning Matson, so there is our opportunity. The senior, who is picking up more and more offers, has thrown for 1,461 yards and ran for another 765 with 28 combined touchdowns in six games. Matson is the total package: he has the arm, the legs and the field awareness to thrive at the next level. While he might not have ideal height, there is absolutely no denying his abilities. Matson has completed almost 77 percent of his throws, displaying excellent arm strength and great touch on the short-to-medium passes. Humboldt also has great weapons in receivers Will Orness and Jacob Heier. Orness is more of the possession guy, catching 38 passes for 607 yards and 11 scores, while Heier is averaging over 24 yards per catch and can stretch the field.