Top Week 7 Games in Each Class, Players to Watch

Let's take a look at Week 7 top games in each class and players in them:   Class 5A   Game of the Week: Southeast Polk (6-0) at Waukee (5-1)   The Setup: Waukee holds a slim 7-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Rams have won the last two meetings. It's a matchup of two Top 5 teams in the RPI with designs on winning it all this season.   Players to Watch: Southeast Polk quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='376911' first='Connor' last='Moberly'], an Iowa State recruit, has thrown for 14 touchdowns against just one interception. [player_tooltip player_id='247943' first='CJ' last='Phillip'] and Landon Vander Werff form a solid 1-2 punch at running back, and Carson Robbins and [player_tooltip player_id='1278273' first='Sam' last='Zelenovich'] are threats on the outside. [player_tooltip player_id='247990' first='Draven' last='Woods'] and [player_tooltip player_id='640854' first='Cooper' last='Martinson'] stand out on defense.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1240560' first='Beckett' last='Bakker'] is a dual-threat quarterback with 853 passing yards and 348 rushing yards for Waukee. [player_tooltip player_id='1279995' first='Grant' last='Gammell'] leads the team in ground yards (520). Gammell, Henrick Nimley, [player_tooltip player_id='320876' first='Cooper' last='Andrews'] and [player_tooltip player_id='247968' first='Charlie' last='Cross'] all have at least 10 catches. [player_tooltip player_id='1279956' first='Ian' last='Samples'] and Orson Harrop are disruptive defenders.   Other Marquee Matchups in 5A: Dubuque Hempstead at CR Kennedy (Thursday); CR Prairie at CR Jefferson; Urbandale at Dowling.   Class 4A   Game of the Week: Gilbert (6-0) at Bondurant-Farrar (5-1)   The Setup: Gilbert tops the 4A RPI rankings this week. The Tigers travel to No. 6 Bondurant-Farrar, which has beaten them three times in a row.   Players to Watch: Gilbert junior [player_tooltip player_id='1279764' first='Connor' last='Rash'] has thrown for eight touchdowns and run for five more. [player_tooltip player_id='252314' first='Will' last='Hawthorne'] leads the team in rushing and also has scored five times on the ground. Hawthorne and Ean Eldred have combined for seven TD catches. Hawthorne and [player_tooltip player_id='1238526' first='Tayshawn' last='Gillen'] lead the defense.   Bluejay junior [player_tooltip player_id='252225' first='Jordan' last='Rial'] has thrown for 13 touchdowns with only one interception. [player_tooltip player_id='156487' first='Titus' last='Cram'] has rushed for 951 yards (9.6 YPC) and 13 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='247963' first='Reed' last='Pfaltzgraff'] has caught 28 passes for 695 yards and nine scores. Cram, Batpiny Riak, [player_tooltip player_id='1406662' first='Parker' last='Ernst'] and [player_tooltip player_id='247976' first='Dalton' last='House'] are playing well defensively.   Other Marquee Matchups in 4A: Indianola at North Polk; Marion at Decorah; Ballard at ADM; Dallas Center-Grimes at Glenwood.   Class 3A   Game of the Week: Williamsburg (6-0) at Solon (5-1)   The Setup: Williamsburg holds down the No. 1 position in the 3A RPI with Solon checking in fourth this week. Solon owns a 4-2 record in this series but the Raiders won last season, 38-25.   Players to Watch: Senior signal caller Kellen Cockrell has tossed 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions for Williamsburg. Nile Sinn has rushed for 494 yards and four scores, while Braylon Wetjen, [player_tooltip player_id='848057' first='Rayce' last='Heitman'], [player_tooltip player_id='248037' first='Derek' last='Weisskopf'] and Clayten Steckly all are threats as receivers. Heitman, Weisskopf, [player_tooltip player_id='1360498' first='Micah' last='Lang'], Simeon Armbrecht and Ian Stumpff all are enjoying strong seasons on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1360778' first='Tyler' last='Bell'] is settling in at quarterback for Solon. [player_tooltip player_id='1242954' first='Conlan' last='Poynton'] is emerging as a reliable running back, and gets help from Barret Schade, [player_tooltip player_id='1360709' first='Eddie' last='Johnson'] and Brayden Moore in the rushing game. Johnson, Nash Kotar and Grant Knipper each has at least 10 receptions. Johnson, [player_tooltip player_id='248019' first='Brett' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='665099' first='Ben' last='Kampman'] are among the defensive standouts.   Other Marquee Matchups in 3A: Humboldt at Algona; Hampton-Dumont-CAL at Clear Lake; Sioux Center at MOC-Floyd Valley; Mount Vernon at Fort Madison; Harlan at Nevada; Benton at Grinnell.   Class 2A   Game of the Week: Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (6-0) at Western Christian (5-1)   The Setup: CL/G-LR heads the 2A state rankings. The Lions could get a major test at No. 5 Western Christian. The schools are meeting for the first time since '19.   Players to Watch: All-state receiver [player_tooltip player_id='573617' first='Reece' last='Vander Zee'], an Iowa Hawkeye commitment, slid over to quarterback this season for the Lions. He's thrown for eight touchdowns and run for 10 more.  [player_tooltip player_id='320758' first='Graham' last='Eben'], another Hawkeye pledge, has 574 yards and 18 scores on the ground, and  [player_tooltip player_id='245890' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'] has been the team's top receiver. Xaccai Ditsworth, [player_tooltip player_id='1280523' first='Jack' last='Krull'] and Gabe Schulte are among the guys standing out on defense.   Junior Kaden VanRegenmorter is a dual-threat quarterback for Western Christian with eight touchdowns through the air and four more on the ground. Tyler Mantel leads the rushing attack, and Karsten Moret is a threat at receiver. Mantel, Teague VerVelde, Ryder Van Bemmel and Taeten Kollis lead a stingy Wolfpack defense.   Other Marquee Matchups in 2A: Lincoln Central at Forest City; West Burlington at Albia; Osage at Waukon.   Class 1A   Game of the Week: Denver (5-1) at MFL-MarMac (5-1)   The Setup: A pair of teams ranked in the Top 5 of the class face off in a critical District 3 contest. Both schools have lost to district leader, Sumner-Frederickburg, this season. Denver has won four of five games in this series but the Bulldogs took the last meeting, 18-0, two years ago.   Players to Watch: Jaxon Sanderson has contributed as a thrower and runner this season manning quarterback for Denver with five passing touchdowns and four more on the ground. Running back Micah Grier (1,150 rushing yards, 11.2 YPC, 14 TDs) has shined in '23. Receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1466973' first='Ethan' last='Reiter'] and Keaton Rothmeyer keep defenses honest. Evan Dorn, Alex Moran, Cody Koepke and [player_tooltip player_id='1466973' first='Ethan' last='Reiter'] rank among the top defenders.   MFL-MarMac signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='156457' first='Carver' last='Blietz-Bentien'] has thrown for six touchdowns and added five scores on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='156641' first='Wyatt' last='Powell'], Quinn McGeough and Bryce Radloff also contribute to a balanced rushing attack. Radloff and Brandon Christofferson are dangerous receivers. Powell, Blietz-Bentien, [player_tooltip player_id='156623' first='Tristen' last='Koehn'], Bryce Diehl, Brayden Gordon and Kade McElwaine have performed well defensively.   Other Marquee Matchups in 1A: West Branch at Wilton; Dike-New Hartford at Aplington-Parkersburg; OABCIG at Hinton.   Class A   Game of the Week: Lake Mills (6-0) at West Hancock (5-1)   The Setup: It's a matchup of the current No. 3 (West Hancock) and No. 9 teams in the Class A District 2. West Hancock has captured the last four meetings in this series.   Players to Watch: Lake Mills has piled up 1,746 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground this season with major contributions coming from Logan Bacon, Beau Kaufman, Carter Christianson and Alex Mannes. Garrett Ham has been a big-play threat in the receiving game. Bacon, Kaufman, Mannes, Lance Helming and [player_tooltip player_id='1278901' first='Aiden' last='Stensrud'] have made plays defensively.   Eagles quarterback Mitchell Smith has performed efficiently with six touchdown passes against no picks and 6.0 yards per carry with three ground scores. Jaxen Peterson, Kale Zuehl and Kellen Smith have led a rushing attack with 1,774 yards and 28 TDs. Kellen Smith and Zack Beukema have five touchdown catches between them. Kellen Smith, [player_tooltip player_id='247996' first='David' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='1359313' first='Brady' last='Bixel'] and Nolan Vaske have popped on defense.   Other Marquee Matchups in A: Lisbon at Danville; ACGC at Mount Ayr; North Linn at Maquoketa Valley; Nashua Plainfield at North Butler.   Eight Player   Game of the Week: Clarksville (7-0) at Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-0)   The Setup: The first-ever meeting between these two unbeaten teams should be a doozy in District 4. They'll likely keep the scoreboard operator plenty busy.   Players to Watch: Clarksville leans on a rushing attack that's rolled up 2633 yards and 45 touchdowns. MaKade Bloker, [player_tooltip player_id='1242268' first='Owen' last='Backer'], Eli Schmidt and [player_tooltip player_id='1621106' first='Nathan' last='Moon'] are responsible for most of those yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1352846' first='Sam' last='Hoodjer'] has a couple of TD catches. Backer, Schmidt, [player_tooltip player_id='1242848' first='Kaiven' last='Kielman'] and Rex Ross are standing out defensively.   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='156459' first='Isaac' last='Clark'] has thrown 16 touchdowns with only one interception and rushed for nine scores, while classmate Austin Vaverka has averaged 8.8 yards per rush with nine TDs on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='252223' first='Drew' last='Eilers'], [player_tooltip player_id='1034037' first='Hudson' last='Clark'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1197467' first='Treyvon' last='Herron'] have combined for 16 touchdown grabs. Clark, Eilers, Vaverka, Herron, Hunter Roberts and [player_tooltip player_id='1352888' first='Michael' last='Boyd'] have shined on defense.   Other Marquee Matchups in Eight Player: St. Mary's at Woodbine; Don Bosco at Turkey Valley; Central City at Lone Tree; Lenox at Southeast Warren.

Let's take a look at Week 7 top games in each class and players in them: