FB: American Rivers Conference

[sc_stormchaser]

I was just checking out his record and it has gradually gotten worse
2002 6-4
2003 9-2 8-1 IIAC
2004 5-5 4-4
2005 5-5 3-5
2006 2-6 2-4 with 2 games left that I don't see them winning.

Well, I don't know the guy. I played all four years for Williams. I know some guys that played for him and the reviews are mixed. I've said it before, his two winning seasons were with mostly kids recruited by Williams. He wouldn't have had his own juniors and seniors (minus transfers) until '04 and '05. I have a feeling the natives would have been running him out of town, if it wasn't for the '03 playoff season. I've already said that I believe he will be back.

[lorbec47]

Show--

I'm not with the staff at Kuemper, I teach/coach about 3.5 hours away acutally. The head coach asked me to help him out and I'm volunteering my time. My head coach doesn't mind. I hope to see you Tuesday!

[DutchFan2004]

Picks for the week,

BV at UD  UD by 7

Cornell at Wartburg Wartburg by 14

Loras at Simpson Loras by 7

Central at Coe  Central by 3

[DutchFan2004]

K-Mack,

You lost me on the Coe win helping the strength of schedule.  Correct me if I am wrong.  Central beating Coe does not hurt Wartburg QoWI in the least provided Coe wins its last game.  They will be 7-3 which is a 700 team.  There are no higher catagories than 700.  So the only way a Coe victory over Central is if they would not win their final game.  Then they would still be 7-3. 

If I am not wrong then Wartburg wants Central to win this week, Coe win next week so that Wartburg has a 9-1 record and an OT loss to a 10-0 conference champ?

I just don't see the logic to an 8-2 team being good to Wartburg with Central at 9-1.  Let me know where I am wrong.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

I know the focus on the Central-Coe game by many is playoff related, but if I were a Knight fan my main focus at this point would still be about getting a share of the Iowa Conference title.

[WartTrainer]

For what its worth..a friend of mine just recenlty transfered out of Simpson because he wasnt a big fan of the way things were handled in terms of playing time.  He told me that it was like high school in the fact that if you have the right last name you had a pretty good chance of playing.

[WLCALUM83]

How would you guys say Cornell's season has gone--about as expected? (Thought maybe the Rams would have 1 or 2 more wins given their success against Alma.)

[Storm-what?]

That seems pretty surprising about the kid transferring. College coaches have too much at stake to play favorites. They usually play talent. Not saying it's impossible, I don't know his sitation, but sure seems unlikely. Unlike high school- most kids come from towns far and wide- no one particular family has years of history and clout. What would a coach have to gain by playing a certain last name in college?

In my experience- athletes whose athletic plans don't pan out usually have some grand reason why- partly to save face maybe? But, maybe he's right- don't know.

[DutchFan2004]

How would you guys say Cornell's season has gone--about as expected? (Thought maybe the Rams would have 1 or 2 more wins given their success against Alma.)

I would say that Cornell has played to about where they were in the conference last year.  I too was thinking that they may be able to win more with the early season wins.  I think they had some injuries that affected some of their games.  Thats part of football but with the numbers so low at Cornell it may have affected them more than other teams. 

[The Show]

Off the college topic for a sec...

JSPC overcomes 5 lost fumbles (8 total) and an INT to hold on for a win over Lance's Gilbert Tigers 13-7.  We also had a roughing the kicker call that extended their only scoring drive.  We had doubled our season's turnover totals by halftime...

Tough loss tonight Walston.  I feel you on the turnovers, somehow we managed a win with ours.

[sportsknight]

Couple thoughts on current topics around the board...

- Each of the last few times I've talked with IIAC Commish John Cochrane, he has told me that the conference has no interest in changing the number of schools in the league.  I think a 9-school conference works well.  Football teams get two non-conference games and a bye week, and the other sports can have an even amount of conference games per season.  Would Grinnell improve the league's academic reputation?  Probably, but not as much as many people would think.  Athletically, I wouldn't see them as that much of an improvement.  With Clarke dropping to NAIA next year, I think they will be the only D3 school in the state that isn't in the conference (not sure what Franciscan or Waldorf's affiliations are).  And I think most people in Storm Lake, Pella, and Indianola would tell you that the conference doesn't need another school on the eastern side of the state.

- I would also be among those that have received an email from Simpson's SID.  Generally he's a pretty good guy, but I'd agree that his email to me was pretty out of the blue.  He's originally from New Joisey, so be careful what you say about him.  I hear he has some "connections," if you know what I mean.

- Last I knew, Akeem Carter was out of eligibility.  He was Wartburg's #1 at a couple different weights the last 3 years, and was the back-up to Alain Djoumessi the year before that.  I could be wrong (Lord knows its happened before), but I don't think you'll be seeing him on the mat this year.

-  I was in Saint Ansgar tonight to see the Saints defeat Clayton Ridge tonight.  Cold night for football, that's for sure.  CR committed 7 turnovers in the game, so they feel your pain, Walston.  St.A will play Edgewood-Colesburg on Monday.  Ed-Co defeated Lake Mills tonight at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly.

[Kohawk Krazy]

With Clarke dropping to NAIA next year, I think they will be the only D3 school in the state that isn't in the conference (not sure what Franciscan or Waldorf's affiliations are). 

The Franciscan no longer exists, it is now called Ashford University.  Waldorf, along with Ashford, are members of the Midwest Classic Conference (NAIA).  It is a non-football conference though.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Thanks Sportknight, I did not know that Carter was a reserve for a year before breaking into the lineup.  I dug out a couple of programs tonight from the NCAA Championships in Dubuque and Northfield in 2004 and 2005, and the 2005 program indeed had him listed as a junior at the time.

Interesting comments about the stability of the Iowa Conference.  I am more than fine with the league as it is.  If the league did look to expand in the future, I would rather see them add a Grinnell that has a great academic reputation, past athletic traditions, and is sound financially as it pertains to stability. 

St. Ambrose and Morningside would be two others schools that might offer solid potential as an IIAC members.  In fact, they used to be in the league decades ago.  Morningside also used to be Division II, but I think the Fighting Bees are the growing institution.

[warthog]

Well, the high school season is over here in River City.  
Now I can concentrate on D3 football for a few weeks.  
Where to start?  

Wart Trainer: Tell your ex-Simpson buddies to give up on the whining about playing time going to players with the right name.  That is an old old complaint, paricularly at the high school level.  I don't think you will find a coach alive who would give up the chance to win so he can play the mayor's son.

I'm disappointed I never got a Simpson AD e-mail.  After all, I believe I was the first to refer to their artificial turf as a "cheap toupe".

It sounds like the Central/Coe game will be held in a sloppy muddy mess.  That unsightly rock pile of a football field needs to be replaced.  I assume a muddy field on a rainy day takes away any home field advantage.  Look for a Central victory.

I like the idea of IIAC expanding to 10 teams.  About one more football loss and Iowa State may apply for admisssion.  

Stormchaser:  I wouldn't say Simpson has enjoyed  success across the board.  Respectable by some standards perhaps.  I give you Simpson's All-Sports standings for the previous five years.
2001-2002 - 5th
2002-2003 - 4th
2003-2004 - 4th
2004-2005 - 6th
2005-2006 - 4th
This doesn't sound too bad until you understand some combination of Dubuque, Cornell and Buena Vista has occupied spots seven, eight and nine evey year.

Of course Wartburg wants Coe to win on Saturday.  That has to happen if they have a realistic shot at the IIAC crown.  After all that is the first thing every team should want.  Worrying about how the playoff points might fall is a useless exercise.  Besides, there is nothing saying the Knights will win out.  Cornell pulled the upset in Waverly back in the days when the current players were in high school or even junior high.  It could happen again and ruin the possibility of a great season.  Then there are the vastly improved Spartans.  It is likely Wartburg will have to play them with the possibility of a U of Dubuque winning season hanging in the balance.  That could be a more emotional boost for Dubuque than a share of the IIAC title might be for Wartburg.  Wartburg isn't playing Dubuque at a good time.  The good news is everyone knows Dubuque is respectable this year and they won't be sneaking up on Wartburg.

[DutchFan2004]

Walston,

Sorry that you lost last night.  Last night was a hard night in many ways.  I was surprised at the Maroon score and the AP score.