Iowa’s 3 Up, 3 Down (Week 10)
There are certainly plenty of ebbs and flows throughout the high school season, we’ll try our best to track those here. Teams that land in the DOWN portion of an article, could later find itself in the UP part, and vice-versa. Such is the grind of a full high school season. Below, you’ll find this week’s ebb and flow.
UP
East Marshall: The Mustangs will head into the postseason undefeated, 20-0, and they are armed and dangerous. Zaine Leedom leads the charge, the recent Graceland commit is averaging 16.2 points per game on 60 percent shooting. Zane Johnson isn’t far behind, he’s netting 15.8 points per game. And Tyler DeBondt is one of the best true points guards in 2A. It could be an eventful next month for East Marshall.
West Fork: Zach Martinek has become one of the more versatile threats in 1A, and he’s got his West Fork Warhawks flying high. It’s now 10 straight wins as they head into the postseason, that’s by far their longest streak of the season. And after a shaky 6-5 start, they’ll head into a district game with North Iowa, Buffalo at 16-5.
Clear Lake: A lukewarm 6-3 start to the season for the Lions has given way to a 16-3, and the with one regular season game left, tonight vs. Webster City, an 11-game win-streak could be in the cards heading into postseason play. The success can be largely attributed to one key factor: senior guard Zach Lester. The 6′ speedster has been amazing this season while averaging 29.6 points, 5.1 assists, 2.8 steals and 4.8 rebounds per game.
DOWN
Sioux City North: It’s now five straight losses for the North Stars, that’s their longest losing streak of the season. They’ll try and gain some confidence with a W tonight in their regular season finale against 3A LeMars.
Mason City: The Mohawks are young, and should certainly improve next season. But their current five-game losing streak is on the other side of a side of game losing streak. There’s a 10-point win over rival Fort Dodge sandwiched in-between those 11 losses.
Pella: These guys are certainly not accustomed to being on the wrong side of this list. And at 10-10 in one of the toughest conferences in Iowa, regardless of class, they’re certainly still formidable. But it’s now straight losses for the Dutch after falling to DC-G by 24 at home last Friday.