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A matchup five years in the making comes Friday to Carroll.
The Creston/Orient-Macksburg Panthers bring their unblemished record to do battle with the undefeated Carroll Tigers at 7:30 p.m at Carroll Stadium.
The game is what two teams like these work toward throughout the year.
“It’ll be a big time atmosphere. Our kids will be excited. That’s why you play the game, is to play in games like this," Creston/O-M coach Brian Morrison said.
The last time the Panthers played Carroll was in week seven of 2011 when both were in the same district. Both teams were undefeated in district play at the time before Creston/O-M won 23-14.
Now both are ranked among the top five overall in Class 3A, and both are guaranteed playoff spots.
Home field advantage through at least the first round of the playoffs is up for grabs. Jeff Linder of the Cedar Rapids Gazette projects the Panthers, with a win over Carroll, to be hosting Sergeant Bluff-Luton.
Tale of the Tape
Carroll comes into Friday's gridiron war having swept through Class 3A District 7 play with relative ease. A 19-point week six comeback against Harlan was the most the Tigers have been tested in district play. A 23-20 matchup with Bishop Heelan is another that the Panthers wish to emulate the success of an opposing defense.
Carroll is averaging 36.4 points per game while yielding just 15.9 per game. The Panthers come in putting up 45.1 points per contest and is giving up 13.4 per game.
The Panthers have forced a district-best 25 turnovers, those coming on 13 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries, the best and tied for the second best marks in the district respectively. Carroll meanwhile, has forced 16 turnovers, tied for second in the district.
Both Carroll and Creston/O-M are acknowledged as having notable playmakers on both sides of the football. This game figures to feature the most game-changing type players matched up on both sides that Creston/O-M has played this season.
Talented offensive skill players
With four players having racked up at least 250 receiving yards, two players rushing for 500-plus rushing yards and eight-plus touchdowns, and an offense that has gone for around 1,500 yards rushing and passing, the Tiger offense has overwhelmed teams with the sheer amount of offensive players that teams have to pay attention to.
Tigers quarterback Kolby Molinsky has passed for 1,454 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions while averaging 16.3 yards per completion.
The combo of Zach Promes, Dayton Ross, Kyle Emery and Dylan Millermon all have grabbed at least two touchdown receptions. Ross, the team's leader with five touchdown receptions, averages eight yards per carry, has eight rushing touchdowns, and has sprinted his way to 725 yards on the ground.
Ross and Ethan Rummel come in as two of the top five scoring players in the district with 78 and 66 points respectively. Chase Shiltz is the leader in that respect with 158 points scored, which is 44 points better than Harlan's Nick Foss.
"We have to be disciplined no doubt about it. They can hurt you in a lot of different ways," Morrison said. "I still believe they want too run the football first, throw second and put you in situations... based on down and distance, they will throw the football. They’re a team that can strike at a lot of different positions and a lot of different levels."
"We have to make sure we understand our checks and we play fast.”
Both sides of the line for Carroll give the Panthers reason to worry.
Schirck and company
The Creston offensive line will be tasked with mitigating the effects of one of the more disruptive defensive lines it has gone against this season.
Senior Austin Schirck has caused havoc in opposing backfields this season, accounting for 28.5 tackles, 13 solo tackles for loss and eight sacks, the latter two being the best in the district. He leads a group that has 19 sacks.
"I would say that the team that compared the most throughout the season has been Glenwood. I think they’re comparable up front with Glenwood and Glenwood’s pretty dang good. Glenwood eliminated a lot of stuff that we wanted to do offensively," Morrison said.
Of the 16 turnovers the Tigers have caused as a team this season, three individuals on the defense have intercepted two passes, and Landon Hinman has shown a knack for the ball with four fumble recoveries.
While the Panthers will need to run the ball effectively against the Tigers to have success, Friday might be as big a time as any for sophomore quarterback Kylan Smallwood and his cadre of receivers to step into the limelight.
Final notes
Two weeks after the Panthers toughest test of the season up to that point, Creston/O-M has prepared itself for the biggest game to date.
"I think our kids understand that after the Glenwood week what areas we need to improve on, and I think we’ve done that," Morrison said. "So it’ll be a good measuring stick right now as far as what we can do up front against a really good defensive front.”
As much as coaches might worry about long road trips, Morrison isn't worried.
"I think we have it set up to where the kids understand the routine as far as what we do on the road," Morrison said. "They’re very comfortable with what we do. We want to make it feel like we’re at home as far as the atmosphere in the locker room.”
The atmosphere is sure to be electric at Carroll Stadium Friday, as this game is on the radar of fanatics and media persons across the state. It's a game that has meaningful implications in the playoff picture of many western Iowa schools.
Freshmen/JV
The Panther freshmen game will be played before the varsity game at 4:45. There will not be a junior varsity game.