Football

Wilton and Durant to compete in same 1A district

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For the first time in a long time, the Wilton and Durant football teams didn’t have to worry about ensuring they were at the top of each other’s rivalry list when planning for the upcoming football season.

In 2020, not only will the Wildcats and Beavers be in the same class, they will also be in the same district. After a 2-year stint in Class A, Durant has moved back into Class 1A and will join Wilton in Class 1A District 5 this fall.

The following teams will compete in Class 1A District 5 in 2020: Dyersville Beckman, Cascade, Durant, Northeast Goose Lake, West Branch and Wilton.

After facing each other in the first game of the season each of the last two years, Wilton and Durant will not meet until week five Sept. 25, when the Beavers will travel to Durant.

Both the Beavers and Wildcats received favorable non-district schedules with regard to travel. Durant’s non-district opponents will be North Cedar, Bellevue, Louisa-Muscatine and Wapello. Wilton’s non-district schedule will include West Liberty, Highland, Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

Durant’s non-district schedule—Bellevue, North Cedar and Wapello are all in Class A while Louisa-Muscatine is in Class 1A.

“Hopefully we get to play it,” said Durant head coach Joel Diederichs, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he couldn’t complain about the non-district schedule as the teams that were scheduled were teams he had listed as desired opponents.

When asked about bumping up to Class 1A, Diederichs said, “I think we can get 11 good guys on the field but for depth, it will be harder. We can play in 1A as long as we don’t have injuries.”

When looking at the district, Diederichs said he felt West Branch, Cascade and Beckman would be “the heavy hitters,” and that Wilton would be improved. “We’ve got solid returning players but have some gaps to fill,” he said when assessing his own team.

Keagen Head will return for a second year at starting quarterback. The Cats will also have a 1,000-yard running back return in sophomore Nolan DeLong. Cameron Ruggiero will return from a knee injury and will be helped at linebacker by Ben Orr. Tony Dillabough will return at wide receiver and for the first time in several years, the Cats will have holes to fill on its offensive and defensive lines, with Brian Graves looking to serve as the anchor.

Wilton’s non-district schedule—West Liberty and Mount Vernon are 2A, Lisbon and Highland are Class A.

Wilton head coach Ryan Hetzler called having Durant in the district “unique,” meaning that the Beavers had to find a new team to rank No. 1 with regard to their non-district schedule. Wilton’s top two on the list of desired opponents — Louisa-Muscatine and Wapello — didn’t show up on the schedule but did show up on Durant’s.

Hetzler said it was the first time in his career, entering his seventh year, that he didn’t get either No. 1 or 2 on the schedule. Yet West Liberty was high on the list of desired opponents. So was Highland. Lisbon and Mount Vernon (coached by former Wilton coach Lance Pedersen) were further down on the Beavers’ list.

Hetzler called the district well rounded and agreed with Diederichs that West Branch, Cascade and Beckman would be the frontrunners.

Wilton also returns experience from last year’s squad, starting with wide receiver Colby Sawvell, a 3-tool player that led the Beavers in several statistical categories last season. Starting quarterback Mason Ormsby will return while Caleb Sawvell, who was out with a shoulder injury last season, will also compete for the quarterback spot.

Four of the five offensive linemen from last season will return, anchored by Briggs Hartley. Jackson Hull will be back at running back and Kael Brisker will return at safety.

“We have plenty of pieces with experience. Now we need to put it together to see what it takes to win at this level,” said Hetzler.

With a tough opening non-district schedule, Hetzler added that the Beavers will scrimmage perennial powerhouse Regina prior to the start of the season.

There are 54 teams in Class 1A with nine districts (six teams in each). Sixteen (16) teams will qualify for the playoffs with nine automatic bids (district champs) and seven at-large berths.

The 2020 district classifications will be for just one year as opposed to a 2-year cycle. An Iowa High School Athletic Association Board of Control brief from Feb. 5, stated the following:

Following months of study, the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control decided to shift football to a one-year scheduling cycle and adjust the regular season format of large-school Class 4A over competitive concerns.

In response to ongoing classification discussions and the implementation of a success model to 4A, the board used the special session to approve football districts for just one season, dropping the typical two-year scheduling alignment as a one-time measure. As a result, the IHSAA will reassess football formats again following the 2020 season.

“We have solicited lots of feedback from our membership and a one-year cycle gives us more time to evaluate that feedback and work on making classifications better,” IHSAA Board of Control chairperson Rod Earleywine said. “It’s never going to be perfect, but we acknowledge that there are problems with our current classification system and we need to see what kind of improvements we can make…”

The postseason featured 32 qualifying teams per class from 2008 to 2015, and consistent requests from the advisory committee and Iowa Football Coaches Association to return to that expanded field were heard, but put on hold during the unique one-year scheduling cycle. A recommendation for nine regular season games and 32 qualifiers was declined by the board of control back in December over concerns of reduced player recovery time and scheduling.

The 2020 season will feature nine regular season games and 16 playoff qualifiers in all classes. Playoff procedures — district champions earning automatic berths, Ratings Percentage Index ranking the remaining at-large qualifiers — will stay the same in 3A, 2A, 1A, A, and 8-Player. All 16 playoff spots in 4A will be considered at-large and determined via RPI.

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