A playoff spot and the 2A District 4 title will be up for grabs when Hampton-Dumont-CAL hosts Roland-Story in Week 7 Friday.
The Bulldogs (3-3, 2-1 2A-4) have won consecutive games to put themselves in a clinching scenario. Head Coach Cole Miller says the team has performed at a high level in wins over Denver and Oelwein.
“We’ve been efficient and we’ve cut down on the turnovers,” Miller says. “I don’t think we’ve had one in the past couple of weeks, knock on wood. But that’s been something that we stressed in practice, to take care of the football and finish around the goal line when we get down there. So the kids have done a really good job of taking the practice and applying it to the real games. And then defensively, we’ve done a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, trying to make teams one dimensional. And then our DBs have done a great job of stepping up to the plate when they have had to go into their pass game. We’ve made some plays, made some breakups and forced a turnover last week even. We’ve been playing good fundamental football lately.”
A win by the Bulldogs would clinch a playoff spot.
Roland-Story (4-2, 3-0 2A-4) leads the district with an undefeated record, and would clinch the district title with a win. Miller says the Norsemen will offer a stiff challenge in a way that keeps opponents guessing.
“They’re very dynamic. They throw the ball really, really well and they have a running back who’s a stud. So a dangerous team. Their defense, they fly around, they make plays and they do a lot of things to try and confuse you. It’s a fun game to be a part of. The atmosphere around it is going to be great because there’s playoff implications, there’s district title implications, all that. But what we have to focus on is just another football game. It all boils down to who can win one rep at a time, one snap at a time.”
The Norsemen enter with the momentum of last week’s 35-34 overtime win over Dike-New Hartford. Receiver Luke Thoreson is the second-leading receiver in receptions and yards in 2A, while quarterback Colin Willis is fifth in passing yards.
The kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m.
Cole Miller interview:
