LAST MEETING — It was a thriller in Grimes in 2011 as the teams finished regulation tied at 21. Perry received the ball first in the overtime period and went ahead, 24-21, on Marco Velasco’s 37-yard field goal. DC-G faced a third-and-goal from the six-yard line and attempted a fade pass in the corner of the end zone, but Bluejay defensive back Drew Niebuhr intercepted the pass to end the game.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS — Perry started the season with home victories of 28-21 against North Polk and of 21-14 against Nevada but has since stumbled, dropping a 27-6 rain-soaked contest at Ballard before being dominated by Boone, 41-0, at Dewey Field last Friday. Perry struggled on both sides of the line against the Toreadors, yielding 409 yards of total offense while accumulating just 92 yards.
The Bluejays have just 525 yards on offense this season, topping only Fort Madison (505) in the 56-team Class 3A. Quarterback Adan Medina is 23-48-2 for 202 yards and two scores through the air, with Reece Dunlap (8-82) and Janier Puente (6-40, 1 TD) the leading receivers.
Medina’s 161 yards and two TDs on 63 carries leads the ground game, with Mark Campos (23-81, 1 TD) and Donald Chavez (22-80) having nearly identical outputs while Dunlap (8-26) has seen carries on sweep plays.
The defense has come away with five interceptions and five fumbles and is led by Medina’s 26 tackles and the 24 tallied by Brandon Juarez. Chavez has 23.5 stops, Puente 22.5 and Tyler Soll 21.5. Puente has six sacks and has made seven other tackles for a loss, with Soll having made two sacks.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS — DC-G topped ADM, 35-12, before suffering a 35-13 loss to Pella. They have rebounded with narrow district wins against host Greene County (18-12) and visiting Ballard (16-14), with a late TD and an interception in the final minute sealing the win over the Bombers.
The team has thrown for 352 yards and three scores and rushed 159 times for 734 yards and six scores.
Quarterback Damon Clapper was 18-41-2 for 293 and three scores before being injured. Trey Washington has filled in and is 9-19-3 for 59 yards but is a much more serious threat to run (18-66, 1 TD).
Tanner Epple (11-181, 1 TD) and Nathan Brown (5-38, 1 TD) have been the main choices in the passing game.
Brown has rushed 100 times for 488 yards and four scores, with Clapper having 96 yards on 22 carries before being injured. Epple has rushed 16 times for 78 yards a score in spot duty.
Trent Carpenter (31) and Tyler Cooney (28) are the lead tacklers for a defense that has fallen on two fumbles and picked off five passes.
Austin James has hit 8-of-10 PAT kicks, but field goal and kick-off duties have fallen to Ben Fisher, who is 2-of-2 for three points, with a long of 36 yards. Washington has done well punting, averaging 39.7 yards per boot on 17 attempts.
DISTRICT 2
| District | Overall | Point Diff Avg |
|||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | ||
| Boone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Gilbert | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11.50 |
| Dallas Center-Grimes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4.00 |
| Ballard | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Webster City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Greene County | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | -11.50 |
| Iowa Falls-Alden | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -17.00 |
| Perry | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -17.00 |
Friday’s Games
Boone at Gilbert
Iowa Falls-Alden at Greene County
Perry at Dallas Center-Grimes
Webster City at Ballard
Friday, Sept. 30
Ballard at Iowa Falls-Alden
Dallas Center-Grimes at Webster City
Gilbert at Perry (HC)
Greene County at Boone
