After rebuilding 1893-2000 in the yearly reports, I am now rebuilding 2000-2009 with weekly reports. The one exception is 1966 which has a very large percentage of games in the database and some very good team records (Waterloo East, Bettendorf were undefeated, untied; CR Jefferson and Davenport Central finish undefeated with a common tie game).
The year 2000 was the first year of full data from iahsaa.org. The year has several interesting stories.
1. Class A Manning’s big upset in the finals
Manning was a season-long favorite in Class A. After non-district wins over 1A Madrid 27-12 and 1A Audubon 20-0, Manning won a close 7-0 game at Odebolt-Arthur in week 3.
Conversely, Hubbard-Radcliffe, eventual champions, started 0-2 with losses to 1A BCLUW 14-39 and 1A Eldora-New Providence, both games at home.
A lot more should be written about this game and will be in the future.
2. Class 3A Harlan’s overtime playoff series ends just short
Harlan went into the playoffs 8-1, with a home loss to Denison-Schleswig 35-9 in week 5. In the second round of the playoffs, Harlan won a home, 2-overtime game against Denison-Schleswig, 30-24. In the semi-finals, Harlan won a 4-overtime game against Grinnell, 56-55. In the finals, Harlan lost to Clear Lake, 23-20, in 3 overtimes.
The background story to this story is the much harder road that Harlan had to take compared to Clear Lake.
A lot more should be written about this game and will be in the future.
3. Class 4A Dowling’s dominance of the west
Dowling went 12-0 in the western side of the state. Dowling was so dominant that they were believed to be 31.82 points better then any other western team; their closest game was a week 1 home win over Ames 20-7. Highlights included a 21-0 win over WDM Valley and a 43-point win over Ankeny. Given this dominance in the west, computer had Dowling as a 14.31-point favorite in the finals. Dowling fulfilled expectations, beating Bettendorf 35-28.
4. What details can be added to these three stories?
5. Are there other interesting stories from 2000?