Photo: Justin Miller
That first victory of the season felt so good, but what would feel even better is picking up a second straight road victory heading into the final four games of the year. The Ames Little Cyclones sit at 1-3 after taking down Des Moines Roosevelt last week 34-14. The road to the winning streak will not be an easy one as tonight at 7 p.m. the Little Cyclones kickoff against the 0-4 Valley Tigers at Valley Stadium. Here are the three things you need to know before you tune into the 1430 KASI broadcast at 6:45 p.m. tonight!
1)-Battle of the Backs
Be prepared to watch two exhilarating running backs in Ames’ junior star Jamison Poe and Valley’s senior Damon Head. Both are having successful 2023 seasons. Head leads the two in rushing yards with 323, one touchdown on 59 carries. Poe has been unstoppable these past two weeks rushing for 167 yards and four rushing touchdowns with 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Like we have said in most weeks, for Ames to come out on top they will need to win the ground game. Valley’s rush defense has struggled to start the season. The Tigers have allowed over 4.7 yards a carry and nearly 150 yards on the ground a game.
2)-Don’t let the record fool you
Valley is in unfamiliar territory coming off of a 37-15 loss to Waukee. For the first time in over 15 years, the Tigers are winless through the first four weeks of the season. Arguably, Valley had the toughest schedule to start the season. In the first two weeks, the Tigers faced reigning state champs, Southeast Polk, then went to Dowling the very next Friday. Both teams of which are now 4-0. The combined record of their four opponents is an outstanding 13-3. Ames’ head coach Brian Sauser stated in Thursday’s interview, that "this Tiger team was six plays away from being 4-0."
Against SEP, Valley only lost by six, and versus Dowling, only lost by two scores. Like they proved last season, Gary Swenson’s squad can go on a run when it matters most. Valley won four straight at the end of 2022 to go to the State Championship game.
3)-All records must break at some point
It has been 13 years since the Little Cyclones took down the Tigers in Ames Stadium. The Little Cyclones are still searching for their first victory in school history at Valley Stadium. Tonight’s game should be a close one as these two teams stack up very nicely with one another. While Valley has controlled the series (7-1 all-time) it may be tonight that the record breaks of the Tiger’s five straight victories.
Listen live on 1430 KASI or your free iHeart Radio App as Justin Miller and Bruce Vertanen will be live starting at 6:45 p.m.