Century Football Preview/Big 9 Predictions

Football season is upon us! Here is some information on the upcoming year

Century Schedule
August 31st: At Wayzata. Wayzata went 3-1 in the highly competitive Classic Lake conference and 5-5 overall in 2006. Wayzata could be a favorite to win state this year.

September 7th: vs. Winona. This one is a little bit less technical. Here's one stat you need to know: Winona has not won ANY game since October 16, 2002. Enough said.

September 14th:at Austin. Again, another weak Big 9 team that should provide an easy win for Century.

September 21st: vs. Owatonna. Owatonna could be on the rise again...but this is another easy win.

September 28th: at Faribault. Faribault is perennially the strongest team outside of Rochester. Look for this to possibly be tricky for Century, but Clark and company should be still rolling.

October 5th: At Rochester JM. John Marshall had a poor season last year, and their homecoming game was no different, losing a heartbreaker to Mankato East with East returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the final minute only seconds after JM kicked a would-be game winning field goal. This year, their team will be carried by running back Ben Kall, who is a real power in the backfield. However, with confusion at quarterback it will be another disappointing season for JM.

October 12th: Vs. Albert Lea (Homecoming) - Century hasn't lost a homecoming game in years, and its partially because of who they play. Come on, Albert Lea?!

October 17: Vs. Mayo - For the third straight year, Century plays Mayo in the final week in what could be the Big 9 Conference championship, for the fourth straight year. This one could go either way, but it'll be all about momentum at this point, and the health of each team's star running back (Mario Butler for Mayo, Leon Clark for Century). Clark was injured in the second quarter of last years game, and Century basically lost all life after that injury, falling 27-7 and then getting defeated in the first round of the playoffs by Eastview.

So what is the outlook for 2007? My prediction is an almost identical record to 2006, with a 7-1 regular season record (one loss vs. Wayzata) and a visit to the Section Semis as in 2005. This team does not have the solidity at this point to contend for state. At least, not from what I see at this end.