Published: October 26, 2009 05:53 am      

Video scouting presents some challenges for football teams

By Jon Gremmels

Herald Sports Editor

CLINTON — After playing nine games against Mississippi Athletic Conference teams, the Clinton River Kings look outside the conference for their Class 4A substate-round football game Wednesday night.

Coming off their unbeaten regular season, the River Kings (9-0) will entertain Cedar Rapids Prairie (3-6) in a 7 p.m. game at Coan Field in one of five games featuring area teams from Iowa. Morrison will open play in the Illinois playoffs Friday or Saturday.

While playing two early-season non-district games gives Iowa’s smaller schools at least some ability to judge outside competition, the 4A teams in the eastern half of the state don’t have that luxury. Both the MAC and the Mississippi Valley Conference, in which Prairie is a member of the Valley Division, play all conference opponents. That can make scouting a chore.

State rules require teams to exchange game films (now DVDs) of their sixth, seventh and eighth games of the season. That means that the Clinton coaches got to see Prairie lose to Linn-Mar 38-13, Iowa City High 34-0 and Cedar Falls 31-7. Prairie received video of Clinton’s wins over Muscatine, Pleasant Valley and Davenport Central.

“It’s pretty hard because all we’re seeing is them against MVC teams,” Clinton coach Lee Camp said Sunday evening. “You try to judge them on the speed of the game and how big they look. They looked smaller and quicker because we had an idea of how big the Cedar Falls kids are.”

The coaches also didn’t get to see Prairie at its best. The Hawks won three of their first four games — albeit against teams with a combined 4-23 record — before losing five in a row. In the losses to Linn-Mar and City High, the Hawks managed fewer than 150 total yards each time.

“Mainly we look at what their tendencies are because we will run our offense and defense because that’s what got us this far,” Camp said. “We will make a few adjustments, though. They like to run the ball, which fits into our scheme a bit more.”

This fall’s wet weather has created another intangible as far as scouting goes.

“The two (games) at Prairie (Linn-Mar and City High) it was a mud bowl,” Camp said. “We’re not getting much out of those.”

The postseason also brings one more challenge in Iowa. Because the first three rounds are squeezed into a two-week time frame, there is less time for recovery and preparation.

“We ease off on some of the contact,” Camp said. “Usually we’re in at 6:25 Tuesday morning to lift, and that is going to change. Even this week, we practiced yesterday and today, and normally they rest (those days). They have to take care of themselves.”

But, given the alternative of turning in their gear today with the season over, you can bet the area playoff teams will tolerate any inconveniences.”