Iowa high school football Friday: Live analysis and instant reactions from Week 5 games

PLEASANT HILL, Ia. — Greetings from Southeast Polk, where the Rams are hosting No. 10 Fort Dodge in a pivotal district-opening matchup.

The explosive Dodgers have rolled their way to a 3-1 record, but in their lone true test of the season, they fell short in a great 27-21 contest to No. 8 Indianola. Southeast Polk, meanwhile, opened with losses to No. 1 West Des Moines Valley, a tough-as-nails Waukee team and No. 7 Iowa City West before beating Des Moines East last week.

So you'll get plenty of updates on this game, of course, but also some quick thoughts and instant reaction on other games around the Des Moines metro and across the state as well.

There are plenty of intriguing games on hand tonight — Dowling-Ankeny and Iowa City West-Pleasant Valley in 4A, but also ADM-Harlan and Sergeant Bluff-Bishop Heelan in 3A, Bention-Union and PCM-Chariton in 2A, West Branch-Bellevue in 1A and West Hancock-Algona Garrigan in Class A, to name a few.

So check back often. As always, feel free to share stuff with me on Twitter — @codygoodwin — as the games unfold. My line is always open. Thanks in advance for your help, and for reading.

Third quarters down here at Southeast Polk. The Rams lead, 21-3. Only big play of the third quarter came when Josiah Cole hit Isaiah Wagner for a 41-yard touchdown pass. Beautiful throw from Cole, especially when you count in that he was facing pressure. Wagner hauled it in and carried a Dodger defender with him into the end zone.

That back-breaking score more or less sucked the wind from Fort Dodge's sails. The offense didn't move the ball hardly at all in the third quarter. The Rams are driving, too, and another touchdown likely puts this game on ice.

Seen a lot of lopsided scores tonight. Not every game, of course, but there are a slew of a-lot-to-a-little games that have the running clock, well, running. Welcome to district play.

Halftime here at Southeast Polk. Rams lead Fort Dodge, 14-3. Josiah Cole took a play-action pass and turned it into a four-yard touchdown run with less than a minute left in the first half. Dodgers will begin the third quarter with the ball, so there's still a chance this could turn into something, but so far, the Rams have kept Fort Dodge's offense in check.

Been really impressed with Fort Dodge quarterback Drake Miller. Strong arm and a strong conviction when leading the Dodger offense. He's made a couple of questionable throws so far, and Southeast Polk's defense have done a good job getting pressure and keeping the Dodger receivers in front of them.

Another thing, too: both Gavin Williams and Dayson Clayton are running hard. Williams, despite not scoring a touchdown, has been the best player on the field tonight. He's broken tackles and picked up big-time yards. Wouldn't be shocked to see him break one or two big ones in the second half as the Fort Dodge defense wears down. Clayton, Fort Dodge's running back, has run hard, too. Been very impressed watching him tonight.

Ankeny Centennial's Avery Gates is very, very fast.

Cedar Rapids Prairie suffered a huge loss, according to the Gazette's K.J. Pilcher. Jace Andregg, a talented, speedy offensive weapon, is hurt and done for the year. That's a big loss for a team that was expected to be one of the big-time players in Eastern Iowa this season.

It'll be interesting to see who steps up to replace Andregg's production. After four weeks, the junior accounted for 9 catches, 143 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 33 carries fro 290 yards — 8.8 a carry — and three more scores. He's a big-time threat all defenses must account for. Big, big loss for Prairie.

So Waukee is putting the hurt on Mason City so far.

End of 1 here: Southeast Polk 7, Fort Dodge 3. Fast-moving quarter. Rams opened the game with a 16-play, 80-yard drive that spanned over seven minutes and ended with a Josiah Cole touchdown run from a yard out. The Dodgers moved into the red zone, but the Ram defense held, forcing a field goal. Ben Nebel connected from 33 yards as time expired. Game on, fellas.

A sign we're into district play: Valley is beating Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson 28-0 in the first quarter. Beau Lombardi already has three touchdowns in the first 12 minutes. Those came after Creighton Mitchell scored a long run for the first score.

Some quick pregame thoughts: This will be my first time seeing Fort Dodge quarterback Drake Miller live, and I'm excited to see him sling it. The senior gunslinger has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards through four games this year on a 64.3 completion percentage with 11 touchdowns.

That said, this could also be a game that Southeast Polk star Gavin Williams can finally break out with a big game. So far this season, the junior running back has just 393 rushing yards and one touchdown. He's the obvious key for opposing defenses, but Fort Dodge hasn't quite faced a back that's as talented as he. 

I expect lots of points. I also picked Southeast Polk to win. Should be a fun one.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.