NASHUA - Jesup, Dike-New Hartford and Turkey Valley garnered most of the attention from coaches when they predicted the order of finish in Class 1A, District 4 two months ago.

Nashua-Plainfield did not receive much recognition.

One football coach had the Huskies picked to finish last. Another selected N-P to place seventh, and one listed all the teams in the district as contenders except the Huskies.

Apparently, the Huskies didn't receive those memos.

N-P (5-0, 3-0) is one of two unbeaten teams in the district at the halfway point and can secure sole possession of first place Friday night when it hosts Turkey Valley (5-0, 3-0) for homecoming.

"We knew we had a good group of seniors back, and we had a big group of juniors coming in, but we weren't sure how quickly they would come along," said N-P coach Steve Kalous. "They've come along real quick, and we've turned into a nice football team."

The ninth-rated Huskies, who have guaranteed themselves a winning season for the first time in seven years, are relying on an aggressive, stingy defense. N-P is yielding just nine points a contest and has pitched two shutouts.

"We're not the biggest team you'll see, but we have a lot of speed and quickness," said Kalous. "We've been pretty tough when teams get in the red zone on us."

The defense they'll go against Friday has been just as stout. The Trojans, still unranked, haven't allowed more than one touchdown in any game. For the season, they've surrendered 20 points and intercepted nine passes.

"I think we're starting to turn some heads," said Turkey Valley coach Mark Scott. "We've got a few more games before people need to really know about us."

Offensively, the teams are diverse.

N-P likes to be balanced, but can rely on the pass with the quarterback-receiver tandem of Justin Vetter and Brad Theilen. Vetter has thrown for 542 yards and Theilen has 317 receiving yards and five scores.

Turkey Valley, meanwhile, is ball-controlled with three backs over 300 yards for the season. Fullback Chris Reicks leads the list with 670 yards.

Regardless, Kalous expects a defensive brawl.

"It seems to be both teams' strength," he said. "Both teams can cause turnovers. It just depends on who gets the breaks."

Tee shots

Cedar Falls junior Troy Hoffman is aiming this weekend to become the school's first individual state champion in boys' golf since Curt Berggren in 1989.

Hoffman, who won Tuesday's district meet with a 72, is one of the prohibitive favorites for medalist honors when the 36-hole event gets under way Friday afternoon at Hunter's Ridge Golf Course in Marion.

"It would be great to get it done this year," said Hoffman, who placed eighth a season ago.

West Des Moines Valley's Ben Herrera, Marshalltown's John Danielson and Linn-Mar's Marc Gladson appear to be Hoffman's stiffest competition. Gladson finished second last year, and Herrera was fifth.

"My iron play has been real solid the whole year," said Hoffman. "At Hunter's Ridge, if you hit a lot of greens, you can score well. I think I'm well-prepared."

Head coach Jerry Slykhuis agrees.

"He has an excellent chance," he said. "He's one of the top four or five golfers in the state, and he proved that last summer in tournaments. He's got a very good mental approach to the game."

Meanwhile, Waterloo West is gunning for its 11th team title, which would be second-most in the state behind Des Moines Roosevelt's 15. The Wahawks, whose last state title was in 1997, finished second at Tuesday's district meet with a 313.

Bettendorf is the defending state champion, while West Des Moines Valley, Linn-Mar and Ottumwa also figure to be contenders.

Cross country regionals

Cedar Falls is one of the host sites for the Class 4A co-ed boys' and girls' regional cross country meets Oct. 21. The regional will be comprised of all Mississippi Valley Conference teams, except Iowa City West and City High.

Independence will host the majority of area 3A teams, while 2A is split between Eagle Grove and Monticello, and 1A is divided between Jewell and Starmont.

Over the century mark

Walnut High School, located in western Iowa, scored 15 touchdowns in last week's 104-14 eight-man victory over Villisca. The 104 points are the third-highest total, according to Iowa High School Athletic Association records, and Walnut was the first team to surpass the century mark since 1925.

Meanwhile, Woodbine, ranked seventh in Class A, is the only school in the state to be undefeated and unscored upon through five games.

Quick hits

n Iowa Falls/Alden kicker Spencer Herzberg drilled a 34-yard field goal with 2 seconds left last week to lift the Cadets past Webster City, 30-27. Herzberg is 6-for-6 this season with a long of 48.

n Four of the state's top 20 rushers come from Northeast Iowa after five weeks. Jesup's Adam Lamos is fourth in all classes with 1,060 yards, while Cedar Falls' Taylor Brookins (15th, 816 yards), Dunkerton's Robby Marquart (16th, 811) and Aplington-Parkersburg's Curtis Tyler (19th, 796) also are among the leaders.

n Waverly-Shell Rock and Denver's streak of winning seasons came to a halt last week. Both teams are 0-5 with four games remaining. This will mark the Go-Hawks' first losing season in 17 years and Denver's first sub-.500 campaign since going 4-5 in 1985.

n North Tama cross country runner Blaire Dinsdale set a new course record at Eldora last Saturday, completing the 2.4-mile trek in 14 minutes, 27 seconds. Her twin sister, Brooke, was second with the same time.

n Grundy Center's volleyball team is one of two schools in the state that has lost fewer than five games all year. The Spartans, ranked first in Class 2A, are 66-4 in games played and hold a 30-1 match record.

Matt Coss can be contacted at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com