It's spreading. From school to school, town to town and sideline to sideline.

No, we're not talking about some bizarre new strain of the Bird Flu. Rather, the subject infiltrating Northeast Iowa is football's spread offense.

Waterloo West is utilizing the new offense - which typically calls for wide linemen splits and multiple-receiver sets - and used it smoothly during a 36-15 season-opening beatdown of Dubuque Senior.

Elsewhere in the area, you see elements of the trend-setting offense in Hudson's pass-happy attack. And, NU High, South Winneshiek and Cedar Falls all have implemented facets of the spread in their offensive attacks in recent years.

"Everyone's got their own take on it," noted first-year West coach Stan Wienke, who, while employing a pass-heavy offense, took Illinois small-school power Tuscola High School to the playoffs each of the last 14 seasons.

Collegiate programs like Florida, Utah, West Virginia and Missouri have used the spread with immense success in recent seasons. But how much more prevalent can the offense become on Iowa's prep football scene?

From the sounds of it, more than you might think.

"It just depends on your talent," said longtime Cedar Falls coach Pat Mitchell. "(The spread) is just about everywhere right now."

Wahawks on the rise

Since Larry Daniels took over the reigns of Waterloo West's boys' golf program five years ago, the Wahawks have made a steady ascent to join the state's elite.

That climb hit a crescendo of sorts this week when West climbed to No. 5 in the state's Class 4A team rankings.

"This is the highest we've been ranked in five years," said Daniels. "It's a good feeling. We have a lot of depth right now."

No kidding.

In Nathan Meisinger (38.1 nine-hole scoring average) and Jeremy Carper (38.16), the Wahawks possess a pair of top-15 ranked individuals. Teammates Peter Christensen (39.16), Sam Cooley (39.56) and John Butler (39.56) also routinely crowd the top of the scoreboard for West.

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com