cbanks1972

🏈 DOG HOUSE GAME OF THE WEEK

🏈 DOG HOUSE GAME OF THE WEEK

🔴 Fort Madison Bloodhounds vs. 🔵 West Burlington/Notre Dame Falcons

THE BLACK & BLUE GAME

There are football games on the schedule, and then there are games that just feel different.

This week, the Dog House Game of the Week takes us to a matchup between two neighboring programs that know plenty about one another: the Fort Madison Bloodhounds and the West Burlington/Notre Dame Falcons.

We’re calling this one what it ought to be called:

THE BLACK & BLUE GAME

If Week 1 told us anything, it is that both teams can flat-out move the football.

🔴 THE BLOODHOUNDS COME IN HOT

Coach Derek Doherty’s Fort Madison squad opened its season with an impressive 50–18 victory over Burlington, and the Bloodhounds established an identity quickly: physical, explosive and balanced.

Junior quarterback Owen Huffman was outstanding in his first start, completing 12 of 15 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Huffman also added 46 yards on eight carries.

But the engine of the Bloodhound ground game was Moses Thacher.

Thacher carried the ball 15 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a ridiculous 12.7 yards per carry, with a long run of 70 yards.

That’s not just production. That’s a problem for a defense.

And Fort Madison has weapons outside, too.

Aurelio Jaciunde caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, then showed what he can do on special teams with 92 kickoff-return yards and another touchdown, including a 79-yard return.

Fort Madison finished the night with 398 yards of total offense, including 260 on the ground.

🔵 THE FALCONS CAN FLY

If you’re a Fort Madison fan looking at those numbers and feeling good, here’s the problem:

WB/ND’s offense was even more explosive.

Sophomore quarterback Kellan Porter put together a monster performance, completing 16 of 21 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns.

Then there’s Jayden Nanthan.

Nanthan exploded for 232 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging 10.5 yards every time he touched the football.

And when defenses start creeping toward the line of scrimmage to stop Nanthan, Porter has Tatum Warner waiting outside.

Warner hauled in eight passes for an incredible 189 yards and a touchdown, averaging 23.6 yards per reception.

WB/ND piled up 581 yards of offense — 285 rushing and 296 passing.

That’s balance.

That’s explosiveness.

And that’s exactly what makes this matchup so intriguing.

🐶 DOG HOUSE MATCHUP TO WATCH

Forget about one player for a second. This game may come down to which defense can make the other offense one-dimensional.

Fort Madison wants to establish Thacher, use Huffman’s legs and efficiency, and force the Falcons to deal with Jaciunde and the Bloodhound weapons on the perimeter.

WB/ND presents the opposite nightmare.

Stack the box against Nanthan, and Porter has already demonstrated that he can throw for nearly 300 yards. Back defenders out of the box to contain Warner and the passing game, and Nanthan has shown he can make you pay on the ground.

And there are two headliners in the backfield:

Moses Thacher — 191 yards | 3 TD

Jayden Nanthan — 232 yards | 2 TD

That’s 423 rushing yards and five touchdowns between two backs after one game.

Now THAT is a Dog House matchup.

🛡️ DON’T FORGET THE BIG FELLAS

Games like this aren’t usually decided by the names everybody sees in the box score.

They’re decided up front.

Fort Madison’s Marshall Heitmann recorded 7.5 tackles against Burlington. Ren Watson contributed a tackle for loss and a sack.

For WB/ND, Sam Dzawo and Garret Bence each recorded 6.5 tackles, while Bryson Burgus and Sawyer Guinan each produced two tackles for loss.

When you’ve got two offenses this explosive, one sack, one tackle for loss, one turnover or one fourth-down stop can completely change the game.

🎙️ COACH BANKS’ DOG HOUSE TAKE

I love this matchup.

You have two programs that know each other.

You have two offenses coming off huge performances.

You have two outstanding running backs.

You have quarterbacks who proved they can make you pay.

And you have two teams that aren’t going to be interested in backing down.

I expect this one to be physical.

I expect some big hits.

I expect some explosive plays.

And I expect both teams to walk off that field knowing they were in a football game.

That’s why this week’s Dog House Game of the Week has a new name:

🔴⚫ THE BLACK & BLUE GAME 🔵⚫

FORT MADISON vs. WEST BURLINGTON/NOTRE DAME

Bring the ice packs.

The Dog House will be watching. 🐶🏈

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Published by cbanks1972

## Charles “Chuck” Banks ### Founder and Voice of Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network Charles “Chuck” Banks—known to many throughout the tri-state sports community as Coach Banks or “Chuck the Tank”—is the founder and lead broadcaster of the Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network. Built from more than two decades of coaching, teaching, leadership, and relationship-building, the network is dedicated to telling the stories of the coaches, athletes, schools, and communities that make local sports special. A native of rural Iowa, Banks has spent 20 years in education and more than 25 years coaching football. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Graceland University in 2004 before completing a master’s degree in Secondary Education and Educational Administration and a specialist degree in Educational Leadership. Throughout his coaching career, Banks worked with programs across southeastern Iowa. His stops included Centerville, Central Lee, and Fort Madison, along with seven years coaching girls basketball and additional experience in junior-high track. At Central Lee, Banks served as an assistant defensive coach and activities director before becoming the Hawks’ head football coach from 2020 through 2022. Central Lee reached the playoffs during his final season. He was also part of multiple playoff teams and a district championship during his time with the program. At Centerville, Banks spent nine years as an assistant and helped the Big Reds capture a district championship and earn multiple playoff appearances. Most recently, he coached at Fort Madison under Head Coach Derek Doherty, helping develop younger players within the Bloodhound football program. Banks’ defensive coaching journey evolved from the traditional 5-2 defense to the 3-3-5 before he found his preferred home in the 4-2-5. However, his coaching philosophy has never been limited to schemes, formations, wins, or losses. He believes the greatest responsibility of a coach is to build relationships, develop leaders, create belonging, and prepare young people for life beyond the playing field. That belief became the foundation for Coaching Culture in Athletics. What began as an effort to create meaningful conversations about coaching and leadership grew into a full sports-media and broadcasting network. Coaching Culture in Athletics now serves as the umbrella for Dog Pound Radio, The Coach Show, the Dog House Tour, Dog Pound U, Hound Talk, the Dog House Saturday Morning Blitz, live game broadcasts, team previews, rankings, interviews, historical features, and year-round coverage of local athletics. Through the Dog House Tour, Banks visits practices, meets coaching staffs, interviews athletes, studies programs, and gives local teams the type of detailed coverage normally reserved for much larger schools. The network’s reach extends throughout southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, and northeastern Missouri, connecting communities across the tri-state region. Banks has covered and developed relationships with programs including Fort Madison, Central Lee, Centerville, West Burlington–Notre Dame, Mount Pleasant, Macomb, West Hancock, and Brown County. His work highlights more than star players and final scores. It recognizes assistant coaches, linemen, managers, scout-team players, school traditions, historic stadiums, longtime community supporters, and the people working behind the scenes. The Coach Show allows Banks to sit down with coaches from the high-school and college levels for honest conversations about leadership, program development, adversity, family, faith, and the profession of coaching. His interviews are guided by experience rather than observation alone. He understands the pressure of leading a program, the hours spent preparing, the sacrifices made by coaching families, and the responsibility that comes with mentoring young people. Dog Pound Radio brings a more energetic edge to the network. Inspired by Banks’ love for football and his beagles, Leo and Loki, Dog Pound Radio combines local sports reporting with the unmistakable “Dawg Mentality”—toughness, loyalty, preparation, perseverance, and love for the team. Loki continues to serve as a central part of the brand, while the memory of Leo remains woven into its heart. Banks’ journey has also been shaped by significant personal adversity. After suffering multiple strokes, undergoing heart surgery, and facing additional serious health concerns, he stepped away from coaching and entered what he describes as medical retirement from the sideline. He also speaks openly about depression, adult ADHD, recovery, and the importance of faith, family, purpose, and mental health. Although his health changed the way he could serve, it did not take away his calling. Broadcasting became a new sideline. Through Coaching Culture in Athletics, Banks found another way to teach, coach, encourage, and advocate. His experiences have given his work a deeper sense of urgency: appreciate the people around you, tell their stories while you can, recognize the unseen contributors, and never underestimate the impact a coach can have on a young person’s life. Faith and family remain at the center of Banks’ life. He and his wife, Stephanie, have built a life rooted in southeastern Iowa and are the proud parents of Chelsey, Peyton, and Katarina. Their growing family includes son-in-law Donald Archambault and grandchildren Orion, Owen, and Ollie. Banks often credits his family for standing beside him through the demanding seasons of coaching, education, broadcasting, illness, and recovery. Today, Chuck Banks brings together the perspective of a coach, educator, broadcaster, historian, husband, father, grandfather, and survivor. His voice is passionate, direct, knowledgeable, and deeply connected to the communities he covers. The mission of the Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network is simple: promote the positive impact of athletics, strengthen coaching culture, celebrate local communities, preserve sports history, and provide athletes and coaches with a platform where their work matters. This is more than a radio network. It is a celebration of coaches, culture, athletes, families, and communities. It is local sports coverage built on relationships. It is where coaches, culture, and communities connect. It is Coaching Culture in Athletics.

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