24 HOURS OUT: THE FEUD
KEOKUK CHIEFS vs. FORT MADISON BLOODHOUNDS
The Chair. The County Seat. The Bragging Rights.
We are officially 24 hours away.
And I don’t know how else to put it:
This is a big one for both programs.
Friday night, the Keokuk Chiefs make the trip to Richmond Stadium to meet the Fort Madison Bloodhounds on Jim Youel Field.
The records matter. District football matters. The statistics matter.
But Friday night?
The rivalry matters just a little bit more.
The Chair is up for grabs.
Welcome to The Feud.
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YOU CAN ALREADY FEEL IT
There has been plenty of banter flying back and forth between people in these two communities.
I’ve even heard stories of folks around Lee County giving somebody a hard time simply because they’re wearing the other school’s gear.
Apparently, sometimes you don’t even need words.
Wear the wrong colors through Walmart and the looks can tell the story.
That’s how deeply this rivalry runs.
I’ve spent a lot of years around football, and the only comparisons I can truly make are those old Centerville-Albia battles or some of those Central Lee-Van Buren contests.
On our little corner of the football map, this almost carries an Iowa-Iowa State type of feeling.
Everybody knows somebody.
Families work together.
Kids grow up around each other.
People have friends on both sides.
Then Rivalry Week arrives, everyone puts on their colors, and suddenly there’s a line drawn right through Lee County.
The beautiful thing is that the players get to do something the rest of us don’t.
They get to settle it on the football field.
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LET THE YOUNG MEN PLAY
I’m expecting a physical football game.
I’m expecting hard hitting.
I’m expecting emotion.
I’m expecting some talking.
And I’m expecting there will be moments when tempers rise.
That’s rivalry football.
But there’s something this old coach wants to say before we get any further.
We’re adults.
We should all be mature enough to enjoy the back-and-forth without name-calling, personal attacks or creating a hostile playing environment.
Wear your school gear.
Support your community.
Give your buddy from the other town a hard time.
Have some fun with it.
But Friday night belongs to the young men wearing those uniforms.
Let them play their hearts out.
Let them compete.
Let them hit.
Let them experience everything that makes a rivalry game special.
And when the clock hits zero, shake hands.
Because as intense as this rivalry might become, we’re still talking about high school football and high school kids.
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THE PERFECT SETTING
And what a setting they’re going to have.
Richmond Stadium.
Jim Youel Field.
Fort Madison vs. Keokuk.
There is another layer to this rivalry that makes it uniquely Lee County.
These are the two historic county-seat communities in a county known for its unusual two-courthouse history.
So Friday night isn’t merely about football.
It’s about community pride.
It’s about bragging rights.
It’s about who gets to walk into work Monday morning wearing their colors with a little bigger smile.
And for these football programs, it’s about something else.
THE CHAIR.
—
A RIVALRY WITH GENERATIONS BEHIND IT
This isn’t something somebody invented five years ago.
These programs have been playing each other for generations.
And even the recent history tells you how quickly control of this rivalry can change.
Fort Madison ripped off four consecutive victories from 2020 through 2023:
2020 — Fort Madison 21, Keokuk 14
2021 — Fort Madison 43, Keokuk 0
2022 — Fort Madison 22, Keokuk 13
2023 — Fort Madison 17, Keokuk 14
Then the pendulum swung.
2024 — Keokuk 60, Fort Madison 7
2025 — Keokuk 55, Fort Madison 27
That’s two straight for the Chiefs.
Keokuk has The Chair.
Fort Madison wants it back.
—
THE BLOODHOUNDS: 2–2
Fort Madison has experienced a little bit of everything through four weeks.
50–18 over Burlington.
42–21 loss to West Burlington/Notre Dame.
28–12 over Central Lee.
55–21 loss to Mount Vernon.
That’s 120 points scored, an average of 30 per game.
The Hounds have surrendered 127, or just under 32 per game.
But numbers alone don’t tell the entire story.
I’ve watched this team.
I’ve seen the improvement.
I’ve seen the physicality developing.
And it starts with a running back who has become one of the major stories around the Dog House this season.
MOSES THACHER — 676 RUSHING YARDS
676 yards through four games.
That’s an average of 169 rushing yards per game.
Keokuk knows what’s coming.
The question is whether the Chiefs can stop it.
Fort Madison needs to get Thacher moving downhill and allow that offensive line to establish itself.
And I’ve liked what I’ve seen at different times from that group.
Nolan Lamb.
Cal Hennings.
Ren Watson.
Then you’ve got guys such as Liam Prier, Cliff Stewart and Marshall Heitmann getting involved in those battles in the trenches.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
Rivalry games are often won five yards away from the football.
Watch those offensive and defensive lines Friday night.
—
DON’T LET 1–3 FOOL YOU
Then we get to Keokuk.
The Chiefs are 1–3.
Their first three weeks were rough.
But then came last Friday.
KEOKUK 54, BURLINGTON 29.
That’s what should get Fort Madison’s attention.
You don’t accidentally score 54 points.
Keokuk showed some explosiveness, and the Chiefs come into Richmond Stadium having finally tasted victory.
They’re going to believe.
And they’ve got some athletes who deserve attention.
—
JADYN BURTON — 786 PASSING YARDS
One of the biggest questions Friday night will be how Fort Madison handles the Keokuk passing attack.
In the area statistics we’ve compiled, Jadyn Burton has thrown for 786 yards.
That’s nearly 197 passing yards per game.
Then look outside.
KURT JOY — 442 RECEIVING YARDS
That’s better than 110 receiving yards per game through four games.
Burton to Joy is a combination the Fort Madison secondary must respect.
Give Burton time to stand in the pocket and allow Joy to work downfield, and Keokuk can create problems.
Fort Madison needs pressure.
Make Burton move.
Make him reset his feet.
Don’t allow explosive plays over the top.
And when the Hounds get Keokuk into third-and-long, **get off the field**.
—
DON’T FORGET THE KEOKUK DEFENSE
We’ve also been tracking Bryar Hayner, who has 22.5 tackles in the numbers we’ve collected.
And that leads me to something personal about this game.
—
FROM THIS OLD COACH
To say this old coach behind the Dog House Tour is disappointed that I haven’t had an opportunity to see these Keokuk young men in person this season would be an understatement.
I’ve followed their scores.
I’ve studied the numbers.
I’ve watched the statistics come in.
I’ve watched them struggle through those first few weeks and then respond by hanging 54 points on Burlington.
But statistics aren’t the same as standing on the sideline and watching kids compete.
Friday night, I finally get that opportunity.
And I’m looking forward to it.
Jadyn Burton.
Kurt Joy.
Bryar Hayner.
And the rest of those Keokuk young men.
They deserve attention, too.
One of the reasons I’ve continued building the Dog House Tour is because I want young men throughout this area to be seen.
I want people talking about the kids at Fort Madison.
I want people talking about Central Lee, West Burlington/Notre Dame, Mount Pleasant, Centerville, Macomb, West Hancock and Brown County.
And I want people talking about the young men at Keokuk.
These kids put in too much work not to have their stories told.
Friday night gives me an opportunity to see them with my own eyes.
And what an environment to do it in.
Oh and Keokuk, answer my message. I sent one in August that is still un read.
—
STRENGTH AGAINST STRENGTH
This is what fascinates me.
Fort Madison brings Moses Thacher and 676 rushing yards.
Keokuk brings Jadyn Burton and 786 passing yards.
Fort Madison wants to establish the ground game.
Keokuk has shown it can attack through the air.
Then there’s Kurt Joy with 442 receiving yards.
That’s why I keep coming back to the trenches.
Can Fort Madison control the football, establish Thacher and keep Burton standing on the sideline?
Can Keokuk slow down the Hounds’ running game and force Fort Madison into obvious passing situations?
Can the Fort Madison defensive front pressure Burton before Joy gets downfield?
Those matchups could decide who gets possession of **The Chair**.
—
FIVE THINGS I’M WATCHING
1. THE TRENCHES
If Fort Madison consistently moves the line of scrimmage, Thacher becomes increasingly difficult to deal with as the game progresses.
2. EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
Keokuk cannot be allowed to turn short possessions into quick touchdowns. Burton and Joy have shown enough production to demand attention.
3. TURNOVERS
This might be the biggest one.
Rivalry games can change on one interception, one fumble or one bad snap.
4. FIELD POSITION
Make your opponent drive the length of Jim Youel Field.
Don’t give either offense a short field.
5. EMOTION
Maybe the most important factor of all.
—
DON’T LET THE FEUD BEAT YOU
There’s going to be a moment Friday night.
Maybe somebody gets drilled near the sideline.
Maybe somebody talks after the play.
Maybe there’s a scrum after the whistle.
Maybe Richmond Stadium gets loud and everybody’s adrenaline goes through the roof.
That’s when discipline matters.
Walk away.
A personal foul doesn’t make you tougher.
It gives your rival 15 yards.
Play physical.
Play fast.
Play angry between the whistles if that’s what gets you going.
But when that whistle blows?
Get back to the huddle.
The team that controls its emotions may very well be the team carrying The Chair at the end of the night.
—
AND THAT BRINGS US BACK TO THE CHAIR
That’s ultimately what makes Friday night special.
Keokuk has it.
Fort Madison wants it.
The Chiefs want nothing more than to walk into Richmond Stadium, beat their rival on Jim Youel Field and take that Chair back down the road.
The Bloodhounds want to make sure it doesn’t leave Fort Madison.
Forget social media.
Forget Walmart.
Forget what somebody from the other town said this week.
Friday night, the talking gets turned over to the players.
—
24 HOURS
Two programs that need a win.
Fort Madison — 2–2.
Keokuk — 1–3.
A Fort Madison running back with 676 yards.
A Keokuk quarterback with 786 passing yards.
A Chiefs receiver with 442 yards.
Two communities that have been doing this for generations.
Two county-seat towns.
One county.
One stadium.
One football field.
And one trophy sitting there waiting for somebody when the clock reaches **0:00**.
THE CHAIR.
This old coach is ready.
Let the banter continue for another 24 hours.
Let everybody wear their colors.
Let everybody have some fun.
Then tomorrow night…
Let the young men decide it.
THE FEUD CONTINUES.
KEOKUK CHIEFS vs. FORT MADISON BLOODHOUNDS
Richmond Stadium — Jim Youel Field
Friday, September 25
7:00 PM
THE CHAIR IS UP FOR GRABS
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