cbanks1972

🐾🏈 DOG HOUSE PICKS: A ROAD UPSET, A RUNAWAY, AND A ONE-POINT DANDY!By Coach Chuck Banks

🐾🏈 DOG HOUSE PICKS: A ROAD UPSET, A RUNAWAY, AND A ONE-POINT DANDY!
By Coach Chuck Banks

Well, here we go. Time for this old coach to put a few scores out there and give everybody something to remind me about Saturday morning.

Playoff football has a way of making us all look foolish. One turnover, one missed tackle, one young man making the play of his life—and there goes your prediction.

But where’s the fun in keeping quiet? Let’s get the whole Class 2A opening-round prediction card out there.

🔥 OABCIG 24, WESTERN CHRISTIAN 21

Let’s start by stirring the pot. I’m taking OABCIG on the road.

My feeling is this stays close enough that the fourth quarter becomes a test of composure. Protect the football, handle the moment, and make that one possession count. I’m betting OABCIG finds a way to finish.

A three-point road win to open the playoffs? That’ll make the ride home a little sweeter.

💥 CENTERVILLE 35, WEST BURLINGTON/NOTRE DAME 34

OH NELLY. This one might wear me out.

Two Dog House programs. Two communities we appreciate. And one of them gets another week together when this is over.

I’m taking the Big Reds by ONE.

I can see the Falcons pushing Centerville all the way to the final possession. For WB/ND, my key is turning good drives into touchdowns and making Centerville earn every yard. For the Big Reds, it’s handling that pressure without getting impatient.

At 35–34, an extra point, a two-point decision, or one defensive stand could be the difference. I’m not predicting how that moment unfolds—but I am predicting folks won’t be leaving early.

Give me Centerville at home in an absolute dandy.

⚡ MID-PRAIRIE 42, CHARITON 6

I’ve got considerably less drama in this one.

I’m taking the Golden Hawks to get control early and keep it. My expectation is Mid-Prairie establishes itself up front, finishes possessions, and gives Chariton very little room to get comfortable.

Now, picking a comfortable win and earning one are two different things. Mid-Prairie still has to show up ready to work. But on my card, the Golden Hawks move on convincingly.

👀 TWO MORE TO KEEP AN EYE ON

CLARINDA 28, PELLA CHRISTIAN 24

This is another game I’d keep close tabs on. I’m expecting a tight finish, with a turnover or a short field potentially swinging it. Give me Clarinda at home by four, but this pick comes with very little breathing room.

PCM 38, WEST LIBERTY 21

I’m taking PCM to create separation in the second half. West Liberty’s path, in my opinion, is keeping the game manageable early and making every possession count. If PCM gets this moving at its preferred pace, I think the home team advances.

🏈 THE REST OF THE DOG HOUSE PREDICTION CARD

• Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 35, Southeast Valley 14
• Spirit Lake 42, Cherokee 14
• Waukon 28, Bellevue 20
• Dike-New Hartford 35, New Hampton 14
• Alburnett 34, Vinton-Shellsburg 14
• Van Meter 42, Albia 7
• Kuemper Catholic 35, Unity Christian 21
• Crestwood 28, Hampton-Dumont-CAL 17
• Roland-Story 31, Grand View Christian 21
• West Branch 27, Osage 24
• Wilton 35, Anamosa 14

That Osage–West Branch prediction gives me pause. I’ve got West Branch by a field goal, but Osage is my next upset consideration after OABCIG.

And I’m sticking with my earlier feeling about Wilton: that is a team I would hate to draw. I’ve got the Beavers taking care of business against Anamosa.

🐾 THERE YOU HAVE IT—ALL 16 GAMES.

An OABCIG upset. A Mid-Prairie runaway. A couple of nervous home crowds. And a Centerville–WB/ND finish that might require this old coach to take a lap around the living room.

These are predictions, folks. Every team on this list gets the chance to make an old coach look silly—and somebody probably will.

To every player and coach getting another week: appreciate it. Another practice. Another team meal. Another chance to buckle that chin strap with your buddies.

That’s what makes these picks fun—and these games matter.

Who have you got? Put your winners and scores in the comments. You can tell me I’m wrong now, or wait until Saturday when you might have evidence. 😂🏈

#DogHousePicks #DogHouseFootball #CCA #IowaHighSchoolFootball #Class2A #PlayoffFootball #FridayNightLights #CentervilleBigReds #WBND #MidPrairie #OABCIG

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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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