Harper heads to Iowa for test from Western

It's safe to say the Harper College football team doesn't know exactly what to expect from its road trip today to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Hawks are playing Iowa Western Community College, a program in its first year of competition after dropping the sport in the 1970s.

Harper (2-1) dropped its season opener to College of DuPage but has since defeated Rock Valley and North Dakota State College of Science.

The Reivers feature what Hawks coach Eric Waldstein called a "huge defensive line that is pretty fast for as big as they are."

Iowa Western used a 4-3 defense and so far has had a solid running game. Though the Reivers are 0-3, they've been competitive in losses to Joliet (25-22), Grand Rapids (54-36) and Iowa Central Community College (42-28).

"They are real young," said Waldstein, "but they're going to be good in the future."

- Jonathan Cregier