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BETTENDORF, Iowa – Pleasant Valley coach Rusty VanWetzinga dubs it “World War III: The Germ War.”

As Mucatine concludes its football season Friday night at PV, both teams could be short-handed because of illness.

Muscatine head coach Tony Napierala said he had 20 players missing from practice Monday due to sickness and 17 on Tuesday. The number decreased substantially Wednesday, but the Muskies still had five to six players sitting out of their workout.

“It’s been a unique week,” Napierala said. “It’s just going around. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Meanwhile, PV hasn’t quite been affected like that, but VanWetzinga said he’s had multiple players miss practice time because of the flu.

“It’s everywhere it seems,” he said.

The Spartans (5-3) also could be without their leading rusher, Tim Martinez, who missed last week’s game against Davenport North with an ankle injury. VanWetzinga said the senior will probably be a “game-time decision.”

“With the kids we’ve had out, we’ve tried to shorten things up a little bit in practice,” PV’s third-year head coach said. “We’ve had the sophomore team practice with us a couple of days to try and help with the scout team. You just try and create a little depth the best that you can.

“You make due with what you’ve got. It’s that next-man-in type of mentality.”

Regardless of who’s available, VanWetzinga believes it’s a pivotal game for both teams.

The Spartans are guaranteed a spot in the postseason, but they can finish third in the Mississippi Athletic Conference with a win and could possibly earn a home game for Wednesday’s substate round.

“For the most part, we’re pretty happy with where we’re at as a football team,” VanWetzinga said. “A lot of people on the outside had us picked for fifth, sixth or seventh, but the kids have stepped up and done a nice job.

“We certainly want to get a win going into the playoffs, while I’m sure Muscatine wants to get a win to end its season.”

For Muscatine (1-7) to accomplish that, it’ll need to get off to a better start than it has the past three weeks.

The Muskies haven’t scored a first-quarter point since Sept. 25 against Davenport North. And last week at North Scott, Muscatine was handcuffed to four total yards and no first downs in the opening half of a 30-0 defeat.

“We’ve got to execute better and create some of our own breaks by making some plays,” Napierala said. “We need some great individual efforts.

“Some of it is, we’ve got some size disadvantages. When you’re 250 and 260 going against 200 or 210, that puts you at a disadvantage. Our holes aren’t going to be as big as some other squads because of our lack of size right now. We’re pretty thin up front.”

Zach Lutz and Ian Naber, starters on the offensive line much of the season, are out for the second consecutive week with injuries.

Meanwhile, PV has been stingy on defense. Aside from losses to Clinton and Bettendorf – the league’s top two teams – the Spartans are allowing just 9.5 points per game.

“The defense has been a real pleasant surprise,” VanWetzinga said. “For the most part, we’ve made people work for their points, and that’s kept us in games all year long.”

Offensively, PV is a run-oriented attack. When the Spartans rush for more than 130 yards in a game, they’re 5-0. When they don’t, they’re winless.

It starts up front with tackles Colton Bartholomew (6-5, 300 pounds) and Kurtis Phitzenmaier (6-6, 260).

“They’re going to be a physical team, and they’re going to run a lot off-tackle,” Napierala said. “We’ve got to force them to do some things they don’t want to do.

“We’re going to take some chances on defense to shut down the run game.”

And for a team that hasn’t caught too many breaks this season, Napierala said it’d be nice for his seniors to collect a win in their final game.

“They’ve played hard, and at some point, it’d be nice to get a reward for that,” he said. “If they execute and pull together, some good things could happen for us.

“Hopefully all the work they’ve put in this year will pay off this last week.”

Muscatine (1-7) at Pleasant Valley (5-3)

- When: Sophomores at 4:45 p.m. Friday, varsity to follow between 7:15-7:30 p.m.

- Where: Bettendorf (Pleasant Valley High School)

- Last week: Muscatine generated just four yards of offense and no first downs in the opening half during a 30-0 loss at North Scott. Pleasant Valley rushed for 269 yards en rout to a 41-0 triumph over winless North.

- Last meeting: PV rushed for 279 yards and recorded 14 fourth-quarter points to upend Muscatine 24-10 last October in Muscatine.

- Coaches: Muscatine (Tony Napierala, 2nd year, 5-13); PV (Rusty VanWetzinga, 3rd year, 14-13).

- Stat leaders: Muscatine, Rushing – Tanner Bohling 62-250; Nick Garretson 58-124, 3 TDs. Passing – Paul Jindrich 57-113-14, 642 yards, 3 TDs; Garretson 39-77-4, 496 yards, TD. Receiving – Bohling 24-307, TJ Husar 22-227, Jeff Failor 15-201, 3 TDs. Defense – Mat Snider 74 tackles; Isaac Ales 67 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries; Mitch Shelladay 35 tackles; Derick Minch 29 tackles, 6 fumble recoveries. PV, Rushing – Tim Martinez 95-576, 7 TDs; DJ Steffen 53-302, Mitch Michaelis 74-183. Passing – Michaelis 39-88-4, 628 yards, 5 TDs. Receiving – Andrew Swanson 14-230, TD; Josh Clifton 8-129, TD. Defense – Steffen 67 tackles; Ian Smith 45 tackles; Devin Johnson 33 tackles, 4 TFL.

- Key facts: Regardless of the outcome, PV has already garnered a spot in the postseason. However, the Spartans need a victory and a couple other teams in the eastern half of the state to lose to secure a home game in Wednesday’s substate round. … PV leading’s rusher Tim Martinez missed last week’s game with an ankle injury and is a game-time decision. Muscatine is averaging just 69 yards a game rushing, including a meager 2.5 yards per rush. The Muskies have been outscored 131-32 this season in the middle two quarters, but just 80-56 in the first and fourth quarters.