It is somewhat of a surprise, however, that the Little Cyclones also are perfect.
Both teams are 6-0, but that's expected from the Tigers considering they haven't lost a regular season game since 2002. The Little Cyclones have impressively made it unscathed through a rugged schedule and already have topped last season's victory total.
Their six victims include two playoff quarterfinalists from last season and two CIML Iowa Conference rivals. Five of the six victories have come by double digits.
"We believed we could do this," Ames senior quarterback Austen Arnaud said. "We knew it would take a lot of courage a lot of effort to get here. We got here (undefeated) but we're not done yet."
The Little Cyclones are off to the school's best start since the 1996 squad won its first 12 games before losing to Iowa City High in the Class 4A state championship game.
Ames coach Bruce Vertanen is keeping a low-key, business-like attitude within the program. That hasn't been easy this week with such a high-profile game on the schedule.
"We've got to stay grounded because you don't get anywhere floating," Vertanen said. "We need to get right back on the ground and keep our focus on hard work and let everyone else talk about the hoopla.
"We haven't taken a deep breath about and said, 'Wow' about the way we've started. It's something to be proud of, but we've got plenty left to shoot for."
The Little Cyclones have resembled a well-oiled machine in their fast start.
The offense, spearheaded by Arnaud and tailback Nathan Greving, has scored more than 30 points in every game but one. The first-team defense has yet to give up more than 20 points in regulation and kicker Tommy Strehlow and punter Jeff Houk have been solid in the kicking game.
In his first year at tailback, Greving is leading the Iowa Conference with 946 rushing yards and has scored 12 touchdowns. Greving had nearly 300 yards and four scores in last week's 35-17 triumph at Newton.
"The key areas of our game are defending the run and establishing the run and we've been solid in those two areas and everything else has fallen into place," Vertanen said. "I can't say enough good things about the coaching staff and the job they've done."
As good as the Little Cyclones have been, the Tigers have been almost flawless. Valley has outscored its opponents by a combined 219-75 and has been threatened just once in a 28-21 victory over No. 6 Dowling Catholic.
Iowa State recruit Zac Sandvig has 803 rushing yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns. Sandvig had 201 yards and three scores in last week's 38-0 thrashing of No. 8 Fort Dodge.
The Tigers' ground game is impressive but they can throw the ball, too.
Quarterback Bobby Noyce has thrown for 846 yards and has 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Previous Valley quarterbacks Dan Dickmeyer and Jason Krull have burned the Little Cyclones for a combined 308 yards on 21 of 28 passing the previous two years.
"We have to play as one heartbeat all the time," Ames senior linebacker Dan Kinker said. "We just have to gang tackle and work as a team. Everybody needs to do their job."
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