Breaking Down The Class 4A Third Round Games

Just 16 teams remain standing in each class in Iowa as the race heats up to reach the UNI-Dome. Teams are now just three wins away from becoming state champions, but after two weeks filled with plenty of lopsided results, the intensity rises to another level now. Here’s a look at some of the key players in each game this week: <strong>POD A</strong> <em>Bettendorf at Pleasant Valley</em> Since the 2008 season, Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley have played 17 times. During that span, Bettendorf owns the series, winning 14, but it was Pleasant Valley with the convincing 23-6 victory earlier this year. <strong>Barrett Lindmark</strong> was a man among boys that evening, running for 155 yards and two touchdowns out of the quarterback position. On the year, he has accounted for 13 TDs with <strong>Caden Kipper</strong> running for 896 yards and six scores. Pleasant Valley will look to seniors <strong>Zach Garton</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="23848" first="Ryan" last="Cole"] to advance. Garton has 698 yards passing and seven scores with Cole adding 627 yards rushing and eight TDs on 90 attempts. <em>Dubuque Hempstead at Iowa City West</em> After missing much of September, Iowa City West returned and has been on a roll, including a 35-7 playoff win over Iowa City High last week. [player_tooltip player_id="23831" first="Marcus" last="Morgan"] continues to be one of the top athletes in the state, throwing for 1,165 yards on 68 of 96 passing with 15 touchdowns. For Hempstead, it all starts and ends with [player_tooltip player_id="23854" first="Aidan" last="Dunne"]. The senior has 1,531 yards passing and 554 yards rushing, scoring a combined 25 times. <strong>Jackson Ostrander</strong> is his big-play threat with 33 receptions for 487 yards and three TDs. <strong>POD B</strong> <em>Ankeny Centennial at Southeast Polk</em> Many feel like the 4A state title goes through Southeast Polk, as the Rams are allowing under nine points per game. Earlier this year, they scored a 29-0 shutout over Ankeny Centennial. [player_tooltip player_id="23947" first="Jaxon" last="Dailey"] has thrown for 1,148 yards and 12 touchdowns with junior classmate [player_tooltip player_id="23983" first="Titus" last="Christiansen"] running for almost 800 yards and 10 scores. The defense also features one of the state’s best in [player_tooltip player_id="23942" first="Xavier" last="Nwankpa"], who has three interceptions and is a difference-maker in the back-end. Centennial will need <strong>JJ Kohl</strong> and the crew to be at a A-level of play. Kohl, a sophomore, has thrown for 808 yards and Trey Porter has five rushing touchdowns with 513 yards. <em>Cedar Rapids Prairie vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Kingston Stadium</em> One might play quarterback, but we have quite the matchup of rushers this week with Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Kennedy meeting. Kennedy is led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="23839" first="Max" last="White"], who has 1,045 yards and 15 touchdowns, adding 477 yards passing and three scores. For Prairie, it is [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"], as the senior has carried the ball 137 times for 1,017 yards and 16 scores. Back in Week 1, Kennedy posted a 35-34 victory. White ran for 236 yards and four scores with <strong>Dionte Fliss</strong> throwing a pair of touchdowns for Prairie. <strong>POD C</strong> <em>Cedar Falls at Ankeny</em> College scouts will be all over this game with talent gracing the field from both teams. For Cedar Falls, running back [player_tooltip player_id="23841" first="Ryan" last="Ostrich"] is an elite player. Ostrich has 1,216 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, showing his threats out of the backfield with over 100 yards receiving. We all know about Ankeny’s big guns including [player_tooltip player_id="23810" first="Brody" last="Brecht"] and [player_tooltip player_id="35343" first="Arland" last="Bruce IV"], but <strong>Kade Somers</strong> has really come on. Somers has 478 yards receiving and seven TDs from quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="23828" first="Jase" last="Bauer"], who has completed 95 of 144 for 1,421 yards with 22 touchdowns in the air and another 476 and five on the ground. <em>Indianola at Waukee</em> Despite a 4-4 record, there might be no team more dangerous in 4A than Indianola. The Indians played Western Dubuque to a two-point game, West Des Moines Dowling to an 11-point contest and pushed Urbandale before falling 28-27. [player_tooltip player_id="23991" first="Kael" last="Kolarik"] is one of the top players in the junior class as he has rushed for 745 yards and found the end zone 17 times on the ground for Indianola. <strong>C.J. Kuehl</strong> has over 800 yards of offense and six scores. The Warriors will look to senior running back <strong>Alexander Linquist</strong> and quarterback <strong>Jakob Holcomb</strong>. Linquist has over 1,200 yards rushing and Holcomb has thrown for over 1,100 with 14 TDs. Waukee owns the series, having won all four games including a 42-7 victory in 2019. <strong>POD D</strong> <em>Waterloo West at West Des Moines Dowling</em> The seven-time defending state champion Maroons have been on a roll since a loss to Johnston and a close win over Waukee, dominating Marshalltown, Fort Dodge and Sioux City North in recent weeks. We’ve talked about <strong>Louis Brooks</strong> before but it’s hard to ignore what the senior has done. He leads Dowling with 33 receptions for 582 yards and seven scores, showing a tremendous ability to get away from the defense. For West, <strong>Carter Schulte</strong> has played like you want a senior to at quarterback, completing 50 percent of his passes for 1,761 yards and 14 touchdowns. <strong>Tay Norman</strong> is a deep threat with 783 yards and five TDs. Waterloo West escaped with a 24-17 victory in the opening round last week over Fort Dodge and has also played a tough schedule including games with Dubuque Hempstead and Cedar Rapids Kennedy. <em>West Des Moines Valley at Urbandale</em> It was a difficult regular season for West Des Moines Valley, but now that the playoffs have arrived, the Tigers appear primed up again. Valley has controlled this series, winning the last five including a 52-13 victory last year. This, though, is the best Urbandale team during that time led by [player_tooltip player_id="23823" first="Tucker" last="Langenberg"] and company. Langenberg has 942 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground with [player_tooltip player_id="23809" first="Max" last="Llewellyn"] adding 13 receptions for 278 yards and two scores. Both are also tremendous on the defensive side of the ball. Langenberg has 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with Llewellyn adding nine and 4.5. As a team, the J-Hawks have 18.5 sacks and 47.5 tackles for loss. For Valley, <strong>Jayden Williams</strong> has over 500 yards and six touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id="23818" first="Matthew" last="Mahoney"] is a great target with 30 receptions.