Breaking Down The Eight-Player 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: POD A Harris-Lake Park at Remsen St. Mary’s It has been run of six consecutive wins for Harris-Lake Park, including two postseason victories in which they scored 47 and 55 points. Sophomore Tyce Gunderson has been excellent under center, completing 52 percent of his passes for 789 yards with a 23-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. For the Hawks, seven players have over 100 yards on the ground, as the team has over 1,700 on the year. Jaxon Bunkers has thrown 12 touchdown passes. A key player to watch is wide receiver Damen Brownmiller, as the senior is averaging over 22 yards per catch with 21 receptions for 356 yards and six scores overall. At 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, he is a big target for Remsen St. Mary’s. This is a rematch as Remsen St. Mary’s rolled in Week 2, besting Harris-Lake Park, 52-0. Newell-Fonda at Audubon While not a rematch, these two have a little history, with Audubon posting a 45-33 victory back in 2017 as the Wheelers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. The names have changed since that time, as junior Gavin Smith now leads the high-octane Audubon offense. Smith has thrown for 789 yards and ran for another 1,022 with 41 combined touchdowns. His adversary is Mustang Gabe Sievers, as the senior has over 1,400 yards of total offense with 24 touchdowns. Newell-Fonda also has an incredibly gifted athlete in junior Trey Jungers. The multi-sport standout is averaging almost 23 yards per catch with seven touchdowns. POD B Lamoni at Anita-CAM Lamoni has looked great since the start of the playoffs, blowing past Grand View Christian and Southeast Warren. Quarterback Javin Evans makes the offense go, throwing for 764 yards and rushing for 723 with 32 combined TDs. Evans is part of a rushing attack with seniors Logan Jones and Cael Ogier that has racked up over 2,000 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground. The Cougars rely on junior [player_tooltip player_id="23971" first="Lane" last="Spieker"], who has 1,305 yards and 28 touchdowns. Spieker is a dangerous athlete, as he also has five receptions for 141 yards and two catch with 292 yards and five scores in the air. Fremont-Mills at Martensdale-St. Mary’s If there is one game you have to go to this week in eight-player this is it. Martensdale-St. Mary’s quarterback Jack Franey is as good as they come, having thrown for 37 touchdowns with just one interception. The senior is completing 60 percent of his passes for 1,756 yards, adding 301 and 11 scores on the ground. Fremont-Mills counters with [player_tooltip player_id="23833" first="Seth" last="Malcom"], who has committed to Nebraska. Malcom has 608 yards and seven scores on the ground, while making 12.5 tackles for loss on defense. Jake Malcom is the next star in the making. He has picked off six passes, thrown for 698 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushed for 329 with seven scores. POD C New London at Janesville Back-to-back postseason wins in which they scored over 50 points has New London feeling good heading out on the road. The Tigers have their most important player at quarterback in Blaise Porter. The sophomore is completing nearly 76 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns. He’s also rushed for a team-high 1,251 yards and 23 scores. At Janesville, the offense is triggered by quarterback Leo Dodd. The junior has 21 touchdowns and 1,349 yards, with senior [player_tooltip player_id="23934" first="Carson" last="Pariseau"] getting it done on the ground to the tune of 1,481 yards and 30 scores. Pariseau is a big back with speed, standing 6-1 tall and weighing 200 pounds. He is also part of a defense that has picked off 11 passes and forced 24 turnovers on the year. Tripoli at Don Bosco Cael Frost has the perfect name for this time of year, as the senior leads Don Bosco into action. Frost has thrown for 642 yards and 12 touchdowns with an eye-popping 1,742 yards and 31 scores on the ground. The Dons are no stranger to playing deep into the season. They have won at least eight games every year since 2010 including six straight seasons with 11-or-more. For Tripoli, keep an eye on No. 20, quarterback Conner Piehl. The senior has over 2,000 yards of offense with 38 touchdowns. At 6-1, he offers a nice, big frame and is very athletic both running the ball and getting it down the field. POD D Easton Valley at Gladbrook-Reinbeck If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of really talented teams still standing in eight-player. Easton Valley is another of those, as the River Hawks have scored 125 points and allowed just 20 in two postseason wins. Conor Gruver is a tremendous talent throwing the football, having completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,857 yards with 32 touchdowns. Kolton Murphy has rushed for over 1,100 yards with 20 touchdowns and Parker Olson and Carson Fuegen have a combined 1,000-plus receiving yards and 17 scores. Keagan Giesking will be who they try to contain, as the senior has rushed for 2,153 yards and 32 touchdowns on 274 carries, averaging almost eight yards per attempt. He offers up great size at 6-1 and 190 pounds. Brooklyn BGM at Montezuma The key for Brooklyn BGM to pull this off will be containing the state’s touchdown leader, [player_tooltip player_id="23965" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"]. On the year, the junior has 60 total touchdowns, 11 clear of second place. Burgess is 128-for-191 for 2,227 yards with 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions, adding 958 yards and 21 scores on the ground. The Braves, who are a threat to cut down the nets in basketball this winter,r boast wide receivers Trey Shearer (59-952-19) and Cole Watts (38-858-13). BGM will need sophomore Jacob Maurer to play nearly perfect - which he has done countless times this season. Maurer has thrown for 1,410 yards and ran for another 1,468 with 32 combined TDs.