Class 1A Playoffs: Closer Look At North Central Iowa Games

Thirty-two teams remain standing as we embark on the second week of the playoffs here in Iowa. Chilly temperatures greeted those that battled it out last week to advance, and that will likely be the case again around the state. But on the gridiron, the action should be hot and intense as everybody wants to take that next step towards making the UNI-Dome. Here’s a look at the matchups involving north-central Iowa teams this week in Class 1A prep football: <strong>Carroll Kuemper at Emmetsburg</strong> Carroll Kuemper will try to pull a second consecutive upset when they head to Emmetsburg this week. The Knights stunned Pocahontas Area in the first round of the playoffs, 16-8. And while their record might not be shiny, Kuemper has played one of the toughest schedules in the state. After opening with South Central Calhoun, the Knights played Atlantic, ACGC, Woodward-Granger, Van Meter and Panorama. Luke Hicks leads the team with 707 yards passing while Taye Vonnahme has 501 yards rushing and three scores. For the E-Hawks, Cole Shirk is the workhorse of the offense with 112 carries for 819 yards and eight scores. Quarterback Ben Dunlap has 416 yards passing and five touchdowns, and anchors a defense with Jordan Anderson that has pitched multiple shutouts. Dunlap is a special talent on both sides of the ball. His playmaking abilities could be the difference and that could mean either with a big-strike on offense or a key forced turnover on defense. <strong>Belmond-Klemme at Southeast Valley</strong> After receiving a bye, Southeast Valley hits the field this week to welcome Belmond-Klemme. University of Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id="23944" first="Aaron" last="Graves"] was recently tabbed as the top Class of 2022 prospect in the state. And for good reason. Graves has 40 tackles with 14.5 being for loss, 8.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He also anchors an offensive line that has helped keep Kolson Kruse upright and open holes for Lathe Muench. Plain and simply put, when you have a talent like Graves along the line, it makes everyone around him better. The level of play rises and the opposing team must figure out how to contain him and limit him. Kruse has 845 yards passing, 479 yards rushing and 18 TDs with Muench adding 580 and 12 scores. Kaleb Scott, a junior like Graves, Kruse and Muench, has 12 receptions for 255 yards and three TDs. Kruse's emergence as a leader on the field is evident by the trust the Southeast Valley coaching staff has in him. No matter the score or time of the game, they believe that he will do the right thing - and he almost always does. The Broncos are led by Tate Sander, as the junior has 899 yards rushing and a dozen scores. Jordan Meyer has thrown for 344 yards and rushed for another 343 with seven combined TDs. Back in September, Southeast Valley posted a 36-20 victory over Belmond-Klemme. Kruse had 159 yards passing and three TDs with 100 yards rushing in that win. <strong>South Hardin at South Hamilton</strong> If you haven’t been paying attention to South Hamilton this year, you better start now. The Hawks have been on an absolute tear, scoring over 20 points in all seven games and having allowed double digits just once. They have outscored the opposition 267-49. On offense, South Hamilton makes no secrets about what they like to do. They have 14 pass attempts for 157 yards while rushing the ball 367 times for 2,449 yards and 34 touchdowns. Trevor Thompson, a senior, ha 1,046 yards and 15 scores with [player_tooltip player_id="23912" first="Brock" last="Galetich"] adding 797 and 12 more TDs. These are two incredibly talented players who like nothing more than running you over or running past you on their way to celebrating in the end zone. South Hardin will present a more balanced attack led by Dante Dolash. The senior has completed 106 of 172 passes for 1,058 yards and nine TDs with Beau Butler running for 677 yards and eight touchdowns. Butler also has 22 receptions for 325 yards and a pair of scores. This is another regular season rematch, as South Hamilton won in September, 28-6. <strong>Dike-New Hartford at South Central Calhoun</strong> Nether Dike-New Hartford or South Central Calhoun had troubles in Week 1 of the playoffs. The Wolverines rolled past Jesup, 41-6, with the Titans taking care of Eagle Grove, 46-7. We should be in for quite the battle in Lake City. Dike-New Hartford has rushed for 1,513 yards and thrown for another 907 with 33 offensive touchdowns. Compare that to 1,810 yards rushing, 780 passing and 36 TDs for South Central Calhoun, and you can see why this is a highly-contested game. Drew Larson is the leader for the Wolverines with 1,202 yards rushing and 15 scores. Quarterback Nathan Moore has thrown for 892 yards and 11 TDs, including numerous connections with Dane Fuller. For the Titans, Blake McAlister and Brennan Holder are the big-play runners with Cole Corey directing the attack. McAlister is electric when SCC gets him the ball in space and Holder has shown a knack for breaking would-be-tacklers throughout the season. <strong>East Sac County at OABCIG</strong> East Sac County’s reward for topping Missouri Valley in the first round? None other than district foe, defending state champion and unbeaten OABCIG led by University of Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id="23817" first="Cooper" last="DeJean"]. During the regular season, DeJean led the Falcons to a 55-7 victory, as they are 5-0 in the series overall. The senior has thrown for 1,952 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding another 741 and 15 scores on the ground. If you haven't watched DeJean live, make sure to catch him before his career is over. It's incredible what he can do even when the opposing defense is focusing all 11 players on containing him. The Raiders will try to slow things down and lean on Jake Paysen and Tyler Schmitt. Paysen, a senior, has 624 yards rushing with eight scores while Scmitt has thrown for 554 and ran for another 396 with nine combined TDs.