MVPs From The Class 4A State Playoff Quarterfinals

It was a little disappointing quarterfinal round in Class 4A, as COVID-19 scrapped plans for a rematch between West Des Moines Valley and West Des Moines Dowling. The seven-time defending champion Maroons earned a forfeit victory after the Tigers were hit with the coronavirus. They are joined by Pleasant Valley, Southeast Polk and Ankeny for the next round, which takes place inside the UNI-Dome. But before we move forward, we need to recap the action that was in the quarterfinals with a look at the MVP from each game. <strong>Pleasant Valley 38, Iowa City West 24</strong> <em>Caden Kipper, Pleasant Valley (2021)</em> Big plays were the norm for Caden Kipper, as the senior running back led Pleasant Valley to a convincing victory. Kipper showed all of his skills in the quarterfinals, running 25 times for 121 yards with two touchdowns. He also hauled in his lone pass, taking it 67 yards for another score. <em>The 6-foot-0, 200-pounder, who is also a top baseball prospect, is extremely athletic. St. Ambrose has been after him and following another strong performance, you can be other colleges are taking note.</em> <strong>Southeast Polk 48, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 0</strong> <em>The Entire Ram Defense</em> Not many believed Cedar Rapids Kennedy would be able to upset Southeast Polk, but most felt like they would have some success on offense against the Rams. That was not the case, as the unit kept Kennedy from getting past the 50-yard line. The Cougars entered the contest averaging over 31 points per game behind [player_tooltip player_id="23839" first="Max" last="White"], but nothing was working vs. Southeast Polk. Reed Wolfe and Dominic Caggiano had two sacks each as the Rams recorded 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Wolfe finished with 8.5 tackles and Andrew Reed eight. <strong>Ankeny 28, Waukee 7</strong> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="35343" first="Arland" last="Bruce IV"], Ankeny (2021)</em> [player_tooltip player_id="35343" first="Arland" last="Bruce IV"] continues to showcase why he is going to be a key piece for the Hawkeyes for years to come. Bruce racked up 202 yards and three touchdowns on the ground with five receptions for 89 yards and another score to lead Ankeny to the semifinals. Not only does Bruce have incredible speed, he is tough to bring down. The Hawks avenged their lone loss of the season - a game they did not have Bruce in - and now get the chance to knock Dowling off.