Breaking Down Class 1A Playoffs 1st Round

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The winner of the last two Class 1A state championships, Van Meter, is playing up in 2A this season. Grundy Center, which won the Class A title in 2020, is competing in 1A this fall. The Spartans are the top-ranked team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's take a look at this week's Round 1 games in 1A: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>4th&nbsp;Place at 1st&nbsp;Place</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ridge View (4-4) at Emmetsburg (6-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emmetsburg is chasing its seventh win in a row after it dropped games against 2A playoff teams Central Lyon/George-Little Rock and Estherville Lincoln Central. The E-Hawks rely on a running game powered by Jace Nelson-Brown, Gavin Swanson and Carson Baak. Baak, Bradyen Yates, Jacob Fiene, Ryan Wirtz and Justin Wirtz help them stop the run. Lucas Heilman, Isaac Goettsch,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='320847' first='Asher' last='Endrulat'] and [player_tooltip player_id='320850' first='Cayden' last='Clausen'] stand out for Ridge View. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cascade (2-6) at Grundy Center (8-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grundy Center is seeking its 22nd consecutive victory in this one, the last loss coming to West Hancock in the '21 Class A state title contest. Senior quarterback Logan Knaack engineers a powerful Spartan offense that also includes Dayne Zinkula, Dexter Whitehill, Austin Betts and [player_tooltip player_id='320787' first='Colin' last='Gordon']. Knaack, Zinkula, Whitehill, [player_tooltip player_id='248024' first='Clay' last='Saak'] and Patrick Brown lead a stingy defense. Cascade will need big games from [player_tooltip player_id='320753' first='Will' last='Hosch'], Nathan Schockemoehl, Cass Hoffman and others if it wants to pull off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hudson (5-3) at MFL MarMac (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MFL MarMac is pursuing a trip to the UNI-Dome after falling a step short of the state semifinals a year ago. The Bulldogs come in having won four games in a row since a 13-9 setback against Sumner-Fredericksburg. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='156457' first='Carver' last='Blietz-Bentien'] is hurting the opposition with his arm and legs. [player_tooltip player_id='156641' first='Wyatt' last='Powell'], Quinn McGeough and Bryce Radloff also contribute to a sound running attack with Radloff and Brandon Christofferson standing out at receiver. Blietz-Bentien, Radloff, Bryce Diehl,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='156623' first='Tristen' last='Koehn'], Kade McElwaine are holding it down on defense. Camden Davis, Kiean Crile,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='156655' first='Lyle' last='Olsen'], Drew Sundine, Josh Gilbert, Drew Roberts and Jaedyn Heasley lead upset-minded Hudson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (3-5) at Regina, Iowa City (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regina emerges with a district championship following a blowout of previously unbeaten Wilton a week ago. The Regals are outscoring opponents by an average score of 42.3-12.5 behind an offense led by senior quarterback Gentry Dumont, [player_tooltip player_id='466364' first='Tate' last='Wallace'], William Aitchison, Jackson Naeve, Ty Joss and Alex Jensen. Naeve, Wallace, Noah Clark, Andrew Greve, Ian Udell, Jack Clark and others shine on defense. The Rockets will rely on Russell McCrea, Landon Glosser,&nbsp;Brooks Moore,&nbsp;Corbyn Padgett and [player_tooltip player_id='156483' first='Blake' last='Jager'] in trying to slay the giant that is Regina. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shenandoah (3-5) at OABCIG (6-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OAGCIG embarks on the postseason riding a five-game winning streak which led to an unbeaten district championship. Brysen Kolar,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1197438' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'], Kelton Ladwig,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='156583' first='Ethan' last='Behrendsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1242843' first='Jack' last='Gilbert'] are among the guys making the offense work well. DeJean, [player_tooltip player_id='1242845' first='Kade' last='Spotts'], Andrew Parks, [player_tooltip player_id='1286469' first='Bodie' last='Hansen'], Karsen Hoefling and [player_tooltip player_id='1418205' first='Dayton' last='Ullrich'] lead a deep defense. Shenandoah will look to ground the Falcons with a group led by Jade Spangler,&nbsp;Jayden Dickerson, [player_tooltip player_id='247959' first='Brody' last='Cullin'] and Gage Sample. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Central Valley (3-5) at Sigourney/Keota (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sigourney Keota is steamrolling opponents by an average score of 45.1-13.5, leading to its current seven-game winning streak after a season-opening loss to PCM. Cobra quarterback Sawyer Stout stresses defenses with his passing and running abilities. He receives plenty of help on offense from Kale Clarahan, Issac Bruns and Cole Kindred. Kindred, Jake Moore, Aiden McGuire, Evan Vittetoe and Ashton Schwab are key components on a strong defense. Nate Gerling, Jathan Edgington,&nbsp;Trenton Naragon, Landon Osberg, Zach Teague and the rest West Central Valley squad are smelling upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Denver (5-3) at South Hamilton (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Hamilton is outscoring its opponents by 33.1 points per game in sweeping through district play. The Hawks' run-heavy attack includes productive ball carriers in [player_tooltip player_id='1286431' first='Nick' last='Severseike'], Ashton Williams, Tjerdan Johnson, [player_tooltip player_id='1370676' first='Kolby' last='Hodnefield'], Landon Greufe, Noah Gunderson and Jose Babcock. Williams, Owen Duns, Carter Stolee and Owen Renaud help make South Hamilton salty on defense. Denver is looking to halt a three-game skid behind key contributors Jaxon Sanderson, Micah Grier, Evan Dorn, Keaton Rothmeyer, Alex Moran and [player_tooltip player_id='320778' first='Logan' last='Beaty']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Sac County (4-4) at Underwood (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Underwood's lone blemish this season is a seven-point setback against 2A unbeaten Van Meter. Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1221934' first='Garrett' last='Luett'] along with Maddox Nelson, [player_tooltip player_id='156656' first='Graham' last='Jensen'], Josh Ravlin, Mason Boothby and Jack Vanfossan stand out on an offense averaging 41.0 points per game. Jensen, Vanfossan, Boothby, Easton Robertson, Sam Schoening and Maddox Nelson lead a defense yielding just 5.9. East Sac County needs big performances from talented players like Tate Lahr, [player_tooltip player_id='1249260' first='Landon' last='Grindle'], Charlie Veit, Luke Wernimont and Bradyn Burns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>3rd&nbsp;Place at 2nd&nbsp;Place</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pocahontas Area (4-4) at Waterloo Columbus Catholic (6-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Columbus Catholic has three wins in a row and a second-place district finish to Grundy Center on its resume. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1120034' first='Carter' last='Lockert'], running back Parker Kjeldsen, and receivers Nick Merrifield and [player_tooltip player_id='252341' first='Myles' last='Gardner'] lead a balanced Sailor offense averaging 34.5 points per game. A defense spearheaded by Gardner, Nick Merrifield, Aiden Hosch and [player_tooltip player_id='156618' first='Mason' last='Knipp'] is allowing just 13.0. Pocahontas Area seeks a road win behind the efforts of Ryan Sommerlot, Gabe Ehn, Trevor Sturhenberg, Dominic Aljets and Ethan Behrens. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AHSTW (5-3) at Hinton (5-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup could prove to be an exciting one. The teams appear evenly matched. Hinton prefers running the ball and playing stiff defense. On offense, quarterback Gabe Anderson, Bode Binneboese, Brooks Binneboese and [player_tooltip player_id='1579473' first='Cole' last='Friessen'] power the rushing attack. The Binneboeses, Anderson, Kyle Leary, Brogan Lake,&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='252323' first='Jacob' last='Bishop'] and Karson Ludwig shine on defense. Camden Soukup, [player_tooltip player_id='245821' first='Luke' last='Sternberg'], Kayden Baxter, Gavin Newcomb and Blake Akers help give AHSTW a chance in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dike-New Hartford (5-3) at Manson NW Webster (3-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game should be interesting. Quarterback Logan Moline is joined by talented NW Webster skill players Kamden Birkey, Matt Condon and [player_tooltip player_id='320805' first='Caydin' last='Anderson']. On defense, Condon, Birkey, Grayson Klocko, [player_tooltip player_id='1286475' first='Grant' last='Pohlman'] and Tatuem Hanson make plays. For Dike-New Hartford, quarterback Colin Meester heads a dangerous offense that also includes standouts Noah Borcherding, Micah Walston, Devon Lotts and Carson Costello. Zachry Adelmund, Jack Severson and Jayce Jensen anchor a resistant Wolverine defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ogden (4-4) at Pella Christian (6-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pella Christian enters the playoffs a winner in four of its last five games. Quarterback Caleb Van Arendonk along with Benny Schirz, [player_tooltip player_id='1418213' first='Cooper' last='Spronk'], Johnson Morgan, Isaiah Breems and Camden Parker play important parts in the Eagles fielding a dangerous offense. The defense is sparked by Spronk, Schirz, [player_tooltip player_id='156638' first='Trevor' last='Veenstra'] and Brecken Ritzert. Colby Rohe, [player_tooltip player_id='1241534' first='Cayden' last='Dudley'], Quintin Hoskins, Keaton Westberg, Carsen Moorman and Nathan Comer make Ogden an interesting underdog. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Hardin (4-4) at Sumner-Fredericksburg (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sumner-Fredericksburg's lone loss is a 10-point home defeat to Dike-New Hartford five games ago. The Cougars feature an efficient quarterback in Davis Van Sickle along with a trio of productive running backs in Noah Henderson, [player_tooltip player_id='320860' first='Jaxon' last='Willems'] and Jesse Jones. Henderson and Willems are the receiving leaders, too. The defense relies on Willems, Jones, [player_tooltip player_id='320861' first='Jaymison' last='Howard'], Achilles Quigley, Kallen Wilharm and Grant Henderson. Peyton Welch, Jaxson Drury, Sam Benson, Ethan Klendworth, Logan Faris, Caden Steding and Sean May are among a talented group at South Hardin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Sioux, Hawarden (4-4) at Treynor (7-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Treynor is the second-place outfit from Underwood's district. Cardinal quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='533047' first='Ben' last='Casey'] enters the postseason with 20 touchdowns throws and three rushing scores. Danny Kinsella, [player_tooltip player_id='533058' first='Karson' last='Elwood'] and Jace Tams also excel on offense, while [player_tooltip player_id='1476816' first='Zack' last='Robbins'], Aaron Ehmke, Caleb Cooper, Brady Phelps and Joey Bittner deliver for a deep defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1242837' first='Blake' last='Wiggins'], Tranquilino Flores Topete, [player_tooltip player_id='252313' first='Kolton' last='Koopmans'], Bode Wilkens and  [player_tooltip player_id='247979' first='Keegan' last='McMillan'] help form a solid foundation for West Sioux. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pleasantville (5-3) at West Branch (5-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Branch is the second-place team in District 5, ahead of a Wilton team that defeated it due to a three-way tiebreaker with Regina. Got it? Anyway, the Bears play strong defense with Logan Wright, Reese Trepanier, Cale Seydel, Cooper Gates, Shae Farmer and Trenton Schutte among the standouts. Sophomore Brennen Dale is emerging as a dual-threat quarterback with Zach Capper and Auron Marsh also chewing up ground yard and Joe Hamann contributing at receiver. [player_tooltip player_id='1197483' first='Braylon' last='Bingham'], Caleb Cook, [player_tooltip player_id='1239312' first='Yusef' last='Gulley'] and Dayson Leerhoff are standing out at Pleasantville. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wilton (7-1) at Woodward-Granger (4-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finishing third in District 5 after a three-way tiebreaker with West Branch and Regina, Wilton is the rare 7-1 squad traveling in Round 1. The Beavers' offense is guided by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='609822' first='Drew' last='Keith'] and features balance with running back [player_tooltip player_id='1286459' first='Owen' last='Hassell'] and receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1418742' first='Cade' last='Souhrada']. On defense, Owen Milder, [player_tooltip player_id='1241496' first='Kane' last='Willey'], [player_tooltip player_id='245546' first='Damian' last='Pestle'] and Carter Drake Metzger make moving the ball tough on opponents. Woodward-Granger plays host with a strong collection of players in Oliver Potter, [player_tooltip player_id='1242840' first='Talan' last='Fuson'], Max Dalton and [player_tooltip player_id='1370717' first='Kane' last='Mahler-Moreno'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->