Breaking Down Class 2A Playoffs 1st Round

It's hard to believe the playoffs have arrived for the four smallest classes in Iowa. The state released first-round playoff matchups on Saturday for games being played this coming Friday.   Here's a look 2A action that will pair down the field from 32 to 16 teams:   4th Place at 1st Place   Okoboji (2-6) at Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (8-0)   Okoboji will try to slay the giant that is defending state champion CL/G-LR. The Lions are outscoring opponents by an average of 43.3 points to 7.8. They're riding a a 21-game winning streak. Iowa Hawkeye commitments [player_tooltip player_id='573617' first='Reece' last='Vander Zee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='320758' first='Graham' last='Eben'] stand out for the state's top team, which also receives major contributions from [player_tooltip player_id='245890' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'], Xaccai Ditsworth, Lane Kruger and Gabe Schulte.   Cherokee (5-3) vs. Kuemper Catholic, Carroll (6-2), Site & Time TBD   First-round contests can be lopsided when it's the first- vs fourth-place matchup like this one. That outcome seems less likely here. Kuemper is riding a six-game winning streak into this game, while Washington comes into action off of two victories in a row. Iowa Hawkeye pledge DJ Vonnahme contributes all around the field for Kuemper. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1242935' first='Brock' last='Badding'] is excelling in his first season as the Knights starting QB. Michael Kasperbauer,  Benjamin Gerken, Jake Irlbeck, Kent Sanders and Tate Bieret also stand out for Kuemper. [player_tooltip player_id='1221948' first='Jaxon' last='Paulsrud'], Logan Allender, Jon Jenness, [player_tooltip player_id='1687045' first='Blake' last='Lovell'] and Tru Timmerman are among the Washington playmakers.   Anamosa (4-4) at Mediapolis (6-2)   Mediapolis enters the postseason on a five-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 210-39 during that stretch. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='133308' first='Drew' last='Miller'], who is headed to two-time defending national champion Georgia as a punter, also shines for Mediapolis as a quarterback, runner and place kicker. Jackson Hutcheson, Aedin Nelson, Noah Schmidgall, Grady Gunn, Maxx Ortiz, Chett Mohr, Quinton Schulz and Kyle Vorwerk give the Bulldogs a deep pool of talent. Anamosa will lean on Austin Scranton, Jackson Watters, [player_tooltip player_id='1370608' first='Hudson' last='Scranton'], Miken Wheeler and Nate Fischer.   North Fayette Valley (3-5) at Monticello (7-1)   Since falling against Mount Vernon in the season-opener, Monticello is unbeaten in seven contests, scoring no fewer than 35 points and allowing more than 14 in any game. Iowa Hawkeye commitment [player_tooltip player_id='156453' first='Preston' last='Ries'] is enjoying a dominant season on both sides of the ball as evidenced by his 18 touchdown passes, 20 scores rushing and 20.0 tackles for loss. He receives support from Conner Jordan, [player_tooltip player_id='922642' first='Peyton' last='Schilling'], Adrian Graves, Dylan Monk and AJ Phelps. North Fayette Valley needs big games from Ayden Burrow, Ayden Turner, [player_tooltip player_id='1466788' first='Cael' last='Reichter'], Tate Germann, Gavyn Grove and Layne Kleppe.   Interstate 35, Truro (3-5) at PCM (6-2)   PCM rolls into this one riding a five-game winning streak. Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1279929' first='Gavin' last='VanGorp'] hurts teams with his arm and legs. His classmate, [player_tooltip player_id='252235' first='Adrien' last='Robbins'], leads the ground attack with 1,710 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing. The Mustangs also lean on Griffin Olson,  [player_tooltip player_id='1586795' first='Finn' last='Wilson'], Trenner VanDyke and [player_tooltip player_id='1096903' first='Brevin' last='DeRaad'], among others. Grady Dodds, Chase Dixson and Eli Green play key roles for Interstate 35.   Southeast Valley (5-3) at Spirit Lake (7-1)   It's six victories in a row for surging Spirit Lake, which features a balanced offense ignited by [player_tooltip player_id='1286491' first='Caden' last='Lundt'], [player_tooltip player_id='1286483' first='Bode' last='Higgins'], [player_tooltip player_id='1286604' first='William' last='Ditsworth'], [player_tooltip player_id='1286497' first='Ethan' last='Stecker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1286501' first='Dylan' last='Stecker']. On defense, Owen Lalumendre, [player_tooltip player_id='1418083' first='Joey' last='Andres'], Sam Henrickson and Evan Beck help wrap up the opposition. Brady Hanson, Cale Vansickle, Andrew Miller, Jace Hanson, Tyler Moreland and [player_tooltip player_id='773216' first='Drew' last='Temple'] are Southeast Valley players to watch.   Albia (4-4) at Van Meter (8-0)   Van Meter is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 51.6-10.8. Winners of the last two 1A state championships and their previous 34 games overall, the Bulldogs are tackling a bigger group of schools in '23. Their roster is dotted with talent and experience, including Austin Baumhover, [player_tooltip player_id='320866' first='Ben' last='Gordon'], Cole Moore, [player_tooltip player_id='320865' first='Porter' last='Doggett'], [player_tooltip player_id='320863' first='Teddy' last='Sieck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='320862' first='John' last='Braun']. Albia relies on productive performances from Luke Wynn, Spencer Maddison, Connor Fisher, [player_tooltip player_id='320740' first='Paul' last='Ballard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='320739' first='Lance' last='Helm'].     Union, LaPorte City (2-6) at Waukon (5-3)   Waukon is seeking its fifth win in a row after beginning the season with losses in three of its first four contests. It's trying to get back to the UNI-Dome after falling short a year ago. Jaxon Brinkman and Graine Curtin are a potent 1-2 punch running the ball. Jack O'Neill and [player_tooltip player_id='1418752' first='Carson' last='Hager'] lead the receivers with O'Neill, Isaac Ericson, Graine Curtin and [player_tooltip player_id='1418752' first='Carson' last='Hager'] locking down on defense. Levi Hadachek, Andrew Sadler, Caden Sorensen, Logan Rosauer and Ryan Devries are among Union's top performers.   3rd Place at 2nd Place   West Burlington/Notre Dame (5-3) at Camanche (4-4)   Winners of four of its last five games, Camanche is trying to advance farther than last year's first-round loss to Williamsburg. Ethan Schultz leads the way with 1,066 yards (6.8 YPC) and 11 touchdowns rushing. Bryce Buckley has 1,079 yards and 12 scores through the air with Ethan Schultz, Josh Wiersema and Garrett Schultz standing out in receiving. Hunter Long, Josh Petersen, Cayden Allen and Luke Darsidan hold it down on defense. Quincy Collins, [player_tooltip player_id='1421450' first='Blake' last='Wilson'], Caden Schwenker and Emry Watson lead upset-minded Notre Dame.   Des Moines Christian (4-4) at Clarinda (6-2)   Clarinda, winners of four games in a row, returns to the postseason after a second-round loss to eventual champion Central Lyon/George-Little Rock a year ago. Dominick Polsley has 971 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, while sophomore quarterback Noah Harris has 603 yards and seven scores passing to go with 513 and four TDs rushing. Jase Wilmes, Brayden Nothwehr, Karson Downey and Karsten Beckel also play big roles for the Cardinals. Quarterback Tate Platte with receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1279144' first='Jake' last='Kistenmacher'], [player_tooltip player_id='1279948' first='John' last='Doohen'], Landon Craven and [player_tooltip player_id='1238603' first='Tyler' last='Drefke'] make Des Moines Christian dangerous.   Western Christian, Hull (6-2) at Estherville Lincoln Central (5-3)   This one could be fun. Lincoln Central's lone loss in its five games is to Spirit Lake. Western Christian is 2-2 in its last four games but the setbacks are against CL/G-LR and West Lyon. [player_tooltip player_id='156652' first='Owen' last='Larson'], Aiden Swanson, Tate Hoyer, Ryan Leonard, [player_tooltip player_id='320780' first='Jordan' last='Jensen'] and Dylan Peta are important players for Lincoln Central. The Wolfpack will lean on Kaden VanRegenmorter, Tyler Mantel, Karsten Moret, Barret Bleeker, Ryder Van Bemmel, Taeten Kollis and others.   Crestwood (3-5) at Jesup (5-3)   Jesup cruises into the playoffs with a four-game winning streak after dropping three of its first four contests. The J-Hawks hold opponents to 13.9 points per game with a defense led by Kile Bucknell, Wyatt Vander Werff, Ryan Treptow, Dawson Bell and Skyler Blad. Treptow, Vander Werff and Cale Schissel are important offensive pieces. Crestwood's hopes ride on Dylan Shelton, Aidan Skoda, Caiden Simiele, Brady Fett, CJ Yslas and others.   Northeast (4-4) at Mid-Prairie (4-4)   Mid-Prairie comes into this week having won four of its last five contests. Quarterback Brady Weber enjoys a strong connection with receivers Dylan Henry, Kaden Kos and [player_tooltip player_id='1242944' first='Hudson' last='Ehrenfelt'], who also has rushed for 11 touchdowns. Henry, Kos, Grady Miller, Cobi Hershberger and Landry Gingerich are getting it done on defense. Northeast is looking for a fourth win in a row behind the performances of [player_tooltip player_id='252220' first='Gavin' last='Kramer'], Michael Frame, Colby Gray, Chase Lee, Clayton Meyermann and Grant Gray.   West Marshall (2-6) at New Hampton (3-5)   A one-point loss to Waukon last week is what ended New Hampton's three-game winning streak. Braden McShane, Cael Laures, Ty Robinson and Jaxon Eckley are key players for New Hampton, which lost to Waukon in the first round of last year's playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id='252236' first='Ben' last='Gonzalez'], Carson Davis, Connor Kemmerer, Dillon McMorran and Andrew Tollefson lead the way for the Trojans.   Clarke, Osceola (4-4) at Roland-Story (6-2)   The Norsemen from Roland-Story are winners of four games in a row after winning a total of four contests in '22. Hesston Johnson is leading a potent Roland-Story ground attack that also includes Jonovan Wilkinson, [player_tooltip player_id='1197450' first='Fiston' last='Carlson'] and Jake Berggren. Wilkinson also stresses defenses as a receiver as well as contributing on defense and special teams. Carlson, Christian Chelsvig, Thomas Tjaden, Roland Yates, [player_tooltip player_id='1907914' first='Cody' last='Long'] and Heston McIlrath shine on defense as well. Clarke receives key contributions from Jack Cooley, Drake Moore, [player_tooltip player_id='1279942' first='Brock' last='Watson'] and Jesus Vega Torres.   Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (3-5) at West Lyon (7-1)   After losing its showdown with CL/G-LR, 7-0, last week and with it a district title, West Lyon could end up getting another shot at the Lions. With guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1282297' first='Bryson' last='Childress'], [player_tooltip player_id='318135' first='Tate' last='Hawf'], [player_tooltip player_id='827113' first='Jaxan' last='Huyser'], Carson Hoogeveen, [player_tooltip player_id='1282304' first='Ridge' last='Kramer'], Mathias Knoblock, [player_tooltip player_id='1221929' first='Evan' last='Hildring'] and Carter Ver Meer on the roster, the Wildcats can make a run. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will be chasing an upset behind the play of [player_tooltip player_id='320762' first='Diego' last='Gonzalez'], Charlie Campbell, [player_tooltip player_id='320759' first='Mason' last='Allen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1197486' first='Huxley' last='Lingenfelter'] and Colin Kirstein.

It's hard to believe the playoffs have arrived for the four smallest classes in Iowa. The state released first-round playoff matchups on Saturday for games being played this coming Friday.