Previewing Class 5A Quarterfinal Round

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One could argue that Friday's football games are the most pressure-packed of the season. Win, and you go to The Dome. Lose, and you're done for 2023. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The matchups in Class 5A bring with them intrigue and a whole lot of on-field talent. Let's take a closer look at them: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>POD A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CEDAR FALLS (7-3) AT SOUTHEAST POLK (10-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two-time defending state champion Southeast Polk rides a 19-game winning streak into this contest and are a heavy favorite. The Rams boast some of the state's top talent on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A program with a proud tradition, Cedar Falls slipped by Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 30-26, in last week's opening round of the playoffs in the UNI-Dome. All three of their losses (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Ankeny Centennial, Pleasant Valley) happened on the road, two of them being decided by three points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cedar Falls must find away to "shorten" the game by possessing the ball offensively and keeping Southeast Polk's high-powered attack on the sideline. The Rams are averaging a 5A-best 41.3 points per game with Iowa State quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='376911' first='Connor' last='Moberly'] at the controls. He completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 1832 yards and 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions with six more scores on the ground. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moberly plays behind a dominant offensive line led by [player_tooltip player_id='247975' first='Carson' last='Campisi'] and is surrounded by playmakers in [player_tooltip player_id='247943' first='CJ' last='Phillip'], Landon Vander Werff, Carson Robbins and [player_tooltip player_id='1278273' first='Sam' last='Zelenovich']. A defense allowing only 15.9 points per game is led by [player_tooltip player_id='247990' first='Draven' last='Woods'], [player_tooltip player_id='640854' first='Cooper' last='Martinson'], Carter Pesek, [player_tooltip player_id='220467' first='Caleb' last='Chebuhar'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1279618' first='Kaden' last='Hills']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers are averaging 29.7 points per game and allowing 22.9. Senior running back Drake Gelhaus is a workhorse, and classmate, Tate Hermansen, stresses defenses with his arm and legs at quarterback. Logan Wroe is his top receiver. Iowa defensive line commitment [player_tooltip player_id='247989' first='Drew' last='Campbell'] leads a defense that also includes playmakers in Drew Gerdes, Colin Coonradt, Andrew Lageschulte and Nolan Plagge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams last played in '18 in the state semifinal. Cedar Falls won a 26-12 decision at the UNI-Dome. Dowling won that championship game, 22-16. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>POD B</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ANKENY (7-3) vs. WEST DES MOINES DOWLING CATHOLIC (9-1) AT WILLIAMS STADIUM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams met on Sept. 8 with Dowling rolling to a 35-14 victory at Valley Stadium. The Maroons also took last year's meeting, 17-10, with Ankeny winning a 27-13 decision in '21. Dowling has won 15 of 17 meetings in this series since '08, according to records on Bound. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Maroons' lone setback this season came against Southeast Polk, 37-34, on Oct. 13 in Pleasant Hill. They bounced back with a pair of victories by a combined score of 88-9. They've outscored their 10 opponents this season by an average score of 34.9-11.5. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior running back Ra'Shawd Davis stands out with 228 carries for 1,301 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground. Senior quarterback Dante Cataldo has thrown 1,214 and eight scores with two TDS on the ground working behind a strong front led by Kansas State commitment [player_tooltip player_id='204373' first='Kyle' last='Rakers']. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='208615' first='Curtis' last='Horras'] has 32 receptions for 390 yards and three touchdowns, while Hank Brown has hauled in 34 balls for 322 yards and a pair of TDs. On defense, Matthew Hanten, [player_tooltip player_id='1278782' first='Dylan' last='Manning'], [player_tooltip player_id='320773' first='Zach' last='Smid'], Aiden Ducharme and [player_tooltip player_id='212327' first='Isaac' last='Beaver'] are among a group of guys shining on a stingy unit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks are scoring 28.8 points per game and yielding 24.9. In addition to Dowling, they have losses against Southeast Polk, 58-21, and Valley, 24-23. They two wins against Johnston and another versus Ankeny Centennial, both playoff teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1280955' first='Luke' last='Anderson'] has 1731 yards and 16 touchdowns passing for Ankeny. His classmate, [player_tooltip player_id='1278885' first='Caden' last='Henkes'], leads the rushing attack with 1036 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Devon Akers is the top receiver with 39 catches for 804 yards and eight TDs, while [player_tooltip player_id='1280082' first='Evan' last='Irlmeier'] has 41 receptions for 571 yards and four touchdowns. Dylan Dougherty and Connor Kayser have 71.0 and 70.0 tackles, respectively. Lio Aguirre, Jacob Mohrfeld and Angelo Wernau also play important roles defensively for Ankeny. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>POD C</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WEST DES MOINES VALLEY (5-5) AT WAUKEE (8-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a rematch of a Sept. 15 game that Waukee won, 37-15, at home. Valley had defeated the Warriors the last two seasons and in 14 of the previous 19 meetings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Waukee gets the Tigers back at its place, where it also has a win against Johnston. The Warriors have one home loss against Southeast Polk and a road loss at Waukee Northwest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1240560' first='Beckett' last='Bakker'] comes into the game with 1,307 yards and 13 touchdowns passing with 537 yards and four more scores rushing. [player_tooltip player_id='1279995' first='Grant' last='Gammell'] has 861 yards and 13 TDs on the ground, and he paces the squad in receptions and yards receiving. Defensively, Orson Harrop,  [player_tooltip player_id='1279956' first='Ian' last='Samples'], [player_tooltip player_id='320871' first='Mason' last='Brooks'], [player_tooltip player_id='1277154' first='Carter' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='245544' first='Malachi' last='Curvey'] lead a unit allowing a 5A-low 11.4 points per game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley is the biggest surprise of the remaining teams after the Tigers went on the road and knocked off the top-ranked team in the pod, Pleasant Valley. They are winners of five of their last six games with the only loss being against Northwest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='401870' first='Drake' last='DeGroote'], a sophomore, has 884 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air with Noah Cracraft being his favorite target. The offense runs through Damon Head, who has 1,099 yards and 10 scores on the ground, while [player_tooltip player_id='847993' first='Darius' last='Mason'] is a threat carrying the ball or catching it. [player_tooltip player_id='590250' first='Isaiah' last='Pinks'], Theron Castle, Nic VanArkel and [player_tooltip player_id='933187' first='Andrew' last='Price'] stand out on a defense that's gained 13 turnovers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>POD D</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ANKENY CENTENNIAL (6-4) AT BETTENDORF (8-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>According to Bound, these teams will be meeting for the first time. Bettendorf is a storied program with seven state championships. Centennial is in the playoffs for the 11th year in a row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bettendorf lost to Iowa City High two weeks ago and then beat the Little Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last week. The Bulldogs won their first five games, including the '23 season-opener against rival Pleasant Valley. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarterback Charlie Zimmerman has 10 touchdowns passing and seven more on the ground for the Bettendorf. Running backs Jacob Whipple and [player_tooltip player_id='282056' first='Gavin' last='Barta'] each has 613 yards rushing, while Jake Schulz leads receivers with 25 catches for 564 yards and seven TDs. On defense, Sam Beecher, Ronan Numkena, Cooper Agosta, [player_tooltip player_id='1277230' first='Jackson' last='Laver'], Aiden Lee and Isaiah Dunn all make plays. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Centennial surprised some folks with a 35-7 victory at Waukee Northwest in the first round of the playoffs last week. It happened two weeks after losing, 17-7, to the Wolves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='118822' first='Trenton' last='Smith'] has thrown for 1,509 yards and 19 touchdowns for Centennial. Max Snyder, [player_tooltip player_id='1280497' first='Braeden' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='212833' first='Chase' last='Schutty'] have been his favorite targets. Elijah Porter, a Northern Illinois commitment, has rushed for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns. A Centennial defense allowing just 14.6 points per game is led by a group that includes Zechariah Howe, [player_tooltip player_id='1277268' first='Isaiah' last='Bassett'], Drake Dittmar, [player_tooltip player_id='1279727' first='Reed' last='Anderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1286629' first='Chase' last='Kluver'] and Jack Cahill. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->