What to Expect, Players to Watch in 3A Semifinals

This week's state semifinals at the UNI-Dome will wrap up Saturday night with a pair of excellent matchups in 3A. We will have a new king in the class with 2022 champ Harlan being knocked out in the first round.   Here's a closer look at the 3A semis:   Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic (10-1) vs. Creston (11-0)   Series History: <a href="https://www.gobound.com/ia/ihsaa/football/2023-24/comps/h20231106015723994a9624856d07745">According to Bound</a>, this is the first time these schools have played since 2014, a 59-14 Heelan victory in the state semifinals. The resource indicates that the Crusaders hold a 4-0 advantage in the series dating back to '08.   The Numbers   Creston: The Panthers thrive on offense, averaging 41.1 points per game, second to Mount Vernon (41.6) in 3A. They are averaging 42.2 PPG in the postseason. They're allowing 19.8 PPG in '23.   Heelan: The Crusaders are averaging 35.5 points per game, putting up 45.0 a contest during a four-game winning streak to end the regular season. They're scoring 24.5 in the postseason, and yielding 17.7 for the year.   The Season   Creston: The Panthers have proven they're legit in '23 with a pair of victories against defending-state champion Harlan, including outlasting the Cyclones, 35-27, in the first-round of the playoffs. Creston also boasts wins against fellow playoff teams in Lewis Central, Nevada and Ballard.   Heelan: The Crusaders are in The Dome after avenging their only loss of the season to Sioux Center, edging the Warriors, 27-26, on the road in last week's quarterfinals. Heelan is riding a six-game winning streak since that lone setback, including a 22-19 triumph against Clear Lake in the first round of the playoffs. It owns wins against postseason qualifiers in Carroll Kuemper and Sioux City East as well.   Players to Watch   Creston: [player_tooltip player_id='320765' first='Cael' last='Turner'], [player_tooltip player_id='320767' first='Brennan' last='Hayes'], Weston Trapp, Brandon Briley, [player_tooltip player_id='1360535' first='Josh' last='Schaefer'], Jack Walter, Dillon Starlin, McCoy Haines, Austin Evans, Will Bolinger, Lucas Travis, [player_tooltip player_id='320768' first='Max' last='Chapman'], [player_tooltip player_id='155566' first='Dylan' last='Calvin'].   Heelan: Quinn Olson, Ricky Feauto, [player_tooltip player_id='1238514' first='Kasen' last='Thomas'], [player_tooltip player_id='156649' first='Sir' last='Brandon Watts'], [player_tooltip player_id='431418' first='Kannon' last='Bork'], Will Pattee, Jaron Bleeker, [player_tooltip player_id='378942' first='Max' last='Delaney'], James Cleary, [player_tooltip player_id='1360516' first='Hayden' last='Overgaard'].   Overview: Creston is back in semifinals for a second year in a row and are in the postseason for just the third time ('85) when not consolidated with Orient-Macksburg. As a hyphenated program, they have 15 playoff appearances, reaching Cedar Falls in '14.   Heelan's proud history includes four state championships and nine runner-up finishes. It's in the postseason for a 38th time, which is tied with Bettendorf for fifth among all schools in the state. The Crusaders are after their first title since '08.   Creston brings a balanced offense into this contest with more than 2,800 yards through the air and better than 2,300 on the ground. The Crusaders lean more into their running game but can throw. This game sets up to be high-scoring and could come down to which team can get some stops on defense.   Williamsburg (10-1) vs. Solon (10-1)   Series History: It's a rematch of an Oct. 6 game that saw Solon claim a 21-14 victory at home. The teams have split the last four meetings, <a href="https://www.gobound.com/ia/ihsaa/football/2023-24/comps/h2023110601572476327c2c363bbe04d">according to Bound</a>, with the Spartans owning a 5-2 advantage in the series dating back to '10.   The Numbers:    Solon: The Spartans stand out for their suffocating defense that's allowing just 13.2 points per game, the fewest of the four schools in the semifinals. They're scoring 31.7 PPG but are averaging 43.0 in two postseason triumphs.   Williamsburg : The Raiders sport a pretty stingy defense of their own, yielding just 14.5 PPG. Their 25.8-point scoring margin this season is 4.5 more than anyone else in 3A. They're averaging 26.0 points in two postseason wins.   The Season    Solon: The Spartans ride a 10-game winning streak into the finals, their lone loss coming in the season-opener at Davenport Assumption. They have playoff victories against Fort Madison and West Delaware, the latter happening by a 36-35 score in last week's quarterfinals. Solon has the earlier victory against Williamsburg, and wins against postseason qualifier Mount Vernon and 6-3 Grinnell.   Williamsburg : The Raiders are 4-0 since losing at Solon in early October, which includes a 38-35 victory against Mount Vernon in last Friday's quarterfinals. They also have a 23-0 shutout of Humboldt in the first round. Williamsburg owns a win against 4A quarterfinalist Cedar Rapids Xavier, and triumphs against playoff teams in Fort Madison and West Branch (1A).   Players to Watch:   Solon: [player_tooltip player_id='248019' first='Brett' last='White'], [player_tooltip player_id='1360778' first='Tyler' last='Bell'], [player_tooltip player_id='1242954' first='Conlan' last='Poynton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1360709' first='Eddie' last='Johnson'], Grant Knipper, Nash Kotar, Barret Schade, [player_tooltip player_id='665099' first='Ben' last='Kampman'], Jack McCarty, Austin Knight, Brayden Moore, Mason Scott, [player_tooltip player_id='1360745' first='Grant' last='Wilson'].   Williamsburg: [player_tooltip player_id='248037' first='Derek' last='Weisskopf'], Nile Sinn, Braylon Wetjen, [player_tooltip player_id='848057' first='Rayce' last='Heitman'], Clayten Steckly, [player_tooltip player_id='1421438' first='Cael' last='Moore'], [player_tooltip player_id='1360498' first='Micah' last='Lang'], Simeon Armbrecht, Ian Stumpff.   Overview: Solon is in pursuit of its 11th appearance in the state title game and sixth championship after making it to the postseason for the 34th time. The Spartans would be on top of the mountain for the first time since a four-year championship run from '07-'09.   The Raiders are chasing their first ever state title in their 24th postseason appearance after finishing as the Class 2A runners-up last fall. They have second-place finishes in '02 and '17 as well. Williamsburg is in The Dome for a third year in a row and sixth time overall.   Solon surprised some folks when it downed the then top-ranked Raiders last month. The Spartans held Williamsburg to 1.0 yard per carry on 27 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, they gained 173 yards on the ground and threw just seven passes.   This one could come down to which team delivers big plays in the passing game. Turnovers also could tell a story with two closely -matched squads as it did in the first meeting when two takeaways set up a pair of Solon touchdowns.

This week's state semifinals at the UNI-Dome will wrap up Saturday night with a pair of excellent matchups in 3A. We will have a new king in the class with 2022 champ Harlan being knocked out in the first round.