Class 1A Semifinal: Hinton vs. Dike-New Hartford

In the other half of Class 1A, a close matchup between Hinton and Dike-New Hartford took place as these two teams battled it out for the final spot in the Class 1A state championship game to take on Grundy Center. Early on, the Wolverines got off to a strong start, taking a 14-6 lead at halftime, and adding 10 points in the 4th quarter to lead 24-6 with just over 3 minutes left. Refusing to go down quietly, Hinton was able to score a touchdown with under 1:30 left in the game, recover the onside kick, and score another touchdown with 47 seconds left in the game to cut the deficit down to six. Sadly, the Blackhawks weren't lucky on their second onside kick recovery attempt. The Wolverines recovered and held on to win 24-18 to earn a trip to the state title game for the first time since 2018 to fare off in a rematch from the regular season against Grundy Center.   Here were 7 players from the whole game that thrived under the big lights in the semifinals!    Dike-New Hartford did what they have done best offensively this season against Hinton, which was pound the rock, as they amassed 200 rushing yards in the game, but QB Colin Meester was able to deliver a standout performance in both passing and running the ball. Meester finished the game 7 of 9 for 97 yards, a touchdown, and a pick over the air, while adding 5 carries for 22 yards and a rushing touchdown. Meester has been an effective leader for the bruising offensive style that the Wolverines runs, working comfortably as a dual-threat QB that can keep the ball on a draw while also making smart reads and quick throws to stretch the field. Meester will have his biggest test going against Grundy Center's vaunted defense this week with everything on the line.     Gabe Anderson had his fair share of ups and downs in the loss against the Wolverines, but Anderson came alive during the 4th quarter by leading a furious comeback attempt. Anderson finished the night 18 of 30 for 197 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick. His reads got better through the night, hitting on intermediate routes and taking what the defense gave to him, and he shined in the final two drives engineering quick drives to reach the end zone. If Hinton had gotten the last onside kick attempt, Anderson had a very legitimate chance of orchestrating a game-winning drive. For a QB who finished with over 1000 rushing yards this season, his performance against Hinton really showcased his abilities when limited to passing from the pocket, and they are just as formidable.     Jack Hoehns is a bulky, lengthy athlete who's shined for the Wolverines as the team's leading pass-rusher, as well as a solid TE on offense. Against Hinton, Hoehns recorded 2.5 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 2 sacks on defense, while adding 2 catches for 12 yards and a touchdown on offense. Hoehns simply couldn't be contained on the edge, forcing consistent pressure through the night on Hinton's passing game, ultimately limiting the effectiveness of their offense and preventing them from getting points until it was too late. Hoehns has been on an impressive run this season, with 13.5 TFLs and 8 sacks, and if he can force this kind of pressure in the state title game, the Wolverines have a chance to pull off a stunning upset over Grundy Center.     [player_tooltip player_id='1695284' first='Logan' last='Kempema'] has made a solid impact this season as a DB, but against Hinton, Kempema saw much more production on the offensive side of the ball as well. Kempema led the team with 6 catches for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns, while adding 6 tackles on defense. Kempema headed into the game with 3 catches all season, but he proved to be a reliable target as the team had some trouble finding a consistent rhythm in the passing game. Both of Kempema's touchdowns came in vital situations, with his first score coming at the end of the first half, and his second coming with 47 seconds left in the game to cut the score to just a 6 point deficit. With the performance he gave on Friday night in the passing game, Kempema certainly has boosted his potential as a two-way threat heading into his senior year.     Dike-New Hartford was able to pound the rock very well on Friday night, and Noah Borcherding was able to churn out strong runs throughout the night to allow the Wolverines to control ball possession. Borcherding finished with 119 rushing yards on 36 carries through the night. Borcherding ran exactly as the Wolverines wanted to run; hard-nosed running in-your-face running that wore down the Blackhawks' defense as the night went on to open more opportunities for the offense to break big plays in the 4th quarter. Borcherding will continue to be the centerpiece that the offense will work around to try to bring the Wolverines a state championship this week.     Jackson Kounkel gave a strong effort as he made it difficult for the Wolverines' potent run-game to break off any long runs until late in the 4th quarter. Kounkel finished the night with 4.5 tackles and 1.5 TFLs in the loss. Kounkel attacked the interior gaps well, showing great speed and tenacity breaking through one of the strongest lines in Iowa this season, breaking into the backfield and bringing down runs at the line or behind the line of scrimmage, giving the Wolverines' a difficult player to keep plugged. Kounkel ranked 2nd in tackles (65.5) last season among the Blackhawks, and he should enter his senior season as one of the few veterans returning to man the box for Hinton's defense.     Lewis Textor did a great job on the trenches as he played a big part in countering one of the best run-offenses in Class 1A, limiting Hinton to just 30 total rushing yards and 1.7 yards per carry. Textor finished the night with 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and half-a-sack in the win. Textor played aggressively at the point of attack, getting off of blocks very well, and was able to get into the backfield several times to completely stall a run-offense that had over 2700 rushing yards this season. With this display of defensive prowess in the big game, Textor could be a vital piece in forcing pressure this week on Grundy Center's offense to stall them from scoring.

In the other half of Class 1A, a close matchup between Hinton and Dike-New Hartford took place as these two teams battled it out for the final spot in the Class 1A state championship game to take on Grundy Center. Early on, the Wolverines got off to a strong start, taking a 14-6 lead at halftime, and adding 10 points in the 4th quarter to lead 24-6 with just over 3 minutes left. Refusing to go down quietly, Hinton was able to score a touchdown with under 1:30 left in the game, recover the onside kick, and score another touchdown with 47 seconds left in the game to cut the deficit down to six. Sadly, the Blackhawks weren't lucky on their second onside kick recovery attempt. The Wolverines recovered and held on to win 24-18 to earn a trip to the state title game for the first time since 2018 to fare off in a rematch from the regular season against Grundy Center.