Preview the Quarterfinal matchups for Class 1A Playoff Games

As the playoffs narrow down, 8 teams will suit up on Friday night for the quarterfinals of the playoffs in Class 1A. With 4 matchups for each pod, all of the upcoming games for tomorrow night are generating buzz based on what each team has to offer, and as we cut the playoff picture into half again this weekend, it should be entertaining watching all of these teams put everything on the line for their efforts in 2024. Today, we preview the 4 games that will take place for the quarterfinals in Class 1A!   Pod A:   Sumner-Fredericksburg (7-3) vs. Grundy Center (10-0)   Sumner-Fredericksburg has shut out both of their opponents on the road in the playoffs this year, taking down both Beckman Catholic and Manson NW-Webster. The Cougars have been reliant on their defense, which has allowed a total 35 points over the last 5 games of the season. The defense has forced 25 turnovers this season, and QB Tatum Ness has been a great all-purpose player for the team this year, throwing for over 800 yards and 8 touchdowns, rushing for 641 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, and recording a team-high 5 interceptions. RB Noah Henderson leads the running-game with 845 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. DL Aidan Treptow leads the defense with 12 TFLs, 4 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries.   The Cougars will need to bring their A-game this week against the #1-ranked team in Class 1A, Grundy Center, who's averaged over 40 points of scoring per game this season and have only had 2 games this season where they've allowed double-digit scoring. Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1614184' first='Judd' last='Jirovsky'] has done an excellent job leading the offense in his first year as a starter, throwing for over 1700 yards and 20 touchdowns, while adding 13 more on the ground, while recording a team-high 7 interceptions. TE [player_tooltip player_id='252315' first='Tiernan' last='Vokes'] leads the passing game with over 800 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Grundy Center will look to defend their impressive win-steak and their hopes of winning a third consecutive state championship by holding off Sumner-Fredericksburg.   Pod B:   South Hardin (9-1) vs. Dike-New Hartford (9-1)   Dike-New Hartford is undefeated in 9 matchups against South Hardin, but this South Hardin football team isn't the same as the one's that the Wolverines have faced in previous years. This is one of the most complete teams in all of Class 1A. Junior QB Peyton Welch has over 1600 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. RB Jaxson Drury leads the team with over 1300 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. Junior athlete Sam Benson has been one of the best all-around players for the team, leading the team with over 800 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, while accounting for 6 of the team's 23 defensive turnovers this season.   The Wolverines will enter the game as the favorites, and for good reason. Their run-game has amassed over 2000 rushing yards combined, with senior Noah Borcherding leading the team with over 1300 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. QB Colin Meester leads the offense with over 1000 passing yards, 13 touchdowns to just 1 INT all season. On the defense, DE Jack Hoehns lead the team with 10 TFLs and 6 sacks. All-purpose player Carson Costello leads the team with 7 interceptions and has a combined 8 touchdowns (6 receiving, 1 INT, 1 punt-return) this season. Despite all of this talent, this won't be an easy game for the Wolverines, who will have to double-down on the hard-nosed playing style they've been utilizing all season.   Pod C:   Underwood (6-4) vs. Hinton (9-1)   The last matchup between these two teams came in 2015, when Hinton won 54-35. This matchup should be an intriguing one, as Underwood is coming off a stunning upset win over Treynor. They are led by junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1221934' first='Garrett' last='Luett'], who has thrown for nearly 2000 yards and 21 touchdowns, while adding 7 rushing touchdowns. His top receiver is Easton Robertson, who has 845 receiving yards on 64 catches and 10 touchdowns. The defense has one of the best run defenses in all of Iowa, recording 95 TFLs this season (Most in Class 1A). LB Lucas Bose Jr. led the group with 70.5 tackles and 27.5 TFLs, one of 4 players on the defense with double-digit TFLs this season.   Underwood will have their work cut out for them taking on a tough Hinton team, who's had over 2300 total rushing yards this season. QB Gabe Anderson leads the team with over 800 passing yards and 8 touchdowns, while leading the team with over 1000 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. RB Cole Friessen has added 628 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. The defense has also been highly proficient, giving up an average 11.8 points per game this season. LB Tommy Tanner leads the defense with 5 TFLs, 4 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception this season. Hinton is the favorite for now, but they shouldn't underestimate Underwood, especially after they knocked off the #8 team in Class 1A just last week.   Pod D:   Wilton (9-1) vs. Regina Catholic (9-1)   Wrapping up the matchups for the quarterfinals week in Class 1A is another anticipated matchup between these two titans. Regina Catholic has posted a perfect record against Wilton since 2008 (14-0), and Regina Catholic beat Wilton just three weeks ago 20-8 to hand them their only loss of the season. The Regals enter this game as the heavy favorite. The Regals are led by junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1657101' first='Kyle' last='Tracy'], who finished with over 1700 passing yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for over 600 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground. The offense was bolstered by sophomore standouts [player_tooltip player_id='1197445' first='Savion' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='466364' first='Tate' last='Wallace'], who respectively lead their team in rushing yards (897) and receiving yards (694).   Wilton will look to finally snap their losing streak against the Regals, and they have an opportunity to do so in upset fashion. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='609822' first='Drew' last='Keith'] finished with over 1600 yards and 20 touchdowns passing, while rushing for nearly 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the ground, RB [player_tooltip player_id='1286459' first='Owen' last='Hassell'] leads the team with over 1000 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. The defense is led by senior DL [player_tooltip player_id='1418747' first='Parker' last='Carpenter'], who's recorded a team-high 18 TFLs and 7 sacks, while DB Jordan Dusenberry leads the team with 4 interceptions. Wilton enters the game facing a massive uphill battle, but with the talent they have on their roster, they should be driven toward getting over the hump to push one step closer to the state championship.

As the playoffs narrow down, 8 teams will suit up on Friday night for the quarterfinals of the playoffs in Class 1A. With 4 matchups for each pod, all of the upcoming games for tomorrow night are generating buzz based on what each team has to offer, and as we cut the playoff picture into half again this weekend, it should be entertaining watching all of these teams put everything on the line for their efforts in 2024. Today, we preview the 4 games that will take place for the quarterfinals in Class 1A!