Previewing the 2025 Iowa Class A Semifinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class A kicks things off on Thursday at the UNI-Dome for all 11-man squads, seeking out state championships. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/previewing-the-2025-iowa-8-man-semifinals/">Previewing the 2025 Iowa 8-Man Semifinals</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 Saint Ansgar (11-0) vs. #4 Wapsie Valley (11-0)</strong> 10 AM, Thursday Nov. 13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A face off between two undefeated squads with two of the best running attacks in all of Iowa, Saint Ansgar and Wapsie Valley each have senior running backs that have put up monster seasons so far. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Wapsie Valley, 6-foot-1, 205-pound back [player_tooltip player_id='1360044' first='Hunter' last='Curley'] leads the way with 218 carries for 1,958 yards and 28 touchdowns, adding seven receptions for 94 yards and a score. Third on his team in tackles-for-loss (TFLs) with 12.5 and sacks with 6.5, the Warriors certainly find their way into the backfield with regularity. Carter Kaufman and Cooper Adair lead the way in getting after the quarterback, as Kaufman has posted 14 TFLs and 7.5 sacks, while Adair has put together 13.5 TFLs and eight sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar is led by [player_tooltip player_id='1615327' first='Korben' last='Michels'], a 5-foot-4, 160-pound running back that isn't as physically imposing as Curley, but his play on the gridiron does the talking. On 100 carries, the senior has rushed for 1,558 yards and 31 touchdowns, ranking first in yards per carry at 15.5. Helping take some of the load off in the backfield is [player_tooltip player_id='1905875' first='Joe' last='Clevenger'], who has taken 82 carries for 815 yards and 11 touchdowns, in addition to Michels gaudy numbers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ansgar is a bit more balanced offensively, too, having Porter Schwiesow, who has completed 69-of-82 passes (72%) for 873 yards, 13 scores and two picks. Michels is Schwiesow's second-leading receiver with 17 catches for 264 yards and five scores. Connor Mullenbach leads the way with 26 catches for 368 yards and four TDs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It turns out Clevenger and Michels are a nasty duo defensively, too, serving as the top two tacklers for the Saints, pairing for 137 tackles, 19.5 TFLs and seven sacks. Senior Chase Haugen leads Saint Ansgar with 16 TFLs and six sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Pick: </strong>Saint Ansgar</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 MMCRU (11-0) vs. #5 West Sioux (10-1)</strong> 1 PM, Thursday Nov. 13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the top teams in northwest Iowa in Class A face off once again, as West Sioux looks to avenge a previous 14-7 loss to MMCRU in mid-October. In that contest, neither team could get much going offensively, exemplified in the fact that there were six interceptions thrown and ten punts booted away between both teams. The first matchup was the lowest scoring output for both teams so far this season, as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking to get things going offensively this time around, MMCRU is led by a multi-dimensional running attack, with four players posting over 214 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The quartet of ball-carriers led by QB Eli Harpenau and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1242834' first='Brayson' last='Mulder'], has rushed for 1,637 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. Through the air, Harpenau has also completed 86-of-134 passes (64.2%) for 1,602 yards, 24 touchdowns and six picks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Obviously led by a mauling defensive effort that held West Sioux to 16 yards on 26 carries their last time out, John Schmillen is their top tackler, posting 50.5, including a team-leading 15.5 TFLs and five sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the West Sioux side of things, [player_tooltip player_id='1981819' first='Braylon' last='Lopez'] remains the headliner. The Class A leader in all-purpose yards, Lopez has put up 2,304 between rushing, receiving and returning. A star in almost every facet of the game, Lopez has taken 137 rushes for 1,317 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught 37 passes for 678 yards and six scores and returned three of five kicks back for touchdowns. On defense, Lopez has contributed 29 tackles, four pass-breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clearly another stout defensive unit, the Falcons are led in tackles by Eli Mora with 74.5, including 8.5 TFLs and five sacks. Hunter Doyle leads the way in TFLs with 14.5 and sacks with six. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lefty [player_tooltip player_id='1242837' first='Blake' last='Wiggins'] captains the offense under center, completing 115-of-177 passes (65%) for 1,795 yards, 23 scores and nine picks this year. The MMCRU defense made things difficult for Wiggins last time out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Pick: </strong>MMCRU</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->