MVPs From The Class 1A State Playoff Quarterfinals

If you have yet to witness that incredible skills of OABCIG’s [player_tooltip player_id="23817" first="Cooper" last="DeJean"], get to the UNI-Dome here this weekend and do it. DeJean has the Falcons back in the round of four in Class 1A this time. Last year, he took the state by storm, leading OABCIG to glory in 2A. Joining the defending champions will be Sigourney-Keota, South Central Calhoun and Van Meter. This is one incredible field of four and here’s a look at the MVP from each quarterfinal round contest. <strong>OABCIG 63, West Sioux 14</strong> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="23817" first="Cooper" last="DeJean"], OABCIG (2021)</em> At this point, what can’t [player_tooltip player_id="23817" first="Cooper" last="DeJean"] do? The University of Iowa commit threw for 226 yards, ran for 197 and accounted for six touchdowns in a lopsided victory for OABCIG. DeJean is the perfect fit for a spread offense, and he also shines on defense in the secondary. Look for another big-time weekend out of DeJean in the semifinals as the Falcons seek a second state title. <strong>Sigourney-Keota 35, Waterloo Columbus 32</strong> <em>Sam Sieren, Sigourney-Keota (2021)</em> When you are on the doorstep of reaching the state semifinals, you rely on your workhorse. Sigourney-Keota did just that with Sam Sieren in the quarters. Sieren carried the rock 39 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He formed quite the 1-2 punch with classmate [player_tooltip player_id="23868" first="Brady" last="Duwa"], who had 125 yards and two TDs on the ground. <em>Sieren gets everything out of his 5-foot-7, 193-pound frame, mixing speed and power to make himself a tough player to tackle. </em> <strong>South Central Calhoun 26, Southeast Valley 6</strong> [caption id="attachment_64730" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-64730" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/Ej8PS5BWAAABM-i-300x197.jpg" alt="Blake McAlister" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Emma Anderson <a href="https://www.thegraphic-advocate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Graphic-Advocate</a>[/caption] &nbsp; <em>Blake McAlister, South Central Calhoun (2022)</em> The rematch between Twin Lakes Conference rivals didn’t quite live up to the hype, and a lot of that was because of the play of Blake McAlister. The junior do-it-all athlete was a standout on both sides of the ball. McAlister ran 30 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, adding four tackles and an interception on defense that he returned for six. <em>McAlister is the type of kid you want. He is a multi-sport athlete and shines in everything he does.</em> <strong>Van Meter 33, Underwood 14</strong> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="23999" first="Dalten" last="Van Pelt"], Van Meter (2022)</em> With it tied at 14 at the half, Van Meter relied on juniors [player_tooltip player_id="23999" first="Dalten" last="Van Pelt"] and Jack Pettit to get the job done against Underwood. Van Pelt ran 33 times for 164 yards, scoring two touchdowns and adding a third in the air. <em>The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is quite the load to get down and has more than enough speed to say "so long" to would-be tacklers. Look for Van Meter to rely heavily on him inside the dome.</em>