Previewing The Eight-Player, Class 3A Semifinals

For four teams, Thursday will be a day to remember. For four others, it will be the end of the road. The state football semifinals kickoff from Cedar Falls and the UNI-Dome, as the elements are taken out of the equation. We begin the three-day stretch with the eight-player and Class 3A semis featuring Remsen St. Mary’s vs. Montezuma, Don Bosco vs. Fremont-Mills, Harlan vs. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley and Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. North Scott. <strong>EIGHT-PLAYER SEMIFINALS</strong> <em>Remsen St. Mary’s vs. Montezuma</em> The state’s touchdown leader will kickoff the semifinals as Montezuma junior [player_tooltip player_id="23965" first="Eddie" last="Burgess"] leads the high-flying Braves. Burgess has 76 total touchdowns on the year including 50 through the air. Montezuma, also a top basketball team, has taken advantage of incredible athletes at the skill positions including wide receiver Trey Shearer, who has over 1,200 yards and 24 touchdowns. Remsen St. Mary’s can light up the scoreboard as well with the play of Blaine Harpenau and Jeremy Koenck. Harpenau gets it done through the air and on the ground, recording over 1,200 yards of total offense and 21 TDs. Koenck is the feature back, rushing 131 times for 1,017 yards and 17 scores with six more TDs in the air. <em>Don Bosco vs. Fremont-Mills</em> Both Don Bosco and Fremont-Mills won thrillers during the playoffs, and each present an interesting dynamic to try and contain. At Don Bosco, senior quarterback Cael Frost is the leader. Frost has nearly 1,000 yards passing and over 2,000 yards rushing with 16 TDs in the air and 39 more on the ground. Dillon Welter is his favorite target and a good one, hauling in nine touchdowns on just 15 receptions. Fremont-Mills counters with Jake and [player_tooltip player_id="23833" first="Seth" last="Malcom"]. Jake Malcom, a junior, is the quarterback with [player_tooltip player_id="23833" first="Seth" last="Malcom"] - a Nebraska commit - handling the running back duties. Jake Malcom has over 1,100 yards and 22 TDs with [player_tooltip player_id="23833" first="Seth" last="Malcom"] recording 1,255 yards rushing, 17 offensive touchdowns and 78.5 tackles on defense. <strong>CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS</strong> <em>Harlan vs. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley</em> Two historical powers meet for the first time since 2011 when Harlan won 28-7. They both earned hard-fought wins in the quarterfinals, as Harlan took out Lewis Central and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley bested Webster City. Leading the way for Harlan is quarterback Teagon Kasperbauer. The ever-improving sophomore has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 20 TDs, making a strong connection with junior Connor Frame, who has 39 receptions covering 885 yards and a dozen scores. For Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, Caleb Kats counters with over 1,500 yards passing and 14 TDs with Kody Noble racking up 1,414 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. <em>Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. North Scott</em> The final game of the day pits Cedar Rapids Xavier against North Scott. These two collided last year with North Scott earning a 9-3 decision. Carter Markham leads the North Scott offense, passing for 846 yards and running for another 679 with 16 combined touchdowns. The same can be said for his counterpart at Xavier, Jack Lux, as the senior has 1,190 yards passing, 706 rushing and 32 combined scores. The difference in the game could be which wide receiver breaks free. At North Scott, that’s junior Oliver Hughes with Xavier senior Jack Breitbach the big-play target for his team.