Quarterfinal Football Capsules
West High celebrates against Bettendorf. Jeff Yoder/For Your Prep SportsNo. 10 City High (8-2) at No. 4 Cedar Rapids Washington (9-1)
Where: Kingston Stadium, 7 p.m.
Last Season: Cedar Rapids Washington 39, City High 20
Player to Watch: Iowa State recruit O’Rien Vance (6-3, 235) leads Cedar Rapids Washington with seven sacks and has 14 tackles for loss among his 79 tackles.
Key Stat: Washington has held six of its 10 opponents below 200 yards of total offense.
About Cedar Rapids Washington: The Warriors returned to the state quarterfinals for the third straight season with a 35-21 win over Western Dubuque on Friday. Washington rolled up 406 yards rushing in the opening round win over Western Dubuque but has primarily relied on a stout defense to reach double digits in wins for the third year in a row.
The Warriors are holding opponents to a meager 205 total yards and 14.5 points per game and are especially tough against the run, allowing less than 100 yards per game on the ground and just 2.9 yards per rushing attempt. Vance and fellow senior Rane Weiland (6-4, 210) lead the defensive attack, combining for 31 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
Junior quarterback Bryan Kunde has passed for 1,591 yards and 19 touchdowns and senior running back Ian Thomas has rushed for 653 yards and seven scores to lead the Warriors.
About City High: After failing to make the playoffs in 2014 the Little Hawks are back in the quarterfinals for the second straight season following a 40-14 win over North Scott last week.
City High rushed for 225 yards in the opening round win over the Lancers, the most rushing yards for the Little Hawks since week three. Senior tailback Bryce Frantz topped the 100-yard mark for the first time in five games, rushing for 141 and a touchdown. Frantz leads City High with 832 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season.
Senior quarterback Nate Wieland threw for three touchdowns last week and now has eight touchdown passes in the last six games. Wieland 58 percent 1,424 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions, 667 rushing 11 TD
West High (8-2) at No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie (9-1)
Where: John Wall Field, 7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Cedar Rapids Prairie 39, West High 20 (Week 5)
Player to Watch: Prairie senior Joseph Meyer (5-10, 170) ranks second in Class 4A with 1,426 yards rushing and has scored a 4A-best 28 touchdowns.
Key Stat: Prairie leads 4A and ranks second in the state averaging 463 total yards per game.
About Cedar Rapids Prairie: The Hawks have rattled off nine straight wins since a season-opening loss to fourth-ranked Cedar Rapids Washington and have scored at least 38 points in every game during that stretch.
Prairie has become one of the most productive offensive teams in the state under second-year coach Mark Bliss and his wing T offense ranking second in Class 4A averaging 44.7 points per game. The Hawks prefer to do most of their damage on the ground, averaging a 4A best 334 rushing yards per game.
Junior quarterback Dalton Rayner has taken over for injured starter Dakota Simonsen and is has completed 68 percent of his passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.
About West High: The Trojans have won five straight games since a week five loss to Prairie to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. The fifth win during that stretch was a 24-17 victory over fifth-ranked Bettendorf in the opening round of playoffs.
West High has outscored opponents 220-55 during its current five-game winning streak. The Trojans are holding opponents to 186 yards of total offense and 11 points per game during the winning streak and hasn’t allowed more than 17 points in a game during the stretch.
In three games since returning from a knee injury suffered in the second half against Prairie, junior quarterback Evan Flitz has completed 76 percent of his passes (35-46) for 575 yards and six touchdowns with one interception.
No. 2 Pella Christian (10-0) at No. 1 Regina (9-1)
Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.
Last Season: Regina 31, Pella Christian 14
Player to Watch: Pella Christian senior receiver Levi Jungling leads class 1A with 1,030 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns on 43 receptions and has also rushed for 457 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Key Stat: Pella Christian is tops among 11-player teams in scoring averaging 56.2 points per game.
About Pella Christian: The Eagles have been impressive on their way to the quarterfinals. Pella Christian has outscored opponents 562-80 on the season after a 49-0 win over Sigourney-Keota in the opening round. The Eagles have scored at least 42 points in every game this season and have yet to play a game closer than 22 points.
The offense gets the headlines for Pella Christian and rightfully so. The Eagles lead 1A in total offense, average 455 yards per game led by senior quarterback David Kacmarynski who has passed for 1,732 yards and 31 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 653 yards and eight scores.
The Eagle defense has been impressive as well, holding opponents to 179 yards and eight points per game. Pella Christian hasn’t allowed more than 313 yards in a game this season.
About Regina: The Regals returned to the 1A quarterfinals and ran their postseason winning streak to 31 in a row with a 49-15 win over West Branch in the opening round.
Regina has its own impressive offensive resume this season, ranking fourth in 1A in total yards at 417 per game and fifth in scoring at 42.5 points per game. The Regals have held seven opponents under 255 yards of total offense during their nine-game winning streak and haven’t allowed double digit points just three times during that stretch.
Junior quarterback Michael Conlon has emerged as a dual threat, passing for 1,101 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for 501 yards and eight touchdowns. Isaac Vollstedt returned for the first time in nearly a month and rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns last week against West Branch.
No. 2 Pella (10-0) at No. 7 Solon (9-1)
Where: Spartan Stadium, 7 p.m.
Last Season: Did not play.
Player to Watch: Pella senior Nick Finney is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state. The 6-1, 185-pound senior has passed for 1,874 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 1,075 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Key Stat: Pella has held opponents to single digit points 21 times, including 11 shutouts, during its current 38-game winning streak.
About Pella: Owners of the state’s longest current winning streak at 38 consecutive wins the Dutch have been the gold standard in Class 3A over the past two seasons. Pella has won back-to-back 3A titles and hasn’t lost since a 28-0 loss to Washington in the 2013 quarterfinals.
This season Pella has been as dominant as ever, posting five shutouts and outscoring opponents 419-56. Pella has scored at least 34 points in every game this season and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 34-14 win Oskaloosa in the opening round. Pella boasts one of the top defenses in Class 3A, holding opponents to 174 total yards per game.
6-foot-5 senior receiver Donovan Holterhaus has been a nightmare for opponents, catching 49 passes for 824 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and has also picked off five passes.
About Solon: After second round playoff exits each of the last two seasons Solon returned to the 3A quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 with a 49-14 win over Benton Community last week. The Spartans have won nine eight straight games since a week two loss to 1A top-ranked Regina and have scored at last 26 points in every game during that stretch.
Solon rushed for 231 yards in last week’s playoff opener and has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of its last three games.
Senior quarterback Blayze Griffis directs a Solon offense that is averaging 336 yards and 36.5 points per game. Griffis is completing 63 percent of his passes and has thrown for 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions and hasn’t been picked off since week four. Three different Solon players have more than 200 yards receiving led by senior Jacob Coons with 24 receptions for 430 yards and five touchdowns.
The Spartans have relied on a stingy defense that is holding opponents to 231 yards and 10.8 points per game this season. Solon hasn’t allowed more than 15 points in a game and has three shutouts during its current winning streak.