By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

No. 1 Cedar Rapids Prairie (19-0) vs. No. 14 West High (13-7)

The two Mississippi Valley Conference rivals meet in a rematch of the regular season meeting won by Prairie 3-1 on May 2 in Iowa City.

Top-ranked Prairie is making its second state tournament appearance after a 3-0 district final win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

The Hawks are one of the top defensive teams in Class 3A, allowing just eight goals on the season.

West High bounced back from consecutive losses to end the regular season with a pair of postseason wins by a combined score of 14-1.

The Trojans are making their second straight state tournament appearance and 17th in the last 18 years.

West High has won eight titles during that stretch but hasn’t been past the first round since winning the title in 2014.

No. 5 Bettendorf (14-1) vs. No. 6 Urbandale (14-3)

Bettendorf is making its 18th appearance at state, second most all-time, but first since 2012 and hasn’t won a game at state since 2009.

The Bulldogs have done it with defense this season, allowing a total of four goals, two of which came in a 5-2 district final win over Davenport Central.

Bettendorf has shut out 12 of 15 opponents and brings a seven-match winning streak into its state quarterfinal.

Urbandale returns to state for the first time since 2008 and is looking for its first state tournament win since 2004.

The J-Hawks are 10-3 all-time in state tournament games and reached the semifinals in each of their first four trips to state.

No. 2 West Des Moines Valley (18-3) vs. No. 11 Des Moines Roosevelt (15-4)

Another rematch of a regular season meeting, West Des Moines Valley won the first meeting with Roosevelt 2-1 in double overtime back on April 18.

Roosevelt opened the season 0-3 but has been perfect since its loss to Valley and brings a 12-match winning streak to the state tournament.

The Roughriders outscored opponents 31-6 during their current winning streak with seven shutouts in that stretch.

Defending champion West Des Moines Valley is 17-1 against in-state competition this season with its lone loss coming to Waukee.

The Tigers have won seven straight since, including a 2-1 district final win over Sioux City North to return to the state tournament for the fourth straight season.

No. 4 City High (16-3) vs. No. 9 Ames (12-3)

City High and Ames will meet for the first time since the Little Hawks earned a 1-0 decision in last year’s state semifinals.

The Little Hawks lost three consecutive matches to state qualifiers midway through the season but responded with 10 consecutive wins including a 1-0 victory over No. 10 Pleasant Valley in the district final.

The defending 3A runner-up, City High is making its sixth consecutive state tournament appearance and seeking a third title game appearance since 2013.

Ames finished third last year after falling to City High in the semifinals and is making its third state tournament appearance in four seasons.

The Little Cyclones bring a five-match winning streak to the state tournament, outscoring opponents 20-2 during that stretch. 

The Faces

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE: Matt Walter, Jr. A year removed from playing in the back line at Prairie, Walter has scored a team-high 15 goals for the lone remaining unbeaten team in Class 3A.

WEST HIGH: Alex Andersen, Sr., The Drake recruit leader is the leader of the West High attack with team-highs of 21 goals and 11 assists and is coming off a two goal, three assist performance in the substate final.

BETTENDORF: Jack Dunn, Sr. The Bradley recruit is a force at center back, spearheading a Bulldog back line that has allowed just four goals on the season.

URBANDALE: Edward Idehen, Jr. The only Urbandale player with more than 6 goals, Idehen ranks third in 3A with 24 goals this season accounting for nearly 40 percent of his team’s scoring.  

WEST DES MOINES VALLEY: Jordy Triana, Jr., Midfielder is a force all over the field for the Tigers and ranks second on the team with eight goals and is tied for the team lead with five assist.

DES MOINES ROOSEVELT: Luke Whitman, Jr. Has a team-high 17 goals, 10 more than any other Roosevelt player and added four assists.

CITY HIGH: Jonah Dancer, Jr. There is no star in a balanced City High attack but Dancer has that type of ability. He leads City High with nine goals and has four assists.

AMES: Ben Feddersen, Jr. The top threat in an Ames attack that ranks second in 3A with 72 goals, Feddersen has a team-high 18 goals to go with 13 assists.

The Forecast

The only two teams with fewer than three losses, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Bettendorf are on the top half of the bracket while the bottom half features three semifinalists from last season in Valley, City High and Ames.

With its title last season, Valley became the first non-Mississippi Valley Conference team to win a title since West Des Moines Dowling in 2011.

The MVC is guaranteed a spot in the semifinals with Prairie and West High meeting in the first round while the bottom bracket sets up for a title game rematch from last season between City High and Valley.

The Favorite

Top-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie enters as one of only two unbeaten teams in the state and the lone undefeated team in the 3A field.

The Hawks have been impressive, outscoring opponents 58-8 but have never won a match at the state tournament.

Defending champion West Des Moines Valley has just one loss to in-state competition this season and is 3-0 against teams in the 3A field.

Don’t count out defending runner-up City High or traditional power West High which both have rosters full of state tournament experience.

The Focus

The three most decorated programs in 3A history account for nearly half of the field as West High, Bettendorf and West Des Moines Valley all seek to add to their title counts.

Valley is making its state-best 19th appearance at state while Bettendorf and West High are both playing in the state tournament for the 18th time.

West High has won a state-record eight championships while Valley and Bettendorf both own five titles.

Five Fast Facts

1. Ames is the only team in the Class 3A field to feature four players with double digit goals. Ben Feddersen leads the Little Cyclones with 18 goals but John Swanson (16), Ben Klein (14) and Divyesh Kumar (10) are all in double digits in goals this season.

2. The three coaches with the most state tournament appearances in state history bring their teams to Cownie Soccer Complex this week as Valley coach Aziz Haffar (19 appearances). Ben Pennington of Bettendorf (18 appearances) and West High’s Brad Stiles (16 appearances) all added to their career appearance numbers this season.

3. West High senior Alex Andersen ranks fourth in 3A this season with 21 goals, second most in the Class 3A state tournament field.

4. Prairie is the only team in the 3A field without a state tournament win to its credit and goes for its first state tournament win against a West High program with the most state tournament wins in state history (35).

5. City High is the lone team to make the 3A tournament without a single double digit goal scorer. Jonah Dancer leads City High with nine goals while 17 Little Hawks have combined to account for the team’s 66 goals this season.

The Schedule

Thursday’s Quarterfinals

Cedar Rapids Prairie (19-0) vs. West High (13-7), 5 p.m.

Bettendorf (14-1) vs. Urbandale (14-3), 5:10 p.m.

West Des Moines Valley (18-3) vs. Des Moines Roosevelt (15-4), 5:15 p.m.

City High (16-3) vs. Ames (14-3), 5:05 p.m.

Friday’s Semifinals

Cedar Rapids Prairie/West High winner vs. Bettendorf/Urbandale winner, 5 p.m.

West Des Moines Valley/Des Moines Roosevelt winner vs. City High/Ames winner, 5:05 p.m.

Saturday’s Championship

Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.