Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Matchups

Johnston (38-3) vs. Linn-Mar (21-18)

The most unlikely qualifier in the 4A field, Linn-Mar’s reward for an impressive substate run is a quarterfinal meeting with perennial power and top-ranked Johnston.

Linn-Mar needed a five-run ninth inning to get past Clinton in its postseason opener and never slowed down posting a 15-10 win over Pleasant Valley and a 6-2 upset for fourth-ranked City High to return to state for the first time since 2013.

The last trip to state for Linn-Mar ended with a 2-0 quarterfinal loss to Johnston, an outcome the Lions will attempt to reverse on Wednesday for the first state tournament win in program history.

Johnston brings a 17-game winning streak into state tournament play and has allowed one or zero runs 10 times during that stretch.

The Dragons lead 4A with a 1.46 ERA and have allowed four hits and no runs in two postseason wins.

Johnston is making its fourth state tournament appearance in the past five season and is seeking its first title since 2013.

Cedar Rapids Prairie (29-12) vs. Waukee (28-13)

After winning the first title in program history last season Cedar Rapids Prairie is back and a late season push has the Hawks thinking about a second straight 4A crown.

Prairie has won 14 of its last 16 games entering the state tournament after a 7-4 win at seventh-ranked Southeast Polk in the substate finals.

The Hawks get a state tournament rematch with Waukee in the quarterfinals after edging the Warriors 4-3 in the semifinals on their way to the 2016 4A crown.

Waukee is making its fourth straight state tournament appearance and is seeking a third consecutive spot in the semifinals.

The Warriors started the season 11-0 and won eight of their last 10, two strong spurts sandwiched around a 9-11 stretch.

Key for Waukee in its last season success has been a red-hot offense. After averaging two runs per game and being shutout four times during its 9-11 middle of the season stretch Waukee is averaging 6.4 runs per game over its last 10 and had 20 hits in two postseason wins.

West Des Moines Dowling (34-8) vs. Mason City (26-17)

As the say goes it is hard to beat a good team three times.

The task for Dowling in its state tournament opener is even taller as the Maroons will attempt to earn a fifth win over Mason City in a span of six week.

Dowling swept Mason City in a June 12 doubleheader 6-5 and 6-0 and added wins of 6-3 and 2-0 in the regular season finale for both teams on July 11.

Mason City is making its first state tournament since it fell to Dowling in the title game in 2011. The Mohawks have won 14 of their last 17 with two of those losses coming to Dowling and are averaging 8.3 runs per game during that stretch.

Dowling is making its first state tournament appearance since 2014 and is after its first win at state since a 6-1 win over Mason City for the 2011 title.

The Maroons are 8-5 against state qualifiers this season with a pair or wins over top-ranked Johnston while Mason City handed the Dragons their only other loss.

West High (31-8) vs. Cedar Rapids Washington (24-15)

Another regular season rematch between conference rivals, West High and Washington meet in a winner-take-all rubber match after splitting a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader in June.

West High won 7-6 and Washington won 6-4 in the regular season meeting between the two teams back on June 2.

Washington won just four of its final 11 games to close the regular season but won a pair of postseason games, edging Davenport Central 2-1 in the substate final to return to state for the first time since 2009.

The last state tournament appearance for Washington ended with a 9-6 loss to West High in the quarterfinals.

West High is making its fourth straight appearance at state after finishing runner-up each of the past three seasons.

The Trojans have won 14 of their last 16 and scored double digit runs nine times during that stretch.

The Players

JOHNSTON: Jack Dreyer, Sr., P. Iowa signee has been the ace of the state’s best pitching staff this season posting an 8-0 record with a .42 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 50 innings.

LINN-MAR: Reese Phillips, Sr., 1B. The Lions leading hitter on the season (.438 BA) enters red-hot going 6-for-10 with six runs and five RBI in three playoff wins.

CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE: Levi Usher, Jr., CF. One of the top all-around players in the state, Usher leads the defending state champion Hawks in average (.468), runs (50), home runs (7), walks (29) and stolen bases (37). 

WAUKEE: Drew Irvine, Jr., P. Boasts an 8-2 record and 1.26 ERA and has been at his best in the postseason allowing one earned run on four hits and no walks in 13 postseason innings. 

WEST DES MOINES DOWLING: Ben Probst, Sr., P. Iowa recruit has been one of the best in the state this season posting a 7-1 record and .78 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 54 innings and is coming off a 15-strikeout performance in a three-hitter against Sioux City East in the substate final.

MASON CITY: Dylan Voves, Sr., CF. Speedy leadoff hitter leads the Mohawks in batting average (.423), runs (53), and stolen bases (30) and has driven in 22 runs.

WEST HIGH: Izaya Ono-Fullard, Sr., INF. One of the biggest threats in a loaded West High lineup, Ono-Fullard is hitting a team-high .425, leads the state with 10 home runs and ranks second in 4A with 58 RBI.

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON: Brady Bunten, Soph., 2B. Leads the Warriors with a .461 average that ranks sixth in 4A and also has team-highs in runs (43), home runs (4) and stolen bases (27).

The Favorite

A loaded 4A field features the defending champion, the three-time defending runner-up and top-ranked team and three other programs that have won titles.

Top-ranked Johnston is the top-seed and enters riding a 17-game winning streak while defending champion Cedar Rapids Prairie and three-time defending runner-up West High both return.

West Des Moines Dowling and Waukee are both capable of title runs making the 4A field a wide-open race with West High and Johnston the front runners.

Five Fast Facts

1. Four coaches with more than 600 career wins directed their teams to the state tournament this season. West High coach Charlie Stumpff is at the top of that list with 725 career victories.

2. Cedar Rapids Prairie center field Levi Usher is the lone player in the state this season with more than 50 runs, 30 stolen bases and seven home runs.

3. All eight teams in the 4A field come from two conferences with the Mississippi Valley and the Central Iowa Metro League each getting four teams to state. Over the last 20 seasons the 4A champ has come from those two conferences 19 times with the CIML winning 17 crowns in that time.

4. West High leads the state with 30 home runs this season and joins Mason City Newman as the only teams with four players with five or more homers.

5. In its 10 previous trips to the state tournament West High is 4-2 against teams from the Mississippi Valley Conference.

The Schedule

Quarterfinals, July 26

No. 1 Johnston (38-3) vs. Linn-Mar (21-18), 1:30 p.m.

No. 5 Cedar Rapids Prairie vs. No. 6 Waukee (28-13), 11 a.m.

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (34-8) vs. No. 10 Mason City (26-17), 7:30 p.m.

No. 3 West High (31-8) vs. Cedar Rapids Washington (24-15), 5 p.m.

Semifinals, July 28

Johnson/Linn-Mar winner vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie/Waukee winner, 5 or 7:30 p.m.

West Des Moines Dowling/Mason City winner vs. Cedar Rapids Washington/West High winner, 5 or 7:30 p.m.

Championship, July 29

Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.

The Leaders

Batting Average

1. Levi Usher, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie                     .468

2. Brady Bunten, Jr., Cedar Rapids Washington       .461

3. Reese Phillips, Sr., Linn-Mar                                    .438

Home Runs

1. Izaya Ono-Fullard, Sr., West High                            10

2. Tony Comellas, Jr., West High                                  7

2. Peyton Williams, Soph., Johnston                            7

2. Hunter Dingman, Sr., Mason City                              7

2. Levi Usher, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie                       7

Runs Batted In

1. Izaya Ono-Fullard, Sr., West High                             58

2. Connor McCaffery, Sr., West High                             48

3. Harrison Cook, Soph., Cedar Rapids Prairie         47

Stolen Bases

1. Levi Usher, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie                      37

2. Dylan Voves, Sr., Mason City                                     30

3. Brady Bunten, Jr., Cedar Rapids Washington       27

Wins

1. Jack Dreyer, Sr., Johnston                                        8-0

1. Nathan Buckallew, Sr., Johnson                              8-0

1. Drew Irvine, Jr., Waukee                                            8-2

1. Braden Houston, Jr., West High                              8-1

Earned Run Average

1. Jack Dreyer, Sr., Johnston                                       .42

2. Andrew Zimmerman, Sr., Johnston                       .56

3. Nathan Buckallew, Sr., Johnston                            .68

Strikeouts

1. Jack Dreyer, Sr., Johnston                                        79

2. Ben Probst, Sr., West Des Moines Dowling         74

3. Nathan Buckallew, Sr., Johnston                            53