Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Cedar Rapids Washington (5-4) at 4A No. 1 West High (9-0)

Where: Trojan Field, 7 p.m.

Last Season: West High 35, Cedar Rapids Washington 7 (Class 4A semifinals)

Player to Watch: Cedar Rapids Washington senior running back Haven Henningsen (6-2, 190) has rushed for a team-high 1,167 yards and 11 touchdowns in eight games.

Key Stat: West High is the only team in Class 4A to score at least 32 points in every game this season.

About the Trojans: A year after returning to the state title game for the first time since 1999, West High enters the playoffs top-ranked and coming off the sixth unbeaten regular season in program history.

West High has been impressive on both sides of the ball this season while going undefeated through nine games for the first time since 2012.

The Trojans rank fourth in 4A in both scoring and total offense, averaging 44.4 points and 459 yards per game.

West High has been equally dominant on defense holding teams to 14.3 points per game.

Senior quarterback Evan Flitz ranks fifth in Class 4A with 2,157 passing yards and fourth with 24 touchdowns.

His top target has been senior Traevis Buchnan who has caught 56 passes for 914 yards and 13 touchdowns.

About the Warriors: Cedar Rapids Washington is making its fifth straight playoff appearance and first under first-year head coach Maurice Blue who took over before this season after nearly two decades as defensive coordinator.

The Warriors have advanced to the quarterfinals in three straight seasons after reaching the semifinals last year and haven’t lost an opening round playoff game since 2013.

Three of the four losses for Washington this season have come to one-loss teams ranked in the top seven. Washington fell to No. 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie 21-20 in the season opener and was outscored by a combined total of 91-6 in road losses to No. 4 Bettendorf and No. 5 Cedar Falls.

The Washington offense is led by senior quarterback Bryan Kunde (5-11, 205) who has passed for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns.

Henningsen leads a Warrior rushing attack that runs behind an offensive line that features a pair of Division I commits in Miami (Ohio) recruit Andrew Todd (6-4, 280) and Northern Illinois recruit Nolan Potter (6-6, 270).

Decorah (7-2) at 3A No. 1 Solon (9-0)

Where: Spartan Stadium, 7 p.m.  

Last Season: Did Not Play  

Player to Watch: Decorah senior running back Jake Muhlbauer (5-8, 165) leads the Vikings with 905 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Key Stat: Don’t expect much offense in this game as two of the top defenses in 3A collide. Solon hasn’t allowed more than seven points in a game and has six shutouts while Decorah has held five teams under seven points this season and hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game.

About the Spartans: Solon is back in the playoffs for the for the 13th consecutive season following its first unbeaten regular season since 2009.

The last time the Spartans started 9-0 they won their third of four consecutive state titles.

Solon has relied on a defense that ranks as one of the best in the state while winning nine consecutive regular season games by an average of 37.9 points.

The Spartans posted six shutouts and allowed 21 total points during the regular season, both best in the state.

Solon has put up impressive defensive numbers across the board, holding teams to 122 total yards, 46 rushing yards and 2.3 points per game.

The Spartans haven’t allowed more than 95 yards rushing or 248 total yards in a game, are holding opponents to 2.1 yards per rushing attempt and have forced 26 turnovers.

Solon is led offensively by sophomore Cam Miller who has passed for 1,446 yards and 21 touchdowns and running backs Kendrick Harris and Hunter Kula who have combined for 1,451 yards and 18 touchdowns. 

About the Vikings: Decorah returns to the playoffs following a one-year absence after earning one of the two at-large berths in Class 3A.

The Vikings finished third in a stout District 3, with losses to No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier and seventh-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock by a combined 18 points.

Decorah is no stranger to the postseason. The Vikings reached the state title game three times during a string of six consecutive playoff appearances from 2008-2013 that included a 3A title in 2012.

The Vikings have relied on a strong running game and stingy defense this season averaging 232 rushing yards per game while holding opponents to 251 total yards and 10.1 points per game.

Decorah has been tough against the run, holding opponents to 133 yards per game on the ground and 3.4 yards per carry.

Since back-to-back losses to Xavier and Waverly-Shell Rock the Vikings have won three games by a combined score of 135-18 and haven’t allowed more than 265 yards in any of those games.

South Winneshiek (6-3) at 1A No. 4 Regina (7-2)  

Where: Regal Field, 7 p.m.

Last Season: Did Not Play

Player to Watch: South Winneshiek senior running back Rodney Schwartzhoff (5-9, 175) has gone over 100 yards rushing in seven of nine games this season and has 1,278 yards and five touchdowns.

Key Stat: Eight of the 11 receptions for South Winneshiek junior Cole Klimesh (6-3, 200) this season have gone for touchdowns and he is averaging 32.2 yards per catch.

About the Regals: Regina returns to the playoffs for the 14th straight season seeking an eighth straight trip to the state title game after having a string of six consecutive state titles end last season.

The Regals have rebounded from back-to-back losses to open the season and closed the regular season on a seven-game winning streak in which they outscored opponents by more than 33 points per game.

Regina has scored at least 42 points in each game during its seven-game win streak and had 500 or more yards of total offense in four of those wins.

Senior quarterback Michael Conlon has thrown for 1,380 yards and 13 touchdowns and Isaac Vollstedt has rushed for a team-high 773 yards and 13 touchdowns.

About the Warriors: South Winneshiek has won six straight games following an 0-3 start to reach the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

The Warriors opened the season with three consecutive losses to ranked teams with a combined record of 26-1 but has outscored opponents 269-18 during a six-game winning streak that includes five shutouts.

South Winneshiek is holding opponents to 11.9 points per game this season and hasn’t allowed more than 12 points in a game since a 27-22 loss to sixth-ranked Denver on Sept. 8.

Senior quarterback Hunter Todd has passed for 1,070 yards and 15 touchdowns and is averaging 21.4 yards per completion.

Four different receivers have caught more than 10 passes this season and all four are averaging better than 15 yards per reception.

The top two targets for Todd have been Cole Klimesh and Levi Lukes (6-2, 180) who have combined to average 26.4 yards on 27 catches with 12 touchdowns.

Pleasantville (7-2) at 1A No. 5 West Branch (9-0)

Where: The Little Rose Bowl, 7 p.m.  

Last Season: Did Not Play

Player to Watch: Pleasantville senior running back Hunter Tyree (5-8, 150) has rushed for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

Key Stat: Pleasantville is 15-0 over the past two seasons when holding opponents under 200 yards rushing and 0-4 when teams crack the 200-yard mark on the ground. The Trojans are allowing 75.4 yards per game on the ground in 15 wins dating back to last season and have allowed 243.5 rushing yards in four losses during that time.

About the Bears: West Branch completed the 14th unbeaten regular season in program history with a 38-12 win over Clayton Ridge on Friday and is making its 10th straight playoff appearance.

The Bears boast a balanced offense that averages 219 passing yards and 173 rushing yards per game.

Junior quarterback Beau Cornwell has been the key to the Bear attack, throwing for a school record 1,970 yards, second most in Class 1A.

Cornwell has a pair of receivers with more than 500 yards this season in seniors Ben Thompson and Jacob Graves.

Thompson has caught 39 passes for 658 yards and a 1A best 12 touchdowns while Graves has 38 receptions for 512 yards and four scores.

Graves has rushed for 437 yards and six touchdown the past three games while filling in for injured sophomore Tanner Lukavsky.

About the Trojans: Pleasantville has relied on a strong rushing game and stingy defense to return to the postseason for the fourth straight season.

The Trojans allowed 11.9 points and 217 yards per game during the regular season and held six opponents under 200 yards of total offense.

Offensively the Trojans rely on a running game fueled by senior Hunter Tyree who has rushed for more than 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career.

Tyree is averaging better than 8.1 yards per carry this season while junior Cael Lester (5-6, 174) has added 503 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Owen Worthington has passed for 860 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions.

Pleasantville won six straight games to open the season before back-to-back losses to third-ranked Pella Christian and Woodward-Granger.