Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

There is a familiar foe and a regular season rematch standing between West High and a third consecutive trip to the UNI-Dome.

Two-time defending 4A runner-up West High (8-1) will begin its drive toward another title game appearance on Friday by hosting Mississippi Valley Conference rival Cedar Rapids Kennedy (6-3) in a 4A opening round contest.

West High and Kennedy are certainly not strangers.

Before this season the two teams had met each of the past 10 years with West High winning the two most recent meetings.

If seventh-ranked West High can get past the Cougars in the opener they would face a regular season rematch in the quarterfinals.

Pleasant Valley (5-4) and No. 4 Bettendorf (8-1) will meet in the other opening round game in Class 4A Bracket D with the winners facing off in a Nov. 3 quarterfinal.

West High defeated Pleasant Valley 20-14 on September 21 and lost at Bettendorf 10-7 on August 31.

If Bettendorf and West High would face off in the quarterfinals it would mark the third consecutive year the two Eastern Iowa powers would meet in the playoffs.

West High knocked off the Bulldogs each of the past two seasons on its way to a 4A runner-up finish.

A pair of area teams secured spots in the 16-team Class 3A field.

Third-ranked Solon (9-0) will host No. 9 Western Dubuque (7-2) in one of the most intriguing 3A opening round matchups.

The winner of the Solon and Western Dubuque contest will face the winner of No. 10 Waverly-Shell Rock (8-1) and No. 4 North Scott (7-1) in a 3A quarterfinal.

Clear Creek Amana (8-1) is making its first playoff appearance since 2015 and will travel to Decorah (7-2) for an opening round 3A matchup.

The Clear Creek Amana and Decorah winner would face either top-ranked and defending champion Cedar Rapids Xavier (9-0) or defending 3A runner-up Pella (8-1) in the quarterfinals.

In Class 1A Sixth-ranked West Branch (8-1) will travel to Osage (7-2) for an opening round matchup.

The West Branch and Osage will would travel to second-ranked Van Meter (9-0) for a quarterfinal.

IHSAA Postseason Football Pairings

Class 4A

Bracket A

Southeast Polk (4-5) at Ankeny Centennial (9-0)

Cedar Rapids Prairie (7-2) at Johnston (7-2)

Bracket B

Ankeny (5-4) at West Des Moines Valley (9-0)

Fort Dodge (7-2) vs. West Des Moines Dowling (7-2) at Des Moines East

Bracket C

Indianola (6-3) at Cedar Falls (9-0)

Urbandale (6-3) at Waukee (7-2)

Bracket D

Cedar Rapids Kennedy (6-3) at West High (8-1)

Pleasant Valley (5-4) at Bettendorf (8-1)

Class 3A

Bracket A

Sioux City Heelan at Sergeant Bluff-Luton (8-1)

Spencer (7-2) at Norwalk (6-3)

Bracket B

Caroll (6-3) at Council Bluffs Lewis Central (9-0)

Harlan (7-2) at Oskaloosa (8-1)

Bracket C

Pella (8-1) at Cedar Rapids Xavier (9-0)

Clear Creek Amana (8-1) at Decorah (7-2)

Bracket D

Western Dubuque (7-2) at Solon (9-0)

Waverly-Shell Rock (8-1) at North Scott (8-1)

Class 1A

Bracket A

West Lyon (7-2) at South Central Calhoun (9-0)

West Sioux (8-1) at Treynor (8-1)

Bracket B

Mediapolis (8-1) at Bellevue (9-0)

Pella Christian (6-3) at Wilton (8-1)

Bracket C

Mount Ayr (7-2) at Interstate 35 (9-0)

South Hamilton (7-2) at Dike-New Hartford (9-0)

Bracket D

Sumner-Fredericksburg (7-2) at Van Meter (9-0)

West Branch (8-1) at Osage (7-2)