Your Prep Sports

West Branch missed a district title last season after dropping its district opener by to eventual champion Bellevue.

The Bears weren’t going to be denied the top spot in Class 1A, District 4 this season.

Sixth-ranked West Branch improved to 8-0 on the season and locked up the District 4 title on Friday night with a 26-7 win at Cascade.

“It’s a really good feeling,” West Branch senior Trey Eagle said. “We missed out on it last year with that loss to Bellevue and we were really hungry for it this year and we worked really hard for it so it’s a great feeling.”

West Branch used a dominating defensive effort and a pair of second-half touchdown runs by Tanner Lukavsky to secure the 19th district title in program history and fourth in the last six years.

The Bears clinched a playoff spot with the district title and can lock in a first-round home game with a win over Dyersville Beckman (5-3, 2-2) in the regular season finale next Friday.

“They came in on August 1st and they had some goals that they set and one of the goals was to be a district champion and they knew in order to do that they had to really become a tight-knit group and really play to their full capabilities,” West Branch coach Butch Pedersen said. “We have some kids that are a great role players on this team and I think they’ve played even better than people thought they could play.”

West Branch relied on its aggressive defense and some timely offense during a 7-0 start to the season that put the Bears on the brink of a district crown.

When it came time to lock up the title on Friday the Bears followed a similar path.

West Branch held Cascade under 40 total yards in the opening half and took a 5-0 halftime lead after recording a safety in the final minute of the second quarter.

“Our defense really, really carried the team until our offense got their feet on the ground,” Pedersen said. “It was a 5-0 baseball score at halftime. We are really proud of that group.”

West Branch found some traction offensive after halftime behind Lukavsky who scored the game’s first touchdown on a 5-yard run in the third quarter.

Senior Trey Eagle scored the seventh defensive touchdown of the season for West Branch with a 33-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.

Lukavsky put the game out of reach with a 38-yard touchdown run that gave West Branch a 26-0 lead.

“Our defense really shut it down tonight,” Eagle said. “Our offense started out slow and the defense kept us in the game. Jeff (Bowie) got that safety and really just shut it down. They are a run-oriented team and we were able to shut that down and forced them to throw the ball which they weren’t as comfortable doing and our defensive backs really locked down the backside.”

Lukavsky finished with 82 yards rushing on 16 carries while junior quarterback Gavin Hierseman added 38 yards on the ground.

Hierseman completed 11-of-16 passes for 97 yards with Eagle catching four passes for 70 yards and a score.

West Branch             3  2  7  14  –  26

Cascade                   0  0  0   7   –   7

WB – Cael Fiderlein 27 field goal

WB – Safety

WB – Tanner Lukavsky 5 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Trey Eagle 33 fumble return (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Lukavsky 38 run (Fiderlein kick)

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by becoming a member.