Breaking Down the Class 3A Boys State Soccer Tournament
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The Matchups
No. 3 West High (18-1) vs. No. 11 Sioux City West (15-2)
Perennial power West High returns to the state tournament playing as well as any team in the state.
Defending 3A runner-up West High is making its fifth consecutive state tournament appearance and 20th in the past 21 seasons and enters riding a 16-match winning streak.
West High hasn’t lost since a 2-1 overtime setback to second-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie on April 6 and has had just two matches decided by a single goal during its current winning streak.
The Trojans have been dominant during the postseason outscoring North Scott and ninth-ranked Bettendorf by a combined 7-1 in a pair of substate wins.
Sioux City West used a pair of overtime substate wins to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2015.
The Wolverines defeated Council Bluffs Lincoln via penalty kicks and downed Council Bluffs Lewis Central in double overtime in the substate final.
Sioux City West has regular season losses to Sioux City Heelan and 2A No. 11 Sergeant Bluff Luton and owns a 1-0 win over state tournament qualifier West Des Moines Valley.
No. 4 West Des Moines Valley (16-4) vs. No. 6 Ankeny Centennial (14-4)
One of the premier programs in state history West Des Moines Valley returns to the state tournament after a rare miss in 2019.
The Tigers are making their 21st state tournament appearance, tied with West High for the most in state history and enter playing perhaps their best soccer of the season.
Valley didn’t lose in May, rattling off seven consecutive wins while outscoring opponents 29-4, a stretch that included a 3-1 victory over No. 13 Ankeny in the substate final.
Ankeny Centennial is making its third state tournament appearance and seeking its first win at state since reaching the 3A finals in its state debut in 2015.
The Jaguars have won seven straight and pulled off the upset of the season defeating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Waukee 2-1 in penalty kicks in the substate final.
Ankeny Centennial has allowed just two goals during its seven-match winning streak and has allowed more than one goal in match just three times this season.
No. 2 Cedar Rapids Prairie (15-2) vs. No. 5 Pleasant Valley (17-3)
One of these two teams is going to get the first state tournament win in program history.
Cedar Rapids Prairie is making its fourth state tournament appearance, all since 2015, after an impressive 5-1 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the substate final.
The Hawks are 0-3 all-time in state tournament matches, falling to Ankeny 3-0 in its most recent state tournament trip in 2018.
Prairie enters having won 11 of its last 12, the lone loss during that stretch a 3-2 setback to state qualifier Cedar Falls in penalty kicks.
The Hawks own wins over state tournament qualifiers West High and Cedar Rapids Xavier.
Pleasant Valley used a late penalty kick to down eighth-ranked City High in the substate semifinals to secure the first state tournament trip in program history.
The Spartans have won seven in a row following back-to-back losses to Ankeny Centennial and North Scott with the other loss coming to top-ranked Waukee.
No. 7 Johnston (15-3) vs. No. 10 Cedar Falls (19-3)
Cedar Falls has been among the best stories in the state this spring.
The Tigers were 10-7 in 2019 and went four years without a winning season from 2014 to 2018.
Behind junior playmaker Truman Unruh and his 3A-leading 34 goals the Tigers rank second in 3A with 90 goals this season and returned to the state tournament for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2009.
Cedar Falls has won eight in a row after defeating Dubuque Senior 2-1 in the substate final.
Johnston returns to the state tournament for the first time since making its fifth consecutive appearance in 2015.
The Dragons edged Urbandale 3-2 in the substate semifinals and rolled past No. 14 West Des Moines Dowling 4-1 in the substate final.
The three losses for Johnston are to Marshalltown, top-ranked Waukee and state qualifier West Des Moines Valley.
The Players
WEST HIGH: Kolby Godbolt, Sr., – A consistent playmaker all over the field, Godbolt leads a balanced West High attack with 16 goals and seven assists despite facing constant attention for opposing defenders.
SIOUX CITY WEST: Remundo Gonzalez, Jr., – Gonzalez ranks second on the team with 10 goals after scoring three times in a pair of postseason wins.
WEST DES MOINES VALLEY: Jaren Obia, Sr., – Obia has been the catalyst for the Tigers attack all season ranking second in 3A with 33 goals and leading West Des Moines Valley with 14 assists.
ANKENY CENTENNIAL: Andrew Heckenlaible, Fr., – Among the top freshman scorers in the state, Heckenlaible leads the Jaguars with 17 goals in 18 matches this season.
CEDAR RAPIDS PRAIRIE: Aidan Lerch, Sr. – Lerch and fellow senior Max Egger are tied for second on the team with seven goals and lead the Hawks with nine assists each.
PLEASANT VALLEY: Rhys Ward, Jr., – Ward has been the most consistent threat in the Spartan attack this season leading Pleasant Valley with 12 goals and 14 assists.
JOHNSTON: Wilmont Manneh, Jr., – Manneh has scored a team-high 22 goals and is tied for the team lead with five assists teaming with senior Amar Dupanovic to give the Dragons a dynamic attacking duo.
CEDAR FALLS: Truman Unruh, Jr., – The top goal scorer in Class 3A this season, Unruh ranks seventh in the state regardless of class with 34 goals and has nine assists to account for nearly 48 percent of the Tigers’ scoring this season.
The Favorite
The favorite role unexpectedly shifted with the loss of top-ranked Waukee in the substate finals.
Without preseason favorite Waukee in the field third-ranked West High took over as the top seed and slid into the role of state tournament favorite.
The Trojans have the past pedigree and current talent that makes them more than capable of adding a state-leading 10th title.
The Underdog
Eighth-seeded Sioux City West is the easy answer here but we will go with Cedar Falls which has experienced one of the best turnarounds in Class 3A over the past several seasons.
The seventh-seeded Tigers went from 10-7 in 2019 to 19-3 this season while securing their first trip to state since 2009.
Cedar Falls faces a tough quarterfinal task in seventh-ranked Johnston but has the scoring punch to keep up with anyone.
The Darkhorse
Cedar Rapids Prairie isn’t the prototypical dark horse entering second-ranked, third-seeded and with a 15-2 record.
One of the few things the Hawks haven’t done during an impressive five-year run of success is win at the state tournament but they have the team to change that this season.
Prairie has proven it can compete with the best, handing West High it’s only loss of the season and could be set up well for a state tournament run.
Five Fast Facts
* – West High has outscored opponents by an average of 3.3 goals per game this season the highest among state tournament qualifiers and second highest mark in 3A this season.
* – Two teams in the 3A field are led in scoring by first-year players. Ankeny Centennial freshman Andrew Heckenlaible leads the Jaguars with 17 goals while freshman Gavin Lewis has scored a team-high eight goals for Cedar Rapids Prairie.
* – West High has 12 different players that have scored at least two goals this season, the most multi-goal scorers among any team in the 3A field.
* – West Des Moines valley senior Jaren Obia (33 goals, 14 assists) and Pleasant Valley junior Rhys Ward (12 goals, 14 assists) are the only players in the 3A field with double digit goals and assists.
* – West High and West Des Moines Valley are now tied for the most state tournament appearances in state history with 21. Valley, West High and Bettendorf all entered the season with 20 state tournament appearances.
The Schedule
Tuesday’s Quarterfinals
West High (18-1) vs. Sioux City West (15-2), 5 p.m.
West Des Moines Valley (16-4) vs. Ankeny Centennial (14-4), 5:10 p.m.
Cedar Rapids Prairie (15-2) vs. Pleasant Valley (16-3), 5:30 p.m.
Johnston (15-3) vs. Cedar Falls (19-3), 5:30 p.m.
Thursday’s Semifinals
West High/Sioux City West winner vs. West Des Moines Valley/Ankeny Centennial winner, 5 p.m.
Cedar Rapids Prairie/Pleasant Valley winner vs. Johnston/Cedar Falls winner, 5:10 p.m.
Saturday’s Championship
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.
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