Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – The West Branch defense allowed season highs in points, rushing yards and yards per carry against MFL Mar Mac on Friday.

The 282 total yards for the Bulldogs in the Class 1A quarterfinal were the second most allowed by West Branch this season and the 6.1 yards per play for MFL Mar Mac was the second highest mark for a West Branch opponent this fall.

Even with those numbers the Bears played perhaps its best defensive half of football on Friday night when they needed it most.

West Branch (11-0) held eighth-ranked MFL Mar Mac scoreless over the final 22 minutes on Friday while rallying for a 27-24 win at a soggy Little Rose Bowl in West Branch.

“The first half was a little shaky but we got together and talked to our line and our backers and basically just said we have to give it everything if we want to get it,” West Branch junior lineman Logan Wright said. “We changed up some things and were able to shut them down.”

West Branch allowed 133 rushing yards at a 5.1 yard per carry clip in opening half while falling into a 16-6 halftime deficit.

On the first offensive play of the second half MFL Mar Mac connected on an 81-yard touchdown pass.

Following that play the final five possessions for MFL Mar Mac produced 47 total yards, three first downs and zero points.

“We adjusted to what they were really hitting us with which was the fullback,” West Branch junior linebacker Reese Trepanier said. “We adjusted and guys made plays.”

MFL Mar Mac entered the game averaging 303 rushing yards per game and had 40 rushing touchdowns on the season.

The Bulldogs had success on the ground early running for 133 yards in the first half but West Branch stuff the ground game after halftime while completing the comeback.

The final five possessions for MFL Mar Mac went as follows.

22 yards ending with a punt.

20 yards ending with a punt.

Negative seven yards ending with a safety.

12 yard ending with a fumble and zero yards ending with a fumble.

“Right when they ran in for the safety I knew we had it,” Trepanier said. “Our defense was playing great and I knew we could do it.”

News and Notes

Undefeated tracker: The semifinals are set in all seven classes meaning 28 teams remain alive for state titles.

Of those 28 teams still playing half are undefeated.

There are no unbeaten teams in Class 5A, two (Lewis Central and CR Xavier) in Class 4A and one in Class 3A (Mount Vernon).

Class 2A (Williamsburg and Central Lyon/George-Little Rock) and Class 1A (West Branch and Underwood) each have two unbeaten teams.

All four remaining Class A teams (Lynnville-Sully, West Hancock, Woodbury Central and Grundy Center) are undefeated and three eight-player teams WACO, Lenox and Remsen St. Mary’s) are unbeaten.

Seydel Steps Up: There were plenty of West Branch players that came up big in the second half of the Bears’ 27-24 come-from-behind win over MFL Mar Mac on Friday.

Perhaps no player came up bigger than junior running back Cale Seydel.

Seydel rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, all in the second half, in relief of senior Andy Henson as West Branch rallied to return to the UNI-Dome for the first time since 2011.

The junior had a 49-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half on his way to a career-high 97 yards.

A Historic Season for Liberty: The most successful season in program history for Liberty High ended on Friday with a 56-28 quarterfinal loss to Carlisle.

Liberty High set a program record with nine wins and claimed the first playoff victory in program history with a 24-14 win over Webster City in the 4A opening round.

The previous program record for wins in a season was seven in 2019 and the final 9-2 mark was the second winning season in five years for the Lightning.

Final Numbers for Beckman: A breakthrough season for junior quarterback Graham Beckman was a big reason for the Liberty High success this season.

With 268 passing yards and two touchdowns against Carlisle on Friday Beckman finished his first season as a starter with 2,580 passing yards and 31 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

Beckman completed 63 percent of his passes and rushed for 320 yards and four touchdowns.

Players of the week

Offensive Player of the Week: West Branch senior quarterback Tye Hughes rushed for a career-high 112 yards on 13 carries and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns in a 27-24 win over MFL Mar Mac.

Defensive Player of the Week: West Branch junior linebacker Reese Trepanier had the best game of his career in a quarterfinal win over MFL Mar Mac.

Trepanier had 10.5 tackles, including eight solo stops with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack and recovered a pair of fumbles in a 27-24 win.

Special Teams Player of the Week: West Branch senior Kinnick Boelk averaged 26.7 yards on three kickoff returns setting up a pair of West Branch touchdowns with kick off returns.

Helmet Stickers

Offense: Liberty High junior quarterback Graham Beckman completed 18-of-32 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-28 loss to Carlisle.

Offense: Liberty High senior receiver Garrett Gregoire had seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown and also had eight tackles in a 56-28 loss to Carlisle.

Defense: Solon senior defensive lineman Aidan Doyle had seven tackles, including six solo stops and two tackles for loss in a 17-0 loss to Mount Vernon.

Defense: Solon senior linebacker Austin Bell had 4.5 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss in a 17-0 loss at Mount Vernon.

Defense: Liberty High senior linebacker Christian Barney had 13 tackles including 11 solo stops and a tackle for loss in a 56-28 loss to Carlisle.

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