Your Prep Sports

The football postseason got underway last night with opening-round games in the state’s smallest four classes.

Postseason action heats up next Friday with round of 16 matchups in all seven classes.

Five Your Prep Sports area teams were among the playoff qualifiers that got a clear look at their path to the UNI-Dome on Saturday morning when the Iowa High School Athletic Association released updated playoff pairings for all seven classes.

Liberty High (8-1) and West High (7-2) are both in the Class 5A playoff field for the second consecutive season.

A state semifinalist last season, Liberty High will host Waukee (4-5) in a 5A opening-round contest next Friday in a rematch of last year’s 5A playoff opener.

The Lightning defeated Waukee 31-14 in the opening round of the 5A playoffs last season.

With an opening-round win Liberty High would face the winner of Southeast Polk (5-4) and Ankeny (7-2) which meet in the other 5A Pod 5 opening-round contest.

West High reached the Class 5A quarterfinals last year and will travel to Cedar Falls (7-2) in a 5A opener on Friday.

The winner of West High and Cedar Falls will play the winner of the other Pod A opening-round game between Waterloo West (5-4) and West Des Moines Dowling (8-1).

Solon (9-0) will host Benton Community (5-4) in a Class 3A opening round matchup on Friday.

The opening-round game with the Bobcats will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the past two seasons.

Solon and Benton Community split two games last season with Benton Community winning 21-20 in the regular season and Solon winning 34-27 in a playoff rematch.

This season Solon won at Benton 28-21 on September 19.

One of only two remaining unbeatens in Class 3A along with top-ranked Clear Lake, Solon would face the winner of Independence (6-3) and Winterset (6-3) in the 3A quarterfinals with a win.

Regina and West Branch each won postseason openers on Friday.

Third-ranked Regina (9-0) defeated Northeast 69-0 in a Class 1A opening-round matchup on Friday and will host River Valley Conference rival Cascade (7-2) in a 1A second round tilt on Friday.

With a win Regina would face the winner of Pleasantville (8-1) and Hudson (5-4) in the 1A quarterfinals.

West Branch (7-2) used a late Keaton Gates touchdown to earn a 22-15 win over Denver in a Class 2A opening-round game on Friday and will host River Valley Conference rival Wilton (7-2) on Friday.

The winner of West Branch and Wilton will face the Pella Christian (3-6) and PCM (8-1) winner in the 2A quarterfinals.

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