Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Waukee Northwest (10-1) vs. Liberty High (10-1)

Where: UNI-Dome, Friday 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Waukee Northwest junior quarterback Mack Heitland (6-1, 176) has completed 80 percent of his passes (182-of-229) for 2,812 yards and 27 touchdowns without an interception and has rushed for 132 yards and four touchdowns.

Key stat: Heitland has 55 career touchdown passes and six career interceptions and has not thrown an interception this season. He has thrown six career interceptions in 428 career pass attempts.

About the Wolves: Waukee Northwest is making its first ever semifinal appearance in just its fourth time in the playoffs.

Prior to this season Waukee Northwest had just one postseason win coming in 2022 but the Wolves posted back-to-back playoff victories over Indianola (28-7) and Sioux City East (48-34) to reach the UNI-Dome.

The lone loss for Wauke Northwest this season was a 31-28 setback against Waukee in week eight and the Wolves are 6-1 this season against teams that reached the 5A postseason.

Waukee Northwest has been among the top offensive teams in Class 5A this season averaging 42.1 points and 427 total yards per game while averaging 8.3 yards per play.

Heitland leads the Wolves offense and has completed 80 percent of his passes (183-of-229) while throwing for 2,812 yards and 27 touchdowns without an interception.

Junior Jordan Green (5-11, 170) and senior Isaiah Oliver (6-1, 190) headline a talented group of receivers.

Green has 62 receptions for 1,140 yards and 13 touchdowns and Oliver has 57 receptions for 947 yards and nine touchdowns.

Junior Joe Vinyard (6-5, 220) has caught 37 passes for 437 yards and three touchdowns and senior Michael Dunagan (6-0, 180) has 21 receptions for 216 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Ryan Woodruff (5-10, 190) leads the Wolves with 901 rushing yards on 15 carries and sophomore Paulo Tobongye (5-8, 165) has rushed for 543 yards and eight touchdowns.

On defense Waukee Northwest is holding opponents to 14.8 points and 299 total yards per game while allowing 5.4 yards per play.

Waukee Northwest has held seven of 11 opponents to 13 points or less this season and has given up seven points or fewer five times.
The Wolves are allowing just 133 rushing yards per game while giving up 4.2 yards per carry.

Senior Austin Van Horn (5-10, 175) leads Waukee Northwest with 88 tackles including four for loss and senior Bodie Morrison (5-10, 190) has 46 tackles with 10.5 for loss and three sacks.

Junior Eli Eckerman (5-10, 195) has a team-high 3.5 sacks among his eight tackles for loss and 35.5 total tackles.

Waukee Northwest has forced 24 turnovers and boasts a +19 turnover margin with seniors Elliot Combe (6-1, 190) and Blake Ludwig (5-8, 154) each with three interceptions.

About the Lightning: Liberty High has backed up the best season in program history with an equally impressive performance returning to the 5A semifinals for the second consecutive season in its eighth year of varsity football.

The Lightning have won seven consecutive games and returned to the semifinals with a 31-28 quarterfinal win over four-time defending 5A champion Southeast Polk.

The Lightning defeated Waukee 34-20 in its playoff opener and have scored 31 or more points six times during its current seven-game winning streak.

Liberty High has been among the top offensive teams in the state over the past two seasons.

This year Liberty High is averaging 37.6 points and 401 total yards per game while averaging 6.5 yards per play.

Senior quarterback Reece Rettig leads the Liberty High offense and has completed 195-of-279 passes while throwing for 2,116 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

Rettig has also rushed for a team-high 869 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Four different Liberty High players have at least 28 receptions and 299 receiving yards and five more players have at least nine receptions and 124 yards receiving.

Junior Pryor Reiners leads the way with 46 receptions for 560 yards and six touchdowns and junior Adrian Clerry has caught 30 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Jordan Schroeder has 29 receptions for 405 yards and four touchdowns and junior Leo Rozz has 28 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior Brody Beaver has rushed for 495 yards and five touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown and senior Logan Laubenthal has rushed for 285 yards and four touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 160 yards.

On defense Liberty High is allowing 19.2 points, 267 total yards and 153 rushing yards per game while holding opponents to 6.4 yards per play.

The Lightning have held opponents under 21 points in seven off 11 games this season allowing 14 or fewer points in five games.

Senior linebacker Landon Bell leads the Lightning with 61.5 tackles including 17.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Alex Strunk has 41 tackles with 8.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks and Eric Strunk has 31 tackles with seven for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Liberty High has forced 14 turnovers with Laubenthal leading the team with three interceptions while Clerry has two picks.

Grundy Center (11-0) vs. Regina (11-0)

Where: UNI-Dome, Friday 10 a.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Grundy Center senior quarterback Judd Jirovsky (6-1, 170) has completed 86-of-118 passes for 1,340 yards and 20 touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for a team-high 871 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 10.4 yards per carry.

Key stat: Grundy Center has won 50 consecutive games, the third longest winning streak in state history. Regina has the longest winning streak in state history at 56.

About the Spartans: One of the most successful small school programs in the state, Grundy Center is in the midst of one of the most impressive strings of success in state history.

Three-time defending state champion Grundy Center is making its seventh consecutive semifinal appearance and brings a 50-game winning streak into the UNI-Dome.
Grundy Center finished runner-up three consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2021, a stretch that included a 52-28 loss to Regina in the Class A state title game in 2020.

The last loss for Grundy Center was a 19-14 setback to West Hancock in the Class A state title game in 2021.

Since that loss the Spartans have won 50 in a row, including 18 consecutive postseason wins in which they have outscored opponents by a total of 717-116, an average of 39.8 to 6.4 per game.

Grundy Center won the Class A title in 2022 and has won the past two Class 1A titles, downing Dike-New Hartford 28-7 in the title game last season.

This year the Spartans have been as impressive as ever outscoring opponents by a combined total of 461-61.

Just as they have been throughout their three-year title run Grundy Center has been one of the best defensive teams in Class 1A this season.

The Spartans are allowing 5.5 points and 192 total yards per game while holding teams to 4.1 yards per play.

Grundy Center hasn’t allowed more than 13 points in a game this season and has held nine opponents to eight points or fewer while posting four shutouts.

Senior Pete Lebo (6-1, 183) leads Grundy Center with 56 tackles including three for loss while junior Aiden Hook (6-1, 172) has 51 tackles with eight for loss.

Senior Ryder Slifer (6-5, 185) leads the team with 15 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

Grundy Center has forced 26 turnovers with Eli Wegmann (5-8, 135) and Jirkovsky leading the team with five interceptions each.

On offense Grundy Center is averaging 41.9 points and 323 total yards per game while posting 8.6 yards per play.

The Spartan offense is led by Jirkovsky, a Stanford golf recruit, who is among the top quarterbacks in the state.

Over the past two seasons Jirkovsky has completed 73 percent of his passes (228-of-311) while throwing for 3,521 yards with 45 touchdowns and three interceptions and has rushed for 1,403 yards and 36 touchdowns while going 24-0 as a starter.

Lebo has rushed for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns while sophomore Cooper Keller (5-10, 170) has rushed for 366 yards and six touchdowns.

Wegmann leads the team with 32 receptions for 410 yards and six touchdowns and Devin Hinders (6-3, 186) has caught 17 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns.

Brayden Davie (5-10, 156) has 14 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown and Ethan Meester (6-3, 176) and Lebo each have seven receptions and three receiving touchdowns.

About the Regals: Regina returns to the UNI-Dome for the first time since winning the 2020 Class A state title game over Grundy Center.

The Regals have a long history of semifinal success.

An eight-time state champ, Regina is making the 15^th semifinal appearance in program history and is 12-2 in its previous 14 semifinal games.

Regina joins Grundy Center as one of the most impressive teams in Class 1A this season.

The Regals opened the season with three consecutive wins over Class 2A playoff opponents Wilton, West Branch and Alburnett.

Regina has outscored opponents by a combined total of 536-110 and has allowed eight or fewer points in seven of its previous eight games.

The Regals advanced to the semifinals by outscoring postseason opponents Northeast, Cascade and Pleasantville by a combined score of 170-20.

On offense Regina has been one of the best teams in 1A this season averaging 48.7 points and 383 total yards per game while averaging 9.7 yards per play.

Senior quarterback Kyle Tracy has completed 105-of-139 passes (76%) for 1,992 yards and 31 touchdowns with three interceptions and has rushed for 436 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Junior tailback Savion Miller has rushed for 819 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 8.8 yards per carry and has caught nine passes for 281 yards and eight touchdowns.

Sophomore Gabriel Hegelheimer has rushed for 294 yards and six touchdowns and senior Aaron Honore has rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns.

Junior Tate Wallace has a team-leading 35 receptions for 500 yards and nine touchdowns and senior Drew Greve has caught 24 passes for 434 yards and four touchdowns.

Carter Slager has 13 receptions for 312 yards and four touchdowns and Hudson Koch has eight receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown.

The Regals have been equally impressive on defense.

Regina is holding opponents to 10 points, 173 total yards and 94 rushing yards per game while allowing 3.7 yards per play.

Junior Luke Hamilton leads Regina with 44.5 tackles including 7.5 for loss and Wallace has 40 tackles with 15 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

Seniors Edwin Gangba and James Whisler each have 36 tackles and junior Roan Eckhoff has 29 tackles.

Junior Will Litton has 28.5 tackles with nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Regina has forced 28 turnovers and Greve leads the team with six interceptions while Gangba, Trey Streb and Zachary Poe each have two interceptions.

Nevada (9-2) vs. Solon (11-0)

Where: UNI-Dome, Saturday 7 p.m.

Last season: Did not play

Player to watch: Nevada senior quarterback Drake Hinson (6-4, 200) has completed 106-of-183 passes for 1,607 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions and has rushed for 364 yards and four touchdowns.

Key stat: Solon has allowed 20 combined points and forced 22 turnovers in its last seven games.

About the Cubs: Nevada is making its first ever trip to the semifinals in its ninth playoff appearance in program history.

The Cubs were 0-3 in its three previous quarterfinal appearances, all since 2021, before a 24-14 upset of top-ranked Clear Lake last Friday.

The win over Clear Lake was the fifth consecutive victory for Nevada and avenged a 21-14 regular season loss to the Lions.

Nevada is averaging 30 points and 319 total yards per game while averaging 5.8 yards per play behind Hinson.

Senior Austin Waldera (6-0, 190) has rushed for 991 yards and six touchdowns while senior Jaden Grimm (5-11, 170) has rushed for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Gavin Egeland (6-0, 170) has caught 42 passes for 696 yards and seven touchdowns and senior John Nelson (6-5, 205) has 22 receptions for 333 yards and nine touchdowns.

Lucas Brown (6-1, 175) has caught 20 passes for 395 yards and seven touchdowns and Cedar Smith (6-4, 210) has 17 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

The Nevada defense is allowing 14.8 points and 236 total yards per game while holding opponents to 5 yards per play.
The Cubs are allowing 90 rushing yards per game while allowing 4.5 yards per carry.

Waldera leads the Cubs with 56 tackles including 15 for loss and 3.5 sacks while Isaac Williams (5-10, 185) has 52.5 tackles with 1.5 for loss.

Clay Franzen (5-11, 160) has 47.5 tackles and Smith has 32.5 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and a team-high six sacks.

The Cubs have forced 24 turnovers with Brown leading the team with six interceptions and Franzen adding five interceptions.

About the Spartans: Solon returns to the state semifinals for the third time in the past five seasons and is seeking its first title game appearance since 2019.

The Spartans fell to Williamsburg 45-14 in the 2023 3A semifinals and lost to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 42-0 in the 2021 semifinals.

The lone remaining unbeaten team in Class 3A, Solon secured a semifinal spot with back-to-back postseason wins over Benton Community and Winterset by a combined total of 52-12.

Solon has held seven consecutive opponents to six points or fewer and is allowing 159 total yards per game during that stretch.

On the season Solon is holding opponents to 8 points, 198 total yards and 86 rushing yards per game while allowing just 4.1 yards per play.

Solon has allowed just four passing touchdowns all season and hasn’t given up a passing touchdown in any of its previous five games.

Senior linebacker Kyler Jensen leads Solon with 65 tackles including 10 tackles for loss and junior Lucas Feuerbach has 47 tackles with 12 tackles for loss.

Tripp Johnson has 42.5 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss and James Thomsen has 37 tackles with 12.5 tackles for loss including 5.5 sacks.

Maddox Kelley has 35.5 tackles and a team-high five interceptions while senior Ethan Ulch and junior Cody Milliman each have three interceptions as Solon has forced 33 turnovers.

On offense Solon is averaging 40.6 points and 327 total yards per game and 6.8 yards per play.

Senior quarterback Eli Kampman has completed 132-of-212 passes (62%) while throwing for 2,104 yards and 28 touchdowns with nine interceptions and has rushed for a team-high 491 yards and five touchdowns.

Kelley has rushed for 365 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 45 passes for 674 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Kaden Hoeper has caught 39 passes for 657 yards and nine touchdowns and Milliman has 32 receptions for 463 yards and three touchdowns.

Sophomore Owen Bock has 11 receptions for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

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