Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

No. 2 Solon (12-0) vs. No. 1 Western Dubuque (12-0)

Where: UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Thursday at 7 p.m.

Last season: Western Dubuque 48, Solon 13

Player to watch: Western Dubuque senior quarterback Calvin Harris (6-0, 195) has passed for 2,043 yards and 27 touchdowns with just two interceptions and has also rushed for 360 yards and 12 scores.

Key stat: Solon quarterback Cam Miller threw four touchdown passes in a semifinal win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton and has 27 touchdown passes on the season. Western Dubuque has allowed one touchdown pass in its past five games and has given up six scoring passes all season.  

About the Bobcats: An opening-round win at Solon in last year’s Class 3A playoffs helped springboard Western Dubuque into one of the most successful stretches in program history.

Since its 48-13 win over Solon in the first round last season Western Dubuque has won 15 of 16 games and made back-to-back 3A title game appearances.

The lone blemish on the Bobcat’s record over that stretch is a 34-20 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier in the 3A title game last season.

Western Dubuque has scored at least 35 points 11 times over its last 16 games and is averaging 38 points per game in its last seven postseason games dating back to last season.

The Bobcats have been dominant this season with just one game, a 20-14 win over Cedar Rapids Xavier, decided by less than 18 points.

Harris leads a Bobcat offense that has been among the most efficient in Class 3A this season averaging 37.6 points and 371 total yards per game.

Senior tailbacks Ben Bryant and Jake Hosch have combined to rush for 1,418 yards and 19 touchdowns

Bryant (5-9, 175) has a team-high 911 yards on the ground and leads the Bobcats with 13 touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

In three postseason games Bryant is averaging 112 rushing yards per game and has four touchdowns.

The top target for Harris this season has been senior Will Burds (5-10, 190) who has caught 48 passes for 893 yards and a Class 3A-best 16 touchdowns.

About the Spartans: Solon hasn’t loss since last year’s opening-round setback to Western Dubuque outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 27 points per game this season while returning to the state title game for the first time since 2010.l

The Spartans are 5-4 all-time in state championship games and are seeking their first title since winning the fourth consecutive championship in 2010.

Solon has been impressive on defense all season holding teams to 9.8 points and 190 total yards per game while allowing just 3.8 yards per play.

Solon allowed season-highs of 36 points and 419 total yards in a semifinal win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton but came up with defensive stops on three of the final four Warrior possession to earn the win.

After averaging 19 points and 316 yards of offense in its first two playoff games Solon came up with its best offensive performance of the season in the semifinals.

The Spartans averaged a season-high 10.04 yards per play while putting up 462 yards including 306 yards through the air in the win.

Senior quarterback Cam Miller had the best game of his career in the semifinal win completing 15-of-20 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 47 yards and a score.

In three postseason wins Miller has accounted for nine of the Spartans’ 11 touchdowns.

Miller (6-1, 205) has passed for 2,266 yards and 27 touchdowns this season and rushed for another 758 yards and 11 scores.

The senior quarterback has two of the top receivers in Class 3A as his top targets in seniors AJ Coons (6-4, 210) and Jace Andregg (6-2, 205).

Coons leads Solon with 54 receptions for 922 yards and 12 touchdowns and Andregg has caught 46 passes for 624 yards and eight scores.

Senior running back Seamus Poynton (6-0, 195) had 112 yards in the semifinal win and has rushed for 732 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.

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