Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The prep football season is now fully in playoff mode.

After the four smallest classes opened postseason play on Friday all seven classes start playoffs next week.

Now the real fun begins.

Four Your Prep Sports area teams will be action in the round of 16 on Friday across four different classes.

West Branch won its 1A opener on Friday but along with Solon, City High and Liberty High saw its path to the UNI-Dome when the Iowa High School Athletic Association released the four-team pods for the next two weeks across all seven classes.

Here is some initial analysis of the postseason draws for all four area teams as well as a look back at the seasons that ended on Friday.

Home-Home-Dome For Liberty High

Liberty High has been one of the most improved teams in the state this fall.

From three wins a year ago to school record 8-1 mark and the first home playoff game in program history it has already been a historic season for the Lightning.

Liberty High will host Webster City (6-3) in the 4A opening round on Friday seeking its first ever postseason win.

With a win the Lighting would get another home game with a spot in the UNI-Dome on the line.

Homefield advantage through the UNI-Dome is huge for a Liberty High team that is unbeaten at home this season.

Liberty High would face the winner of Newton (7-2) and Carlisle (8-1) with an opening-round win meaning a significant road trip for a quarterfinal opponent.

With a 4-1 record against playoff opponents this season the Lightning certainly earned the right to host through the semifinals.

City High Goes CIMLing Again

Mitch Moore is familiar with the CIML.

The second-year City High head coach came to Iowa City after a stint at then CIML member Des Moines Roosevelt.

For the second consecutive season the Moore-led Little Hawks will open the postseason against a CIML opponent.

Last season it was a 47-21 opening-round win over Urbandale.

This season City High (6-3) will travel to Johnston (6-3) for a 5A Round of 16 tilt.

City High is 2-2 against CIML teams under Moore with wins over Urbandale and West Des Moines Dowling last season and a semifinal loss to eventual champion Southeast Polk.

This season City High lost at West Des Moines Dowling 34-0 in week four.

West Des Moines Dowling defeated Johnson 42-19 back on September 30 if you are into score comparisons.

With a win City High would face the winner of Ankeny (8-1) and Sioux City East.

Rematch Road for Solon

The most intriguing postseason path for area teams belongs to Class 3A seventh-ranked Solon.

The Spartans have won six straight and host West Delaware (5-4) in its postseason opener in a rematch of last year’s thrilling 23-19 quarterfinal win by the Spartans in Manchester.

Likely waiting for the Spartans in the quarterfinals?

That would be rival Mount Vernon (9-0) which hosts Central DeWitt (6-3) in the opening round and snapped a 19-game losing skid to the Spartans earlier this season with a 17-14 win at Spartan Stadium.

Mount Vernon defeated Central DeWitt 47-0 two weeks ago.

This is likely the best case draw for Solon and certainly the one the Spartans were hoping for since falling to Mount Vernon in week two.

Familiar Foe For West Branch

Like Liberty High, West Branch won’t have to leave home to reach the UNI-Dome.

Top-ranked West Branch (9-0) advanced with a 42-0 win over South Hardin in its Class 1A playoff opener and will host Waterloo Columbus (6-3) in the round of 16 on Friday.

It will be the third meeting between the two teams in the past two seasons.

Waterloo Columbus won 17-6 at the Little Rose Bowl last season and the Bears returned the favor with a 34-13 road win in Waterloo in week two.

The Sailors defeated Denver 14-7 on Friday in the opening round.

With a win West Branch would host the winner of Dike-New Hartford (7-2) and MFL Mar-Mac (8-1) in a quarterfinal.

West Branch has been impressive all season and there is no sign the Bears will slow down in the playoffs.

Improvement Evident for West High

West High (4-5) gave second-ranked Pleasant Valley a tussle in its season finale on Friday playing the Spartans even for two quarters before being outscored 21-0 in the second half in a 35-14 loss.

The loss was the third straight to close the season for the Trojans following an 4-2 start as West High missed the 5A playoffs for a second consecutive season.

For a proud program like West High it wasn’t the season that was expected but the Trojans showed growth, double its win total from 2021.

The excitement for West High is in what returns.

Top tackler Ashton Honore is back along with emerging start Mason Woods and quarterback Jack Wallace who is already a two-year starter that has flashed incredible potential.

Watch the Trojans next season.

Regina Bows Out, But Brings A Lot Back 

Regina head coach Jason Dumont made no bones about the disappointment that came with a 31-0 opening-round loss to Pella Christian on Friday.

Never one to mince words, Dumont took responsibility for the loss which marked the second consecutive early playoff exit for Regina (5-4).

That’s the bad news.

The good news is what comes back.

As Dumont noted the Regals started 10 juniors on offense against the Eagles on Friday.

Among those is quarterback Gentry Dumont who was essentially in his first season of varsity action after an injury shut down his sophomore season.

Jackson Naeve had 150 combined rushing and receiving yards on Friday and showed massing improvement this season while emerging as a big-play threat.

Jack Clark was a menace defensively at times for Regina and fellow juniors John Devery, Drew Streb and Ian Udell all return up front.

Early playoff exits always sting but what comes back next season is reason for excitement for Regina.

Clear Creek Amana Comes up Shy of Playoffs

Few teams can stake claim to a more difficult schedule than the Clippers.

Clear Creek Amana finished 3-6 with five losses to playoff teams.

In addition Clear Creek Amana also defeated Marion (5-4) which finished 17^th in the 4A RPI standings and Pella (3-6) which faced a similarly loaded schedule.

Second-year coach Matt Haddy isn’t one for excuses but I’ll point out a few things for him.

Like Regina the Clippers had some injuries to key players while battling its tough schedule.

There is talent returning namely linebacker Brody Clubb who ranked second on the team in tackles as a sophomore and is becoming a big-time college prospect.

Sophomore quarterback Cale Berry looked poised while gaining experience and junior running back Sam Pettinger showed flashes while rushing for five scores.

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