Undefeated and district champions is how the Spirit Lake Indians will end the 2011 regular season following Friday night’s 55-0 drubbing of Sioux Center at Hafer Field. The Indians struck first on the game’s fourth play from scrimmage, a 50-yard pass from Paul Brown to Bryson McCabe, and tacked on another seven points when Brown scored from ten yards out late in the first quarter. The game became lopsided when Spirit Lake found the endzone three times in the final 4:30 minutes of the first half, two by Rick Maris and another by senior Luke Kabele. Brown finished 6-of-11 with 209 yards through the air and two TDs passing. Maris caught three of the passes for 135 yards. Senior Dylan Bryce scored once as part of a 124-yard effort to lead the rushing attack. Kabele tacked on 71 yards and two scores. In all, Spirit Lake racked up 489 yards. The Warriors were limited to 66 total yards, only nine of which came in the first half, and they turned it over five times. Sioux Center qualifies for the playoffs with a district record of 3-3. Spirit Lake finishes the regular season at a perfect 9-0 overall for first time in school history, with six of the wins coming in district play. They will open the postseason at home on Wednesday against Jefferson-Scranton/Paton-Churdan. The playoff opener will be live on KUOO Campus Radio.
Click here for the postgame interviews with Rick Maris, Dylan Bryce, and coach Josh Bolluyt.
Elsewhere in Class 2A, Unity Christian topped Central Lyon/George-Little Rock, 19-14. The Lions head to the playoffs at 4-2 in district games. And Western Christian throttled Estherville-Lincoln Central, 42-7. The Midgets wrap up the regular season winless in six district matchups and with a 1-8 record overall.
It was yet another championship season in Emmetsburg, as the E-Hawks finalized their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season by steamrolling Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, 49-0. Emmetsburg churned up nearly 400 yards of offense, with Marcus Akridge rushing for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Berkland also surpassed the century mark with 129 yards rushing, to go along with 29 yards passing and 17 yards receiving. HMS amassed just 94 total yards, with Troy Simons reaching 62 yards on 15 carries. The Hawks lost their last five games of the season to finish 2-5 in districtS and 3-6 overall, missing the postseason for the first time since 2007. Emmetsburg extends the state’s longest regular season winning streak to 37 games and will host Prairie Valley in the opening round of the playoffs on Wednesday. That game will air live on Y100.
The rest of the playoff picture for Class 1A was up for grabs heading into the final Friday of football, but Sioux Central brought it back into focus with a come-from-behind 12-7 win at South O’Brien. The Rebels and Wolverines will both enter the postseason with 4-3 records in district play. Sioux Central’s win closed the door on Sibley-Ocheyedan’s playoff aspirations, despite the Generals 35-0 shutout of winless Alta/Aurelia. Sibley-Ocheyedan scored late in the first quarter, and twice before the half to assume a 21-0 advantage at the break. Sophomore Owen Wiese completed ten passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for another 54 yards and a score. Kelly Schoneman caught two balls for 103 yards, including a 90-yards touchdown reception. The Generals conclude the season 3-4 in district play and 4-5 overall.
Click here for the postgame interview with Generals coach Jordan Menning.
The rest of the Class 2A action saw West Lyon handle Pocahontas Area/Pomeroy-Palmer 42-14, sending the defending champions into the postseason at 6-1 in league games.
The Spencer Tigers are heading back to the playoffs for the time since 2008, and it comes with a clutch season-ending win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 35-14. Spencer’s 3-4 district record created a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot out of District 2, with the Tigers owning the head-to-head advantage over SB-L and Denison-Schleswig. Spencer will take their 4-6 overall record to Creston on Wednesday to open the postseason.
Also in Class 3A, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley finished an undefeated season with a 41-6 win over MOC-Floyd Valley. Bishop Heelan won big over Storm Lake, 58-22. The Tornadoes finish 1-6 within the district. And Denison-Schleswig topped LeMars, 35-7.
The featured game in northwest Iowa on Friday was in 8-man football, as a pair of unbeatens met in Armstrong, and in the end, the Mustangs of Armstrong-Ringsted preserved the state’s longest winning streak with a 41-18 defeat over previously undefeated West Bend-Mallard.
In Class A football, West Sioux pounded Clay Central-Everly, 51-8. The Mavericks went winless at 0-9 this fall.
