Iowa high school football: State champions to be crowned inside the UNI-Dome

A look at the seven upcoming state finals

Seven state champions will be crowned beginning Thursday from Cedar Falls and the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, as the prep football season comes to an end. 

Four games are scheduled for Thursday starting bright and early with the eight-player final pitting surprising Bishop Garrigan against Bedford. West Hancock and Woodbury Central meet for the Class A crowned with MFL MarMac taking on Grundy Center in 1A.

The night concludes with a battle between Western Dubuque and Lewis Central for the 4A title.

On Friday, defending champions Van Meter and Central Lyon/George-Little Rock collide in 2A with Sioux City Bishop Heelan and Williamsburg taking to the field in 3A. In the final game of the week, Ankeny tries to dethrone Southeast Polk for the 5A crown.

Here is a closer look at all those games:

Eight-player: Bishop Garrigan (11-1) vs. Bedford (12-0), Thursday, 9:30 a.m.

For the fourth consecutive postseason game, Bishop Garrigan takes on an unbeaten team. The Golden Bears have reached this point on the heels of upsets over defending champion Remsen St. Mary’s, 2021 champion Anita-CAM and top-ranked Winfield-Mount Union.

Led by legendary head coach Marty Wadle, the Golden Bears struggled through their first two seasons of eight-player, winning just six total games. Since a Week 1 loss to rival Fort Dodge St. Edmond, though, Garrigan has been red-hot. Senior Caden Roethler has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns while sophomore quarterback Tate Foertsch has 1,300 yards passing and almost 500 yards rushing with 29 combined scores.

Much like the previous three games, this will be another test for the Golden Bears. Bedford advanced with a come-from-behind win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck in the semifinals, 31-30. Junior Garrison Motsinger has almost 1,300 yards rushing and 22 TDs with Conner Nally adding over 1,000 yards of offense from his QB position with 32 touchdowns.

The Bulldog defense is anchored by Dalton Swartz, as the junior has 80.5 tackles with five for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Class A: West Hancock (11-1) vs. Woodbury Central (12-0), Thursday, 1 p.m.

Extended postseason runs and trips to the UNI-Dome are nothing new for West Hancock, as the Eagles reached the finals last year and are back looking for another trophy to add to the case. Kale Zuehl leads the old-school offensive approach with 1,071 yards rushing and 22 scores.

Mitchell Smith has been effective when needed, completing 27 passes for 562 yards and 10 TDs. He is also quick with his feet, rushing for 731 yards and 11 more scores. Kellen Smith is a big-play threat with over 1,000 yards of offense and 15 TDs.

Woodbury Central goes as senior Drew Kluender does. Kluender, who found the end zone multiple times in a semifinal round win over East Buchanan, has over 2,600 yards passing with 31 TDs. He has also rushed for just under 500 yards and 12 more scores.

Zack Butler and Eric McGill are the key skill position standouts. Butler, a junior, has over 1,200 yards rushing with 19 scores while McGill, a senior, has 57 receptions for 1,178 and 12 TDs.

Class 1A: MFL MarMac (11-1) vs. Grundy Center (12-0), Thursday, 4 p.m.

After finally knocking off West Hancock and winning the Class A title last year, Grundy Center is back in the finals, looking for 1A gold. The Spartans just continue to reload with senior Colin Gordon being the key figure on offense this fall.

Gordon has thrown for over 1,700 yards with another 696 on the ground. He has 24 passing TDs and nine rushing scores, as junior Tiernan Vokes has caught 39 passes for 581 yards with 12 trips to the end zone. Senior Justin Knaack is the leading rusher with 708 yards and 14 TDs.

MFL MarMac can score, but what they have done very well this year is hold the opposition in-check. Kade McElwaine has 82.5 tackles with 16.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks and three turnovers. As a unit, the Bulldog defense has 24 sacks and 24 turnovers, recording two shutouts and hold four of their last five opponents to under seven points.

Class 4A: Lewis Central (10-2) vs. Western Dubuque (11-1), Thursday, 7 p.m.

During the regular season, Lewis Central and Western Dubuque tested themselves against some of the best programs in the state. Now, they meet for the 4A championship in what should be nothing short of a thriller.

The Titans, who advanced to the finals last year as well, lean on quarterback Brady Hetzel, as the junior has 2,262 yards passing and 22 TDs with another 219 and three on the ground. Curtis Witte is his top target, hauling in 35 passes for 668 with seven scores. Witte also scored a rushing TD in a semifinal round win over North Polk.

For the Bobcats, they rallied to knock Bondurant-Farrar off in the final four as senior workhorse Grant Glausser carried the load. The running back has 2,646 yards rushing on 301 carries this year, scoring 30 touchdowns. Glausser also has 215 yards receiving and four more scores from Tanner Anderson, who has thrown for over 1,500 yards and 21 TDs.

Class 2A: Van Meter (12-0) vs. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (12-0), Friday, 10 a.m.

We rarely get a matchup in the finals between two defending champions. But that is exactly what we have in 2A with Van Meter and Central Lyon/George-Little Rock putting long win streaks on the line against one another.

The Bulldogs won it all in 1A last year for a second consecutive time and graduated a good chunk of key players from that team. Moving up a class and replacing those standouts, they did not miss a beat. Senior Ben Gordon has rushed for over 2,000 yards and 29 TDs while classmate Austin Baumhover took over at quarterback and has thrown for 1,442 yards and 25 scores with 548 and 12 more on the ground.

Reece Vander Zee replaced all-stater and fellow future University of Iowa teammate Zach Lutmer at QB, throwing for 1,172 yards on 84 of 114 passing with 12 TDs while rushing for 1,547 yards and 22 more scores. Isaiah Johnson has over 800 yards of total offense and five TDs for the Lions, who won it all in 2A last fall.

Class 3A: Sioux City Bishop Heelan (11-1) vs. Williamsburg (11-1), Friday, 1 p.m.

It has been a long road back for perennial power Sioux City Bishop Heelan. Following some down years in terms of what the Crusaders are used to, they are now one win away from hoisting another state title after knocking off Creston, 16-13.

Heelan has won four titles all-time, with the last coming in 2013. Quinn Olson has put together a memorable senior campaign, recording 35 touchdowns with over 2,000 yards of offense. He leads the team with 971 yards rushing.

Williamsburg, meanwhile, has put together a nearly unstoppable year. Kellen Cockrell has thrown for 23 passing TDs with Braylon Wetjen catching 13 of them for almost 700 yards. On defense, Rayce Heitman has been all over the field, recording 109.5 tackles with 20.5 for loss, 7.5 sacks, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Class 5A: Ankeny (9-3) vs. Southeast Polk (12-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Southeast Polk is back looking for a second consecutive 5A title after escaping West Des Moines Valley in the semifinals. They also edged Cedar Falls by stopping a two-point conversion attempt in the quarters, 21-20.

Connor Moberly has completed 176 of 263 passes for 2,229 yards with 24 TDs, adding 209 yards and six scores on the ground. Sam Zelenovich has been his top target, catching 61 passes for 840 and eight, while CJ Phillip has rushed for almost 1,000 yards and 15 TDs.

For Ankeny, Luke Anderson is approaching 2,000 yards in the air with Caden Heneke rushing for 1,098 and 12 scores. Both are juniors, with senior Devon Akers catching 43 passes for 841 and eight TDs.

These two are very familiar with one another, meeting 16 times since 2008. Ankeny won the first seven meetings and 10 of 11, with Southeast Polk winning in September, 58-21.