Class A state championship: Tri-Center stuns defending champ West Hancock in defensive slugfest for first title

Playing in its first-ever state finals, Tri-Center secured the title with a 14-10 victory over defending champion West Hancock

Tri-Center and Carter Kunze won the first-ever state football title for the Trojans Thursday with a 14-10 win over West Hancock. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CEDAR FALLS - Two of the state’s most prolific offenses engaged in a defensive slugfest here Thursday for the Class A championship, with Tri-Center ending the run of West Hancock, 14-10.

Playing in the state finals for the first-time in program history, the Trojans relied on the other side of the ball to dethrone the Eagles inside the UNI-Dome.

Carter Kunze had 168 yards rushing with one touchdown while also hauling in a 38-yard receiving score for the only TDs of the game by Tri-Center (12-1), who went just 3-6 last year and lost the first time out this past season.

🏈Final in Class A: Tri-Center 14, West Hancock 10
Tri-Center claims their first #iahsfb title with senior, Carter Kunze scoring both touchdowns to secure the victory.

🏆 https://t.co/dTu0lf7One pic.twitter.com/bpwBGb4c9r

— IHSAA (@IHSAA) November 21, 2024

AJ Harder, one of the top passers in the state as just a sophomore, completed 17 of 24 for 207 yards with the TD pass to Kunze for the first points of the game. Zach Nelson caught seven passes for 78 yards and Cael Witt added 46 on six receptions.

"I can't even put it into words," said Tri-Center head coach Ryan Schroder, a graduate of the school himself. "This is a dream come true. It was a hard-fought ballgame and the way these guys stuck to it was incredible. It's what this team has been about all season."

West Hancock (12-1) was trying for its fifth title all-time while making its eighth appearance. Despite winning four championships, the Eagles have yet to go back-to-back. The school also has a championship as Britt before consolidating. 

Brady Bixel ran 14 times for 100 yards and Gustavo Gomez added 87 with a 49-yard scamper to the end zone to tie it at 7-all in the second. Zach Beukema had the only points of the second half on a 25-yard field goal with almost eight minutes to go in the third.

Tri-Center and West Hancock each had four possessions after the break. They resulted in two punts, a fumble and three turnovers on downs. The Eagles punted twice in a game for the first time this season.

"This was the most physical came I've ever been a part of," Kunze said. "I knew it was going to be physical, but we prepared both physically and mentally."

Since 2008, Tri-Center had just six winning seasons, never winning more than seven games in a single year. This past fall, though, was memorable, as it featured wins over West Hancock and the runner-up last year, Woodbury Central.

Half in Class A: Tri-Center 14, West Hancock 7. A TD by Carter Kunze puts the Trojans in the lead with under a minute left🏈

🏆 https://t.co/dTu0lf7One pic.twitter.com/pYxiQRBNCP

— IHSAA (@IHSAA) November 21, 2024

In the postseason, the Trojans knocked off their first four opponents by a combined score of 188-47 including wins over Saint Ansgar, ACGC, Riverside and South Central Calhoun.

The West Hancock senior class has been in the state finals four times, settling for two titles and two runner-up trophies. 

CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STATS

RUSHING - Tri-Center: Carter Kunze 36-168 (1 TD). West Hancock: Brady Bixel 14-100, Gustavo Gomez 12-87 (1 TD), Teague Smith 6-16, Jacoby Subject 2-6.

PASSING - Tri-Center: AJ Harder 17-24-0-207 (1 TD). West Hancock: Zephyr Jamtgaard 3-9-0-33, Teague Smith 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING - Tri-Center: Zach Nelson 7-78, Cael Witt 6-46, Carter Kunze 2-62 (1 TD), Brant Freeberg 1-13, Jayden Johnson 1-8. West Hancock: Zach Beukema 2-14, Brady Bixel 1-19.

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