Iowa state football playoffs: Looking ahead to the 8-Man semifinals

Defending champ Bishop Garrigan plays Remsen St. Mary’s, Lenox takes on Gladbrook-Reinbeck in final four

Bishop Garrigan head coach Marty Wadle talks with quarterback Tate Foertsch during the playoffs last year. The Golden Bears are back once again this year in the final four. / Lee Navin/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wednesday marks the start of four consecutive days of Iowa state football playoff action inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Up first will be the 8-Man semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 13, as defending champion Bishop Garrigan tackles Remsen St. Mary’s and Lenox meets Gladbrook-Reinbeck.

The Golden Bears have not lost since Week 1 of the 2023 season, winning 23 straight games including a victory last year in the second round of the playoffs over the Hawks, who were the 2022 state champions.

Here is a closer look at both semifinal round games in 8-Man:

8-Man Semifinals

(Wednesday, November 13)

Remsen St. Mary’s vs. Bishop Garrigan, 10 a.m.

Will the Hawks get revenge on the Golden Bears and legendary head coach Marty Wadle? Or will Bishop Garrigan earn a second straight trip to the finals? 

Remsen St. Mary’s captured its third state title in 2022 and are in the final four for the eighth time since 2017. Dual-threat quarterback Landon Waldschmitt has taken his turn leading the offense, rushing for 1,056 yards and passing for 904 with 46 combined touchdowns. 

Keaton Harpenau, another experienced senior, is the leading receiver with 24 catches for 390 yards while rushing for 536. He has scored 12 touchdowns. Collin Homan has another 379 yards with seven TDs as a receiver. 

The Golden Bears feature one of the top rushing attacks in the state, having gone for nearly 400 yards on the ground in a quarterfinal round win over Edgewood-Colesburg. Senior Trayton Cink has rushed for 1,189 yards and 25 TDs, averaging over nine yards per carry.

Ethan Marso, a junior, has another 558 and 16 touchdowns while quarterback Tate Foertsch has 379 and three scores. Foertsch, the starting QB last year, has completed 65 percent of his passes for 964 yards and 16 touchdowns against just one interception. 

Garrigan’s defense has been a mainstay under Wadle. They have 29.5 sacks led by 13 from Keaton Helleseth, while forcing 21 turnovers with five defensive and special teams touchdowns.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck vs. Lenox, 1 p.m.

Of the four remaining teams, the Rebels were the ones not expected to be here. They knocked off Iowa Valley in the second round and Don Bosco in the quarters in double-overtime, 34-33, to return to the UNI-Dome. 

Led by senior Drew Eilers, Gladbrook-Reinbeck has won 20 games the past two seasons. Eilers has completed over 71 percent of his passes for 1,748 yards with 26 touchdowns against just one interception. He also has a team-leading 957 yards and 24 TDs on the ground.

Hudson Clark is his favorite target, hauling in 46 passes for 884 yards and a dozen touchdowns. Treyvon Herron has 440 with six TDs to go along with 582 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

The Rebels have had a winning season every year since 2009, including a 13-0 mark in 2016 that resulted in the first-ever state title in program history. Ironically enough, they topped Bishop Garrigan in the finals that season. 

Lenox is unbeaten and has bested its 11 opponents by an average of 45.5 points per game this season. Averaging 56 a night, the Tigers get it done behind Gabe Funk, as the senior has over 2,200 yards of offense and 45 touchdowns. 

Jordan Martin-England provides a complimentary back to Funk, rushing for 942 with 19 touchdowns while Laramie Stoaks, Dawson Evans and Caden Kaufman have combined for 12 receiving TDs.