Iowa state football playoffs: Looking ahead to the Class 4A semifinals

Returning champ Lewis Central battles Pella while North Scott-North Polk meet in the 4A nightcap

Lewis Central quarterback Brady Hetzel leads the Titans into the Class 4A state semifinals this week. / Lee Navin/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

One more defending champion will take to the first during the early days of the Iowa state football playoffs, as Lewis Central looks to retain the Class 4A crown. The Titans open the semifinals with Pella, as North Scott and North Polk collide in the nightcap.

Here is a closer look at both Class 4A semifinal round games: 

Class 4A Semifinals

(Thursday, November 14)

Lewis Central vs. Pella, 4 p.m.

It has been quite the run for the Titans over the last seven years. Lewis Central has dominated the competition during that span, winning 73 games against just 11 losses. They steamrolled to the state title last year, knocking off Western Dubuque, North Polk, ADM and Le Mars by at least 11 points each game.

While this year has seen plenty of blowout wins, the Titans did need a late score to derail ADM last week in the quarterfinals after picking up a tougher than expected win in the first round vs. Ballard.

Brady Hetzel has 25 passing touchdowns and almost 2,400 yards, as juniors Leonardo Tatum and Peyton Phippen are his top targets. Tatum has 11 touchdowns and Chance Chappell has 14 rushing scores. 

Pella, who avenged a loss to Gilbert in the regular season by topping them in the quarterfinals, features dual-threat QB Colin Kerndt. The senior has thrown for 1,631 yards and rushed for another 745 with 29 combined TDs. Junior Emmanuel Diers has 902 yards on the ground and 11 scores while adding another 391 yards in the passing game.

Along with Diers, Tyson Barnes and Harrison Mullens are all threats as evidenced by a having 12 touchdowns and over 900 yards. 

North Scott vs. North Polk, 7 p.m.

Not many teams are more battle-tested than the Lancers, who own wins over Waverly-Shell Rock, Clear Creek-Amana and Decorah while playing Cedar Rapids Xavier. They also went 1-1 vs. Western Dubuque this season, facing six teams with records above .500.

Led by senior quarterback Chase Smith, the offense is averaging over 30 points per game. Smith has 2,246 yards passing with 28 touchdowns against just two interceptions on 240 attempts. Classmates Carson Lage and Cash Bowe are his favorite targets, as both have over 900 yards receiving. 

The Lancers will need to get the ground game going against the Comets, where they will lean on Evan Kruse, Jerrod Lee and Smith. Kruse has 698 yards and six scores with both Lee and Smith averaging over five yards per carry.

From 1-7 in 2020 to 20 wins the past two seasons, North Polk has definitely made a statement on the big scene. The Comets feature a ground-heavy attack behind Nathan Feldmann and BJ Tate, Jr., running for over 3,200 yards on the year.

Feldmann, the QB, has 1,637 with 22 scores while Tate has 1,152 and 16 trips to the end zone. Feldmann is averaging 10 yards per rush with the team posting 7.4 per carry.