Greetings from West Des Moines. I’m at Valley Stadium for tonight’s game between the undefeated Tigers and Dowling Catholic. We’re into the…
Greetings from West Des Moines. I’m at Valley Stadium for tonight’s game between the undefeated Tigers and Dowling Catholic. We’re into the state quarterfinals tonight, which means winner heads to the UNI-Dome, and the loser goes home.
There’s a lot to like about this matchup — I mean, it *is* Valley-Dowling, for the second time in a season. These Tigers have muscled out 10 victories in 10 tries, including one over Dowling in Week 2 at Drake Stadium, a 20-6 showcase of how good this Valley team really is.
Since that loss, the Maroons have rolled to a 8-2 record, which includes last week’s 41-0 win over Fort Dodge. The defense has rounded into form, and the offense has found some rhythm. This rematch looks like all sorts of fun on paper.
You could say the same thing for many of the games in all classes tonight. In 4A, high-flying Waukee travels to play that mean Cedar Falls defense, upset-minded Southeast Polk plays at Johnston, and Iowa City West and Bettendorf are linking up for the second time this season.
Elsewhere around the state, there’s North Scott-Western Dubuque, Williamsburg-PCM, Van Meter-West Branch and so many other great games. The quarterfinal round is often the week where everybody is at their best, as a trip to the UNI Dome is on the line.
There’s a lot to keep track of, and we’re here to help. We’ll update this page frequently tonight with live updates and instant analysis, so check back often. If you find something that’s interesting, be sure to send it my way — @codygoodwin on Twitter.
Thanks in advance for your help, and for reading. Let’s have some fun tonight.
End of 1: Dowling 7, Valley 3. After a few defensive stops, the Maroons break through in the form of a Jayson Murray touchdown run. The Tigers got on the board thanks to a 44-yard field goal from Tinsley Wright.
Been a good one so far. Some big plays from both sides with some great defense as well. This next possession for Dowling — they have 3rd-and-3 to start the second quarter — will be huge.
Can Southeast Polk do it again? After one quarter against Johnston, the Rams are leading. We’ll see.
Undefeated AHSTW leads after one.
