Another week into the 2019 Iowa High School football playoffs and many Hawkeye commits and recruits remain in action. We take a look at the first-round results and names to watch once again this week in the quarterfinals.
The Commitments
Name: Gavin Williams
High School: Dowling Catholic
Class of: 2020
Quarterfinal Opponent: Ankeny
The Quarterfinals: The Maroons have a challenge this weekend against a talented Ankeny team that they beat in late September, 24-14. Look for the speed and skills of Williams to continue to be showcased early and often.
The First Round: Williams proved to be the work horse of the Dowling offense in this contest as he led the team with 102-yards rushing and two touchdowns in a four-touchdown victory against Des Moines Roosevelt.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Williams may have missed time at the start of the year, but this is his time to shine for the Maroons. He is averaging nearly 10-yards per carry while totaling 689-yards on the ground.
Name: Logan Jones
High School: Lewis Central
Class of: 2020
Quarterfinal Opponent: Dallas Center-Grimes
The Quarterfinals: Their quarterfinal foe has won nine-straight games and is one of the hottest teams in 3A. The Mustangs have a knack for winning close games and it shows as they have pulled out their last two victories by a total of nine-points.
The First Round: Jones had a quiet night with just two tackles, but his team dominated against Oskaloosa in all facets during a 44-0 victory. Foes have spent the fall trying to avoid the force of nature in this future Hawkeye.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Lewis Central has spent the majority of the season rated among the top teams in Class 3A and Jones has been a big part of their success. He has eight tackles for loss and four sacks for a squad that heads into the playoffs at 8-1 overall.
Name: Jaden Harrell
High School: Urbandale
Class of: 2021
Quarterfinal Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kennedy
The Quarterfinals: With his future classmate on the opposing sidelines in Connor Colby, this will be a unique battle for the J-Hawks. Kennedy comes in heavy favored, but Urbandale is playing with house money and that pressure free football will only help their chances.
The First Round: Seeds are nothing but a number in the playoffs and it showed as Urbandale shocked Ankeny Centennial in narrow fashion, 29-28. Harrell finished with five stops, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and averaged 33-yards per punt in five attempts.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Harrell and the J-Hawks may come into this game as the underdog, but this elite junior has taken his game to another level. He leads the team with 52 stops and three tackles for loss during the regular season.
Name: Connor Colby
High School: Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Class of: 2021
Quarterfinal Opponent: Urbandale
The Quarterfinals: Can Kennedy continue with their ground game dominance against future Hawkeye Jaden Harrell and a strong attack defensively on the other sidelines? The answer to this question likely will determine who lives another day in the postseason.
The First Round: The Cougar offense was on fire as they gashed Fort Dodge with 470-yards rushing on their way to a dominating 63-6 victory. This big man helped three of his teammates rush for over 80-yards on the evening.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Colby and the Cougars surprised many on their way to a district title and a lone loss in 2019 to #1 rated Valley. They will face a CIML foe in Fort Dodge that is capable of putting up some big numbers offensively.
Uncommitted Seniors to Follow
Names: Jack Johnson & Creighton Mitchell
High School: West Des Moines Valley
Quarterfinal Opponent: Waukee
The Quarterfinals: The 38-10 early season victory over Waukee has long been forgotten and one that Valley must put in the rear-view mirror. Their opponent has not lost since that game and has knocked off some talented teams along the way.
The First Round: It was a slow night for Johnson in the passing game as he caught two balls for just 14-yards. The jaw dropping offensive numbers of the Tigers did continue as they blew out Indianola 42-7. Mitchell, who just landed a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Hawkeyes, found the end zone three times against Indianola while totaling 123 yards on the ground.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Johnson and Mitchell have helped Valley enter the postseason as the #1 rated squad at the Class 4A level.
Name: Wyatt Wegener
High School: Algona
Quarterfinal Opponent: Greene County
The Quarterfinals: Their toughest challenge of the fall is up next as they battle a Greene County squad that sports Iowa State commitment Tyler Miller. Look for the versatility of Wegener to continue to shine this Friday.
The First Round: Undefeated Algona focused their attention on the ground game and Wegener continued shining with 135 rushing yards in a 35-14 victory over Central Lyon/George-Little Rock. He also hit the end zone twice as well while averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: The jaw dropping versatility of Wegener has allowed him to lead his team with 1,083 yards rushing and 595 yards receiving for an undefeated Algona squad.
Name: Josef Smith
High School: West Hancock
Quarterfinal Opponent: South O'Brien
The Quarterfinals: West Hancock and Smith remain among the favorites for a championship and will likely receive a tougher test this weekend against South O'Brien. That foe has lost just once during the 2019 season.
The First Round: Smith continued his senior season dominance with the way he performed in a 38-14 victory over IKM-Manning. He was tops on the team with 184 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just 11-carries. Defensively, Smith had five tackles and one interception.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: The bar is high for West Hancock as they seek to take home the Class A title. Smith has been an impact player in a wide range of areas for his squad.
Name: Cael Loecher
High School: Cedar Falls
Quarterfinal Opponent: Bettendorf
The Quarterfinals: A rematch against a Bettendorf team that Loecher and company beat by a field goal in September could make this battle a classic. Circle this matchup as one of the best games of the night with two elite teams battling it out.
The First Round: Efficient is exactly what Loecher was as he picked apart Dubuque Senior 44-0. He completed 12-18 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Loecher was a recent visitor to the University of Iowa and has been on their radar for some time. He is critical to the Cedar Falls success in 2019.
Five Juniors to Follow
Name: Brody Brecht
High School: Ankeny
Quarterfinal Opponent: Dowling Catholic
The Quarterfinals: The challenge certainly became much more difficult as they have to try and take down the powerhouse at Dowling Catholic. Expect their defense to focus on slowing down Brecht in what will be a rematch from earlier in the fall. In that game, Dowling held this elite junior to one catch for 25 yards.
The First Round: Ankeny came to play in all facets of the game during their first round victory over a talented Southeast Polk squad. Brecht showed why he is one of the top wide outs within state borders as he caught five passes for 122 yards and one touchdown.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: The Hawks are better than their 6-3 record and hope to show it during the playoffs. Brecht has racked up 665 receiving yards to the tune of 22.9 yards per reception.
Name: Griffin Liddle
High School: Bettendorf
Quarterfinal Opponent: Cedar Falls
The Quarterfinals: As mentioned above, the Bettendorf-Cedar Falls showdown could be the best matchup of this round. The Bulldogs have a huge chip on their shoulder to avenge this early season loss.
The First Round: Liddle may not put up big tackle numbers, but his presence certainly is felt on the field. He finished with three tackles and one assisted sack for Bettendorf in a 42-14 win against Linn-Mar.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: The Bulldogs have something to prove in the playoffs as Liddle and company are hungry to make a deep run. This three-year starter has been a force on both sides of the ball at Bettendorf and consistently has shown a knack for making big plays.
Name: Thomas Fidone
High School: Lewis Central
Quarterfinal Opponent: Dallas Center-Grimes
The Quarterfinals: Defense has been the name of the game all year for Dallas Center-Grimes and that calling card will be front and center in this matchup. Fidone and the explosive Lewis Central offense will be challenged once again.
The First Round: It was a big week for Fidone as he pushed the Titans to a 44-0 victory over Oskaloosa and followed that up by seeing Michigan add to his growing scholarship list. He ended the playoff opener with two catches for 29-yards.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: The recruiting stock of Fidone has gone to another level with the way he has performed this fall for the Titans. He is tops on the team with 505 receiving yards and seven scores.
Name: Jeff Bowie
High School: West Branch
Quarterfinal Opponent: Regina Catholic
The Quarterfinals: The rivalry of West Branch vs. Regina Catholic continues for yet another showdown in the playoffs. Both teams have done some great things throughout the fall, but the leaders of the Bears are ready to push the team into the next round with a victory.
The First Round: The defense came ready in the first round as the Bears shut out North Linn, 23-0. Bowie disrupted the game in a variety of ways that included three stops, two tackles for loss, and one sack over the course of the night.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Keeping Bowie close to home in college is a vital task with the staff in Iowa City. He has put together an all state season with 36.5 stops, 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks in 2019.
Name: Seth Malcom
High School: Fremont-Mills
Quarterfinal Opponent: Remsen St. Mary's
The Quarterfinals: The schedule gets much more difficult heading into the quarterfinals as they have a challenge against undefeated Remsen St. Mary's. Defense is key for this squad and will require a monster effort from Malcom, as the team hopes to get him back on the field.
The First Round: Malcom left the game due to injury and that allowed a number of his teammates to step up. In the end, two of his teammates rushed for over 140-yards in a 22-6 victory. This junior totaled 21-yards rushing and 2.5 tackles in limited time on the field.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Malcom and Fremont-Mills have had a limited schedule compared to other teams at the 8-Man rankings, but that has not stopped him from making an impact. He has 1,557 yards rushing, 58 stops, and 12 tackles for loss as a junior.
A few more juniors/sophomores with Division I potential:
Cedar Rapids Kennedy athlete Max White
Dowling Catholic athlete Andrew Lentsch
Lewis Central defensive tackle Hunter Deyo
Regina Catholic offensive tackle Nick Wagner
Regina Catholic quarterback Ashton Cook
Valley tight end Eli Raridon
Waukee defensive back Aaron Smith
Waukee defensive end Eddie Saidat
Waukon quarterback Creed Welch
Who Lost Last Round:
Names: Ethan Hurkett & Josh Volk
High School: Cedar Rapids Xavier Status: Commits
Final Result: North Scott 9, Cedar Rapids Xavier 3
Name: Jackson Waring
High School: Des Moines Christian
Status: Preferred walk-on target
Final Result: Greene County 35, Des Moines Christian 21
Name: Isaiah Wagner
High School: Southeast Polk
Status: Committed Walk-On
Final Result: Ankeny 24, Southeast Polk 14
Name: Aaron Blom
High School: Oskaloosa
Status: Committed Walk-On
Final Result: Lewis Central 44, Oskaloosa 0
Class 4A
Bracket A
No. 1 West Des Moines Valley vs. No. 10 Waukee
Bracket B
No. 2 Cedar Falls vs. No. 7 Bettendorf
Bracket C
No. 12 Urbandale vs. No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Bracket D
No. 3 Dowling Catholic vs. No. 9 Ankeny
Class 3A
Bracket A
No. 1 Solon vs. No. 7 Pella
Bracket B
No. 2 Western Dubuque vs. No. 9 North Scott
Bracket C
No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs. No. 5 Norwalk
Bracket D
No. 3 Lewis Central vs. No. 10 Dallas Center-Grimes
Class 2A
Bracket A
No. 1 Waukon vs. No. 7 West Liberty
Bracket B
No. 2 Clear Lake vs. No. 11 Williamsburg
Bracket C
No. 3 Algona vs. No. 8 Greene County
Bracket D
No. 4 OABCIG vs. No. 10 PCM, Monroe
Class 1A
Bracket A
No. 1 Van Meter vs. No. 6 South Central Calhoun
Bracket B
No. 2 West Branch vs. No. 11 Iowa City Regina
Bracket C
No. 4 Dike-New Hartford vs. No. 5 West Lyon
Bracket D
No. 3 West Sioux vs. No. 9 Treynor
Class A
Bracket A
No. 1 West Hancock vs. No. 9 South O'Brien
Bracket B
No. 2 MFL MarMac vs. No. 5 Grundy Center
Bracket C
No. 4 North Tama vs. No. 6 Woodbury Central
Bracket D
No. 3 Saint Ansgar vs. No. 8 Earlham
Class 8-Man
Bracket A
No. 1 Audubon vs. No. 8 CAM, Anita
Bracket B
No. 2 Turkey Valley vs. No. 11 HLV, Victor
Bracket C
No. 4 Remsen St. Mary's vs. No. 7 Fremont-Mills
Bracket D
No. 3 Don Bosco vs. No. 6 Easton Valley
Brackets will be reseeded for the semifinals.
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