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 results and top names to watch once again heading into the semifinals.
The Commitments
Name: Logan Jones
High School: Lewis Central
Class of: 2020
Semifinal Opponent: Western Dubuque
The Semifinals: Jones and company will be making a trek to the UNI-Dome for their showdown with Western Dubuque. Their foes come into the game undefeated and have one of the best athletes in the state in future Ole Miss baseball player Calvin Harris at quarterback.
The Quarterfinals: Their 12-0 shutout over Dallas Center-Grimes allowed Jones to have one of the best games in his high school career. He was a man among boys with 8.5 stops, five tackles for loss, and a ridiculous four sacks.
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: Gavin Williams
High School: Dowling Catholic
Class of: 2020
Semifinal Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kennedy
The Semifinals: The semifinal matchup against Kennedy pits two squads that have continued to garner a great deal of attention from the University of Iowa. While they won't be on the field at the same time, Williams and Connor Colby will eventually be teaming up in Iowa City.
The Quarterfinals: With 17 carries coming his way, Williams torched the Ankeny defense with 191 yards and three touchdowns in their resounding 42-14 win over the Hawks. This senior is a playmaker and continues to prove it.
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: Connor Colby
High School: Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Class of: 2021
Semifinal Opponent: Dowling Catholic
The Semifinals: The Cougars head into this matchup as the heavy underdog against Dowling Catholic.
The Quarterfinals: The run game of Kennedy once again was their driving force as they moved into the semifinals with a 27-13 victory over Urbandale. Max White, who has visited Iowa City, led the charge with 143 yards on the ground at quarterback.
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.
Name: Jack Johnson (preferred walk-on)
High School: West Des Moines Valley
Semifinal Opponent: Bettendorf
The Semifinals: The only thing that stands between a championship game appearance for Valley is a talented squad in Bettendorf. The Tigers have answered every test thrown their way this season and head into this matchup at 11-0.
The Quarterfinals: Johnson grabbed two passes for 15 yards as they sent Waukee home for the season, 26-10. He followed that up by accepting an opportunity to walk-on with the Hawkeyes and hopes to focus on finishing the season with a championship.
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.
Pre-Playoff Thoughts: Johnson has been a big target in the Tiger passing game this season. They enter the postseason as the #1 rated squad at the Class 4A level.
Other Seniors to Follow
Name: Creighton Mitchell
High School: West Des Moines Valley
Semifinal Opponent: Bettendorf
The Semifinals: Mitchell will be tested against a Bettendorf team consistently known for their defensive presence. He will be looking to avoid defensive tackle Griffin Liddle up front in the trenches.
The Quarterfinals: The game was closer the second time around, but Valley still ended up on top against Waukee, 26-10. Mitchell scored three touchdowns while rushing for 86 yards as well as catching two passes.
The First Round: 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: Mitchell helped Valley enter the postseason as the #1 rated squad at the Class 4A level.
Name: Wyatt Wegener
High School: Algona
Semifinal Opponent: OABCIG
The Semifinals: Algona heads into this matchup as the favorite but the focus will be slowing down a 2021 Hawkeye target, quarterback Cooper DeJean. This junior is coming off of a win over PCM where he racked up 384 total yards.
The Quarterfinals: Wegener continued to showcase his versatility as he scored three touchdowns on the ground while rushing for 103 yards. He also had 5.5 tackles and returned two kickoffs for 18 yards as they blew out Greene County, 48-15.
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
Semifinal Opponent: Woodbury Central
The Semifinals: It is a surprising matchup in Cedar Falls for West Hancock, but the focus is now completely on Woodbury Central. Their foe has won ten straight and continues to play their best football late.
The Quarterfinals: The bench was cleared early as West Hancock hit on all cylinders in a 43-0 win over South O'Brien. Smith had 11 rushes for 80 yards and scored one touchdown in the process.
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.
Offered Juniors to Follow
Name: Griffin Liddle
High School: Bettendorf
Semifinal Opponent: West Des Moines Valley
The Semifinals: Two of the premiere prep football programs within state borders matches up with an appearance for the Class 4A championship on the line. Liddle will be critical in slowing down the talented athletes for the Tigers.
The Quarterfinals: The motivation of revenge pushed Liddle and the Bulldogs to another level as they took down Cedar Falls, 24-14. This big man finished with four tackles and one sack against the Tigers.
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
Semifinal Opponent: Western Dubuque
The Semifinals: With the fast track of the UNI-Dome, look for the Lewis Central passing game to get back on track in the semifinals against Western Dubuque.
The Quarterfinals: Fidone spent the night blocking as senior running back Bryson Bowman went over 300-yards on the ground. The team won with just 19-yards passing over Dallas Center-Grimes, 12-0.
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.
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
OABCIG athlete Cooper DeJean
Regina Catholic offensive tackle Nick Wagner
Regina Catholic quarterback Ashton Cook
Valley tight end Eli Raridon
Waukon quarterback Creed Welch
West Lyon offensive tackle Jordan Ver Meer
Who Lost Last Round
Name: Jaden Harrell
High School: Urbandale
Status: Committed - 2021
Final Result: Cedar Rapids Kennedy 27, Urbandale 13
Name: Cael Loecher
High School: Cedar Falls
Status: Recruit - 2020
Final Result: Bettendorf 24, Cedar Falls 14
Name: Brody Brecht
High School: Ankeny
Status: Offer - 2021
Final Result: Dowling Catholic 42, Ankeny 14
Name: Jeff Bowie
High School: West Branch
Status: Offer - 2021
Final Result: Iowa City Regina 30, West Branch 20
Name: Seth Malcom
High School: Fremont-Mills
Status: Recruit - 2021
Final Result: Remsen St. Mary's 34, Fremont-Mills 20
Names: Aaron Smith & Eddie Saidat
High School: Waukee
Status: Recruits - 2021
Final Result: Valley 26, Waukee 10
Semifinal Matchups (Watch Online)
Thursday, November 14
8-Player - 9:00 am | #2 Turkey Valley (11-0) vs. #3 Don Bosco (11-0)
8-Player - 12:00 pm | #1 Audubon (11-1) vs. #4 St. Mary's, Remsen (11-0)
Class 3A - 5:30 pm | #2 Western Dubuque (11-0) vs. #3 Lewis Central (10-1)
Class 3A - 8:30 pm | #1 Solon (11-0) vs. #4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (10-1)
Friday, November 15
Class A - 10:00 am | #3 Saint Ansgar (11-0) vs. #5 Grundy Center (10-1)
Class A - 1:00 pm | #1 West Hancock (11-0) vs. #6 Woodbury Central (10-1)
Class 4A - 4:00 pm | #1 Valley (11-0) vs. #7 Bettendorf (9-2)
Class 4A - 7:00 pm | #3 Dowling Catholic (10-1) vs. #5 Cedar Rapids, Kennedy (10-1)
Saturday, November 16
Class 1A - 10:00 am | #1 Van Meter (11-0) vs. #11 Regina, Iowa City (9-2)
Class 1A - 1:00 pm | #3 West Sioux (10-1) vs. #5 West Lyon (10-1)
Class 2A - 4:00 pm | #3 Algona (11-0) vs. #4 OABCIG (11-0)
Class 2A - 7:00 pm | #1 Waukon (11-0) vs. #11 Williamsburg (8-3)
Finals Schedule
Thursday, November 21, 2019
8-Player - 10:00 am
Class A - 1:30 pm
Class 3A - 7:00 pm
Friday, November 22, 2019
Class 1A - 10:00 am
Class 2A - 1:00 pm
Class 4A - 7:00 pm
Stay tuned to HawkeyeReport.com for the latest on Iowa recruiting and go to IowaPreps.com for the best coverage of Iowa high school athletics.
