Iowa City Regina edges Pella Christian in 1-vs.-2 quarterfinal classic, 45-43

IOWA CITY - With time running out and Pella Christian driving for the game winning score, Iowa City Regina needed just one more big play.

Several had helped the top-ranked Regals build a 45-43 lead on the No. 2 Eagles. A bad snap for the Eagles, an errant throw that found the right hands for Regina, and a long drive all contributed to the two-point edge.

Still, the Regals asked for one more big play from its defense.

Regina got what it asked for with just over a minute to play. Jack Jensen stepped in front of a David Kacmarynski pass for the fifth interception of the game. This one turned out to be the game winner.

'I saw the roll out and my guy do a comeback,” Jensen said. 'I came down on it and jumped it and got it.”

It may sound simple, but the 32nd consecutive playoff win for the Regals was anything but easy.

'We knew they were very talented,” Regina Coach Marv Cook said. 'They were as good as advertised. I thought we had a chance to put them away, but couldn't. It shows you what a great football team can do, they had a chance to win it late. It's a classic football game.”

The game started as good as the Regals could hope, picking off David Kacmarynski's second pass attempt. Regina picked off Kacmakrynski four times in the first half.

'We had a great week of practice and great scout team,” said Jensen, who had two interceptions for Regina.

A miscue on special teams cost the Regals later in the first quarter. A fumble on a punt set the Eagles up on the Regina 40-yard line. One play is all it took for Kacmarynski to hit Miles Wichhart for a 40-yard touchdown to tie the game, 7-7.

Early in the second quarter, a low snap on a Pella Christian fourth-and-10 from the Regina 15 gave the Regals another scoring chance. While the Regals couldn't cash in, Cook said field position was integral to the win.

'We were winning the field position battle,” said Cook. 'If we had done a little better on offense, we would have been in a better position late.”

Conlon found himself in a bad position late in the first half. An off-balance throw that should have been picked off found the hands of Regina's Trae Rogers for a 43-yard gain.

'That could have been 28-21 in a hurry,” Cook said. 'Trae made a great adjustment on the ball.”

In the second half, the Regals rode their running game. The Regals used a 6:38 drive to chew up most of the fourth quarter. Isaac Vollstedt played a big part, carrying the ball 40 times for 203 yards and three TDs.