Don Bosco sails into 8-player championship

CEDAR FALLS - Top-ranked Gilbertville Don Bosco will play in its fifth 8-player state championship game in six years after demolishing Midland, 80-12, Thursday at the UNI-Dome.

Don Bosco (12-0) scored on its second play from scrimmage and never looked over its shoulder again as it routed the Eagles (9-3) for the second consecutive season in the semifinals.

The victory was the Dons' 20th consecutive, and the 80 points were the most scored in a semifinal game in state playoff history.

'That stuff is a little surreal,” Don Bosco head coach Colby Yoder said. 'The great thing about our kids is they keep plugging away. They just look at the next game and that is kind of what we talk about over the years, playing for the next game.”

Wyatt Sawvel rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 187 yards four touchdowns as the Dons now have outscored their first three playoff opponents, 204-12.

The two teams also met in the season-opener, a 60-26 Don Bosco win.

'We knew coming out we could beat them,” Sawvel said. 'Our goal is not to make the semifinals. So it is good to carry on our tradition.”

Swavel hit Cael Tenold on a 70-yard pass on Don Bosco's second play, and before Midland could blink it was 28-6 at the end of the first quarter.

'I believe we can score with a multitude of guys,” Tenold said. 'We are unpredictable. We can do just about anything to score.”

The Dons rolled to 523 yards, outgaining the Eagles by nearly 300. Don Bosco also picked off four Midland passes. Additionally, the Dons held 2,832-yard rusher Austin Smith to just 60 yards on 22 carries.

'Our main thing we really focus on is defense,” Svoboda said. 'If we don't let them score, they can't win. We try to pay attention and go hard on defense.”

Sawvel had rushing touchdowns of 44, 17 and 35, while Austin Svoboda scored on a 53-yard touchdown run.

'We just came out ready to play. We've been in this position before,” defensive back Lewis Havel said. 'We came out focused and ready to lay the wood on them.”

Midland had two brief bouts of working its way back into the game as Drew Gravel blocked a Don punt to set up a Smith 15-yard scoring run that made it 14-6 with 3:18 left in the first quarter. But Don Bosco scored twice before the end of the first, and Sawvel's 17-yard scoring run made it 34-6.

Smith broke free for a 60-yard receiving touchdown that made it 34-12, but Don Bosco scored on plays of 53, 26 and 35 to close the half.

The Dons will play winner of Fremont-Mills-St Mary's game next Friday in the 8-player championship game at 10 a.m.