Prep football diary: Playoff edition

Win or play your last high school football game.

For most of the Anamosa football team, that is what is on the line right now.

Not only are we trying to win a state title, complete an undefeated season and break almost every Anamosa football record, we are fighting each and every down like it is our last. Because it could be.

On Oct. 23, we finished the regular season with a 55-7 thumping of Cascade and completed the first undefeated regular season from an Anamosa team since 1947.

Now is when we are really looking to make our mark in the history books.

After that regular-season finale, at about 2 a.m., we found out we would be playing Baxter CMB in our first-round playoff game.

A year ago, we drew the second best team in the state in New Hampton in the first round and took a demoralizing, 41-0, loss to end our season. Most of the people on the field that night were on the field once again in the first round.

This time, we were ready. We learned from our mistakes and had a year of playoff experience under our belts. We were more than prepared this time around.

That preparation paid off.

Our defense forced a turnover on downs to start the game and senior fullback Trevor Wehling knew what to do with it from there, cruising in the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown, giving us the lead 6-0.

After another fourth-down stop, Boone Hussmann took his one carry of the night for 80 yards and a touchdown that gave us a 13-0 first quarter lead.

Then the floodgates opened.

In two-minutes and 11 seconds of playing time, we stretched the lead all the way to 40-0, still with nine minutes to play in the second quarter.

The rout ended in a 46-13 victory and the first playoff win in Anamosa history.

We now know what a playoff victory feels like - and we aren't stopping there.

Tonight, we will be hosting Williamsburg in a Raiders vs. Raiders matchup that has everything on the line.

We got the first victory, we made history, but we are not satisfied.

We will not be satisfied until we are holding up that state championship trophy.

As a senior-dominated team, we are going to make sure the last game we play together is a victory.