Valley beats Bettendorf 17-14 for 4A title

CEDAR FALLS (AP) - Tyus Mason scored on a 9-yard run with 1:19 left Friday night to lift West Des Moines Valley to a 17-14 victory over Bettendorf for the Tigers' fifth Class 4A state championship.

Trailing 14-10 after surrendering the longest touchdown pass ever in a title game, top-ranked Valley (14-0) started its winning drive after Mitch Boal recovered a Bettendorf fumble at the Bulldogs' 34-yard line. Mason scored eight plays later.

No. 2 Bettendorf (12-2) had two chances after that. Mason ended one possession with an interception, and after Valley turned the ball over on downs, Bettendorf's Nick Heimendinger threw incomplete on fourth down.

Heimendinger had given his team its 14-10 lead with a 94-yard touchdown pass to Nick Hughes with 6:31 left in the game. The longest TD pass previously in a 4A championship game was an 80-yarder from Cedar Rapids Washington's Warren Suess to Adrian Arrington in 2003.

Bettendorf forced a quick three-and-out after Hughes' touchdown, but Heimendinger fumbled on the Bulldogs' next play and Valley capitalized.

Until the late scoring, the defenses had dominated in the matchup of traditional powers.

Valley managed only 223 total yards and 12 first downs. Bettendorf held the Tigers' star running back, Trey Lewis, to 69 yards in 26 carries. Lewis had come in with 1,869 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Bettendorf was held to nine first downs and 223 yards, including just 64 yards on the ground. Heimendinger completed 10 of 19 passes for 163 yards but was sacked three times.

Bettendorf took a 7-0 lead when Keaton Jurevitz blocked a punt, scooped up the ball and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Valley tied it on Mason's 6-yard TD run later in the opening half and eased ahead 10-7 on Nick Galles' 29-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Valley has won all of its state titles since 2002. Bettendorf has won seven championships, the most recent in 2007. Valley also beat Bettendorf for its 2002 title.