Iowa high school football roundup: Week 9 scores, stats and more

Here’s our Week 9 roundup with Iowa high school football scores, stats and complete Gazette-area coverage from the final week of the regular season in Class 5A, 4A and 3A and the first round of the playoffs in Class 2A, 1A, A and 8-Player on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.

Pairings for the Round of 16 in all seven classes will be released Saturday morning by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

No. 4 Monticello 42, North Fayette Valley 13 (Class 2A first round)

Preston Ries standout mingled with children, posed for pictures, exchanged high-fives and even let a couple excited boys wear his helmet, producing ear-to-ear smiles.

People of Monticello are used to his actions. They are also used to the stellar performance he posted in the Panthers’ postseason opener.

Ries rushed for four touchdowns, passed for two more and amassed about 400 yards of offense, leading No. 4 Monticello to a 42-13 victory over North Fayette Valley in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs Friday night at Dean Nelson Field.

“It was a great win,” Ries said. “The coaches put us in a great spot. They called some great plays. (Assistant) Coach (Jon) Kyte formed a great defensive scheme. We couldn’t do it without them.

“It was a great overall team win.”

Ries ran for 196 yards, passed for 203 more and had his hands on all six of the Panthers’ TDs. He even hauled in a 2-point conversion in the second half. Monticello Coach Wes Wilson said he can sit back in awe of the rare talent.

“He’s a guy you don’t see very often in high school football,” Wilson said. “He’s a competitor. He wants the ball in his hands. When it comes down to it, he’s the guy who is going to make a play for us.

“He always finds new ways to step up. We use him all over in different situations.”

» Read the game story from The Gazette’s K.J. Pilcher

No. 5 Lisbon 14, North Linn 6 (Class A first round)

When you look back at it and replay this Class A first-round playoff football game Friday night at Wallmer Field in your head, one thing kind of pops into your mind as being the difference.

North Linn’s great first half didn’t quite produce the same number of points Lisbon’s great second half did.

So the fifth-ranked Lions were able to rally for a 14-6 win over their county rival that moves them along to next week and the round of 16.

“Honestly, I think we got the toughest 4-seed,” said Lisbon quarterback-defensive back Dakota Clark. “They were a few scores away from being a ‘1’ seed over there in their district. They had a tough district. We knew it was going to be a dog fight. Our seniors, they really wanted it. One of our linemen went down (in the second half), but he came back because he really wanted it. He didn’t want to be done.”

A blocked punt midway through the third quarter set Lisbon up at the North Linn 44. A bunch of inside runs by Henry Neymeyer moved the ball inside the 10, and Clark executed an RPO play perfectly, finding nothing on the ground and pulling up and hitting receiver Reid Fridley for a 4-yard TD pass.

Lisbon’s next drive also produced a touchdown: this one a 2-yard Clark option keeper off the left side. After both Lions TDs, Gage Holub hit the important extra point.

» Read the game story from The Gazette’s Jeff Johnson

No. 6 Central City 52, Lansing Kee 28 (8-Player first round)

Jayden Hanson could have gotten frustrated.

Instead, he got “fueled.”

“I made two mistakes (in pass coverage) that let them score,” Hanson said. “That fueled me. I had to get revenge.”

Hanson’s first three interceptions of the season highlighted a seven-takeaway performance, and sixth-ranked Central City recovered from a sluggish first half to push past Lansing Kee, 52-28, in an 8-Player first-round playoff football game Friday night at the Alex Evans Athletic Complex.

“We played the worst half of our season,” said Aidan Klostermann, who rushed for 243 yards and three second-half touchdowns. “This is the playoffs. You lose, you go home.”

Central City (8-1) won its eighth consecutive game and will host a second-round game next week. Their opponent will be revealed Saturday morning.

» Read the game story from The Gazette’s Jeff Linder

Cedar Rapids Prairie 45, Iowa City West 38

It was an all-out track meet Friday night at Trojan Field.

Cedar Rapids Prairie was a step faster.

Four touchdowns from Casey Kelley highlighted the evening for the Hawks (5-4) as Prairie clinched a spot in the Class 5A playoffs with a 45-38 win over Iowa City West (4-5).

Kelley carried the ball 28 times for 256 and had touchdown runs of 53, 91 and 4 yards, plus a 92-yard kickoff return.

“It was a crazy game, a fun game — those are the best games to have,” Kelley said. “It was fast. You go out there, have a couple one-play touchdowns, go sit down on the bench, watch what happens and you’re right back up.”

» Read the game story from Gazette correspondent Ryan Pleggenkuhle

5A No. 4 Pleasant Valley 28, Linn-Mar 14

In a season of what might have been, the Linn-Mar football team just did not have enough in Friday night’s regular-season finale against Class 5A No. 4 Pleasant Valley.

Decimated all season by injuries, the Lions could not find a way to slow down the Spartans’ potent running attack. Pleasant Valley racked up 269 yards on 50 carries en route to a hard-fought, 28-14, win at Linn-Mar Stadium.

For the Spartans (8-1), a home playoff game awaits next Friday against West Des Moines Valley. For Linn-Mar (4-5), there is also a playoff berth. The final RPI rankings gave the Lions the 16th and final spot in the field. They will play at No. 1 Southeast Polk next Friday night.

» Read the game story from Gazette correspondent Mike Condon

5A No. 9 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 35, Davenport North 0

Methodical and efficient Cedar Rapids Kennedy left no doubt, beating Davenport North, 35-0, Friday night at Kingston Stadium.

A season that began with a nervous 0-2 start will continue as Class 5A’s ninth seed when the playoffs begin next Friday. Following a tough loss at Cedar Falls last week, Kennedy got right back on track.

The Cougars (6-3) had two chunk plays of 20 yards or more, both in the second half. They didn’t need them. Churning out a constant barrage of 7- to 17-yard gains racked up first downs and piled points on the scoreboard.

“Those plays are killer,” Kennedy running back Trevor Scott said. “That’s going to wear the defense down. As a defense, you don’t want to see those plays.”

Equally effective on the ground and through the air, Kennedy kept wearing the Wildcats (2-7) defense down. As the first half came to a close, the Cougars had amassed 19 first downs, averaging 7.3 yards per play on 41 offensive snaps on their way to a 21-0 lead.

Starting quarterback Vincenzo Gianforte connected on 20 of 29 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Gianforte surpassed 2,000 yards for the season. Ten different ball carriers combined put up 195 yards on the ground, but Scott and Jacob Doyle largely took turns hammering the ball straight at the Wildcats defense behind the big Kennedy offensive line.

“I felt like we moved the ball,” Gianforte said. “We did what we needed to do. We got the win. That’s the biggest thing.”

» Read the game story from Gazette correspondent Culley Kline

Decorah 54, Waterloo East 22

Dakota John rushed for 168 yards and five touchdowns as the Vikings won at home.

After Waterloo East scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Landen Sewell to Isaac Lomas, Johnson scored on a 50-yard run to make the score 8-7.

Johnson scored on a 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter and Decorah scored two more times in the second quarter, on a Tommy Sexton 6-yard run and a 30-yard pass from Louis Bucksa to Kaiden Quandahl.

The Vikings scored four more times in the second half.

— Randy Iverson

West Delaware 27, DeWitt Central 8

Brent Yonkovic passed for 107 yards and rushed for 102 and was in on all four Hawk touchdowns as they clinched a district title.

Yonkovic scored two TDs on runs of 3 and 6 yards, and passed for 23 and 14 yards to Seth Jackson for two more scores.

Haze Seibert added 101 yards on just seven carries.

— Bill Logan

No. 9 West Branch 35, Pleasantville 20 (Class 1A first round)

Three Bears running backs rushed for over 100 yards as the home team won its Class 1A playoff opener.

Cale Seydel led the way with 160 yards, Brennen Dale added 134 and Auron Marsh 105 as the Bears gained 398 rushing yards.

West Branch overcame Trojan quarterback Braylon Bingham’s 296 yards passing. The Bears also held Class 1A total yardage leader Caleb Cook to just 51 total yards.

— Jason Miller

Independence 30, Center Point-Urbana 13

Trey Weber rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries as the Mustangs won in Center Point.

EJ Miller added 80 rushing yards and two TDs on 19 carries and also passed for 116 yards.

Mediapolis 28, Anamosa 21 (Class 2A first round)

Reese Campbell and Jackson Hutcheson each scored two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a Class 2A first-round playoff win.

The Raiders gifted the Bulldogs two TDs, first on a fumble on their own 2-yard line and then a Campbell interception that resulted in a TD.

Nate Fischer (seven receptions for 93 yards) had two receiving TDs for Anamosa. Quarterback Vince Diers was 24-of-40 passing for 224 yards and three TDs. Austin Scranton rushed 23 times for 92 yards for the Raiders.

— Daryl Schepanski

Class 2A playoffs first-round scores

Camanche 42, West Burlington/Notre Dame 14

No. 6 Carroll Kuemper 47, Cherokee 18

No. 1 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 42, Okoboji 7

No. 10 Clarinda 56, Des Moines Christian 28

Jesup 20, Crestwood 14

Mediapolis 28, Anamosa 21

Mid-Prairie 49, Northeast 18

No. 8 Monroe PCM 42, Interstate 35 0

No. 4 Monticello 42, North Fayette Valley 13

New Hampton 41, West Marshall 21

No. 9 Roland-Story 42, Clarke 7

No. 5 Spirit Lake 49, Southeast Valley 0

Union Community 21, Waukon 7

No. 2 Van Meter 56, Albia 7

No. 3 West Lyon 50, Clarion CGD 0

No. 7 Western Christian 26, Estherville-Lincoln Central 14

Class 1A playoffs first-round scores

Avoca AHSTW 21, Hinton 0

No. 7 Dike-New Hartford 51, Manson-Northwest Webster 6

Emmetsburg 20, Ridge View 8

No. 1 Grundy Center 50, Cascade 14

Ida Grove OABCIG 49, Shenandoah 14

No. 5 Iowa City Regina 48, Eddyville EBF 20

No. 4 MFL MarMac 55, Hudson 3

Pella Christian 43, Ogden 0

No. 6 Sigourney-Keota 52, West Central Valley 7

South Hamilton 24, Denver 8

No. 3 Sumner-Fredericksburg 31, South Hardin 26

No. 10 Treynor 31, West Sioux 13

No. 2 Underwood 44, East Sac County 6

Waterloo Columbus 47, Pocahontas Area 6

No. 9 West Branch 35, Pleasantville 20

No. 8 Wilton 49, Woodward-Granger 21

Class A playoffs first-round scores

Akron-Westfield 35, Tri-Center 0

Central Decatur 14, Earlham 13

East Buchanan 46, South Winneshiek 3

No. 6 Guthrie Center ACGC 34, Mount Ayr 18

Lake Mills 21, Nashua-Plainfield 14

No. 5 Lisbon 14, North Linn 6

No. 10 Logan-Magnolia 26, South Central Calhoun 20 (OT)

No. 7 Lynnville-Sully 28, Pekin 6

No. 4 Madrid 45, IKM-Manning 7

Maquoketa Valley 57, Columbus Community 21

Marcus MMCRU 50, Kingsley-Pierson/River Valley 14

No. 1 Saint Ansgar 23, Sibley-Ocheyedan 6

No. 9 Starmont 17, North Butler 0

No. 8 Wapsie Valley 43, Danville 6

No. 3 West Hancock 38, Le Mars Gehlen 22

No. 2 Woodbury Central 51, North Union 13

8-Player playoffs first-round scores

Algona Garrigan 63, Janesville 6

No. 2 Anita CAM 75, Southeast Warren 12

Audubon 30, Boyer Valley 6

No. 3 Bedford 65, Fremont-Mills 14

No. 6 Central City 52, Lansing Kee 28

No. 5 Clarksville 68, Turkey Valley 26

No. 8 Don Bosco 62, Edgewood-Colesburg 22

Exira-EHK 30, Glidden-Ralston 16

No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck 64, Montezuma 18

Iowa Valley 78, BGM 77

No. 9 Lenox 60, Woodbine 28

Moravia 45, Lone Tree 33

No. 4 Remsen St. Mary’s 52, Harris-Lake Park 23

No. 10 WACO 55, Baxter 20

West Bend-Mallard 64, Riceville 26

No. 1 Winfield-Mount Union 64, Belle Plaine 8

Week 9 Iowa high school football regular-season scores

CLASS 5A

No. 8 Ankeny 49, Cedar Rapids Washington 19

No. 7 Ankeny Centennial 41, Urbandale 3

No. 9 Cedar Falls 47, Davenport West 28

No. 9 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 35, Davenport North 0

Cedar Rapids Prairie 45, Iowa City West 38

Des Moines Roosevelt 54, Des Moines East 7

Dubuque Hempstead 38, Davenport Central 31 (Thursday)

Dubuque Senior 24, Muscatine 20

Iowa City High 42, No. 5 Bettendorf 21

Iowa City Liberty 56, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 0

Johnston 48, Sioux City East 13

Ottumwa 21, Waterloo West 19

No. 4 Pleasant Valley 28, Linn-Mar 14

No. 1 Southeast Polk 55, Des Moines Lincoln 0

No. 6 Waukee 42, Council Bluffs Lincoln 0

No. 3 Waukee Northwest 49, Ames 7

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling 43, Sioux City North 9

West Des Moines Valley 42, Marshalltown 18

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 1

Denison-Schleswig 17, Sioux City West 0 (forfeit)

Le Mars 55, Storm Lake 14

Spencer 45, Fort Dodge 0

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 2

Decorah 54, Waterloo East 22

Waverly-Shell Rock 31, Marion 19

No. 1 Western Dubuque 35, Mason City 21

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 3

No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier 52, Burlington 7

Clear Creek Amana 49, Clinton 0

No. 5 North Scott 49, Oskaloosa 6

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 4

No. 6 Bondurant-Farrar 42, Carlisle 7

Newton 34, Des Moines Hoover 8

No. 10 Pella 33, Gilbert 23

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 5

Ballard 62, Boone 15

No. 8 Indianola 56, Des Moines North 0 (Thursday)

No. 4 North Polk 28, No. 6 Adel ADM 17

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 6

No. 3 Council Bluffs Lewis Central 28, Dallas Center-Grimes 7

No. 8 Glenwood 53, Norwalk 35

Winterset 28, Council Bluffs Jefferson 15

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 1

Carroll 36, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 0

No. 5 Sioux Center 28, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 16

No. 9 Sioux City Heelan 62, MOC-Floyd Valley 27

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 2

Algona 21, Hampton-Dumont-CAL 7

No. 7 Clear Lake 56, Charles City 7

Webster City 26, Humboldt 7

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 3

Dubuque Wahlert 35, Maquoketa 14

Independence 30, Center Point-Urbana 13

West Delaware 27, DeWitt Central 8

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 4

No. 6 Davenport Assumption 56, Mount Pleasant 0

Fort Madison 21, Washington 7

No. 4 Mount Vernon 56, Keokuk 7

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 5

Grinnell 49, Fairfield 0

No. 2 Solon 52, South Tama 0

No. 3 Williamsburg 28, Benton Community 7

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 6

No. 1 Creston 49, Perry 14

No. 10 Harlan 42, Knoxville 26

No. 8 Nevada 42, Atlantic 7

CLASS 2A

Forest City 41, Iowa-Falls Alden 12

Garner GHV 26, (1A) Eagle Grove 16 (Thursday)

CLASS 1A

Durant 48, (A) North Cedar 20

East Marshall 35, Colfax-Mingo 13

Grand View Christian 34, (2A) Saydel 32

Lawton-Bronson 42, Red Oak 8

CLASS A

Ackley AGWSR 48, (1A) Central Springs 12 (Thursday)

North Mahaska 21, North Tama 18

Oakland Riverside 45, Council Bluffs St. Albert 27 (Thursday)

Sloan Westwood 28, (1A) Missouri Valley 8 (Thursday)

West Fork 26, Conrad BCLUW 7

West Monona 36, (1A) Mapleton MVAOCOU 24 (Thursday)

Belmond-Klemme vs. Postville, no report

8-PLAYER

Collins-Maxwell 72, Twin Cedars 14

Colo-Nesco 60, Dunkerton 22

English Valleys 46, Easton Valley 40

Garwin GMG 44, West Central 24 (Thursday)

HLV 30, Mormon Trail 14 (Thursday)

Tripoli 28, Waterloo Christian 21