Iowa high school football rewind: Decorah records unbeaten regular season

Decorah recorded its first unbeaten high school football regular season for the first time since 2013.

The Vikings will enjoy the feat for a short time before getting right back to work for the postseason.

“We are excited about the opportunity that we have in front of us,” Decorah first-year head coach Mike Tangen said. “Wins do not come easy with the schedule that we play. Records are now thrown out the window and a new season is about to begin.”

Decorah beat Waterloo East, 35-10, Friday night and earned the No. 2 spot in the Class 4A RPI standings. The Vikings are making their 26th postseason appearance and second straight. The third-ranked Vikings (9-0) will host Newton (6-3) in the round of 16 next Friday.

Tangen, who was a Vikings assistant before taking the reins, recognized the potential he inherited. They started stockpiling wins, beating playoff teams like Independence, Western Dubuque, Waverly-Shell Rock and Crestwood.

“I knew that we would be capable of playing with every team on our schedule,” Tangen said. “We respect every one of our opponents and have taken one game at a time.

“Our junior and senior groups have done a great job of coming together and playing for each other. This happens when you have great leadership and our seniors have done an outstanding job all season long.”

Decorah’s defense led 4A, allowing just 11.7 points per game. The Vikings were solid offensively, ranking eighth with 31.4 points per game. Their point differential of 19.8 trails only North Scott (22.9) and two-time defending state champion Council Bluffs Lewis Central (21.2).

Tangen said he was impressed with Newton quarterback Caden Klein, who has passed for 1,308 yards and rushed for 1,061 more.

“They are talented and aggressive,” Tangen said. “I expect this game, on Friday night, to be extremely physical and well played by both teams.”

Decorah and Newton are in the same pod with No. 6 North Scott (7-2) and No. 9 Western Dubuque (6-3). The Vikings notched a 10-7 win over Western Dubuque this season.

“Our focus has to be solely on Newton,” Tangen said. “The next game doesn’t matter if you don’t take care of the first one. We have experience playing North Scott and Western Dubuque, and have nothing but respect for their programs and how they play the game.”

Decorah will also be joined in the 4A playoffs by No. 10 Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Saints have reached the postseason for the 21st time overall and 19th straight year. They throttled Burlington, 49-6, Friday to improve to 6-3.

”We’ve lost a couple really close games and we’ve won a couple really close games, too,” Xavier Coach Duane Schulte said. “It’s been that kind of year where you’ve had to be resilient and, no matter what happens, move on to the next assignment.”

The next assignment is a trip to No. 8 Norwalk (6-3). It is the first time the programs have played each other in football. The winner will face either Fort Dodge (7-2) or top-ranked North Polk (9-0).

“I know we’re taking it game by game,” Schulte said. “Class 4A is wide open. Only two undefeated teams, so it’s the same old cliché about football. If you do your job, don’t have turnovers and avoid penalties, you can try to give yourself a chance and something good could happen.”

Iowa City Liberty finishes on top in Class 5A RPI

Iowa City Liberty closed the regular season with an emphatic 70-33 victory over Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The triumph raised the Lightning’s record to 8-1, but it also perched them atop the final Class 5A RPI standings.

Liberty enters the postseason as the top seed after not qualifying in 2023.

“That seed is a testament to how hard our kids have worked, how determined they have been,” first-year Lightning head coach Scott Chandler told The Gazette after the regular-season finale. “To come back from being a team that didn't even make the playoffs last year to now being a No. 1 seed is quite an accomplishment.”

The sixth-ranked Lightning will make their third playoff appearance after previously reaching the postseason in 2019 and 2022. Liberty has an opportunity to play a coveted home-home-Dome-Dome schedule if they continue to win. The Lightning bring a six-game win streak into their first-round matchup Waukee (6-3). They are in the same pod as No. 7 Linn-Mar (7-2) and No. 10 Ankeny (5-4).

West Branch upsets No. 4 Sigourney-Keota

West Branch barely qualified for the playoffs after closing its regular season with a 2-6 record. The traditional football power struggled this season but never count out the Bears.

West Branch advanced to the round of 16 in 1A, coming from behind for a 41-33 win over No. 4 Sigourney-Keota.

The Cobras jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and led 26-21 at halftime. The Bears defense allowed just one touchdown in the second half, resulting in a 35-33 lead after three.

Nolan Staker passed for 228 yards, completing 9 of 14 passes, with four touchdowns. He connected with Brandon Pedersen on two scoring strikes. Connor Rios hauled in four passes for 103 yards, including a TD. Pedersen added a 92-yard kickoff return for a score.

The Bears were rewarded with a second-round date at No. 1 Grundy Center. The Spartans have won the last two 1A state titles and thumped Eddyville EBF, 55-16, in the first round.

Solon vs. Benton, part 2

Benton Community put the finishing touches on the Class 3A District 5 title Friday night at home, dropping No. 1 Williamsburg, 21-0.

Dylan LeFebvere rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns, while Carson Nolan ran for a game-high 108 yards. It was the Bobcats’ second shutout of the season and first since a 48-0, season-opening win over Vinton-Shellsburg.

“I think we put a pretty big statement out there,” LeFebvere said. “We've been underrated a little bit all year now and I think this really shows that we can push for the (championship), push for the (UNI)-Dome.”

The Raiders weren’t the first top-ranked district foe the No. 8 Bobcats have defeated.

In Week 6, Benton edged then No. 1 Solon, 21-20. The playoffs will begin with a top-10 rematch. The 10th-ranked Spartans (7-2) will return to Van Horne to face the Bobcats (7-2).

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Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com