Area prep football championship capsules

Capsules for football playoff championship games involving area teams:

CLASS 1A: No. 1 IOWA CITY REGINA (11-1) vs. No. 4 WESTERN CHRISTIAN (11-1)

Time and site — 11:06 a.m. Friday, at Cedar Falls (UNI-Dome)

How they got here — Regina advanced with wins over West Branch (49-15), No. 2 Pella Christian (45-43) and No. 4 Denver (42-6). Western conquered No. 9 West Lyon (28-6), No. 6 Hinton (34-21) and No. 3 Van Meter (35-14).

Overview — Regina has reached the doorstep of a seventh consecutive state championship, a run unmatched in Iowa history. This is a title rematch from last year, when the Regals managed a 35-28 victory. Both teams lost their season opener, and have won 11 consecutive games since. Regina's loss came to 3A semifinalist Cedar Rapids Xavier, 35-26; Western was defeated by 2A finalist Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, 32-13. The Wolfpack possess a prolific, balanced attack led by quarterback Tyson Kooima (2,296 yards, 36 touchdowns, 10 interceptions), running back Ben Granstra (1,623 rushing yards, 20 TDs) and receiver Ben Gesink (40 catches, 968 yards, 16 TDs). Michael Conlon is an efficient quarterback for Regina, completing 67 percent of his throws for 1,545 yards and 18 TDs against four INTs. Jack Jensen has 40 catches for 745 yards and nine TDs. Brady Bigley and Trae Rogers pace the Regals' defense with seven and six interceptions, respectively.

CLASS 2A: No. 4 UNION (11-1) vs. No. 2 BOYDEN-HULL/ROCK VALLEY (11-1)

Time and site — 2:06 p.m. Friday, at Cedar Falls (UNI-Dome)

How they got here — Union's trail to the Dome includes wins over No. 10 Crestwood (31-13), No. 1 North Fayette Valley (28-12) and No. 3 Mount Vernon (49-28). BH-RV has defeated No. 10 South Central Calhoun (49-10), No. 5 Carroll Kuemper (49-28) and No. 6 Dike-New Hartford (49-14).

Overview — A year after a 4-6 season, Union is within reach of the mountaintop. The Knights were 3A champions in 2011. After suffering a 56-21 loss to North Fayette Valley in Week 8, the Knights avenged the defeat in the quarterfinals. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley was dealt its lone defeat in Week 2, 20-19 in overtime to West Lyon. The Nighthawks did beat Western Christian, a 1A finalist, in their season opener. Union's Isaiah Vaughn is a workhorse running back; he has carried the ball 231 times for 1,914 yards and 32 touchdowns. Quarterback Troy Hanus has thrown for 1,720 yards and 16 touchdowns. Shane Solberg is a playmaker on both sides of the ball for BH-RV, with 47 catches for 950 yards and 13 touchdowns, plus nine interceptions (with a 29.3-yard return average). Jacob Schafer has 1,151 rushing yards and 14 TDs, and Solberg had 10 rushing TDs. QB Brett Moser completes 61 percent of his throws with a 27-to-5 TD-to-INT rate. Moser has thrown for 2,122 yards.

CLASS 4A: No. 10 IOWA CITY WEST (10-2) vs. No. 2 WEST DES MOINES DOWLING (11-1)

Time and site — 7:06 p.m. Friday, at Cedar Falls (UNI-Dome)

How they got here — West has knocked off three higher ranked teams, all away from home — No. 5 Bettendorf (24-17), No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie (38-21) and No. 4 Cedar Rapids Washington (35-7). Dowling has cruised through the west side of the bracket with wins over Johnston (41-6), No. 7 Waukee (36-14) and No. 3 Ankeny Centennial (41-17).

Overview — Dowling has advanced to the championship game for the 13th time, and has six titles, including each of the last three. The Maroons have dominated their east-side foe each of the last three years by the combined score of 134-37, including 41-10 last year against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. West has advanced to the final for the first time since winning it all in 1999. The Trojans' run has been a surprising one, to say the least. Their first-round win over Bettendorf was a shocker, and the quarterfinal triumph over Prairie avenged a 19-point regular-season defeat. Then they spotted Washington a 7-0 lead in the semis and steamrolled the Warriors. Oliver Martin is the Trojans' playmaker; he has 83 receptions for 1,245 yards and 14 touchdowns. Evan Flitz leads the attack, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2,051 yards and 22 TDs. Dowling is a load on both sides of the ball, scoring 42.8 points per game and allowing 10.7. The Maroons lost, 16-9, to West Des Moines Valley in Week 2, but have rattled off nine straight wins since. Dowling has a pair of productive backs in Jacob Zachary (1,271 yards, 14 TDs) and Cole Deskin (1,065 yards, 11 TDs).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com