Mustangs are motoring into postseason

Her team resides in a Class 3A region in which all eight teams are on the plus side of .500, and four of them are ranked.

Still, Mount Vernon softball coach Robin Brand knows it could be worse. A lot worse.

'Really, it's a pretty good scenario,” Brand said. 'Maybe, the best-case scenario.”

There's a glut of elite 3A teams in eastern Iowa. As expected, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sprinkled them around for the postseason. From a Mount Vernon perspective, here's how this is a best-case scenario:

No Solon. No Benton Community. No Center Point-Urbana.

There's hope.

The 13th-rated Mustangs (26-9) open tournament play at 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against Mediapolis (15-13).

Once upon a time, Mount Vernon was 0-5. Since then, it has won 26 of 30.

'There was no concern at 0-5, honestly,” Brand said. 'You have to play the best to prepare for the best, and we did that right away.”

Mount Vernon opened with two games each against CPU and Solon, plus a single against Mid-Prairie. At that juncture, the Mustangs had some girls injured, some others still playing soccer and others learning new positions.

Now, they're humming along.

'We're pretty salty right now,” Brand said. 'We knew that we had what it takes to be in a good position at the end of the year.”

Half of the teams in 3A Region 4 are rated, led by No. 10 Northeast (31-5), the overall champion of the River Valley Conference. No. 11 West Liberty (20-10) and No. 15 West Burlington-Notre Dame (22-13) tangle in a first-rounder at West Liberty.

No. 1 Solon (36-3) and No. 2 Benton Community (37-3) won their respective divisions of the Wamac Conference and have been the area's two best teams this season, in any class. Both are favored to emerge from their regions.

Solon opens at home with Williamsburg (16-19) in Region 5; Benton faces South Tama (1-31) at Van Horne in Region 7.

No. 8 Center Point-Urbana (26-13) is a co-favorite in Region 3 with No. 6 Waterloo Columbus (27-5). The Stormin' Pointers face Dyersville Beckman (10-22) in their opener.

The postseason resumes Wednesday in Class 2A and Class 1A with regional quarterfinals. Last year's 1A state runner-up, No. 12 Lansing Kee (27-10) takes a 15-game win streak into its contest with Elkader Central (11-19) at New Albin.

Highland (22-5) is the area's highest ranked team in 2A at No. 3, and hosts the winner of Tuesday's game between Tipton and North Cedar.

WEDNESDAY'S CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 3

Dyersville Beckman (10-22) at Center Point-Urbana (26-13)

Monticello (15-19) at Union (14-13)

Independence (10-25) at Waterloo Columbus (27-5)

Waukon (7-18) at North Fayette Valley (24-10)

Region 4

Louisa-Muscatine (16-14) at Northeast (31-5)

Camanche (16-13) at Anamosa (17-11)

West Burlington-Notre Dame at West Liberty (20-10)

Mediapolis (15-13) at Mount Vernon (26-9)

Region 5

Williamsburg (16-19) at Solon (36-3)

Central Lee (12-20) at Mid-Prairie (21-12)

Albia (14-22) at Bondurant-Farrar (16-17)

Davis County (9-25) at Monroe PCM (20-10)

Region 7

South Tama (1-31) at Benton Community (37-3)

South Hardin (6-16) at Hampton-Dumont (9-11)

Gilbert (4-22) at Iowa Falls-Alden (15-12)

Roland-Story (11-22) at Southeast Valley (22-11)

WEDNESDAY'S CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS

(All games, 7 p.m.)

Region 4

Hudson/Aplington-Parkersburg winner at Conrad BCLUW (20-8)

Dike-New Hartford (12-15) at Denver (12-11)

Maquoketa Valley (19-16) at Cascade (19-10)

MFL MarMac (12-17) at Clayton Ridge (14-12)

Region 5

Tipton/North Cedar winner at Highland (22-5)

Wilton (19-21) at Durant (24-8)

North-Linn (15-22) at Alburnett (19-18)

Jesup/Sumner-Fredericksburg winner at South Winneshiek (18-13)

Region 6

Danville/Pekin winner at Eddyville EBF (29-6)

Baxter CMB (18-14) at West Marshall (12-13)

Columbus Community (10-8) at Iowa City Regina (20-14)

Lisbon/West Branch winner at Wapello (23-6)

WEDNESDAY'S CLASS 1A QUARTERFINALS

(7 p.m. unless noted otherwise)

Region 3

Easton Valley/Calamus-Wheatland winner at Bellevue Marquette (26-3)

Springville (21-20) at Central City (26-9)

Elkader Central (11-19) at Lansing Kee (27-10)

Starmont (4-25) at Turkey Valley (13-14)

Region 4

HLV (13-11) at Don Bosco (30-5), 5:30 p.m.

BGM (15-11) at Belle Plaine (17-12)

Wapsie Valley/East Buchanan winner at Janesville (20-12)

Tripoli/Dunkerton winner at North Tama (16-11)

Region 5

Harmony/Keota winner vs. New London (27-2), 5:30 p.m. at Eldon

Winfield-Mount Union/Van Buren winner at Cardinal (12-20), 7:15 p.m.

Moulton-Udell (5-14) at Sigourney (24-11)

Seymour/Moravia winner at North Mahaska (13-18)

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