Prep football quarterfinal roundup: Don Bosco avenges loss to Elkader Central

Weeks removed from suffering the first regular-season loss in the history of its 8-player football program, Don Bosco exacted some revenge last night at No. 7 Elkader Central.

The No. 4 Dons used smothering defense and steady offense to extend a 20-14 halftime lead into a 56-20 road rout in the state quarterfinals.

Austin Svoboda led Don Bosco with 19 carries for 158 yards and four touchdowns. Dons quarterback Brandon Bagby passed for 104 yards with both of his touchdown scores on long catch and runs to Caleb Rigdon, who finished with three catches for 65 yards.

The Dons advanced to the UNI-Dome to compete in their fourth state semifinal game in five seasons since moving to 8-player football in 2012. They face Midland (9-2) at 9:06 a.m. Thursday.

— Waterloo Courier

MIDLAND 42, TWIN CEDARS 22 — The Eagles won their first playoff game last week, and Friday night in Bussey punched a ticket to the UNI-Dome.

Midland (9-2) faces No. 4 Don Bosco (10-1) at 9:06 a.m. Thursday. But the Eagles might be without a couple of their top players.

Quarterback Alex Martens hurt his shoulder and missed the second half, and still was 11-for-19 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Dawson Paulsen hurt his knee after having seven catches for 75 yards.

Despite the losses, in an 8-player game, the Eagles rallied in the second half. Trailing 22-20 going into the final quarter, Austin Smith had an 18-yard touchdown run to give Midland the lead for good. Connor Harms — who shifted from receiver to quarterback when Martens got hurt — added a 2-yard touchdown run, and Smith added a 15-yard score with 4:56 to play.

The Midland defense shut out Twin Cedars (10-1) after halftime.

— Daryl Schepanski, correspondent

SAINT ANSGAR 43, LISBON 12 — It's a spot that this team has wanted to be in since missing out by one win last season.

Nearly a year later, the Saints got their chance to do exactly that last night.

After a sluggish first half, No. 1 St. Ansgar rolled to 43 points over the final 24 minutes to blow out No. 6 Lisbon 43-12 and secure a trip next week to the UNI-Dome.

Saint Ansgar (11-0) faces co-No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (11-0) at 10:06 a.m. Friday.

'It makes it so better,' junior Dayton Smith said. 'Experiencing that defeat and being so close last year makes it all that much sweeter for this game.'

Things weren't feeling that sweet for the Saints in the first half. The one chance they had to score they fumbled away at the goal line.

Lisbon took a 6-0 lead into the half.

On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Ben Boerjan kept the ball on an option and sprinted the rest of the way for a 55-yard touchdown and St. Ansgar grabbed its first lead of the game.

On the Lions' next possession, Smith picked off a pass by Jack Jennett and took it back 40 yards for a touchdown. On the Lions' next play the Saints forced a fumble and marched down the short field to set up Smith for his second touchdown.

Saint Ansgar poured on 22 more points in the final quarter.

— Blake Schultz, Mason City Globe-Gazette

GLADBROOK-REINBECK 35, MONTEZUMA 0 — Erik Knaack enabled his coach a chance to finally settle in and relax Friday night in 'The Pit' of Gladbrook football field as the Class A No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck blanked Montezuma, 35-0.

The Rebels senior wide receiver/linebacker applied two dagger moments in the shutout. Knaack snagged an 18-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Lott and just a few plays later made an interception to set up another score to go ahead 35-0 in the third quarter.

'When it was 14-0 I thought maybe it was just a few big plays,' Rebel Coach John Olson said. 'I wasn't feeling real safe until it was 28-0 and I finally felt like we had momentum completely on our side.'

Knaack's two plays came following an explosive second quarter where GR scored two rushing touchdowns from Parker Bown and added a 43-yard screen pass for a touchdown from Lott to Gage Murty. However Knaack himself didn't feel safe after his heroics either.

'When we were up 28-0 that's when it settled in that we were going back to the dome,' Knaack said.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck takes on No. 1 Saint Ansgar (11-0) at 10:06 a.m. Friday.

— Ben Lloyd, Waterloo Courier

UNION 28, NORTH FAYETTE VALLEY 12 — In a much anticipated match-up in Class 2A quarterfinal action, the No. 4 Union Knights used a steady mix of run, pass and defense to avenge an earlier loss to No. 1 North Fayette Valley.

Three weeks ago, the Tigerhawks (10-1) took the Knights (10-1) apart in a 56-21 shellacking, with a healthy team.

Friday night, the Tigerhawks were missing a few key players, and the Knights took advantage in a 28-12 victory that sends the Knights to the UNI-Dome next week after a four-year hiatus.

Union faces No. 3 Mount Vernon (9-2) at 7:06 p.m. Saturday in Cedar Falls.

'The last time we went to the Dome for the playoffs, I was still in eighth grade,' senior safety Dylan Stech said. 'We came into this game thinking we just have to get these guys.

'We had a few (three) plays early that kind of took the wind out of their sails, and we knew we had to just keep fighting them to hang on.'

The first big play was senior Isaiah Vaughn taking the handoff on the second snap and galloping 70 yards for the go-ahead score.

The second big play was a fumble recovery by Drew Edwards, with four minutes left in the half, that was later converted by Vaughn on a 2-yard keeper.

It was Stech that provided the knockout punch in the third quarter with an interception that stopped a long drive at the 35.

'I was playing right where I was supposed to be and had a good break on the ball,' Stech said. 'When I got the ball, all I could think about was to hold onto that ball, do not drop the ball.

'I think that play really took the wind out of them.'

— Rod Payne, Waterloo Courier