K.J. Pilcher

East Buchanan’s Tanner Thurn rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, Hunter Bowers returned an interception for a score, the defense limited a vaunted rush attack and the Buccaneers posted a 30-16 road win over No. 1 Saints Ansgar Friday night in the Class A quarterfinals.

Jared Franek didn’t visit the University of Iowa when he was in high school. When he stepped into the portal as a graduate transfer and received a call from the Iowa men’s wrestling coaching staff, he was ready to make the 537-mile drive he didn’t as a prep.

Who will advance to the UNI-Dome? Those 28 state semifinal spots will be determined this week. We preview the Iowa high school state football quarterfinals on this episode of the Prep Football Huddle podcast.

Solon’s seniors were entrusted with the football team’s tradition and have continued the longstanding success. They have been inspired to leave an indelible mark on the program and the opportunity to set the example for future Spartan football players.

Coe has cracked the d3football.com rankings for the first time since 2016 and heads to University of Dubuque. Cornell has had its best year under Coach Dan Pifer. Here are five notable things in Iowa small college football this weekend.

The following are area capsules for the Iowa high school football state quarterfinals.

The Coe offensive line’s “fist” mentality emphasizes unity, meshing all five positions together to form a powerful unit. Behind that balled up fist of an offensive line, the Kohawks punched Luther right in the face, amassing 571 offensive yards and escorting six rushers to the end zone for seven TDs on the ground in a 64-2 win over the Norse in an American Rivers Conference football game Saturday at Clark Field.

Cedar Rapids Xavier scored two touchdowns in the final 4:25, including a 3-yard TD pass from Ronan Thomas to Quinn Oleson with 31 seconds remaining, for a 17-10 victory in the Class 4A state playoffs Friday night at Saints Field.

From Coe’s potential for a big weekend to Cornell’s John Smith posting big games to Wartburg and Central battling atop the American Rivers Conference standings, here are five notable things in Iowa small college football this weekend.

It’s all about the playoffs now on the Prep Football Huddle podcast. After quickly reviewing the Round of 32, we preview the Round of 16 in all seven Iowa high school football classes on this week’s episodes. Plus, our picks for the 28 teams that will advance to the UNI-Dome.

Iowa men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands emphasized the importance of opportunities. Opportunities for some new faces that popped out of the transfer portal, ones in front of younger Hawkeyes with the potential to break through and the possibility to reclaim opportunities for some Hawkeye veterans.

All seven classes will compete in the Iowa high school football postseason Friday. Here are some of the Gazette-area’s Round of 16 games.

All seven classes will compete in the Iowa high school football playoffs this week. The Gazette’s Jeff Linder, Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Nathan Ford share their thoughts on topics related to the postseason.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the round of 16 pairings for all seven classes Saturday. Each class is split into four four-team pods with the pod winner advancing to the state semifinals held at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. In Class 5A, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa City High and Linn-Mar made the field and will play on the road for the first round.

Preston 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.