West Branch is about football, at school and around town

It's the end of October and West Branch is right where it's supposed to be.Butch Pedersen earned his first postseason berth at the school in 1988 and hasn't really bothered to check out since. West Branch has been in the playoffs in 18 of the last 23 years and won three state titles in a four-year period.The Bears have won seven district titles in the last nine seasons - a testament to a program and a system that stretches beyond the highs and lows of talent that graduates - and Pedersen said that consistency is one of his proudest accomplishments.“We've won three state championships and been to the playoffs 18 times and whatever else,” Pedersen said, “but I really like the stability in our program and the fact that every year we're going to be in the mix.”West Branch is coming off a district-clinching comeback win last week against North Cedar. The transition from last year's team to this year's group shows why Pedersen's been winning games for more than a quarter century.A year ago, West Branch latched on to a one-man band all the way to the semifinals. Then-senior running back Cole Kelly rushed for 1,994 yards and 24 touchdowns. In the first round of the playoffs, Kelly nearly took down the single-game school record with 301 rushing yards and four touchdowns.Without Kelly this fall, Pedersen looked to a group of backs and a balanced attack to fuel the offense. The result: six Bears have scored at least four rushing touchdowns and the team has averaged almost twice as many passing yards per game than it did in 2009.Pedersen's biggest asset might be the town's support.“The community of West Branch comes out and supports that program better than any in the state, in my opinion - next to Regina, of course,” said Iowa City Regina Coach Marv Cook, who grew up there and played for Pedersen. “That's what it's all about. When you get a whole community behind what you're trying to accomplish and everyone is buying into that core philosophy then it makes it that much easier.”The school's tradition, Pedersen said, and the players' desire to build on that with hard work and preparation during the off-season also stimulates their success.“The reason West Branch is successful is because it's a football town,” Pedersen said. “It's always been a football town and it will always be a football town. West Branch football is a community tradition and we use that slogan a lot. And it's true.”By Jason Brummond, Correspondent