Iowa high school football live updates from Oct. 28 playoff games
The Iowa high school football playoffs have arrived for every single class.
We made it.
Now, each class has whittled down its field of potential state champions to 16 teams. That means there’s eight games per class tonight for a total of 56 games across the state of Iowa. Each week that number will get cut in half until there are just two teams left standing at the UNI Dome on Nov. 17 and 18.
That’s still a few weeks ahead on the horizon, though. For now, let’s focus on the present. Keep your eyes peeled to this blog to get all the fastest real-time updates from the 56 games happening around the state tonight. We’ll also have several reporters on the ground at games around the state with full coverage coming on their respective social media accounts and on this website immediately following the game.
9:30 p.m. I’m going to need some video of that, Waukon
So, Waukon faces an 8-point deficit to Cresco late in the fourth quarter. Sure, going to need a nice drive to come back, right?
Nah. How about one play?
Waukon didn’t get the two-point conversion. But they did recover the onside kick. They have the ball on their own 40 with just over 2 min to play down by 2.
9:25 p.m. Iowa City ties it up
So, this Ben Kueter kid is pretty good huh?
The Little Hawks running back finds paydirt after kicking out a run to the right and diving for the pylon. Iowa City gets the game with Johnston back to all square after falling behind 24-7.
Late in the final frame here.
9:23 p.m. Liberty topples Webster City
The Lightning have been a surprise 4A team all season and they made sure that Cinderella season continued. They topped Webster City 24-14
9:20 Iowa City keeps it close against Johnston
With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Iowa City drills a field goal to keep their game against Johnston close.
The Little Hawks trail 24-31 in the final frame. Now it’s up to the defense to contain Johnston QB Will Nuss.
9:10 p.m. Down goes Pleasant Valley
WDM Valley took down the only undefeated team in 5A to open up the playoffs. In a tight game, the Tigers topped pleasant valley 15-10 and controlled the game entirely in the second half.
WDM Valley is moving on to the quarterfinals now.
9:05 p.m. Waukee Northwest tops Cedar Rapids Kennedy
After about a two-hour drive to Cedar Rapids, the Wolves will head back to the Des Moines metro area with smiles on their faces after getting a 9-0 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy. They’re moving on to the quarterfinals where they’ll take on No. 1 Dowling, who topped Davenport West 35-0 tonight.
9:03 p.m. Oh no, Monticello.
After giving up 28 unanswered points to Centerville to fall behind 28-21, it looked like Monticello was about to tie the game at 28 after a touchdown. But the PAT went wide left and they’re facing a one-point deficit with just over three minutes left to play.
9:01 p.m. WDM Valley up on Plesant Valley
In the battle of the Valleys, the WDM Valley Tigers take the lead back over PV. They hit paydirt for the first time on a short QB sneak. WDM fails on a 2-point play, so they’re up 15-10 in the fourth quarter now.
9:00 p.m. Southeast Polk continues to cruise
The No. 3 Rams had a seemingly tough test on their hands thanks to a visiting Ames squad with a high-powered offense.
Well, not so much. Southeast Polk is up 42-3 after a 68-yard fumble recovery from Carson Robbins.
It’s still the third quarter in that one. But uhhhh don’t see a comeback in the cards for the Little Cyclones. Prove me wrong, though!
8:55 p.m. Humboldt wins easily
Looks like we got our first final score of the night. Humboldt came away with an easy 39-0 win over Hampton-Dumont-Cal. Wildcats advance to the state quarterfinals next week.
8:50 p.m. Centerville storms back
Centerville was down 21-0 earlier tonight, things looked like they’d be turning in their equipment for the offseason tomorrow. But now, it’s looking like they’re in firm control of their game against Monticello.
They’re up 28-21 now after a bold fake punt call kept a TD drive alive. They’re into the final frame there.
8:47 p.m. Iowa City coming back to life
The Little Hawks have held Johnston scoreless so far in the second half and they’ve cut their deficit to just three points thanks to this fourth-down pass from about 20-yards out after Ronnie Major does some nifty running after the catch.
Should be a fun finish in that one.
8:38 p.m. Waukee Northwest up on Kennedy
In what was a low-scoring affair in the first half, the offenses finally woke up. Well, one of the offenses. Waukee Northwest’s first drive of the second half resulted in a field goal. Then a bit later the defense forced a fumble and the Wolves capitalized with a TD. They missed the ensuing PAT, though.
Waukee Northwest is up 9-0 heading to the final frame over Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
8:35 p.m. WDM Valley clawing back
The Tigers have cut Plesant Valley’s lead to just one point after their third field goal of the night. WDM Valley down 10-9 now to PV.
WDM Valley has been moving the ball, but just can’t seem to find the endzone. Credit to the Spartans’ defense here.
8:30 p.m. Back and forth we go
Webster City gets right back in the game thanks to Jaxon Cherry’s second score of the night. This time it was from 17-yards out. The Lynx are down 17-14 to Liberty now late in the third quarter
8:28 p.m Ankeny extends lead, but missed a chance
The No. 2 Hawks had first and goal from the 10-yard line but couldn’t get anything going against the Sioux City East defense. QB JJ Kohl got sacked on third down and Ankeny was forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal.
Hawks up 10-0 with just under four minutes left in the third.
8:25 p.m. Iowa City Liberty captures momentum
Ok so this is going to be a lot, try to keep up.
Liberty stopped Webster City on a fourth down around midfield. Two plays later, Lightning QB Graham Beckman hits Lucas Meyer for a 43-yard score.
On the ensuing Webster City drive, Trey Gregoire grabbed an interception for Liberty. The offense capitalized with a FG after that.
It’s 17-7 now about halfway through the third.
8:15 p.m. Iowa City not going away quietly
Ben Kueter, a do-everything player for Iowa City, took a direct snap on fourth down, made a couple nice moves, broke a tackle and found the end zone from 20 yards out.
He made the Johnston defense look a bit silly on that play. Iowa City still down 24-14 at the half, though.
8:10 p.m. Upset brewing for Praire
Makelle Taylor, a RB for Prairie, has got 205 yards on 10 carries. That’s 20.5 yards per carry.
Is that good?
Praire leads Linn-Mar 30-6 at the half. Linn-Mar beat this exact same Hawks team 28-13 just one week ago. Funny how things can change so fast.
8:08 p.m. West Sioux can’t extend lead
Kuemper Catholic was able to limit the damage by picking off a West Sioux pass toward the end of the first half. West Sioux up 14-7 over Kuemper Catholic at the break.
8:03 p.m. Plesant Valley takes lead over WDM Valley
The Spartans get on top for the first time tonight. Makhi Wilson finishes an 84-yard, 8-minute drive with a big run on third down.
The Tigers drove down the field fast though and connected on a 27-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 4 points.
PV is up 10-6 over WDM Valley now at the half.
8:00 p.m. Johnston piling on Iowa City
Will Nuss and Co have now scored 24 unanswered on the Little Hawks. The Johnston QB found Rex Woodley for his third TD pass of the night to put his team up 24-7 over Iowa City. We’re late in the first half in that one and the Dragons look firmly in control.
7:50 p.m. Dowling pulling away
The Maroons are showing the world why they’re the No. 1 team in the state. They went from tied 0-0 with Davenport West to up 21-0 in the blink of an eye. The most recent points came from a 14-YD touchdown strike from Jaxon Smolik to Michael Reichart.
We’re just a few minutes until halftime in that one.
7:45 p.m. Centennial on top now
The Jags have scored 10 unanswered points against Cedar Falls. They’re up 10-7 now late in the first half. They just hit a 32-yard FG to take the lead. Their first score of the night was a short TD run by Trenton Smith. He’s been the engine for that Centennial offense all season.
7:42 p.m. Ankeny finds the end zone
Evan Irlmeier hauls in a slant from JJ Khol and takes it about 10 yards for the Ankeny score. No. 2 Hawks up 7-0 on Sioux City East.
It’s late in the second quarter there. Black Raiders holding tight with one of the most potent offenses in the state.
7:40 p.m. Offense at a premium for Waukee Northwest and Kennedy
There’s been a lot of punts and not a lot of yards.
7: 37 p.m. Johnston takes lead over City
Will Nuss, that kid is good The Johnston QB finds Jacob Simpson on a short route in the endzone to put the Dragons up 14-0 over Iowa City.
Still the first quarter there, though.
7:35 Liberty ties up Webster
The Lightning finally score on a 29-yard pass from Garrett Beckman to Wyatt Williams. Williams beat his DB on the outside and Beckman laid it out perfectly in his arms.
All tied up at 7 in that one as they head to the second quarter.
7:31 p.m. Southeast Polk breaks deadlock with Ames
The Rams, the No. 3 team in our rankings, just found the endzone in their game against Ames. QB Connor Moberly hit Carson Robbins who was free behind the secondary and just walked into the end zone for the score. They’re up 7-0 over the Little Cyclones early in the second.
7:30 p.m. Centennial driving but down to Cedar Falls
The Jags are down 7-0 to Cedar Falls at the end of the first quarter. But Centennial is driving and will have a couple shots to punch it in from the 2-yard line when the second quarter begins.
Fun fact: this game is taking place at the UNI Dome, where both teams hope to end their season in a few weeks.
7:25 p.m. Ankeny and Sioux City East scoreless after one
It’s been a defensive battle between the No. 2 Ankeny Hawks and Sioux City East. There’s already been one turnover, an interception caused by Ankeny’s D, and several nice stops. The Black Raiders have the ball just on their own side of the 50 and are facing a third down when the second quarter starts.
7:22 p.m. Dowling breaks the deadlock
The Maroons, the No. 1 team in our latest Super 10 rankings, are on the board in the playoffs. Dowling’s first playoff score is courtesy of Ra’Shawd Davis, who hit paydirt from four yards out. They’re up 7-0 on Davenport West.
7:20 p.m. Webster City up on Liberty
The Lynx strike first against Iowa City Liberty thanks to a three-yard score from CJ Hisler. That short run was set up by a much longer 39-yarder that Hisler popped to the outside. Check that out below.
Lynx up 7-0 on Liberty early in the first still.
7:19 p.m. Well that was a response from Johnston
It didn’t take long for Johnston to storm back on Iowa City. A 30-yard pass from Will Nuss to Tatum Fox.
All tied up at 7 about halfway through the first quarter.
7: 17 p.m. Iowa City up over Johnston
The Little Hawks take an early lead over Johnston thanks to a 30-yard scamper from Ben Kueter. Iowa City QB Drew Larson, who’s coming back from injury tonight, did a lot with his legs on that drive too.
7:15 p.m. WDM Valley up early on Plesant Valley
The Spartans had been the No. 1 team in our rankings for much of the season, but they dropped a bit simply because their schedule had been pretty easy. That changes tonight as they take on a WDM Valley team. Valley took an early lead after a field goal.
Let’s find out if PV is for real. They’re down 3-0 now.
7:10 p.m. West Lyon breaks deadlock in 2A battle
No. 6 West Lyon hit paydirt first in their playoff battle with No. 7 Greene County. Don’t know who scored it, but it capped a 50-yard drive. We’ll be keeping eyes on this one, should be a fun game.
7:05 p.m. Points!
Think these are the first points of the Round-of-16. Hunter Bowers runs 83 yards to get East Buchanan on the board and Tanner Thurn converts on the two-point conversion. Bucs up 8-0 over Alburnett.
7:00 p.m. Here we go
Alright, pretty much every game has kicked off by now. Let’s have some fun.
6:49 p.m. Nothing like that « football sky »
I don’t know if it’s just how pretty the sky looks in general or if it’s the sunset against the green of the turf, but there’s just something special about it.
Enjoy it, y’all. It doesn’t last long
6:15 p.m. Almost that time
Just about 45 minutes from kickoff and Waukee Northwest is ready to play. They tweeted out this picture of the field after traveling about two hours to take on No. 8 Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
It looks beautiful out there. Almost makes me want to make the two hour drive myself.
Here’s some links to get you ready for the Round of 16
Recruiting/high school sports reporter Alyssa Hertel (@AlyssaHertel) is at Johnston to check out the No. 6 Dragons as they welcome in No. 7 Iowa City High. Johnston has finished the season on a bit of a tear by winning three straight by a combined score of 86-22. Iowa City gets back its starting quarterback, Drew Larson, after he missed the last two weeks with an injury.
Joe Randleman (@JoeRandleman) is in Pleasant Hill to watch No. 3 Southeast Polk take on Ames. The Little Cyclones have one of the best offenses in 5A, but Southeast Polk is ranked in the top-3 for a reason. The only time this season that Ames has taken on a team of the caliber of SEP was when it played Dowling earlier this month. The result? A 51-7 loss for the Little Cyclones.
Raven Moore (@Raven_XReport) will be out in Iowa City tonight watching Webster City come to town to take on one of 4A’s biggest surprises this season, No. 5 Iowa City Liberty. The Lightning have won six straight heading into this matchup, most of which came in blowout fashion. But Webster City is no slouch, boasting one of the best running backs in the state in Jaxon Cherry. He’s got more than 1,600 yards on the ground and has reached the end zone 30 times this season. That one could be high scoring.
We’ll also have photographers capturing the best images from the action all across the state and posting galleries to this site throughout the night.
As for me, I’ll be mining for information from our reporters in the field as well as social media to bring you everything you need to know that’s happening in the Round of 16 of the Iowa high school football playoffs.