Dowling Catholic 43, Waukee 7: Maroons headed to Iowa high school football 2022 playoffs

alyssa hertel, des moines register

Sat, Oct 22, 2022, 8:42 AM·4 min read

Dowling Catholic football hosted Waukee in the final regular season game of the season, and the Maroons continued the hot streak they started in Week 2.

Dowling entered Friday’s game with its spot in the playoffs secured, having won all of its matchups since losing to Southeast Polk in the season opener. Waukee struggled against both Dowling’s dominant offense and stifling defense as Dowling won 43-7.

"It says a lot about our kids to rattle off eight in a row against the schedule that we've had," Dowling head coach Tom Wilson said postgame. "But as I just told them, everybody is zero and zero now. We put ourselves in position for the postseason but now it's time to go play it."

It’s been a rollercoaster season for the Warriors, who finished with a 4-5 record and did not quality for the playoffs.

Dowling stormed out to an early lead and held the 30-0 advantage at halftime. All but one of the Maroons’ first half touchdowns came off the arm of Penn State commit Jaxon Smolik. He threw to three different receivers, while Ra’Shaws Davis added a 59-yard touchdown run and Andrew Schumacher picked up a 48-yard field goal.

The scoring slowed down in the second half, when Dowling started to change out its starters. Beckett Bakker did send a pass to Charlie Cross late in the fourth quarter to prevent the Maroons from shutting out the Warriors, but it was too little too late.

Dowling Catholic quarterback Jaxon Smolik attempts a pass Friday against Waukee. Dowling won 43-7.

What can’t Dowling do?

Seriously.

That might seem like an outrageous statement, but there’s a reason that no other program has beaten the Maroons since that first week.

Well actually, there are a bunch of reasons.

See, the offense is headlined by Smolik, and for good reasons. He’s returned from last season’s broken collarbone without missing a beat and calling him a difference maker doesn’t do him justice. It’s not the strength or accuracy of his arm that stands out, though. It’s how calm and collected he is under pressure, although Waukee’s defense is very different than Southeast Polk.

It also helps that Dowling has options for Smolik. Like, a lot of options.

Dowling Catholic's Hank Brown scores a touchdown during Friday's 43-7 victory against Waukee.

Beau Gamble, Trey Wilson and Hank Brown all had receiving touchdowns, and that was only in the first half. That doesn’t account for guys like Jalyn Thompson and Cooper Nicholson, who are other reliable targets for Smolik, or players like Davis and CJ Phillip who made a difference in the ground game.

"(Smolik) does a really good job with it," Wilson said. "Our kids, many of them have continued to evolve. You saw a couple of them score tonight which was important and good for them. And I think Jaxon feels really comfortable with the weapons around him."

Dowling’s defense did good enough against Waukee but struggled at times, even though they nearly shut out Waukee. That’s the only minor critique here, especially since the Maroons will need to shut down more competitive opponents if they go deep into the postseason, but Dowling shouldn't be super concerned.

Waukee’s inexperience shows

The Warriors have a lot of potential. Waukee’s starting quarterback Beckett Bakker is a freshman, so he doesn’t even have a full season under his belt.

Waukee quarterback Beckett Bakker carries the ball against Dowling Catholic on Friday at Valley Stadium.

And, yet, he did have some veteran moments against Dowling. He was able to get the Warriors out of some precarious situations – like having to avoid not one but two safety situations. Bakker not only makes big passes but can break a tackle and run the ball well when he needs to, which will come in handy for the 5-foot-10 quarterback.

Another one of the Warriors' consistent contributors on offense is Grant Gammel, who is only a sophomore. Seeing a pattern here?

Waukee has a lot of work to do before it can compete against the Dowlings, Ankenys and Southeast Polks. But the pieces are there; the next generation of Warriors just need a bit more time to develop.