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Recap: Iowa high school football round of 16 is in the books. See highlights, scores and more.

will kennedy, des moines register
·23 min read
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Wow, the Round-of-16 did not disappoint, did it?

There weren't a ton of upsets, but there was one major one. WDM Valley took down Pleasant Valley, who was the lone undefeated team in class 5A heading into tonight. They were even ranked at the top of our weekly polls for several weeks in a row before dropping down in the final regular season poll. Waukee Northwest topped CR Kennedy too, which isn't as big of an upset, but still a bit of a shock.

Another big win came out in Iowa City. Liberty got their first playoff win in program history thanks to a 24-14 win over Webster City. But by far the most thrilling game of the night came from the Des Moines metro area. Johnston looked like they were going to run away with a win over Iowa City, but the Little Hawks clawed back from a three-score deficit to tie the game at 31 and force overtime.

Unfortunately for them, it wasn't enough. The Dragons scored and then on the ensuing possession, they forced an Iowa City fumble to end the game. Still it was a thrilling game and a lot of fun to follow.

Then you have the expected outcomes, SEP dominating Ames, Dowling rolling over Davenport West and Ankeny topping Sioux City East. It was a fun evening of high school football all around the state tonight. Enjoy it, there are only a few more of these left until next fall.

Here are all the highlights of the Round-of-16. Let's do it again next week, huh?

Check out our extended coverage from the Round-of-16

Johnston forces Iowa City fumble, Dragons move on

In what was by far the most exciting game of the night, Johnston will move on to the state quarterfinals. Iowa City had a chance to extend the game in overtime, but the Dragons' defense stood tall and forced a fumble to seal the win.

Looked like #99 forced the fumble. Without his arm getting in there it seems like an easy TD for the Little Hawks.

What a game.

Johnston scores easily

The Dragons hit a 10-yard scoring strike from Will Nuss to Jacob Simpson to open the OT period.

Dragons up 38-31. Iowa City will get the ball with a chance to match it, or win with a 2-pt try, now.

Iowa City wins the toss and Johnston starts on O

For those who don't know, HS football overtime is similar to college OT. Johnston gets the ball on the Iowa City 10 yard line and will try to score. After their drive, the Little Hawks will have to match or better whatever the Dragons did to extend or win the game.

Overtime for Johnston and Iowa City

Iowa City tried a 31-yard field goal with just seconds left in the game, but it misses the mark.

Little Hawks and Johnston tied up at 31 at the end of regulation.

Iowa City has a chance to win it over Johnston

West Lyon dominates Greene County

West Lyon and Greene County were tied at 7 in the first quarter. Then the Wildcats took over, scoring 36 unanswered to roll away with an easy win.

Drama for Johnston and Iowa City

This is one of the few games that's still going on right now. Teams tied at 31 and they just traded failed 4th down attempts. Iowa City gets the ball back with just over 2 minutes left to play.

All they need is a FG to win.

9:32 p.m. Waukon can't pull it off

The Cresco defense stands tall and will get the ball back with just over one minute to play. That'll do it in that one. Valiant effort there, though.

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.

It's the first playoff win in the history of Liberty's program.

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.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football scores, highlights from Oct. 28 playoffs