State Football: Van Meter wins second consecutive Class 1A state title over West Sioux

CEDAR FALLS — A Bulldog Dynasty? Perhaps.

Back-to-back titles? Absolutely.

Van Meter rolled to a second-consecutive Class 1A state football title with a 35-7 win over West Sioux on Friday evening at the UNI-Dome. The Bulldogs finish the 2022 season with a 12-1 record and are state champs for the third time in school history after previously winning last year and in 2017.

The Bulldogs produced a masterclass performance against the Falcons, who finish the year 11-2 overall. Van Meter scored on its first two possessions for a 14-0 halftime lead, scored twice more on a pair of pick-sixes in the second half and held a Falcon offense that averaged 47.5 points per game to just 214 yards and 7 points.

"We executed phenomenally well," said Van Meter coach Eric Trudo. "Our kids came locked in and focused. I don't even think we expected this. That's a great West Sioux team. Well-coached, great players … you have to hand it to our kids. They played phenomenal team football."

Ben Gilliland facilitated another strong offensive performance for Van Meter, completing 7-of-12 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, one to Carter Durflinger in the first quarter and another Aydn Netten in the fourth. Gilliland also rushed 10 times for 62 yards and another touchdown. In all, Van Meter put up 273 total yards on a West Sioux defense that looked mighty impressive in a 47-7 semifinal win over high-powered Underwood last week.

West Sioux's offense, one of Iowa's best this season, struggled all game against Van Meter's vaunted defense. Quarterback Dylan Wiggins finished 20-of-31 for 127 yards and was picked off four times. Two were taken back for touchdowns, a 55-yarder by Netten in the third quarter to give Van Meter a 21-0 lead, and a 43-yarder by John Braun in the fourth to ice the 35-7 victory.

The Bulldogs sacked Wiggins just once, but recorded seven total tackles for loss. The Falcons had just seven possessions all game, four ending in turnovers. Much of West Sioux's offensive success during the season came in the form of explosive plays. Against Van Meter, the Falcons' longest play was a 17-yard run by Carter Bultman in the third quarter, when the Bulldogs already led 21-0.

"It starts with not giving up any big plays," Trudo said. "I got into every game saying that we don't want to give up any big plays. Today, it changed a little bit. It was more like, let's limit the big plays because they're so explosive — and I don't know that we gave up a big play.

"These guys were just so locked in."

Since 2017, Van Meter has been at or near the top of Class 1A football. The Bulldogs have produced a staggering 72-4 overall record over the last six seasons. Three of those losses have come here at the UNI-Dome: to West Lyon in the 2019 state final; to OABCIG in the 2020 state final; and to West Sioux in the 2018 semifinals. (The fourth loss: in Week 2 to a Williamsburg team that ultimately reached the Class 2A state championship game.)

That 2019 West Lyon team thumped everybody that season, including Van Meter in a 50-14 rout in the state final. But Van Meter's other two losses came to teams led by some of Iowa high school football's all-time best players, in West Sioux's Hunter Dekkers, now Iowa State's quarterback, and OABCIG's Cooper DeJean, a star defensive back for the Hawkeyes.

If not for two all-timers, it's not unreasonable to think Van Meter could have at least two more titles.

"I've thought about that," Trudo said in a quiet moment Friday evening.

Nevertheless, a third title puts Van Meter in rare air. They are now the 32nd Iowa high school to win three or more state football titles. They were joined this week by Remsen St. Mary's, who beat WACO on Thursday for the 8-Player crown.

After Friday's lopsided win, Trudo gathered his team inside the tunnel here at the UNI-Dome for the initial celebration. They waved their championship banner, lifted the golden trophy and collectively roared so loud that it could be heard from the UNI-Dome press box high above the field.

A Bulldog Dynasty? There's an argument, sure.

But back-to-back state champs sounds pretty good, too.

"Never gets old," Trudo said and smiled. "But never going to take it for granted, for sure."

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Van Meter beats West Sioux for Iowa high school Class 1A state title