Iowa high school football's Week 8 featured big-time upsets and a rivalry blowout

Will Kennedy, Des Moines Register
·21 min read

Week 8 of Iowa high school football was a wild one, that's for sure.

We had historic wins, with No. 2 Dowling earning its fourth-straight win over No. 9 WDM Valley, marking the longest winning streak for either team in the last 18 years of the rivalry. There were some crazy upsets too, with Waukee absolutely dominating No. 7 Urbandale, and Johnston taking down No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy. That Kennedy loss moves teams from the east side of the state to 2-7 on the season against squads from the Des Moines suburbs.

There were nailbiters, like No. 6 Cedar Falls barely surviving a scare from Bettendorf. Division titles were won, particularly in the three smaller classes in which Week 8 marks the regular season finale. But across all of Iowa, the playoff picture either was set in stone for the smaller classes or solidified heavily in the larger classes.

Check out this thread below to catch up on all the biggest highlights as they happened on Friday night.

Our Week 8 coverage

10:15 p.m. No. 6 Cedar Falls survives Bettendorf

It was a low-scoring, sloppy game, but the No. 6 team escaped with a narrow win after its defense stifles Bettendorf on their final drive to run out the clock.

9:56 p.m. Bettendorf has one last chance to top No. 6 Cedar Falls

After forcing a punt, Bettendorf will get the ball back at their own 12-yard line, down 10-7 with 3:38 left to play.

9:52 p.m. No. 8 Osage claims district title

The Green Devils earned their second straight district title thanks to a 28-12 win over No. 10 Crestwood on Friday night.

9:50 p.m. No. 6 Cedar Falls in a battle with Bettendorf

Cedar Falls is up 10-7 with just under 8 minutes to play in the game. Bettendorf finally got on the board earlier in the half thanks to an 8-yard run from Elijah Mendoza that was set up after a muffed Falls punt.

9:45 p.m. Iowa City West can't make a comeback happen against Prairie

Prairie is the No. 8 team in their class for a reason. They pull away from West and earn a 49-28 win to move to 6-2 on the year. West falls to 4-4 on the season

9:35 p.m. Down goes Kennedy, Johnston rolls

Johnston asserted its dominance over No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Friday night. They came out with a 28-7 win thanks to four touchdown passes from Dragons sophomore Will Nuss.

It also moves Des Moines suburban schools to 7-2 on the season against schools from the eastern part of the state.

9:31 p.m. Well, I didn't see this one coming, No. 7 Urbandale falls to Waukee

Waukee got a massive win over the No. 7 J-Hawks on Friday night. They dominated from start to finish, getting out to a 30-0 lead before allowing Urbandale to score late in the final frame.

That's Urbandale's third loss on the season and could put them in a tough spot for the playoffs with just one regular season game left to play.

9:30 p.m. No. 2 Dowling gets historic win over No. 9 WDM Valley

The Maroons cruised to an easy 35-3 win over WDM Valley. It marked their fourth-straight win over the Tigers, the longest win streak ever for either team in the battle for West Des Moines in the last 18 years.

9:25 p.m. No. 4 Underwood holds off No. 5 Kuemper Catholic

Kuemper Catholic added a field goal with time dwindling down, but it wasn't enough. They fall 28-20 to Underwood and get their first loss of the season while Underwood remains perfect.

9:20 p.m. Underwood pulling away

No. 4 Underwood is starting to pull away from No. 5 Kuemper Catholic. Alex Ralvin tossed up a prayer from about 27-yards out and Mason Boothby hauls in a nifty grab over his defender in the end zone.

Underwood up 28-17 with about 4 minutes to play.

9:15 p.m. Well, that escalated quickly

About 15 minutes ago No. 4 Southeast Polk was up 21-10 over Ankeny Centennial. Well, now it's 42-10 about halfway through the fourth quarter.

So, you can pretty much put a bow on this one now.

9:10 p.m. Johnston QB Will Nuss is elite tonight

The Johnston sophomore QB is putting on a clinic tonight against No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy. He's up to four touchdown passes tonight, three of which have gone to Jacob Simpson.

This most recent one came from 26-yards out and give the Dragons a 28-7 lead over Kennedy late in the third quarter.

9:05 p.m. Ralvin brothers give Underwood the lead again

Josh Ralvin hauls in his second TD pass from his brother, Alex Ravlin, to give Underwood a 21-17 lead over Kuemper Catholic late in the third quarter.

8:55 Urbandale in dangerous teritory against Waukee

The No. 7 J-Hawks are still getting shutout against Waukee after the Warriors have added a touchdown so far in the third quarter.

Just as I was typing this out, Urbandale tossed an interception to Waukee's Orson Harrop. It's his first pick of the season and he returned it about 30-yards to the end zone for a pick-6.

Warriors up 30-0 over No. 7 Urbandale with under two minutes left in the third quarter.

8:50 p.m. Back and forth in Iowa City

Iowa City West just won't go away. They're down 35-22 to Prairie late in the thriird, but they just found paydirt thanks to a Jack Wallace toss to Christian Janis.

8:45 p.m. No. 4 Southeast Polk extends lead

After it looked like Ankeny Centennial had a chance to take the lead over the No. 4 Rams, Abu Sama did his thing. He found the endzone for the third time tonight to put SEP up 21-10 with just over 5 minutes to play in the third quarter.

8:43 p.m. Underwood miscue opens door for Kuemper Catholic

Kuemper Catholic will have the ball on the 35 yard line about halfway through the third quarter after Jake Irlbeck hopped on top of an Underwood fumble.

They turn that miscue into points thanks to a 32-yard field goal. Kuemper Catholic up 17-14 late in the third quarter.

8:40 p.m. Centennial clawing back against No. 4 Southeast Polk

The Jags aren't going away quiety. Sophomore Chase Kluver found Nick Severson for a big touchdown pass to pull within four from No. 4 Southeast Polk.

The Jags just forced a punt and are set to get the ball back with a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game.

8:35 p.m.Pleasant Valley continuing to assert its will on the opposition

The No. 1 team in the land hasn't been challenegd much at all this season. This week seems like it'll be another easy win for them barring a crazy comeback. They're up 35-0 right now over Dubuque Senior.

8:32 p.m. All tied up for Underwood and Kuemper Catholic

Maddox Nelson pushes thruogh an arm tackle and reaches the ball over the goal line to tie the game for No. 4 Underwood against No. 5 Kuemper Catholic.

Winner of this one wins the Division 8 title in Class 1A. It's still early in the second half, should be a fun finish.

8:30 p.m. Sloppy game for No. 5 Kennedy and Johnston at half

No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy finally got on the board in the second quarter, but they still trail 21-7 at the half to the Dragons.

The only scoring in that frame vame on a 13-yard pass from Vincenzo Gianforte to Jordan Twitty to get Kennedy on the board. There's been five total tunrovers in the game though, three by Kennedy and two by the Dragons.

Gotta clean it up in the final 24 minutes.

8:23 p.m. No. 6 Cedar Falls up on Bettendorf

It's a tight one with the No. 6 team in the state up just 3-0 over Bettendorf early in the second quarter.

8:18 p.m. Cedar Rapids Prairie up big on Iowa City West

No. 8 CR Prairie is up 29-15 over Iowa City West at the break. West was on the comeback trail after falling behind early, but Praire struck again late in the first half on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Cal Sullivan to Makelle Taylor. The two have paired up for every score for Prairie tonight.

8:10 p.m. Dowling running away with it

The No. 2 Maroons are just dominating No. 9 WDM Valley right now. QB Jaxon Smolik found Beau Gamble at about the 22-yard line. The wideout made a man miss and sprinted the rest of the way to the goal line. It's the second TD connection between the pair tonight, that one came from 37 yards out.

Maroons up 28-3 over No. 9 WDM Valley now at the half

8:05 p.m. Waukee shutting out No. 7 Urbandale

The Warriors are up 17-0 at the break over No. 7 Urbandale. They added on to their lead at the last second with a long field goal from 46-yards out by Max Bartachek directly into the wind.

We might have an upset brewing in Waukee.

8:00 p.m. No. 4 Southeast Polk up on Ankeny Centennial at the break

The Rams are up 14-3 over Centennial at halftime thanks to two touchdown runs from RB and Iowa State commit Abu Sama. That kid seems to score nearly every time he touches the ball.

7:55 p.m. Ballard up on Algona at the half

Ballard takes a 21-13 lead into the locker room thanks to two rushing scores from Eli Rouse and one other run from Gabe Christensen.

7:51 p.m. Jaxon Smolik is good at football

The No. 2 Dowling QB just made a really pretty play to put the Maroons up 21-3 over No. 9 WDM Valley. He evaded pressure at the 10-yard line, rolled out to his right, looked like he was about to tuck and run but flicked his wrist at the last second to find a wide-open Beau Gamble in the endzone for both of their first scores of the night.

Penn State's got a good one coming their way.

7:48 p.m. Have a night DJ Vonnahme

After picking off an Underwood pass, DJ Vonnahme e then tossed his second touchdown pass of the night to Chris Mohr.

Gotta love small-class football. These kids do it all. No. 5 Kuemper Catholic up 14-7 on No. 4 Underwood halfway through the second quarter.

7:45 p.m. Johnston dominating No. 5 Kennedy

At the end of the first quarter, the Dragons are up 21-0 over No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Sophomore Will Nuss has tossed three touchdown passes, his most recent to Jacob Simpson, which was his second of the night.

It was a well-palced ball in the front corner of the endzone that only Simpson had a shot at. He battled through tight coverage and hauled it in to extend Johnston's lead over a top-5 opponent.

7:40 p.m. Dowling hits an explosive play to extend lead over Valley

CJ Phillip finds the end zone for the second time tonight for the No. 2 Maroons, though this one was a bit more impressive than the first. He got the ball, followed his blockers to the left, then broke through the line and used his speed to take him 54-yards to paydirt while he hugged the sideline.

Dowling up 14-3 over WDM Valley early in the second quarter.

7:35 p.m. No. 8 Cedar Rapids Prairie running over Iowa City West

Praire is up 15-0 over West early in the second quarter. Casey Kelley found the endzone from 12-yards out. They got a 2-point conversion after that one to extend their lead.

7:33 p.m. WDM Valley shrinks their deficit

Early in the second quarter, the No. 9 Tigers went on a long drive and capped it with a short field goal to get on the board. They still trail No. 2 Dowling 7-3, though

7:28 p.m. Reid Johnson- House call for Ankeny

Reid Johnson, a senior DB for No. 3 Ankeny, picked off an overthrown Waukee Northwest pass and returned it about 43 yards to paydirt for a pick-six. It's his second interception and second pick-six of the season.

Hawks up 14-0 over Northwest early in the second quarter now.

7:25 p.m. Underwood with an immediate response

Underwood is showing why they're the No. 4 team in Class 1A. After going down to No. 5 Kuemper Catholic, they didn't waste any time. QB Alex Ravlin found Josh Ravlin from 80-yards out to strike right back and tie the game up.

All knotted at 7 late in the first.

7:21 p.m. Kuemper Catholic up early in top-5 1A matchup

No. 5 Kuemper Catholic takes an early 7-0 lead over No. 4 Underwood thanks to this pass from Christopher Mohr to DJ Vonnahme. Vonnahme made a guy miss on a crossing route and then it was smooth sailing into the endzone.

7:20 p.m. Johnston coming out hot

Will Nuss, a strong-armed sophomore from Johnston, has already fired two touchdown passes for the Dragons to put them up 14-0 on No. 5 Kennedy.

The passes went to Jacob Simpson and Tatum Fox.

7:15 No. 2 Dowling up early on No. 9 WDM Valley

Dowling takes the early lead thanks to a 7-yard run from CJ Phillip to cap a 12-play drive. He bounced outside and found a hole into the endzone to give the Maroons a 7-0 lead.

A win in this one would make it four in a row for the Maroons over Valley, not counting a COVID forfeit in the state quarterfinals in 2021. That would be the longest win streak for either team over the last 18 years in a series that's spanned 27 meetings in that time.

7:11 p.m. Abu Sama continuing to do Abu Sama things

The Southeast Polk running back found paydirt already for the No. 4 Rams. They're looking to hand Ankeny Centennial their second straight loss.

Rams up 7-0 on Centennial about halfway through the opening quarter.

7:10 p.m. Ankeny strikes first

No. 3 Ankeny grabs an early lead on Waukee Northwest thanks to a Jazan Williams rushing score from about half a yard out. Hawks convert on the PAT and are up 7-0 early on in the first.

7:03 p.m. Points!

We got what I believe are our first points of the night. Levi Daniel ran 60-yards to paydirt to give Iowa City Regina a 6-0 lead over Durant early on in the night.

7:00 p.m. It's time for football, y'all

The first games of the night are getting set to kick off momentarily. Let's have some fun tonight.

6:35 p.m. We got football weather and spectacular views

As a native Floridian, we don't get that stereotypical "football weather" you midwesterners talk about so much. But I have to admit, I'm not sure there's a better atmosphere for football than low-50s/high-40s and sunshine surrounded by the leaves changing colors.

Though once the sun goes down, it could get really chilly out there. Be sure to stay warm so you can focus all your attention where it matters — the field.

If I wasn't here writing this live blog, I'd be out at a game myself just to experience this weather in all its glory.

6:20 p.m. Celebrating seniors around Iowa

It's the final week of the regular season for the smaller classes around the state and the second to last for the state's largest classes. That means a lot of schools are honoring the class of 2023 tonight as some of them wrap up their high school football careers.

Though it's important to remember it's not just celebrating the senior student-athletes. It's also a chance to celebrate the cheerleaders, band members and everybody else who makes high school football the special game it is.

What we're covering in Week 8

Recruiting/high school sports reporter Alyssa Hertel (@AlyssaHertel) is checking out the smaller classes tonight for a battle between top-5 teams in 1A. No. 4 Underwood is taking on No. 5 Kuemper Catholic in a matchup between two undefeated squads with elite offenses and stingy defenses.

Veteran high school reporter Cody Goodwin (@CodyGoodwin) will be at the potential game of the week in 5A as Johnston welcomes No. 5 Cedar Rapids Kennedy to see if an eastern Iowa team can knock off a suburban Des Moines squad. Teams from the right half of Iowa haven't had much luck in doing that in recent years, going a combined 5-22 against Des Moines-area schools in the playoffs since 2010. This year alone, Des Moines-area schools are 6-2 against their foes from the east side of the state, though if any team can do it, Kennedy can.

Joe Randleman (@JoeRandleman) is just north of the metro area to check out Ballard vs. Algona. The Bombers have lost four straight and have just one win this season. They'll be looking to get back on track against an Algona squad that owns a 4-3 record. Raven Moore (@Raven_xreport) is in Iowa City checking out No. 8 Cedar Rapids Prairie vs. Iowa City West. The Hawks just saw their five-game winning streak snapped at the hands of No. 4 Southeast Polk a week ago, so they'll be out for blood against a 4-3 West squad. Finally, Matt Levins will be near the Illinois border to watch West Burlington-Notre Dame (1-6) take on Keokuk (2-5).In addition to the reporters out and about tonight, we'll also have staff photographers capturing the best images from the action all across the state and posting galleries at DesMoinesRegister.com throughout the night. As for me, I'll be mining information from our reporters out in the field and from social media to bring you everything you need to know, right here in this live blog.

Get set for Week 8

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football highlights and analysis from Week 8