Here are 10 Iowa high school football quarterfinal games to watch and predictions
There are only a few more weeks left of the Iowa high school football season, and it’s time for the quarterfinals across all classes.
After an exciting night of matchups in the Round of 16, there are only 56 total programs remaining in the playoffs. Those teams will compete on Nov. 3 for a spot in the semifinals, hosted at the UNI-Dome.
We’re back with another round of predictions this week. Throughout the season, we’ve made educated guesses about the results of some high school games. We’re sticking to mostly central Iowa and Class 5A games but will throw in picks that draw statewide interest, as well.
More: Iowa high school football playoff quarterfinals schedule, kickoff times across the state
Through the regular season, we went 69-30 in our predictions. Ahead of the first week of playoffs, we picked 10 games and went 6-4. That’s a 75-34 overall record.
Here are 10 more predictions for the quarterfinals. We will have predictions for all semifinal and championship games in the weeks to come as well.
Let’s see how we do with our playoff picks.
Ankeny Centennial at Bettendorf
Centennial’s defense struggled when it played another run-heavy opponent (Dowling) earlier this season. Bettendorf will rely on the legs of Gavin Barta and Jacob Whipple, as well as quarterback Charlie Zimmerman, which may pose a challenge for the Jaguars. Bettendorf, 21-14
Ankeny at Dowling Catholic
When these teams met in the regular season, Dowling handed Ankeny a 35-14 loss. This matchup will be another tough test for Ankeny. The Hawks’ defense has been something special in the last few weeks, and Ankeny will need a strong performance from that unit to get past the Maroons. Dowling, 30-17
Cedar Falls at Southeast Polk
The Tigers have some pieces (Drake Gelhaus on offense, Drew Gerdes on defense) who could make this an interesting game. But Southeast Polk is sound in almost every facet of the game, and the Rams seem to get better as the season goes on. Southeast Polk, 38-21
More: Round of 16 of Iowa high school football playoffs is in the books. 10 things we learned.
Valley at Waukee
What’s worked for Valley in its four-game winning streak to make the quarterfinals? Drake DeGroote has settled into his role as quarterback, Damon Head is consistent in running the ball and Jayden Brown has emerged as a reliable target. Add in growth from the defense and the Tigers have a good chance in this one. Valley, 24-21
Xavier at North Polk
Make no mistake, Xavier is a tough team with Ronan Thomas at quarterback and Noah Schimberg at running back. But North Polk — particularly its defense — is intriguing and seems poised to extend its winning streak. North Polk, 35-28
ADM at Lewis Central
The Titans won the regular season battle, but that was also the game in which Brevin Doll was injured and threw a wrench into ADM's game plan. This could be a statement game for ADM, which hasn’t beaten Lewis Central since 2012, but things are looking up for the Tigers since Aiden Flora returned from an injury of his own. ADM, 34-31
More: One sentence on every Round-of-16 playoff game for Iowa high school football
Bondurant-Farrar at Glenwood
The Bluejays have dealt with injury after injury and still showed that they can win games without their top players. It will be tough for Bondurant-Farrar to get past Glenwood, though, if guys like Titus Cram and Reed Pfaltzgraff aren’t on the field. Bondurant-Farrar, 28-24
West Delaware at Solon
The Hawks have something special in dual-threat quarterback Brent Yonkovic. This could be a rough game for him, going against a team that loves to go after the quarterback. Solon, 42-20
Regina Catholic at MFL MarMac
A star quarterback in Gentry Dumont versus the stellar defense of Kade McElwaine? Sign us up. Regina should hang in there with MFL MarMac, but the edge goes to the Bulldogs in this matchup. MFL MarMac, 24-17
Mount Vernon at Williamsburg
These two teams have one thing in common: Their only loss on the season came against Solon. Mount Vernon’s Joey Rhomberg and Jackson Jaspers are fun to watch on both sides of the ball. But Kellen Cockrell has stepped up big time and Williamsburg’s defense has some of the best tacklers in the state. Williamsburg, 24-17
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football quarterfinal predictions and games to watch
