Iowa & Nebraska: Class A championship might be another Millard matchup

To the surprise of virtually no one, another all-Millard state championship game is looking like a real possibility. Top-ranked Millard South has blown out nearly every opponent this season, and defending champion Millard West (9-2) is now hitting its stride, winning eight in a row after a 1-2 start.

The Wildcats, who beat Millard South in last season’s final, dominated Bellevue West (62-23) and Norfolk (35-0) in their first two playoff games. Vincenzo Guido and Darius Evans rushed for over 100 yards in both games.

Bronson Marsh, Millard South

File photo by Jeremy Alm

Millard South senior quarterback Bronson Marsh threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in a 55-34 quarterfinals defeat of Papillion-LaVista. Junior Quentin Urban returned a first-quarter interception 27 yards for the Patriots’ seventh non-offensive touchdown in the last nine games.

Millard West will play No. 7 seed Lincoln Southwest in Saturday’s semifinals. The teams did not meet during the regular season. Meanwhile, Millard South has a rematch with fourth-seeded Elkhorn, which gave the Patriots easily their toughest game of the regular season, losing 47-41 in Week 4.

A team from the Millard School District – located in the southwest suburbs of Omaha – has reached the Class A championship game nine of the last 11 years and won the title four times since 2001.

Undefeated Chadron, the top seed in the Class C1 upper bracket, is still alive but it hasn’t been easy. The Cardinals needed four overtimes to beat ninth-seeded St. Paul (6-4), 21-14, in a second-round game. The Wildcats let several opportunities to upset Chadron slip, including a failed 17-yard field goal attempt that would have ended the game after the second extra period. Chadron, which defeated No. 16 seed Boone Central by only 13 points in the opening round, must crank it up another notch in order to survive a meeting with undefeated No. 4 seed Broken Bow in Tuesday’s quarterfinals . . .

After two rounds of playoff football were complete, only one of the state’s 10 No. 1-seeds had been eliminated. Elm Creek, which sat atop the Class C2 upper bracket, was upset in the second round by eighth seeded Creighton, 14-8. Elm Creek’s demise was caused by missed chances in the red zone. The Buffaloes failed to convert eight plays from inside the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line in the second half. Creighton advanced to play fifth-seeded Hartington Cedar Catholic in Tuesday’s quarterfinals . . .

Class D1 lower bracket top seed Giltner went down to the wire to defeat ninth-seeded Axtell, 30-29, in second-round action. The Hornets stopped a two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute to play to preserve the victory. Senior quarterback Nate Most, who is the only Nebraska quarterback in any class with 7,000 career passing yards, was held under 200 yards for the game. On Tuesday, Giltner will take on fourth-seeded Overton in quarterfinal action.

Back in early October, you might not have given Pella much of a chance to still be playing into mid-November. The Little Dutch started the season 3-3 but since have reeled off six consecutive wins – including three state playoff victories against teams with a cumulative win-loss record of 28-2.

Pella punched its ticket to the 3A semifinals by defeating previously unbeaten Centerville, 24-20. The Big Reds’ Tanner Susin – the state’s second leading rusher – ran for 277 yards and three scores in the losing effort.

Not to be outdone, New Hampton has won nine consecutive games after an 0-2 start and is the Little Dutch’s semifinal-round opponent Monday evening at the UNI-Dome.

Meanwhile, 3A favorite Harlan cleared a major hurdle standing in the way between it and a record 12th state championship when it knocked off defending champ Bishop Heelan, 21-14, in the quarterfinals. But the heavy lifting isn’t over for the Cyclones, who play No. 2 Carroll Monday afternoon at the UNI-Dome.

Be prepared for a shootout with two of state’s top passers squaring off. Harlan’s Michael Kauffman has thrown for 1,750 yards and 16 touchdowns while Carroll’s Blake Haluska has burned foes for 2,156 yards and 25 touchdowns. Haluska also has run for 676 yards and 10 more scores.

When it mattered most, Madrid’s domineering rushing attack was too much for Avoca-AHST. The Tigers avenged their only loss of the season, rolling to a 42-15 blowout and earned their third consecutive trip to the Class A semifinals. Senior running back Louie Wickett, who ran for 324 yards in a 42-41 Week 6 loss to the Vikings, had 114 yards in the playoff win, while junior Timon Bell added 269 yards on 35 carries. The Tigers threw the ball just once and have attempted only 41 passes in 12 games this season. Next up for Madrid is Southern Cal (11-1) Friday afternoon at the UNI-Dome . . .

The season’s two most dominant 2A teams will meet in a Monday morning battle at the UNI-Dome. Top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Solon (12-0) will look to extend its winning streak to 40 games against No. 2 North Fayette. The Spartans have barely broken a sweat against any opponent this season, winning by an average margin of 48-7. North Fayette has outscored its competition by an average of 46-13. The game will feature two of the state’s top running threats in Solon’s James Morris (1,817 yards), an Iowa recruit, and North Fayette’s Tanner Mork (1,787 yards).

There are plenty of familiar names in all four brackets of the state volleyball tournament, which begins Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

The team to beat in Class 4A is Ankeny. The top-ranked Hawks are aiming for their fourth state title in six years. Top-ranked Bishop Heelan and Wahlert each have won two state titles since ’04 and are in the eight-team 3A bracket. Defending champion Marion is also a team to watch. In 2A, second-ranked Western Christian is eyeing its fifth state title in six years. Tripoli, a state champion three of the last five years, finished the season ranked No. 1 in Class 1A. Saturday’s final matches will be televised live by Mediacom.

Only half of last season’s champions will be on hand to defend their titles when the state volleyball tournament gets underway Thursday at the University of Nebraska Coliseum.

Two-time defending champion Papillion-LaVista is seeded sixth in the eight-team Class A bracket. Lincoln Pius X, which has won three consecutive titles, is the No. 4 seed in Class B. In C1, defending champion Columbus Scotus checks in as the No. 2 seed. However, none of the defending champions in Classes C2, D1 or D2 will be in Lincoln for a title defense. NET Television will provide live coverage of Saturday’s championship matches.

Emma Sougstad led Mason City to the state girls swimming and diving team championship, its first since 1989. Only a ninth-grader, Sougstad outstroked defending champion Caitlin Campbell to win in the 100-yard butterfly and also swam a leg on the Mohawks’ championship 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay teams. West Des Moines Valley finished sixth, ending a run of four consecutive state titles. The Tigers had one individual champion, Imelda Wistey, who won the 100-yard breaststroke in a record time of 1:03.75.

Highly touted Ames forward Harrison Barnes said he will announce his college choice at a school press conference this Friday. Barnes, the fourth-rated senior in the nation by MaxPreps, has it narrowed down to six favorites: Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and UCLA. . . . According to the Des Moines Register, Johnston junior middle hitter Tory Knuth has decided to follow family tradition and play volleyball at Iowa State. Knuth’s sister Taylor is a freshman on the Cyclones’ nationally ranked squad and their father, Jim, played football at ISU from 1979-82.