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Game Plan for Friday Night’s 4A Quarterfinal Games

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Valley_Tigers_logo Waukee_Warriors_logo dsm-dowling-ia Ankeny_logo

 

 

 

 

Tonight, we’re going to take a slightly different pass route for the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

CISN will have the night off…but that doesn’t mean you will miss any football here on the site.

Our partners at High School Cube will be carrying the Valley vs Waukee quarterfinal game, and we’re happy to let you know that carry the audio broadcast of the Ankeny vs Dowling Catholic game as well, courtesy of Iowa Catholic Radio. You can go to our “Home” page and to access the audio links for both contests tonight.

The Des Moines Register’s Chris Cuellar and Andy Hamilton has the breakdown on what to expect from both games, as well as the other quarterfinal games between Iowa City West vs. Cedar Rapids Washington and North Scott vs. Bettendorf.

Both games will kickoff at 7pm, and you can hear both games here on Central Iowa Sports Network.

 

Tigers Slay The Dragons in Second Round Play, 35-7

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Throughout the season, Rocky Lombardi and Dominique Dafney have made big plays in big games. Tonight, the duo connected on two plays before halftime that provided the spark West Des Moines Valley needed as they defeated Johnston, 35-7, in a Class 4A second-round playoff game at Valley Stadium.

A week after a pedestrian performance by Lombardi and Dafney against Des Moines East, both players got back on track when they were needed. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Lombardi (10-17, 153 yards, 2 TDs) orchestrated a 16-play drive over 87 yards, punctuated by Lombardi’s 1-yard quarterback sneak for a 7-0 lead with 10:19 left in the second quarter. That drive had Drew Gray written all over it. Gray racked up nearly 65 yards rushing on 12 of those plays.

Johnston’s defense was up to the task in the first half, forcing Valley to punt three times, despite Gray gaining 169 yards rushing. The Dragons’ offense punted on 4th down with about 2:00 left before halftime, setting up the key drive of the game. Lombardi ran on consecutive plays for nine and three yards respectively, and on the third play of the drive, he finds Dominique Dafney (4 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD) streaking down the middle of the field and completes a 42-yard pass to the Johnston 8 yard line. On the ensuing play, Lombardi hooks up with Dafney again on a corner route to give Valley a 14-0 lead with three seconds left before halftime.

The scoring drive swung the momentum in Valley’s favor as the second half began. Gray (24 carries, 169 yards, 1 TD) continued his assault on the Dragons with the ground game. Johnston went for it on fourth down at their own 28, and running back T-Boy White was stuffed by Dan McCoy and the Tigers defensive line. A penalty on Johnston after the play, gave Valley the ball on the Dragons’ 14 and Lombardi made the most of the opportunity, completing a 14 yard pass to Austin Hronich to push the Tigers’ lead to 21-0 at the 2:08 mark of the third quarter.

Johnston went three and out to start the fourth quarter and Valley struck again, this time a 29-yard sweep play by Blake Salsbury made it 28-0.

The Dragons, who were able to gain yardage against Valley sporadically throughout the contest, got on the scoreboard with 4:00 left in the game when wide receiver Jared Seay took a reverse play to the Johnston sideline, reversed course, went back towards the Valley sideline and followed a convoy of blockers into the end zone for a 42 yard touchdown.

That fleeting moment would be short-lived for Johnston. Valley took the kickoff return and started their next drive past midfield in the Dragons’ territory and Drew Gray put the exclamation point on the Tigers’ win by slipping past defenders and exploding down the field for a 43-yard score.

Valley garnered 440 total yards, 287 of it rushing behind Gray, Javon Mason, and Lombardi. Reid Sinnett completed 12 of 26 passes for 118 yards for Johnston, while T-Boy White rushed for 13 times for 44 yards. The receiving tandem of Andrew Heuss, Jared Seay, Mark Johnson, and Regen Siems combined 9 receptions for 94 yards.

johnston ends their season with a 7-4 record. Valley advances to the quarterfinal round with a 10-1 record and a date with Waukee on Friday evening at 7:00 pm.

Dragons Look to Shut Tigers’ Offense Down

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Johnston_logo Valley_Tigers_logoMonday nights are usually reserved for the pros. But in Iowa, the first Monday in November belongs to the preps. And just like in the professional ranks, the atypical evening throws off routines. This includes short turnarounds from the first playoff round and the quick study of your next foe.

Scouting your next opponent was never considered to be exact science. “Win and move on” is the motto most teams use when it comes to the playoffs. The Johnston Dragons and the Valley Tigers are no strangers to the playoffs: learn as much about your next opponent, put on the shoulder pads, and take the field.

The Tigers and the Dragons will meet for a second-round playoff affair Monday night at Valley Stadium. Listen to the game on www.CentralIowaSportsNetwork.com beginning at 650p Monday night.

In the first round, Valley handled Des Moines East 56-7, as running backs Javon Mason and Drew Gray rushed for a combined 217 yards as the Tigers racked up 491 total yards against a Scarlets’ defense that led Class 4A in takeaways. The defense stymied East’s running game and forced the Scarlets to pass.

Johnston scored the mild surprise of the first round, easily dispatching Ankeny Centennial, 34-6. The Dragons defense, led by Hezekiah Applegate, shut down the Centennial running game to under 150 yards, as Dragons’ running back T-Boy White scored three touchdowns and quarterback Reid Sinnett went 15-25 for 252 yards.

Courtesy: Holly McQueen (Des Moines Register)

Courtesy: Holly McQueen (Des Moines Register)

Will Johnston and Valley end up in an offensive shootout, or will it be a defensive battle in the trenches?

Who: Johnston (7-3) at WDM Valley (9-1)

Where: Valley Stadium, West Des Moines, Iowa

When: Monday, November 3rd, 7:00pm kickoff

The Facts: In first round play, Johnston eliminated Ankeny Centennial, 34-6. Valley posted a 56-7 win over DM East. The last time the Dragons and the Tigers met was a second-round playoff game 2012, Valley winning the game 42-17.

Things to watch:

  • Johnston leads the remaining playoff teams in passing. Will Ed Wilson’s rainy forecast put out the Dragon’s fire?
  • The Tiger’s leading receiver was held to one catch by East. Can Dom Dafney be contained again?
  • How will Valley tackle the tough T-Boy White?
  • Can Johnston get a program signature playoff win?

Johnston – Projected Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Reid Sinnett; TB T-Boy White; WR Andrew Heuss, Zach Seay, and Mark Johnson, TE/FL Regen Siems; C Logan Beguhn, G Dane Beery and Alex Beltrame, T Alex Wary and Tom Dusen.

Defensive starters – S Nolan Monte Monthei, FS Drew Singbush, Rover Nolan Wengert, CB Jonathan May and Jack Bergstrom, LB Karl Rasmussen, Jackson Clausen and Eric Siedenburg; DE Regen Siems and Hezekiah Applegate , dT Troy Tigges , NG Boris Petrusic

Special Teams – P/K Tom Zinselmeier, KR Jack Bergstrom and Mark Johnson, PR Jack Bergstrom

Courtesy: Andrea Melendez (Des Moines Register)

Courtesy: Andrea Melendez (Des Moines Register)

Valley – Project Starting Lineups

Offensive starters – QB Rocky Lombardi, RB Drew Gray and Blake Salsbury, WR Dominique Dafney and Austin Hronich, TE John Gliniecki, T Cody Genzen and Sam Rogers, G John Rairdon and Zachary Matt, C Brady Smith

Defensive starters – NG Trey Walsh, DT Dan McCoy and Zach Downs, DE Austin Turner, CB Matt Vertin and Turner Scott, LB Nick Yencer, Mason Berg and Ben Campos, S Gabe Honnold and Keller Prien

Special Teams – P Zach Downs, K Cole Hahn, KR Javon Mason

The pregame show on the Central Iowa Sports Network (centraliowasportsnetwork.com) will start at 6:50 pm, kickoff at 7 pm.

The game will be live streamed audio only.

Join Paul Yeager, Dar Danielson, and Keith Borness for the play-by-play, with Jim Kirby on the field with the Scheels sideline report.

Follow us on Twitter @CISportsNet throughout the game for updates.

 

Big Plays Propel Valley to Second Round With 56-7 Win Over D.M. East

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The mantra “always be prepared” is a tried and true statement. Javon Mason took those words to heart. When his name was called, he didn’t disappoint as he rushed for 117 yards as the Valley Tigers easily dispatched an undersized Des Moines East Scarlets team, 56-7, in a Class 4A first round game at Valley Stadium.

Tigers scored by land and by air, literally, and Mason landed the knockout punch when he out-rushed the Scarlets’ defense for a 78 yard touchdown run as the third quarter ended. Mason has become into a reliable go-to guy when he fills in for starting running back Drew Gray. The Tigers’ offense netted 491 total yards and converted on five of eight third downs on an East defense that led Class 4A in takeaways.

Drew Gray scored two of his three touchdowns on the first two Valley drives, one from 10 yards and the second from 6. Gray did much of his work in the first half, carrying the ball 10 times for 90 yards and tacked on a third touchdown in the second quarter. Blake Salsbury’s 4 yard run into the endzone bumped the Valley lead to 21-0 before the end of the first quarter.

It was an unusually quiet night for Tigers’ quarterback Rocky Lombardi and wide receiver Dominique Dafney (1 reception, 19 yards). Lombardi completed 6 of 11 passes for 183 yards and two scores. The first came with 4:17 left in the first half on a 21-yard swing pass to Drew Gray, and the second one with 55 seconds before the break when he found Austin Hinkle streaking towads the endzone and hit him for a 49-yard strike. The Hinkle score sent Valley into the locker room with a 42-0 lead at the break.

East got on the scoreboard with 1:28 left in the third quarter on a seven yard touchdown run by quarterback Chino Alcala, who led the Scarlets in passing (12-22, 130 yards, 2 interceptions), and rushing (15 carries, 36 yards). That score was sandwiched between two more Dowling touchdowns. Backup quarterback Will Loundsbury connected with Peter Lewis for an 11-yard score and the aforementioned long scoring run by Mason.

Juleo Harris hauled in 4 catches for 40 yards for East as they concluded their season at 4-5.

Valley (9-1) advances to the second round on Monday, November 3rd, as they will host the Johnston Dragons. The Dragons (7-3) stunned Ankeny Centennial (7-3), 34-6, at Ankeny Stadium in a first-round game.

2014 Playoff Pairings Are Set For Class 4A

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The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released the playoff pairings for all six classes in prep football early Saturday morning.

The list of games can be found here: 2014 Post-Season Schedule.

Central Iowa Sports Network will bring you the Des Moines East (4-4) vs. West Des Moines Valley (8-1) 1st round game from Valley Stadium on Wednesday. We will go on live at 6:50 pm CDT, with Paul Yeager, Dar Danielsen, Keith Borness, and Jim Kirby on the broadcast team.

Please note that all of the playoff coverage from here on out will be audio only. No live video streams, as stipulated by the IAHSAA, in accordance to their playoff rules and regulations.

Here are the other games in Central Iowa, with respects to Class 4A, of interest:

Ames @ Urbandale

Des Moines Lincoln @ Ankeny at 5:30 – Ankeny Stadium

Johnston @ Ankeny Centennial at 8:00 – Ankeny Stadium

Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln @ Lewis Central

Indianola @ WDM Dowling Catholic – Williams Stadium

Fort Dodge @ Southeast Polk

Sioux City East @ Waukee