Alburnett earns home game to open high school football postseason

Alburnett football has aspired to finish its season in the UNI-Dome.

The Pirates will start that trek at home. They will open the Class 2A playoffs in the friendly confines of Jim Carver Field at Martin Sports Complex for the first time in three seasons.

“This was a goal all season to host a first-round game,” Pirates Coach Nick Wooldrik said. “The kids have worked hard all season and that worked paid off. We’re excited to bring a game to Alburnett this week.”

Iowa High School Athletic Association released first-round postseason pairings for 2A, 1A, A and 8-Player divisions Saturday morning. The fields for 5A through 3A will be determined after Week 9 play.

Alburnett closed the regular season with a 33-14 victory over Anamosa Friday night, finishing 6-2 overall and runner-up in 2A District 5. The Pirates will face Crestwood (4-4) next Friday.

“We really haven’t seen much on Crestwood but it’s always fun to prepare for a team that you don’t know much about,” Wooldrik said. “They have had a good tradition of football so we’re going to have to be ready for a battle.”

The Pirates thrive on physical and tough play. They amassed 283 rushing yards against the Blue Raiders, including 268 and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Laken Caves. He added 16 yards and a score receiving.

Caves has accounted for 1,374 of Alburnett’s 1,735 yards on the ground.

“Our run game has really been our bread and butter this year,” Wooldrik said. “We have a great running back and offensive line. We lean on them when we need a play.”

Alburnett is joined in the playoffs by district foes West Branch (6-2), Bellevue (7-1) and Anamosa (3-5). The Pirates tied with West Branch and Bellevue atop the district with the Bears winning the tiebreaker after Friday’s 43-20 victory over the Comets. West Branch will host Denver (4-4), while Bellevue and Anamosa hit the road. The Comets head to Waukon (5-3), while the Blue Raiders play at Roland-Story (6-2).

The competitive district has the Pirates tested and ready for the playoffs.

“We’ve played close games all year against some really good teams,” Wooldrik said. “I believe that has prepared us for every situation we will see. We will have to adjust on the fly at times but we are a veteran group and can adapt.”

In Class A, North Linn closed the regular season with a 7-1 mark and was runner-up in District 4. The Lynx will host Columbus Community (3-5) at Troy Mills. North Linn beat Columbus at home, 54-7, on Sept. 19.

“We’ll take a look at what worked well last time we played and form the game plan around that,” North Linn Coach Jared Collum said. “This late in the season there’s not a whole lot of new install. Obviously, both teams are familiar with each other.”

The Lynx won their first seven games of the season but lost to Wapsie Valley, 42-0, Friday night in a battle of ranked teams. They will focus on fixing mistakes and execute better in the postseason.

“Despite the loss last night, we still have a pretty good resume,” Collum said. “We’ve played good football the majority of the season.”

Iowa City Regina, Dyersville Beckman, Cascade and Sigourney-Keota will each host a first-round game in 1A. The Regals (8-0) capped a perfect regular season with a 42-0 win over Louisa-Muscatine. They host Northeast (3-5).

Beckman (7-1) will host Jesup (2-6). Union Community heads to Cascade for a matchup of 6-2 teams. Sigourney-Keota (4-4) welcomes Truro I-35 (5-3).

Springville started the 8-Player season with four straight losses. The Orioles have turned their fortune around, winning four in a row and earning a playoff berth. Springville (4-4) will travel to Turkey Valley (5-3) for the first round.

Iowa Valley and Edgewood-Colesburg were unblemished through Week 8 and both host postseason openers. Iowa Valley (8-0) hosts wildcard Moravia (5-3), while Ed-Co (8-0) welcomes WACO (3-5). Montezuma (6-2) will start the playoffs at home against East Union (6-2).

LINN-MAR WINS 4TH STRAIGHT

Linn-Mar started the season 0-4 but has strung together four straight victories, including a marquee win this season. The Lions scored all their points in the second half and knocked off 5A Cedar Falls, 21-13, Friday night at Linn-Mar Stadium.

"Our guys love each other and whatever happens, we want to stay together and enjoy this experience as long as we possibly can,” First-year Linn-Mar Coach Duane Orr told The Gazette after the win. “I promise, as long as they keep letting us play, you are going to see an effort like you saw tonight. That is just the way these kids are wired, the way they are coached. I just love coaching this team.”

Linn-Mar trailed 10-0 at halftime. Quarterback Derek Roling hit Chase Bradley for a 49-yard scoring strike in the third and added a 1-yard QB sneak in the fourth, giving the Lions a lead they didn’t surrender.

"He's such a gutsy and poised kid,” Orr said of Roling. “I can't tell you how incredible it is for a sophomore to be thrown in like he has. His first start was (in Week 3) against Liberty. Since his very first game, he has maintained poise. He's been a terrific manager of our offense and he very rarely makes a mistake.

“He does great things with his legs and the throwing game is really coming. He's finding guys in key places, getting the ball to receivers in space and letting them make plays.”

The Lions (4-4) remain in the postseason hunt with a Week 9 game at No. 7 Iowa City West, who lost to Prairie, 45-31, at John Wall Field. In addition to Linn-Mar and Prairie, Waukee pulled off an upset in 5A, blocking a late field goal and handing No. 1 Waukee Northwest its first loss, 31-28.

The focus isn’t on a playoff berth but on the consistent progress that has fueled the strong turnaround this season.

"I'm being completely honest, the entire emphasis all year long, and you can ask any of the guys, has been getting better each week,” Orr said. “We got to get better next week. They have bought into that and I just haven't let them think about anything other than that. I've got the right coaches around me to help reinforce that every day in practice.”

WEST DELAWARE, CLEAR LAKE ON COLLISION COURSE

The winner-take-all battle is set when No. 4 West Delaware plays at No. 1 Clear Lake for the 3A District 2 title in Week 9. The Hawks walloped Benton Community, 42-20, Friday. The Lions blanked Charles City, 63-0. Both teams are 8-0 and 4-0 in the district.

UNION COMMUNITY EARNS 6TH VICTORY

Union Community closed the regular season with a 36-12 victory over Sumner-Fredericksburg Friday night at home. The Knights improved to 6-2 overall, tallying the most wins in seven seasons. Union was 6-4 in 2018.

Caden Sorensen paced the Knights with 192 total yards, passing for 100 and rushing for 92. He ran for three TDs and passed for two more, hitting Cooper Spore and Jase Loveless for scores.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com