CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Championship Rewind presents game coverage of each final at the 2024 IHSAA State Football Playoffs presented by Iowa Farm Bureau. Championships at the UNI-Dome run on Thursday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 22.
Thursday’s finals are in: Eight-Player (9:30 a.m.), Class A (1 p.m.), Class 1A (4 p.m.), and Class 4A (7 p.m.).
Full event details are available through the IHSAA’s State Playoff Central. Video coverage is provided via television and free stream by the Iowa High School Sports Network.
Coverage staff: Shae Bernhardt, Colby Burt, Dylan Coldsmith, Zander White, Dante Zuniga.
CLASS 4A
North Polk 24, Pella 14
Top-ranked North Polk claimed its first state title in the final game of Thursday’s UNI-Dome action, with a 24-14 Class 4A final win over Pella.
“Winning the state championship is incredible,” said North Polk running back B.J. Tate Jr. “We’re going to celebrate, get a good night’s sleep, and live in the moment.”
North Polk opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 15-play, 98-yard drive that consumed over eight minutes and set their intention for the final. The Comets finished the first half with 32 passing yards, 145 rushing yards, and a 14-0 lead. Even as Pella (11-2) pushed with big plays after halftime, the lead held.
“This isn’t the way we wanted to go out,” said Pella head coach Jay McKinstrey. “This isn’t the way we wanted to go out, but I’m glad we made it this far.”
Tate and North Polk quarterback Nathan Feldmann led a two-headed run game that finished with over 300 yards on the ground. Feldman’s 21 carries for 117 yards went for three touchdowns, while Tate totaled 152 on the ground as North Polk held the ball for more than two-thirds of the final.
GAME SUMMARY
| PELLA | NP | |
| First Downs | 8 | 22 |
| Rush Att. | 19 | 56 |
| Rush Yards | 67 | 311 |
| Pass C-A-I | 10-18-1 | 3-4-1 |
| Pass Yards | 132 | 32 |
| Total Yards | 199 | 343 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 3-8 | 6-10 |
| 4th Down Conv. | 0-3 | 2-2 |
| TOP | 15:39 | 32:21 |
“To overcome adversity in the way we did is incredible,” Feldmann said. “I knew that I was going to play yesterday after coming back from the flu, and I got ready to fight. Overcoming illness shows a lot about this team, and who we are as a group.”
Pella’s scores came on an 89-yard touchdown strike from Colin Kerndt to Harrison Mullens, and a surprising 39-yard pick-six by Bailey Shetterly that cut the Comet (13-0) lead to seven points entering the fourth.
A field goal by North Polk’s Liam Triplett extended the lead 24-14 and the Comets held on until the final whistle.
“Our guys played a heck of a game,” said North Polk head coach Tim TeBrink. “They didn’t have a full team practice until last night, and to accomplish what they accomplished is incredible.”
CLASS 1A
Grundy Center 28, Dike-New Hartford 7
Grundy Center (13-0) claimed its third straight state title with a 28-7 win over Dike-New Hartford (11-2) in the IHSAA Class 1A State Football Finals on Thursday.
The dominant defensive effort earned the Spartans their sixth title in program history and extended their current win streak to 39 consecutive games, the fifth-longest in 11-Player football over the last fifty years.
Dike-New Hartford collected its sixth runner-up state finish as a program.
“We’ve strung this thing out as long as we could,” said Dike-New Hartford head coach Don Betts. “We’ve had fun, built a family, and it’s tough to see it end. We got everything out of it that we possibly could.”
Grundy Center set the tempo early in the Grundy County matchup, as they claimed their second win over the Wolverines this season, following their Week 1 matchup.
GAME SUMMARY
| DNH | GC | |
| First Downs | 14 | 15 |
| Rush Att. | 24 | 39 |
| Rush Yards | 35 | 183 |
| Pass C-A-I | 15-30-1 | 8-14-0 |
| Pass Yards | 222 | 92 |
| Total Yards | 257 | 275 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 4-11 | 4-10 |
| 4th Down Conv. | 0-2 | 2-3 |
| TOP | 21:27 | 26:33 |
The Spartans scored the first points of the game on a quarterback keeper by Judd Jirovsky. Jirovsky was essential to the team’s success, finishing 8-14 for 92 yards passing and 121 yards rushing, while contributing defensively with a timely interception in the first quarter.
“Sometimes the field just opens up,” Jirovsky said. “I pride myself in my ability to make plays and the familiarity with my guys, and from there it’s just about getting yards and going to work. Although it was easy throughout the season, we knew that it was going to come down to this.”
Dike-New Hartford trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, a deficit they would be unable to come back from. A late touchdown from Noah Borcherding would put Dike-New Hartford on the board, ensuring that Grundy Center did not receive their third straight state championship shutout.
CLASS A
Tri-Center 14, West Hancock 10
Tri-Center of Neola (12-1) claimed its first state title in program history in Class A of the IHSAA State Football Finals on Thursday with a win over defending champion West Hancock (12-1).
“I can’t even put it into words,” Tri-Center head coach Ryan Schroder said. “This is a dream come true. It was a hard-fought ballgame, and the way these guys stuck to it was incredible. It’s what this team has been about all season.”
Scoring was opened by Tri-Center on a touchdown pass from AJ Harder to Carter Kunze. A second touchdown on a short Kunze rush extended the Trojans’ lead to 14-7.
Defensive stands were the theme of the title game. The second half featured just four possessions for each squad, and Tri-Center forced West Hancock to turn the ball over on downs three times in the game, including on the final drive.
“This was the most physical game I’ve ever been a part of,” Kunze said. “I knew it was going to be physical, but we prepared both physically and mentally.”
GAME SUMMARY
| TC | WH | |
| First Downs | 20 | 12 |
| Rush Att. | 40 | 35 |
| Rush Yards | 153 | 207 |
| Pass C-A-I | 17-24-0 | 3-10-0 |
| Pass Yards | 207 | 33 |
| Total Yards | 360 | 240 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 7 of 12 | 4 of 10 |
| 4th Down Conv. | 1 of 3 | 0 of 3 |
| TOP | 27:34 | 20:26 |
In its traditional style, West Hancock kept its game on the ground and finished with 207 yards rushing on 35 carries. Zephyr Jamtgaard recorded 33 passing yards for the Eagles on three completions. West Hancock did not attempt a single pass in the semifinal, rushing for 450 yards against Madrid.
The lone second half score was a West Hancock field goal from Zach Beukema after a 55-yard drive to make it 14-10. The top-ranked Eagles managed just 25 yards after that.
Tri-Center managed to keep an advantage in the time of possession, rushing 36 times for 168 with Kunze and getting over 200 yards passing from sophomore quarterback AJ Harder.
Tri-Center had won only two boys’ team state championships prior to Thursday: track & field in 2001, and baseball in 1984.
“(Coach) Schroder is an inspiration to all of us,” said Tri Center’s Carter Kunze. “He pushes us day-in and day-out to perform, and the results speak for themselves.”
EIGHT-PLAYER
St. Mary’s, Remsen 51, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 12
Remsen St. Mary’s opened the 2024 IHSAA State Football Finals on Thursday morning with an Eight-Player win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 51-12, claiming the program’s third title in the last five seasons.
St. Mary’s (13-0) controlled the first half outscoring the Rebels (11-2), 29-6. Wide receiver Keaton Harpenau hauled in two touchdowns, complimented by some trickery and early rushing success for quarterback Landon Waldschmitt.
“My line up front worked their butts off,” Waldschmitt said. “We fell short last year, and losing this season wasn’t an option. This was our last game playing together, and we wanted to leave with a bang.”
Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s only first-half score came on a run by quarterback Drew Eilers with 3:03 left in the second quarter.
The second half fared the same as the first. Eilers ran a quarterback keeper in for the Rebels, briefly cutting the deficit to 17. A score by Harpenau on the next series extended the lead for St. Mary’s and the fourth-ranked Hawks never looked back, working up to a continuous clock.
GAME SUMMARY
| GR | RSM | |
| First Downs | 10 | 22 |
| Rush Att. | 30 | 48 |
| Rush Yards | 135 | 243 |
| Pass C-A-I | 12-23 | 10-15 |
| Pass Yards | 118 | 156 |
| Total Yards | 253 | 399 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 4-13 | 9-12 |
| 4th Down Conv. | 3-5 | 1-1 |
| TOP | 22:15 | 25:45 |
Eilers’ two touchdown runs came from 25 yards and 14. A failed two-point conversion and a blocked extra point halted further points for the Rebels, who struggled to recapture their passing success from the semifinals. .
“We’ve been a good defense for a number of years,” St. Mary’s head coach Tim Osterman said. “It helps to have genetically large people, but the focus is on taking away our opponent’s strengths.”
The win was the fourth title for St. Mary’s football and is another notch in the last decade for the small northwest Iowa power, which includes consistent state tournament success in baseball and basketball.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck was making its Eight-Player title game debut, with its last UNI-Dome championship appearance coming in back-to-back titles in Class A.
