JEFF B | Iowa Grandstand Sports

HOLSTEIN — The Ridge View Raptors football team under the direction of coach Brian Wilken has been riding a hot streak. The finished winning their final two games (4-of-5) on the regular season.

Friday night if Ridge View advanced beyond the first round of Class 1A playoffs, the Raptors would break a three game losing streak over the last three season (2022, 2023, 2024). The last playoff win by Ridge View came back on Oct. 22, 2021, at Treynor, 14-0.

On paper it should of been no easy chore for the Raptors to get past Tri-Center, who was the defending Class A champions from a season ago. They made the jump to 1A this season. Throw that all out the window. Tri-Center put the games first points on the scoreboard with 7:15 left in the first quarter, capping off a 12 play drive of 80 yards with a Adan Goldapp two-yard run.

Ridge View then reeled off 28 unanswered points on a Derek Heiman 75-yard run, a Derek Heilman 81-yards run, a Lucas Heilman 35-yard run, and a Zach Kopin touchdown grab of 16-yards from Broc Wilken.

Tri-Center added one more score before the halftime horn sound — Ridge View led 28-13.

The third-seeded Trojans weren’t going away quietly as they pulled to within eight points (35-27) with 8:54 remaining in the game on a Baker McCarty 17-yard touchdown catch from AJ Harder.

Ridge View foreign exchange student Tim Wiskow remains a ‘magician’ kicking the football. He finished 6-of-6 on PATs, and had seven kickoffs with three touchbacks.

Ridge View improves their record to 6-3 and will travel to Eldora on Friday to face Iowa Grandstand Sports (formally Iowa Prep Illustrated) No. 6-ranked South Hardin (8-1).

Tri Center 7 – 6 – 6 – 8 = 27
Ridge View 14 – 14 – 7 – 7 = 42
Tri-Center Record: 4-5; Ridge View Record 6-3

Tri-Center Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: Not available
Rushing Yards: Not available
Passing Yards: Not Available
Ridge View Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: 451
Rushing Yards: 38-426
Passing Yards: 2-4-25
Ridge View Individual Statistics
Passing: Broc Wilken 2-4-25.
Rushing: Derek Heilman 14-217 (2 TDs), Lucas Heilman (23-189 (3 TDs), Carter Todd 1-5.
Receiving: Zach Kolpin 1-16 (TD) C. Todd 1-9.
Tackles: Jacob Cougill 14.5 (11S), Blake Myrtue 10 (10S), Karson Jensen 6 (6S), Derek Heilman 6 (6S), C. Todd 5.5 (5S), Kinnick Jensen 4 (4S), Kolpin 3.5 (3S), L. Heilman 3 (3S, FR), Aiden Myrtue 2.5 (2S, INT), Kreighton Krager 1.5 (1S), Jonathan Friedrichsen 1. 5 (1S), Kelsen Griffin 1 (1S), Lucas Braun 1 (1S), Cody Wunschel 1 (1S), Luke Braunschweig 1 (1S).
Scoring Summary
1 / 7:15 Tri-Center – Adan Goldapp 2 run, Johnathan Zacharis PAT Kick, 7-0
1 / 6:34 Ridge View – Derek Heilman 75 run, Tim Wiskow PAT Kick, 7-7
1 / 0.54 Ridge View – D. Heilman 81 run, Wiskow PAT kick, 7-14
2 / 5:25 Ridge View – Lucas Heilman 35 run, Wiskow PAT kick, 7-21
2 / 2:44 Ridge View – Zach Kolpin 16 pass from Broc Wilken, Wiskow PAT kick, 7-28
2 / 0:19 Tri Center – Jayden Jensen – Jayden Johnson 3 run, PAT no good, 13-28
3 /4.55 Tri-Center – Zach Nelson 40 Interception return, PAT pass no good, 19-28
3 / 1:38 Ridge View – L. Heilman 19 run, Wiskow PAT kick, 19-35
4 / 8:54 Tri-Center – Baker McCarty 17 pass from AJ Harder, Goldapp PAT run, 27-35
4 / 3:22 Ridge View – L. Heilman 3 run, Wiskow PAT kick, 27-42

Paulsrud leads Braves

JEFF B | Iowa Grandstand Sports

CHEROKEE — On Friday, George Hicks Field in Cherokee was a buzz. How would Cherokee do in the Class 2A matchup against a Spirit Lake team they had never beaten in the Bound ERA, losing all four previous meetings?

Air Force recruit Jaxon Paulsrud of Cherokee wanted no part of that history lesson. He wanted to make his own history, and lead Cherokee to a victory. Paulsrud did just that. He led Cherokee to an overtime win, 58-57. The senior toted the football 29 times for 346 yards with a long of 78 yards and scored six times.

Defensively, Paulsrud led Cherokee with 17.5 tackles (16 solos). He also completed 3-of-6 passes for 23 yards, converted a two-point conversion, and had three kick returns for 52 yards.

Individually, Paulsrud kicked the crap out of Spirit Lake in all phases of a football game.

Paulsrud Tribute:
Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder
Climbing high into the sun
Here they come, zooming to meet our thunder
At them boys, Give ‘er the gun! 
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing’ll stop the US Air Force!!

Blake Lovell added 148 yards rushing on nine carries and scored twice. Mallon Malausky, a junior linebacker for the Braves looked like the former NFL greats that shared the No. 50 jersey — Mike Singletary and Jack Lambert. Malausky finished with 10.5 tackles (6 solos). As a team, Cherokee recorded 10 tackles for loss.

Spirit Lake (3-6) saw Ty Higgins rush for 139 yards on 15 carries and strike paydirt two times. Higgins was also 13-of-23 passing for 192 yards and pair of touchdown tosses.

The two teams were tied at 14 following one quarter, 29-29 at halftime, It remained tied at 36 at the conclusion of three quarters, and again at 50 the end of regulation.

The victory puts Cherokee (7-2) in the Class 2A quarterfinal on Friday hosting a Unity Christian (4-5) team that defeated Cherokee in district play 33-6 back on Sept. 19 in Orange City.

Spirit Lake 14 – 15 – 7 – 14 – 7 = 57
Cherokee 14 – 15 – 7 – 14 – 8 = 58
Spirit Lake Record: 3-6; Cherokee Record 7-2

Spirit Lake Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: 506
Rushing Yards: 40-303
Passing Yards: 14-25-203
Cherokee Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: 539
Rushing Yards: 42-516
Passing Yards: 3-23-23
Cherokee Individual Statistics
Passing: Jason Paulsrud 3-6-0 23.
Rushing: Paulsrud 29-346 (6 TDs), Blake Lovell 9-148 (2 TDs), Wyatt Ludvigson 4-22.
Receiving: Ludvigson 3-23.
Tackles: Paulsrud 17.5 (16S), Mallon Malausky 10.5 (6S), Ludvigson 6 (4S, FR), Ty Schlichting 5 (4S), Landon Stowater 3.5 (3), Noah Rapp 3.5 (3S), Lovell 3 (2S), Cohen James 1 (1), Tyson Fuller 0.5 (FR), Mason Campbell 0.5.

No ‘I’ in MMCRU team victory

JEFF B | Iowa Grandstand Sports

MARCUS — MMCRU relied on every single member of its team to uphold its Iowa Grandstand Sports (formally Iowa Prep Illustrated) No. 4-ranking, and one of only six teams to remain unbeaten in Class A with a 49-7 drubbing of Belmond-Klemme on Friday.

The Royals defense held the Broncos scoreless the first third quarters of the game. It wasn’t until a Kysen Lamb touchdown reception from Brody Heifner that put Belmond-Klemme on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.

The dominant limited Belmond-Klemme to just 1.2 yards per carry, finishing with 11 carries for 13 yards as a team.

There were 20 different MMCRU players who got in on a tackle in the game. The Royals forced three interceptions, seven tackles for loss, and three quarterback sacks of Heifner.
Kamden Bork led with four tackles, including three solos. Mason Carver, Michael Schmillen each had an interception. A highlight moment was the Gage Johnson interception he returned 60 yards for the score.

Nine different ball carrier toted the pigskins for MMCRU. John Schmillen finished with a game-best 143 yards on nine carries. Brayson Mulder had a pair of touchdown runs, and Ayden Miller found paydirt for a rushing touchdown.

The Royals who finished with 406 yards of total offense (276 rushing, 130 passing) had touchdown grabs by Johnson, Bork, and Michael Schmillen.

MMCRU led 42-0 at halftime activating the continous clock.

Next for the ‘Mighty Muscle” of MMCRU is a familiar face — LeMars Gehlen.

Gehlen upset previously unbeaten and second-ranked West Hancock 34-18 in their first round matchup in Britt on Friday. Gehlen (4-5) will come in a confident bunch despite losing to the Royals back on Oct. 3, in LeMars. The Jays still lead all-time in head-to-head matchups 12-2 against MMCRU. The other MMCRU win came by seven points (34-27) back on Sept. 1, 2023.

Belmond-Klemme 0 – 0 – 0 – 7 = 7
MMCRU 28 – 14 – 7 – 0 = 49
Belmond-Klemme Record: 3-6; MMCRU Record 9-0

Belmond-Klemme Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: 145
Rushing Yards: 11-13
Passing Yards: 14-25-132
MMCRU Team Statistics
Total Net Yards: 406
Rushing Yards: 34-276
Passing Yards: 6-8-130
MMCRU Individual Statistics
Passing: Eli Harpenau 6-8-0 130 (3TDs).
Rushing: John Schmillen 9-143, Brayson Mulder 8-74 (2 TDs), Gage Johnson 2-21, Luke Kintigh 5-17, Harpenau 2-10, Kaden Steffen 2-5, RJ Krier 1-5, TJ Hermanson 1-2.
Receiving: Johnson 2-46 (TD), Kamden Bork 2-45 (TD), M. Schmillen 2-39 (TD).
Tackles: Bork 4 (3S), Eli Schlenger 3.5 (2S), M. Schmillen 2.5 (2S, INT), Johnson 2.5 (1S INT/TD), Mulder 2.5 (1S), Steffen 2 (1S), Ben Ross 2 (2S), Benjamin Tentinger 2, Luke Kintigh 1.5 (1), Wyatt Alesch 1.5 (1S), Brandon Dreckman 1.5 (1S), John Schmillen 1, Bruce Glassmaker 1, Carsten Schrooten 1 (1S), Ayden Miller 1 (1S), Krier 1 (1S), Josh Peterson 0.5, Mason Carver 0.5 (INT), Bentley Reed 0.5, Noah Althiser 0.5, Brayden Dunn 0.5.