Dike-New Hartford Wolverines, Sigourney-Keota Cobras have history

DIKE — Success breeds success. Especially in high school, winning helps a team keep winning.

Sigourney-Keota and Dike-New Hartford play football Friday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to play in the Class 1A semifinals.

The Dike-New Hartford program is in the playoffs for the 12th straight year and has 20 total playoffs appearances since 1998 with a 35-19 playoff record. Dike has two more appearances before the programs combined with a championship in 1981.

Sigourney-Keota has 22 playoff entrants with a 31-19 record, three titles and no runners-up. Sigourney has four appearances including a runner-up and a title.

The Wolverines have advanced to the title game five times without winning a title including a 27-14 loss to Sigourney-Keota in the 2001 title game in Class 2A. The Cobras had lost three years previously in a semifinal to Dike-New Hartford 28-21.

DNH lost the 1998 title game despite setting a couple of title game records in yards receiving and return yards.

This will be a great football game with two great high school programs.

Dike-New Hartford’s Jerek Hall leads Class 1A in all-purpose yards and Sigourney-Keota’s Cade Molyneux is second 80 yards behind. Hall is third in yards rushing, 222 yards behind Molyneaux’s class-leading 1,862 yards.

Dike-New Hartford is a defensive-minded team. Nick Reinicke leads the Wolverines and is fifth in class with 84 tackles. Will Textor and Cale Jensen are tied at seventh in Class 1A with 15.5 tackles for loss. Parker Adams leads the class in interceptions and interception return yardage and interceptions returned for a touchdown. He is fourth in the state with seven interceptions, second in yards at 211 and first in touchdowns at two.

Cobras sophomore Evan Vittetoe is tied for sixth in the class with 5.5 sacks. Cole Clarahan has four interceptions, tied for seventh in 1A.

The Cobras have Levi Crawford at second in class in punt returns with 15 while the Wolverines Devon Kollasch is third at 13.2 average return.

Special teams also will see kickers Colten Clarahan of Sigourney-Keota and Nollan Dall of Dike-New Hartford.

Clarahan is 6-of-9 on field goals while Dall is 1-for-1. Dall is 50-of-53 on point after touchdown kicks and Clarahan is 39-of-45. Clarahan has 22 touchbacks on kickoffs and Dall two.

Point differential average is 30 points for the Wolverines, 25.5 for SK, which is third and sixth in class. DNH averages 39.9 points a game and gives up 9.6. It is 35.7 and 10.2 for the Cobras.

“It should be a great ballgame,” DNH head coach Don Betts said.