Football playoffs: Teams fight for spot at the Dome

The 2021 Iowa High School football playoffs are getting down to the nitty-gritty.

This weekend will see 28 playoff games around the state of Iowa as the remaining 56 teams get cut in half before the show moves to the UNI-Dome in Iowa City.

The area’s eyes are on two squads: WACO in Class 8-Player and Sigourney-Keota in 1A. Those two squads were the Union coverage area’s ranked teams coming into the playoffs and they are the only two squads left to represent the area.

WACO and the rest of the 8-Player teams will hold their quarterfinal games on Thursday. The semifinals for 8-Player will be held next Wednesday, so a Thursday game gives the winner’s a five-day rest in between, staying a little more consistent with the time the bigger classes have to prepare.

The seventh-ranked Warriors beat Martensdale-St. Marys on the road in the Round of 16 last Friday, and since WACO’s next round foe, No. 5 Audubon, wasn’t a district champion, the Warriors get to return home this week.

Sigourney-Keota has the opposite issue. After beating No. 10 Columbus Catholic last week, the Cobras will be playing on the road against a fellow undefeated in No. 4 Dike-New Hartford. That’s a two-hour drive for the SK faithful.

Due to being first alphabetically, D-NH was given the honor of hosting the game. That rule will be switched next year with the last team in alphabetical order earning the home-field tiebreaker.

CLASS 8-PLAYER

POD #1

No. 3 St. Mary’s, Remsen (10-0) at No. 10 Don Bosco, Gilbertville (8-2)

POD #2

No. 9 Kee, Lansing (9-1) at No. 4 Easton Valley (10-0)

POD #3

No. 5 Audubon (9-1) at No. 7 WACO, Wayland (10-0)

POD #4

Newell-Fonda (8-1) at No. 1 CAM, Anita (9-0)

CLASS A

POD #1

No. 9 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (8-2) at No. 1 West Hancock, Britt (10-0)

POD #2

No. 4 Logan-Magnolia (9-1) at No. 6 Woodbury Central, Moville (9-1)

POD #3

North Tama, Traer (7-2) at No. 2 Grundy Center (8-1)

POD #4

Wapsie Valley, Fairbank (7-2) at No. 7 East Buchanan, Winthrop (8-1)

CLASS 1A

POD #1

No. 7 West Sioux, Hawarden (9-1) at No. 2 Underwood (10-0)

POD #2

No. 9 ACGC (9-1) at No. 1 Van Meter (10-0)

POD #3

No. 5 Sigourney/Keota (10-0) at No. 4 Dike-New Hartford (10-0)

POD #4

MFL MarMac (8-2) at No. 6 Beckman Catholic, Dyersville (10-0)

CLASS 2A

POD #1

No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (7-3) at No. 6 West Lyon, Inwood (8-2)

POD #2

No. 2 OABCIG (9-1) at No. 3 Southeast Valley (9-1)

POD #3

Williamsburg (7-3) at No. 1 West Marshall, State Center (9-1)

POD #4

No. 10 North Fayette Valley (9-1) at No. 3 Waukon (9-1)

CLASS 3A

POD #1

No. 9 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (8-2) at No. 2 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (10-0)

POD #2

No. 7 Independence (9-1) at No. 5 Humboldt (10-0)

POD #3

No. 8 Nevada (9-1) at No. 1 Harlan Community (10-0)

POD #4

No. 3 Solon (10-0) at No. 3 West Delaware (9-1)

CLASS 4A

POD #1

No. 10 Decorah (7-3) at No. 7 Winterset (8-2)

POD #2

No. 5 Webster City (8-2) at No. 2 Xavier, Cedar Rapids (9-1)

POD #3

No. 6 Bondurant-Farrar (9-1) at No. 5 Waverly-Shell Rock (9-1)

POD #4

No. 3 Lewis Central (8-2) at No. 3 Indianola (9-1)

CLASS 5A

POD #1

No. 5 Dowling Catholic, W.D.M. (7-3) at No. 2 Southeast Polk (9-1)

POD #2

No. 7 Iowa City, City High (9-1) at No. 1 Cedar Rapids, Kennedy (10-0)

POD #3

No. 8 Pleasant Valley (8-2) at No. 6 Valley, West Des Moines (8-2)

POD #4

No. 3 Ankeny (8-2) at No. 4 Prairie, Cedar Rapids (8-2)