IAHSAA announces boys’ soccer substates

The field is set for Iowa high school boys' soccer, and while Mt. Pleasant doesn't quite know its road to state, it knows which teams are standing in the way.

The Panthers were placed in Class 2A Substate 5, along with a handful of familiar teams. Mt. Pleasant was placed with three other Southeast Conference teams; Washington, Keokuk and Ft. Madison.

The biggest obsticle in Mt. Pleasant's way is Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Saints are 7-1 this season and are coming off a fourth-place finish at last season's state tournament. Iowa City Liberty, a team Xavier defeated 7-0 earlier this season, is the sixth team in the substate.

The Panthers are 3-1 against substate opponents so far this year. The Panthers split with Ft. Madison, winning 1-0 at their home tournament to start the year and falling 2-1 in an SEC game also held in Ft. Madison. Mt. Pleasant defeated Keokuk 12-3 and Washington 7-0, also at home. The Panthers will play each of those three teams once more before the season is over.

Mt. Pleasant will likely be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the substate, based on current rankings. They sit at 8-2 and have not played any common opponents with Xavier.

The Panthers did avoid Marion, the team that knocked them out in the substate final last season. The Indians were placed in Substate 4. Mt. Pleasant will also avoid Fairfield, another one of the top teams in the SEC. The Trojans were placed in Substate 6.

Full substate groupings can be found on the soccer tab on the IAHSAA website.