Pekin-North Linn II

PACKWOOD — Just over one year ago in Packwood Iowa, the Pekin and North Linn football teams played in an absolute battle as part of the Class A playoffs. Now one year and one round later, the two will reunite.

  Buy Photo

A late Panther touchdown run and a surprise onside kick helped Pekin eliminate North Linn 28-20 in last year’s playoff opener, and now the two will battle in the Round of 16, with one moving on to be one of the final eight teams left in the class.

  Buy Photo

Heading into Friday night’s showdown, the two teams have just one loss between them. Pekin is a perfect 9-0, having survived North Mahaska and Danville on back-to-back weeks in October to stay unscathed. North Linn’s only loss was a 42-0 clunker in a de facto district championship game at Wapsie Valley.

Pekin comes in with a balanced attack, but the running game has proven to be most dangerous this season. Nolan Glick has rushed for 1,368 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Henry Adam and Riley Smith have combined for 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Smith has thrown for 1,065 yards and 15 touchdowns. Adam has 468 yards and five touchdowns receiving, and Alijah Brock has burned defenses for 291 yards and six scores.

On the other side, North Linn’s Will Sommerfelt has been excellent all year long. The junior quarterback has thrown for 763 yards, and rushed for 852, while accounting for 26 total touchdowns.

North Linn running back Brody Martin has rushed for 607 yards and six scores, while Braden Wheatley and Macoy Winn have combined for just under 500 yards with seven touchdowns in the receiving game.

Defensively, North Linn has only given up more than 14 points in a game one time, that being the Wapsie Valley loss at the end of the regular season. Pekin has given up 20 or more points three different times, but has yet to give up 30.

The game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff. If Pekin can win, it will either play West Fork at home or Saint Ansgar on the road in the quarterfinals.