Tradition, legend, culture, history

The tales told of great teams or athletes in a school's past, their exploits on the field and the way a crucial moment was met head on, win or lose, is the fabric woven into a program's DNA.

Stories are passed down through the years and a tradition is generated, a lore created and sometimes myths are hatched.

Two Union area football teams are foremost among the tradition rich in the archives of the state of Iowa and they are the Sigourney-Keota Cobras and the Pekin Panthers.

It may be something in the land, the water or just the atmosphere because the home fields for each team are less than 14 miles apart.

But tradition is an abstract word, like culture or pride. It is the actual achievements that define the greats from the almost greats or the wannabes.

The two teams have an annual game against each other and it even has a name. And it is capitalized. The Backyard Brawl was won by the Cobras this past season for a 19-12 advantage in the series.

In the pantheon of high school football in Iowa, there are any number of schools and their teams of eagles, or bears or some other predatory animal that grandmas and grandpas can rally around on a Friday night. Mascots of Savages, or Plainsmen or some other valiant warrior that students can envision themselves as brave fighters on a field of turf under the lights in the cool autumn air. Ground that must be gained and lost yard by yard until the time for battle has ticked off a large hourglass of moments recorded in numbers along with a tally of the evening's combat. Skirmishes that are retold and exaggerated so that claims of tradition have gravitas if not actual accomplishments of yore.

The Sigourney-Keota Cobras have a unique claim to fame. The two schools' shared football team is the longest continually fielded combined program in the state. The two schools came together in 1987 and have shared the football team every year consecutively since.

Not only is it the longest, it is also the most successful. The Cobras have an all-time record of 271-82 with Bob Howard winning 180 and losing 34 from 1987-2006. Son Clint Howard was 7-3 in 2007. Mark Shilbe was 21-10 from 2008-2010. Current coach Jared Jensen took over in 2011 and has a 62-35 record after losing in the state quarterfinals this year.

Schilbe got away from the single wing offense Howard had established and went 5-4 then was 4-4 in 2009 but had started to reinstate the old standard attack. The final game was against 7-1 district champion Davis County. The Cobras thumped the Mustangs running up 438 yards rushing in the 41-12 win. It set the stage for the next season of dominance, as the Cobras were 11-0 before a loss to Iowa City Regina in a state quarterfinal.

The SK letters have come to be recognized statewide as representing a perennial power in football.

The Sigourney-Keota Cobras and Pekin Panthers have a combined 12 state championship game appearances between them with seven titles.

One of the leading legends in the football yore of the Iowa High School Athletic Association is Harlan. The Cyclones have won more games than any other school's team. The Cyclones have the best winning percentage of all the state's football teams.

In the zeitgeist of football annals, there are but a select few of the institutions of learning that young minds attend for education and extracurricular opportunities that can lay claim to the knowledge that past events not only created a tapestry of emotion that fabricated a school's strong tradition, the veracity of reality is there are cold hard facts to back it up. Combine facts and emotions and one has legends.

In the 2020 state playoffs, the Harlan Cyclones faced North Scott's Lancers in the Class 3A championship game. It was the perfect example of an established tradition-rich football team against the new bloods, the wishful ones hoping to build tradition.

One of the most, no, THE most decorated Iowa high school football program added to its sterling history just by participating in the contest because it was the 21st time the Harlan Cyclones played in a championship game. That is four more than the second-most title game appearances - 17 by the West Des Moines Dowling Maroons.

Harlan also has the record for championships, but the Cyclones blew their chance to add their 13th state title to the record books. The Lancers made a statement. The team appearing in its first and only title game claimed its first championship ever with a 30-6 dismantling of the team with the most championships ever. What luck, what irony, what a story, what a legend! Who knows what the myths will emerge, what memories will be molded from the battle between the makers of titles, first versus most.

The Lancers once lost 29 straight games, but a coach named Randy Schrader turned the program around, Dave Jacobson built on it then Kevin Tippet and his staff guided the Lancers from laughing stock to the very top over the past 14 years, Tippet now has a career record of 98-40 for a winning percentage of. 710 and is working on his Hall of Fame resume.

There is a coach with the most state titles, third most wins and best winning percentage who recently had his son take over the program.

Curt Bladt won and lost all of his games (record of 415-63 over 42 years) coaching Harlan, winning 11 of the program's 12 state titles with eight runner-up finishes and 36 trips to the playoffs.

Both Pekin and Sigourney-Keota each have that Hall Of Fame coach in the past.

Sigourney-Keota had its own son replacing father as coach episode. Sigourney-Keota's Bob Howard was 180-34 from the time Sigourney and Keota joined forces in 1987 until son Clint Howard took over in 2007. Son went 7-3 before moving to Missouri where his wife found a job.

Bob Howard went 22-5 coaching three years at Scranton and came to Sigourney to coach the 1980 season. He won 229 games against 52 losses before moving on and now coaches the Webster City Lynx, finishing his 14th year there with a 95-49 record for a career mark of 346-106 in 44 years. He won stte titles in 1995, 2001 and 2005.

Tom Stone coached at Pekin for 42 seasons, starting in 1968, and led the program to state championship appearances in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Three different decades of title games eventually yielded a career ledger of 332-88-1 with three state titles. Those were won in 1982 and 1983, then the 1998 title set the record for most points scored in a championship game.

Howard is known for developing a distinctive single-wing offense and made his first trip to the playoffs at Scranton in 1978. The Sigourney-Keota teams were three-time South Iowa Cedar League champions, district champs nine times, Class 2A state qualifier five times, 1A state qualifier four times, 2A state quarterfinalist four times, 2A semifinalist six times and 1A semifinalist this past season.

North Scott's crown-clinching victory was Harlan's first championship game appearance since beating Pella, 35-14, in 2009. That means the Cyclones just ended the school's longest title game drought since winning its first state championship in 1972.

That year, 1972, is a marker in time for the corn state's high schools archives. It was the year the IHSAA initiates playoffs with four classes. Class A was added in 1981, Class 8-man in 2000. There is a chance a second 8-man class will be added in the fall with a second large school class also a possibility.

Of the 341 teams involving 372 of the 395 IHSAA member schools, there are 45 that have won at least two state titles, 28 that have five or more.

Pekin (seven title game appearances) is one of 29 that have won at least three crowns.

Sigourney-Keota (five title games) is one of 17 that have won at least four championships. Although the first credited to it is a 1979 championship when Sigourney defeated Hudson.

Solon (10 title games) is one of five teams to have won five titles.

Bettendorf and Iowa City Regina have each won seven and have 11 appearances apiece.

Emmetsburg has won nine times in 16 title games,

West Des Moines Dowling is 10-of-17 in the ultimate game and Harlan 12 of 21.

Sioux City Bishop Heelan is fourth in title games with 13, winning four.

There are 22 squads that have won 70 percent of games, playoff and regular season combined, since 1972 and four are over 80 percent.

Top 22 schools with over 70 percent wins

Team wins losses win percentage

Harlan Community 477 79 .857

West Des Moines Dowling 452 97 .823

Emmetsburg 426 102 .807

Bettendorf 434 105 .805

Solon 411 108 .792

Sigourney-Keota 370 113 .766

Pella 384 123 .757

Sioux City Bishop Heelan 390 126 .756

West Branch 373 122 .754

Wapsie Valley 378 124 .753

West Lyon 379 126 .750

Aplington-Parkersburg 367 125 .746

Pekin 367 127 .743

West Des Moines Valley 391 136 .742

West Bend Mallard 367 131 .737

Cedar Falls 362 129 .737

West Hancock 360 137 .724

St. Ansgar 334 132 .717

Council Bluffs St. Alberet 355 142 .714

Central Lyon George Little Rock 342 139 .711

Decorah 337 140 .706

Ankeny 357 149 .706

Area schools championship game results

1975 2A Hudson 13, Pekin 7

1976 2A Central Lyon 14, Sigourney 0

1977 2A Central Lyon 34, Pekin 8

1979 2A Sigourney 16, Hudson 0

1981 2A Roland-Story 22, Columbus 21

1982 1A Pekin 15, West Bend 6

1983 1A Pekin 33, Tripoli 9

1988 1A Grundy Center 20, Pekin 7

1994 A West Bend Mallard 16, Winfield-Mount Union 15 (OT)

1995 2A Sigourney-Keota 14, Inwood West Lyon 10

1997 2A Emmetsburg 43, Highland/Lone Tree 6

1997 1A Wapsie Valley 40, Pekin 15

1998 1A Pekin 55, Bedford 14

2001 2A Sigourney-Keota 27, Dike New Hartford 14

2005 2A Sigourney-Keota27, Sheldon 24

2013 3A Sioux City Bishop Heelan 47, Washington 14

2018 8-man New London 55, Rockford 14

*Pekin holds three team championship game records in Class 1A: points scored (55), total offense of 650 yards and 583 rushing yards in 1998. Matt Askew has the longest interception return for a touchdown going 69 yards in 1997.

Union area teams playoffs

Teams are listed with the number of postseason appearances in parentheses, followed by years appeared and overall playoff record. (Note: Only 16 finalists in each class are counted as playoff qualifiers in 2020) RU is a runner-up finish and C is a championship.

Cardinal (1) 2009 - 0-1

Columbus (10) 1980, 81 [RU], 88, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 2015 - 8-10

Fairfield (23) 1974, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 87, 93, 94, 2000, 01, 02, 04, 07, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 - 11-23

Highland (3) 1987, 2012, 18 - 1-3

Highland-Lone Tree (2) 1997 [RU], 2001 - 4-2

Mid-Prairie (12) 1976, 2001, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 - 9-12

Mt. Pleasant (17) 1983, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 98, 99, 2000, 01, 08, 10 - 10-17

New London (8) 1985, 89, 90, 2008, 17, 18 [C], 19, 20 - 5-7

Pekin (28) 1975 [RU], 77 [RU], 82 [C], 83 [C], 84, 85, 87, 88 [RU], 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97 [RU], 98 [C], 99, 2001, 02, 03, 07, 08, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 - 31-25

Sigourney (4) 1976 [RU], 79 [C], 84, 87 - 6-3

Sigourney-Keota (21) 1991, 92, 93, 94, 95 [C], 98, 99, 2000, 01 [C], 02, 03, 04, 05 [C], 07, 08, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 - 31-19

Van Buren County (2) 2013, 14 - 1-2

WACO (21) 1972, 79, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 96, 97, 98, 2000, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13 - 8-21

Washington (16) 1990, 95, 96, 97, 99, 2005, 06, 09, 11, 12, 13 [RU], 14, 15, 17, 19 - 13-16

Winfield-Mt. Union (8) 1989, 92, 93, 94 [RU], 95, 99, 2014, 15 - 9-8

Top 38 Coaches with .680 Win Pct. with 200 or More Wins

* no longer coaching high school in Iowa

Coach Current/Last School W-L-T (Yrs) Win Pct.

Curt Bladt Harlan 415-63 (41) .865

* Koy Goodchild West Bend-Mallard 229-38 (24) .858

* Duane Twait Emmetsburg 339-63-2 (39) .844

Jay Rozeboom West Lyon 260-51 (276) .836

Butch Pederson West Branch 305-76 (36) .801

* Randy Hinkel Madrid (d) 314-80 (26) .797

* Tom Stone Pekin 332-88-1 (42) .790

Tom Wilson West Des Moines Dowling Catholic, 241-66 (27) .785

* Merv Habenicht Bettendorf (d) 234-65-1 (29) .782

* Ed Thomas Aplington-Parkersburg; Parkersburg; NE Hamilton (d) 292-84 (37) .777

Bob Howard Webster City 335-99 (42) .771

Gary Swenson Valley, West Des Moines 359-108 (44) .769

* Jerry Staton Albia, Pella Christian, Oskaloosa, Pekin, Vinton, Clarinda 280-188-1 (50) .760

* Fred Wieck Clear Lake; GMG 279-91 (36) .754

* Ed Hansen Solon 206-70 (28) .746

* Jerry Southmayd Wapsie Valley 241-83 (33) .743

* Ron Wymer North Fayette 219-77 (30) .740

* Ted Rogers Center Point-Urbana; NESCO, Cedar Valley (d) 233-83-2 (31) .736

* Jim Bellamy Mount Vernon 320-126-4 (47) .734

Marty Wadle Bishop Garrigan, Algona 202-76 (27) .727

Jerry Pezzetti Ankeny Centennial; Murray, Melcher-Dallas 421-158-1 .726

* Jim Wharton Avo-Ha 202-76-1 (30) .726

* Max Dougherty Bedford, Griswold, Greene (d) 225-87-2 (37) .718

* Dick Tighe St. Edmond, Fort Dodge; Webster City; Iowa Falls; Kuemper Catholic, Carroll; Hamilton Catholic, Ontario 432-167-8 .718

* Larry Tryon Ogden; Battle Creek; Rockwell City; Perry; Spencer (d) 228-89-3 (34) .717

* Dick Null Central Lyon (d) 212-83-3 (33) .716

* Jim Bellamy Mount Vernon 320-126-4 (47) .716

* Bob Younger Atlantic, Fremont-Mills 203-83 (28) .714

* Pat Mitchell Cedar Falls (d) 344-138-2 .713

* Floyd Forman IKM-Manning 235-95 (33) .712

* Frank Bates Iowa City, City High (d) 214-84-11 (38) .710

* Bob Younger Atlantic, Fremont-Mills 203-83 (28) .714

* Harold Tackleson Notre Dame, Burlington (d) 287-117-15 (49) .703

* Ken Winkler Meskwaki Settlement; West Marshall, Sioux City, West, Treynor, Essex, 322-136-3 (47) .703

* Tom Kopatich Ottumwa, Assumption, Davenport, Dubuque Wahlert; Cedar Rapids LaSalle 209-95 (30) .688

* Bob Rasmussen Riceville 207-94-4 (35) .685

Bob Sanger West Hancock; Britt 345-160 (50) .683

* Bob Evans Mount Pleasant (d) 200-92-5 (34) .683