There were some thrillers in the quarterfinal round of the high school football playoffs Tuesday. Emmetsburg provided many of the thrills as they came from behind to down Central Lyon 32-28 in class 2A. E-Hawk coach Duane Twait says both teams played extremely well, and it’s too bad one of them had to lose. It was Twait’s 337th win, and he credits a great running game for the victory, particularly the offensive line. Emmetsburg will face Clarinda Monday in the semifinals. Williamsburg ran past Solon 41-2 in another 2A quarterfinal. It’s Williamsburg’s first playoff appearance, but coach Curt Richie isn’t surprised they’re advancing to the semis. Richie says he just knows his team is “going to step up and go.” Richie says they’ve been aiming for this all season long. Another thriller came in the Class 3A high school football semifinals. Linebacker Tim Molencamp tipped away a two-point conversion pass attempt from Oelwein’s Eric Sanders, allowing top-ranked Clear Lake to escape the UNI-Dome with a 28-27 victory. Sanders accounted for all four of Oelwein’s touchdowns with 451 total yards, passing for 354 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Molencamp had three touchdowns for Clear Lake with a 3-yard run in the first quarter, a 9-yard run in the second, and a 6-yard touchdown reception to start the fourth quarter. Clear Lake’s other touchdown came in the first quarter when Rip Secory fired a pass to Matt Scribbins who scampered 66 yards for the score. Clear Lake moves into the semifinal round for the third straight year with an 11-0 record, and will face 8th-ranked Mt. Vernon, who shutout #10 Oskaloosa 38-0 last night. In Monday’s other semifinal, 2nd-ranked Atlantic meets unranked LeMars. Atlantic scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the game to beat #5 Pella 15-14, while Le-Mars upset 3rd-ranked Harlan 24-21.
