The boys’ state soccer tournament opens this afternoon and for the first time the tournament will be held in Des Moines. One thing has not changed and that is the presence of Bettendorf. The defending state champs are unbeaten and open the 2A first round tonight against Waterloo West. Bettendorf has appeared in every spring state tournament though they will travel further this year than when the tournament was in Muscatine. Bettendorf coach Ben Pennington says he’ll leave a school assembly and get on a bus and go to the tournament. He says the Bulldogs know they are a target but are only concerned with playing well. He says it’s all about what happens inside the painted white lines when the whistle blows. He says they worry about their style of play and the fact they’ll see some of the best players in the state.The tournament opens this afternoon with the opening round in class 1A.
