š¾ POUND FOR POUND ā A HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
West BurlingtonāNotre Dame at Centerville
Class 2A Playoffs | October 23 | Paul Johnson Field
By Coach Chuck Banks
Two teams. Two young dual-threat quarterbacks. Two running backs who are absolute beasts. And the big boys up front who will have plenty to say about who gets another week together.
Oh Nelly. What a way to open the playoffs.
Going to Paul Johnson Field is a treat for everyone involved. In this old coachās opinion, it is perhaps one of the finest football fields in the entire Midwest. Add these two communities, the playoff atmosphere, and the players involved, and you have yourself quite a Friday night.
For me, this one goes beyond the numbers.
Centerville is home. I am a Big Red graduate, and I spent nine years coaching there. There are memories and relationships that come back every time I walk into that place. I know what this program means to Coach Matt Kovacevich and how much he has poured into his community.
I also love what Coach Joe Bowman is building at West BurlingtonāNotre Dame. During our Dog House visits, the respectfulness of those Falcon players stood out. That says something about the young men, their coaches, and the parents and grandparents helping raise them.
I love both school communities, their players, and their coaches. That makes this an exciting game to cover and a tough one on this old coachās heart.
A little history before we ring the bell.
Their only previous varsity meeting came in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, when WB/ND defeated Centerville 38ā22 for the Falconsā first state playoff victory.
Centerville fell in the opening round last season. West BurlingtonāNotre Dame missed the playoffs a year ago. But the Falcons are back.
Coach Bowman and his young men have earned their way back into postseason football. Coach Kovacevich and the Big Reds are looking to move beyond last yearās first-round exit.
Two different roads. Same opportunity. Earn another week together.
Both squads are battle tested.
Centerville enters 7ā1, coming off a 37ā28 loss to PCM. WB/ND enters 5ā3, following a 35ā21 loss to Mid-Prairie. Both played their respective district champions last Friday night.
I give a slight edge overall to Class 2A District 6 over District 7, but neither team is walking into this one unfamiliar with a fight.
The Falcons have faced Wilton, lost a 29ā28 heartbreaker to Mediapolis, and survived a 42ā40 battle with West Liberty. They also earned victories over Danville, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and Central Lee.
Centerville put together victories over Fairfield, Chariton, Pella Christian, South Tama, and Albia before that district championship showdown with PCM.
Both teams have things to clean up. Both have seen what happens when a good opponent takes advantage of an opening. Now the question is how they respond.
Two young quarterbacks who make preparation difficult.
When I watched Centerville junior Mack Murdock earlier this season, my reaction was pretty simple: Holy cow.
Murdock has completed 101 of 148 passes for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns, with just three interceptions. That is a 68.2 percent completion rate. Add 497 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, and you have 1,913 combined yards and 25 touchdowns accounted for.
Across from him stands WB/ND sophomore Kellan Porter.
Porter has completed 88 of 138 passes for 1,270 yards and 10 touchdowns, completing 63.8 percent of his attempts. He has added 474 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, giving him 1,744 combined yards and 19 touchdowns accounted for.
We have already recognized Porter through our Dog House Player of the Game coverage. His performance with 130 passing yards, 94 rushing yards, and four combined touchdowns showed why you have to defend more than his arm.
Both quarterbacks can extend a play. Both can punish a defense that loses contain. Both have players around them who can turn a small mistake into a big gain.
To be honest, this game is an absolute nightmare to prepare for.
Then come the beasts in the backfield.
Falcon junior Jayden Nanthan has rushed 157 times for 1,287 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per carry.
We have talked about Nanthan throughout the season, from Player of the Week recognition to our area rushing discussions. Give him daylight, and somebody had better take a good angle.
Centerville senior Makoa Kaleponi has 137 carries for 877 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Another young man we have spotlighted through the Dog House. Another back who demands attention every time he lines up.
Together, those two backs have 2,164 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Then you still have to account for the quarterbacks.
That is a lot to put on a scout-team card.
Give the big boys up front their due.
Somebody has to open those holes. Somebody has to pick up pressure. Somebody has to hold a block long enough for a receiver to get open.
For WB/ND, players such as Camden Coy, Quanan Gates, and Draven Newberry are part of that work in the trenches. Centervilleās front has helped produce an offense with 1,493 rushing yards and 1,429 passing yards.
The Falcons have produced 2,154 rushing yards and 1,270 passing yards.
Those numbers belong to the guys blocking, too.
Watch who wins first down. Watch which offensive line creates movement. Watch who gets two yards when everyone in the stadium knows the ball is coming on the ground.
The quarterbacks and backs will get plenty of attention. The big boys could decide this heavyweight fight.
And neither defense can forget the guys outside.
Centervilleās Abram Decena has 45 catches for 662 yards and five touchdowns. Sloan Phillips adds 28 receptions for 483 yards and five scores.
Both have earned Dog House recognition. Both give Murdock dependable options when a defense commits too much attention to the run.
WB/NDās Tatum Warner, another Dog House Player of the Game honoree, has 28 catches for 589 yards and three touchdowns. That is 21 yards per reception.
Jezden Nupp adds 20 catches for 244 yards and four touchdowns, while Garrison Reid has 14 receptions for 161 yards.
Load the box, and there are receivers capable of making you pay. Back everybody up, and those running backs and quarterbacks get room to work.
Somebody still has to get stops.
For the Falcons, Sam Dzawo leads the listed tackle totals with 63, followed by Garret Bence with 56, Jared Glendening with 47, Hank Humphrey with 44, and Warner with 43. Sawyer Guihan has 6.5 tackles for loss, while Glendening adds 4.5.
Centervilleās Curtis Mathes leads with 42.5 tackles. Decena has 38.5 tackles and eight tackles for loss, while Braxton Bragg has 36.5 tackles. Carson Pickens and Victor Milder each have 5.5 tackles for loss.
The Big Reds have 38 tackles for loss listed as a team. The Falcons have 27.
Centerville also has 12 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. WB/ND has 10 interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
Both defenses have shown they can take the football away. Against these offenses, giving away a possession and a short field could change the entire evening.
Do not overlook special teams.
Decena has a 90-yard kickoff-return touchdown this season. The Falconsā coverage units have to account for him.
WB/NDās Garrison Reid is 31-for-35 on extra points. Centerville has 19 successful two-point conversions listed, including nine by Kaleponi.
Those snaps after touchdowns matter. So does a clean punt, a secure catch, and a tackle that prevents a return from becoming something much bigger.
Kovacevich and Bowman will be playing chess all night.
How do you pressure the quarterback without opening an escape lane? How many defenders can you commit to the running back? When do you take your shot downfield? When do you trust the big boys to get one more yard?
Every adjustment will ask something of the other sideline.
My eyes will be on tackling, ball security, the line of scrimmage, and finishing drives. Both teams can move the football. Which one can finish a possession, then turn around and get the stop it needs?
I consider this one of the toughest first-round matchups in all of Class 2A.
Two Dog House teams. Two communities I care about. Two groups of seniors fighting to keep their football families together.
The Falcons are back. The Big Reds are waiting.
Paul Johnson Field. Playoff football. Pound for poundāa heavyweight fight.
Letās ring the bell. šš¾
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