Iowa High School Football Playoffs: Van Meter vs. Kuemper Catholic

Power meets power in 2A final between Bulldogs, Knights

Kuemper Catholic scored a win in the Class 2A semifinals of the Iowa high school football playoffs. / IHSAA

Will Kuemper Catholic complete a perfect season and claim the Class 2A Iowa high school football state championship? Or will Van Meter add another title to the trophy case?

We will find out the answer to that question on Friday when the unbeaten Knights and 10-2 Bulldogs square off for the 2A championship from the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Live streaming for the contest will be available on YouTube via Iowa PBS of all the championship games.

Here is a breakdown of what to look for when each team has the ball and when each team is on defense, along with key season information for the teams still alive.

Iowa High School Football Class 2A State Championship Game

Van Meter Bulldogs (10-2)

• Lost to Des Moines Christian, 29-21
• Defeated Treynor, 21-13
• Defeated Winterset, 35-12
• Defeated Woodward-Granger, 40-20
• Lost to Clarinda, 17-14
• Defeated Chariton, 49-16
• Defeated Grand View Christian, 27-13
• Defeated Clarke Community, 49-7
• Defeated South Tama County, 45-6*
• Defeated Roland-Story, 24-14*
• Defeated Mid-Prairie, 28-21*
• Defeated Osage, 14-6*

When the Bulldogs are on offense: Quarterback Henry Lounsbury is a dual-threat, racking up 1,458 yards in the air and another 575 on the ground. The senior has completed 55 percent of his passes, throwing 17 touchdowns with another seven scores rushing. In the backfield next to him is sophomore sensation Christian Williams, who has rushed 197 times for 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns. Williams also has 153 yards receiving and two more scores.

Andon Watson is the leading receiver for Van Meter with 29 receptions for 433 yards and three scores. Drew Rhodes and Brayden Fennessey each have over 240 yards and seven combined touchdowns.

When the Bulldogs are on defense: Williams is also one of the leading tacklers for Van Meter with 78.5 stops including seven for loss. Adam Glade has 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, Luke Steinfeldt has 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks while Adam Boeck has nine tackles for loss. The Bulldogs have 23 takeaways including two interception returns for scores by freshman Cody Deemer.

Kuemper Catholic Knights (12-0)

• Defeated Cherokee Washington, 44-28
• Defeated Algona, 52-21
• Defeated Shenandoah, 42-7
• Defeated OABCIG, 43-22
• Defeated Southeast Valley, 42-6
• Defeated Spirit Lake, 41-21
• Defeated Estherville-Lincoln Central, 48-6
• Defeated Okoboji, 35-0
• Defeated Grand View Christian, 35-0*
• Defeated OABCIG, 26-15*
• Defeated Cherokee Washington, 43-26*
• Defeated Wilton, 49-21*

When the Knights are on offense: Averaging almost 42 points per game, Kuemper Catholic’s offense is as good as anybody in the state. Brock Badding threw six touchdown passes in the semifinals, racking up over 400 yards in the air. He is 196 of 283 passing for 2,922 yards with 36 touchdowns, as junior Jarin Hoffman has 1,497 yards rushing and 21 scores. Griffin Glynn has almost 1,000 yards receiving, Braxton Vonnahme has 751 and Brayton Alford nearly 700 as Badding likes to spread it around.

When the Knights are on defense: As a collective unit, Kuemper Catholic has recorded 46 sacks and 69 tackles for loss this year, picking off 23 passes and recovering seven fumbles. Both Glynn and Alford each have five interceptions, as Lucas Diehl has 11 sacks, Maguire Hoyt has 10 and Jack Badding 9.5.

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