Bobcats bang away at unbeaten drum
No. 4 MHS fights way into first-ever final fourBy MARK PAWLAK
Article Photos
They are going to the Dome.
The beat of an undefeated season goes on as Marshalltown downed Ankeny 31-21 Friday in the Class 4A quarterfinals of the state football playoffs at Leonard Cole Field.
An overflow crowd estimated at 6,000 saw the fourth-ranked Bobcats (12-0) advance to the state's final four for the first time in school history.
The first thing MHS head coach Dave Holdiman told his team after the game was "We're going to the Dome, baby."
Marshalltown will face No. 2 Dowling Catholic (12-0) next Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the state semifinals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
"Getting to the Dome is surreal," said MHS senior linebacker Jon Vance. "It's not even real yet, it won't be real until we walk through those doors ready for gametime. We just beat Ankeny at home in a game we never thought we'd be in."
Quarterback Chanse Creekmur rushed for a career-high 166 yards for the Bobcats and Marshalltown also got a lift from its special teams to defeat No. 5 Ankeny (10-2).
"There's a really excited bunch of Bobcats out there right now," Holdiman said. "They earned it, that was a very fine Ankeny team we defeated."
Marshalltown ran the ball more times (31) than it passed it (27) and also gained more yards on the ground (237) than through the air (219). Ankeny came into the contest averaging more than double the rushing yards per game than what the Bobcats were. The two teams were pretty much even. The Hawks had 240 yards on 43 attempts and MHS finished with 237 yards on 31 carries.
"When we can mix the run effectively like that with our passing attack, we're pretty potent offensively," Holdiman said.
"(Chanse) had a great game throwing the ball and had a great game running the ball," Holdiman added.
Creekmur finished 19-for-27 passing for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Creekmur now has 30 passing scores for the season, and he joins only 12 others (before the season) to do so in Iowa 11-man football history. He had six rushes of 10 yards or more Friday with a long of 51.
The visiting Hawks were in the state quarterfinals for the ninth consecutive year, while Marshalltown's past playoff history did not include a win until this year's first round triumph over Waukee.
Jarred Carlson's long return on the opening kickoff was a statement-maker for the Bobcats, that the past is the past and this is now.
Marshalltown's first snap of the game came at the Ankeny 14-yard line after Carlson had a 62-yard return.
Creekmur scored on a 1-yard run as the Bobcats took a 7-0 lead in the opening minute, an advantage they would never give up.
The Bobcats turned the ball over on their next two possessions, but Ankeny was unable to capitalize.
Vance blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by the Hawks and a 47-yard return by Kyle Carnahan again set up Marshalltown with great field position. Vance also blocked an extra point later in the contest.
Creekmur ran it in from 2 yards out three plays after the block for a 14-0 MHS lead.
"It was a really big kickoff return to get the game started and to set the table for us," Holdiman said, "and we had another one on the blocked field goal that Kyle almost took all the way."
The two teams combined for three touchdowns in a 3-minute span late in the second quarter.
Ankeny freshman quarterback Jeff Lanning scored on a 1-yard run to cut the MHS lead in half. The Bobcats had an answer with a 79-yard drive capped by Nick Thimesch taking a bubble screen pass from Creekmur for a 7-yard TD.
The Hawks' Tyler Leo, who finished with 154 yards on 20 carries, took the next play from scrimmage 78 yards for a score. Vance blocked the extra point and MHS took a 21-13 advantage into the half.
The Bobcats also struck first in the second half as Carlson took a short pass, made three defenders miss at the line of scrimmage and broke away for a 58-yard touchdown.
Ankeny closed back within 28-21 after a Lanning touchdown pass to Greg Raney and a 2-point conversion run on the next series. MHS answered with a 24-yard field goal by Josh Illum for a 31-21 lead.
The Bobcats intercepted Lanning three times in the fourth quarter - picks by Carlson, Cole Grewell and Carnahan - to close the game out.
Both teams turned the ball over three times. MHS committed eight penalties for 69 yards.
"Tonight was typical of this group. They are not going to let those things get them down. They are going to go out and make the next play and they've done it many, many times," Holdiman said. "That tells you what type of attitude they have. Attitude is what prompts performance.
"That's what's behind our great year, our guys have great attitudes."
Mark Duncan and Thimesch both caught seven passes for Marshalltown. Carlson had a team-high 83 receiving yards on his three catches. Vance led the defense with 9.5 tackles (six solos and seven assists) and 1.5 sacks.
The second semifinal next Friday at the UNI-Dome has Cedar Rapids Xavier (10-2) facing Iowa City High (12-0). No. 8 Xavier handed No. 3 Clinton its only loss of the season 28-6 in the quarterfinals, while No. 1 Iowa City High was a 35-14 winner over Cedar Rapids Washington.
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senecafan15
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11-08-09 1:39 AM
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Great job Cats.
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RiverRat
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11-07-09 10:31 AM
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Congratulations! Go Bobcats!
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