March 29, 2024

Cardinals advance to Class 1A quarterfinals

Set to take on top-ranked Iowa City Regina

VAN METER — Central Decatur head coach Jon Pedersen said his team wasn’t as clean as it was 11 days ago, but his Cardinals still earned their second win here against Class 1A District 8 champion Van Meter in just 11 days with a 39-7 romp on Monday.

The win improves Central Decatur to 9-2 for the season and advances the Cardinals to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004 — Pedersen’s first year as head coach.

Van Meter stole Central Decatur’s early momentum by stopping the Cardinals short on the 3-yard line and then scoring on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Justman to Anthony Lowman.

“We didn’t feel like we were as clean as we were the other day,” Pedersen said. “We just didn’t have the juice we usually do. But the kids played hard.

“We felt like we had the momentum at the very beginning,” he continued. “They stopped us at the 3 and got excited. Then they scored and they got really excited. It was big for our guys to be able to respond to that. We were able to march it down and put it in the end zone.”

In fact, Central Decatur scored 39 unanswered points to close out the game from that point forward.

Van Meter keyed in on Central Decatur star quarterback Trenton Wells, which opened up other areas for the Cardinal offense.

“They bottled Trenton up more than what teams have done recently,” Pedersen said. “We were able to find other things to take advantage of that. Rayden Boswell ran the ball well. Trenton threw the ball. We took advantage of what they gave us, but they did take away our main option.”

The Central Decatur defense came up big by forcing six turnovers in the game.

Peyton Pedersen picked off a pair of passses, while Peyton Gilbert added another interception. Sophomore Kade Kelso recovered three fumbles for the Cardinals.

“We had three interceptions that were big for us tonight,” coach Pedersen said. “They were moving the ball a little bit. They were important. It stopped their momentum and gave us the ball back.”

Van Meter’s all-state running back Cody Blackwell, who was limited to just 58 rushing yards on 17 carries in the first meeting between the two teams 11 days ago, was able to find more running space on Monday.

Blackwell finished the game with 169 yards on 22 carries. But, no other Van Meter ballcarrier ran for more than 1 yard.

“He got a few more yards tonight, but we did a good job of keeping him under control,” Pedersen said. “He’s a very good player. We executed what we wanted to do. You have to take him down if you’re going to beat them. We did a good job of containing him between the 20s.”

To get two wins in just 11 days on District 8 champion Van Meter’s home field is a testament to the leadership this year’s Central Decatur senior class has given this football team, Pedersen said.

“We’re led by a bunch of great seniors that have been through a lot in their days playing for us,” he said. “There’s not a lot that rattles them. We don’t have to worry about whether they’re ready to play anymore. They’re ready to play every day. It’s a pleasure to coach them.”

The Cardinals now advance to their first quarterfinal playoff game since 2004. Central Decatur fell to AGWSR 49-14 in that game.

Pedersen said getting back to the quarterfinal round is a big step for his program.

“It’s big for the kids to understand what hard work can do,” he said. “Going, getting yourself through the adversity part of things and understanding things aren’t always going to be easy. We’ve battled for years and felt like we had some opportunities. This group has really taken advantage of it.”

The Cardinals draw a tough opponent in Friday’s quarterfinal round, traveling to top-ranked Iowa City Regina.

The Regals improved to 10-1 for the season with a 57-13 win over District 8’s 2-seed Panorama on Monday, in which all-state quarterback Drew Cook finished 7-of-10 passing for 212 yards.

“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Pedersen said. “It’s a challenge for anybody that plays them. They’re three-time state champion. It’s not anything our kids are going to shy away from. We’ll go out and give it our best shot we can and see what happens.”

Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Regina High School is located at 2150 Rochester Ave. in Iowa City.