Panthers face familiar foe in Dome

A program rich in football tradition with a dominant postseason history against Creston is the next challenge for the 11-0 Panthers.

Top-seeded Creston faces fourth-seeded Bishop Heelan of Sioux City at 4 p.m. in one semifinal game Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, while No. 2 Williamsburg and No. 3 Solon square off in a regular-season rematch at 7 p.m. (Solon won that Oct. 6 game, 21-14).

Creston and Williamsburg are seeking their first football state championship.

Heelan is making its 37th postseason appearance in program history, with six state championship in its 13 title game appearances. Only three other schools have played in more championship games.

One of those years was 2014, taking second place behind Pella after knocking off Creston, 59-14, in the Panthers’ only previous trip to the semifinals in the UNI-Dome. Based on his experience that year, Morrison expects a lot of support for the Panthers on Saturday.

“It’s been great to play at home with great crowds the past two weeks,” Morrison said. “But when we made the Dome 10 years ago against Heelan, I can still see in my mind just how many people we brought.”

Morrison knows the Heelan tradition well, with an 0-4 record against the Crusaders as both an assistant and head coach in the program. There were also Panther playoff losses to Heelan of 45-7 in 2013, 47-20 in 2012 and 66-2 in 2009.

“Those were very dominant teams,” Morrison said. “They were loaded with talent, once in a lifetime type of talent that made them very special those years.”

But, that was then and this is now.

The Crusaders, coached by former Iowa Hawkeye Jon LaFleur, and a staff that includes his brother Matt, are making their first playoff appearance since 2018. Heelan had four consecutive losing seasons from 2019 to 2022, winning just five total times while going 2-7, 0-9, 1-7 and 2-7 in those four seasons.

The Crusaders are 10-1 this season with heavy reliance on a 19-member senior class, similar to Creston’s depth created by having 25 seniors. However, six to seven Heelan starters are primarily playing on both sides of the ball, while Creston has separate offensive and defensive platoons this season.

That seemed to play a factor in last week’s 50-27 home win over Webster City, after trailing 19-0 early.

“The way we are playing right now, we just wear teams out and we’ve done that against any good team that we’ve played this year,” Morrison said. “Our kids have been great at just worrying about the next play and flushing the last one. If you do that over and over again, by the end of the game that other team is physically and mentally just exhausted. Because, they’re getting our best shot, every play.”

Heelan, District 1 runner-up, is coming off a 27-26 win over District 1 champion Sioux Center last week. Sioux Center had won the previous meeting, 21-0. Heelan reached that game by beating District 2 champion Clear Lake, 22-19, for its first playoff win in nine years.

Creston and Heelan have one common opponent this season. Heelan defeated Carroll 42-16 on Sept. 30, and Creston beat the Tigers 50-21 two weeks earlier.

Overtime win

Heelan featured some late-game heroics in earning its first semifinal appearance in nine years. The Crusaders trailed Sioux Center 7-0, facing fourth-and-9 from the Sioux Center 30-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Heelan quarterback Quinn Olson connected with George Tsiobanos for a 30-yard touchdown. The two teams traded scoring plays until entering the third overtime tied 20-20.

Olson, a two-way threat at quarterback for the Crusaders, scored on a 1-yard run. Tsiobanos kicked the extra point for a 27-20 lead.

Sioux Center scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to pull within one, and the Warriors tried to win the game with a two-point conversion. The Crusaders’ defensive front came up with the game-winning stop to avenge the earlier loss to the Warriors.

“Winning this game means everything to me. It’s about legacy,” Tsiobanos told the Sioux City Journal. “This is what Heelan’s known for. We haven’t been doing that in the past, but we’ve turned it around. It’s a return to the glory days.”

Olson has been a dynamic player in the Heelan backfield this season, with a team-high 904 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in addition to passing 76 of 119 (63.9%) for 1,132 yards and 20 TDs, with just two interceptions.

“I would say their quarterback reminds me of Arkfeld of Harlan, in the way he’s elusive in running the ball to get out of the pocket and convert third downs, while also throwing a pretty good ball,” Morrison said. “A lot of his yardage comes on scrambles and bootlegs.”

Three different receivers have 10 or more catches, led by Sir Brandon Watts with 21 catches for 355 yards and seven TDs. Running back Ricky Feauto has 10 touchdowns and 783 yards in 118 carries.

“Their running back, I’d compare him to number 7 (Lukas Francis) of Harlan,” Morrison said. “Their receivers are all good, but not one that stands out among the others. Their offensive line has a couple of exceptional players, number 74 (280-pound Hayden Overgaard) is their best kid. They have six or seven new players playing for them that weren’t on the roster last year. They kind of blend from that four-state area.”

The defense that was playing in a 0-0 game in the fourth quarter last week features seniors Max Delaney and Feauto as the top tacklers.

“Their defense is good,” Morrison said. “I think our kids will go in playing with confidence. Every week we’re playing faster and faster, because you’re not thinking.”

A pep rally is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Friday at Panther Field, followed by the team’s final practice session open to the public, beginning around 3:30 p.m. The team will depart Saturday morning after a team breakfast in the school commons.

“We’ll come back Sunday morning and hopefully the preparation starts all over again,” Morrison said. “I thought about coming back Saturday night, but if we win the boys will want to see some of that next game. We’ll just get up, have breakfast at the hotel, and head home.”

The championship game is 1 p.m Friday, Nov. 17.

The link to obtain tickets in advance for Saturday’s game from the University of Northern Iowa Ticket Office is https://tinyurl.com/4zpd8mwc (Code FOURSEMI).

Projected starters

OFFENSE

WR — Brandon Briley, Sr., 150

WR — Tyler Riley, Jr., 125

TE — Carson Rieck, Sr., 160

TE — Josh Schaefer, Jr., 170

OT — Quinten Fuller, Sr., 230

G — Gunner Martwick, So., 220

C — Jagger Luther, Sr., 205

G — Tucker Rohrig, Sr., 225

OT — Lucas Rushing, Sr., 250; or Brayden Schoon, Jr., 200

QB — Cael Turner, Sr., 165

RB — Brennan Hayes, Sr., 195

PK — Hayes

DEFENSE

DE — Max Chapman, Sr., 260

NT — Tom Mikkelsen, Fr., 210

DE — Jackson Kerr, Sr., 205

OLB — Milo Staver, Sr. 175

ILB — Will Bolinger, Sr., 175

ILB — Luke Travis, Jr., 180

OLB — Austin Evans, Sr., 160

CB — Dylan Calvin, Sr., 165

CB — Jack Walter, Sr., 170

S — Dillon Starlin, Sr., 125

S — McCoy Haines, Sr., 155

P — Calvin