West Sioux 24 Dike-New Hartford 21 Double Overtime @WestSiouxFB @DNHSUPT @DNHFootball @IHSAA

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David Burnworth | November 25, 2021

Adversity can make a person or break a person added to the pressure of leading a football team in a semi-final game against an opponent who only knows how to win many high school players would wilt. On a Friday night in the Uni-Dome in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Dylan Wiggins showed everyone in attendance that he was cold as ice as he not only overcame one of the worse starts I have ever witnessed but he helped his team to the big win.

Just twenty-seven seconds into the game Wiggins found Blake Van Ballegooyen for a nice 19-yard gain to get things going for the West Sioux Falcons. From there the drive ended a few plays later with a punt. The Indians defense would also stand tall against the potent Dike-New Hartford Wolverines holding them to negative one-yard and a punt.

With 6:14 left in the defensive first quarter, Wiggins had his pass picked off by Nate Graves, who returned it 61-yards for the games first score. Nolan Dall calmly came in and kick the point after making this a 7-0 game. Graves looked like a deer gliding in the woods running away from hunters with ease.

The defense was the name of the game and with 3:49 left in the quarter, Devon Kollasch was thrown down for a one-yard loss by Don Audas, who is listed at 5-7,150 pounds but hit much harder than he should be able to.

Wiggins would again have a bad taste left in his mouth at the 3:01 mark of the quarter when his pass was tipped then picked off by Braxton Johnson. The Wolverines offense would get a nice 35-yard catch from Brian McCarter before the drive fizzled out.

With under a minute left in the quarter dominated by defense, the Wolverines would pick off another Wiggins pass and return it for a 78-yards touchdown to make this a 14-0 game. Making the pick, his second of the game was Braxten Johnson.

Wiggins was sacked by Cale Jensen just twenty seconds into the second quarter. The Wolverines defense would quickly get its offense back on the field as they again shut down the Indians offense. After getting on the field the offense would face a fourth where Jacob Stockdale picked up the first down. Shortly after the drive ended as the Indians defense continue to play well.

In the last 6:06 of the half, Wiggins completed a pass to Ballegooyen. After that, he would be sacked twice. The first time from Cale Jensen and then by Wil Textor. Neither of the offenses was able to hit their stride because of both of the defense were on top of their game.

The third quarter flew by but at the 2:31 mark, the Indians were able to light up the scoreboard on a nice option play that saw Brady Lynott cross the goalline. Noel Lopez would make this a 14-7 game, with his point-after kick. Heading into the final frame the Indians defense really had played almost as well as any unit I have watched this entire year this had been overshadowed by the bend but do not break Wolverines defense.

Early in the fourth Wiggins found Brady Lynott for a nice 15-yard gain but from there the drive ended without any other damage to the Wolverines. Then the Wolverines defense got a huge stop on fourth and one with 3:57 left in the quarter when Nick Reinicke stuffed Ballegooyen at the Wolverine 20-yard line.

Ballegooyen fielded a punt with 2:59 left in the game but before he really got started he was taken down by Jace Hall for no gain. sixteen seconds later Wiggins came in and under a heavy rush, he lofted a pass downfield in the direction of Carter Bultman, who made the catch and did not stop running until he had gone 56-yards for six points. Lopez walked out onto the field and easily nailed the game-tying point-after kick.

Jacob Stockdale hit Braxten Johnson for a gain of 15-yards to get the Wolverines going on the ensuing drive. With fifty-nine seconds left in the game, Stockdale was picked off by Ballegooyen. Lopez came out to attempt a game-winning 43-yard field goal that was short putting this awesome semi-final game into overtime.

West Sioux got the ball first with an 8-yard run from Carter Bultman getting things going. Bultman ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown with Lopez making this a 21-14 game, with his point-after kick. Stockdale wasted no time in putting his offense in the endzone when he found Devon Kollasch for the score. The point-after kick by Nolan Dall was good putting this game into a second overtime.

In the second overtime, Dall would see his field goal kick hit off of the left upright and bounce off target keeping this game locked at 21. Bultman would take the ball to the 3-yard line setting up the game-winning field goal attempt by Lopez, who nailed the twenty-yarder to send the Indians to the championship game against Van Meter.

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