No. 6 Western gets rematch with No. 3 Nighthawks

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HULL, Iowa -- Look for no shortage of offense in tonight's Iowa Class 2A football quarterfinal game between third-ranked Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (11-0) and No. 6 Hull Western Christian (10-1).

Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, with its high-octane passing attack, averages 185.8 yards through the air while Western Christian, which favors a punishing ground game, is good for 253 rushing yards per game.

Tonight's game, a rematch of an Oct. 9 contest won by B-H/RV, 31-21, kicks off at 7 o'clock sharp.

"They're a great team with a lot of great athletes," said Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley Coach Cory Brandt. "When you get two fairly evenly matched teams like this, it usually comes down to fundamentals. The team that blocks and tackles the best, doesn't give up the big play and makes the fewest mistakes normally wins."

Brandt's Nighthawks take their lead from senior quarterback Josh Vander Maten, who's completed 101 of 164 passes for 1,854 yards and 22 touchdowns. Vander Maten, who has also rushed for 544 yards and seven scores, threw for 231 yards and two TDs and rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown in the 10-point win over Western.

"For them, it all starts with No. 19 (Vander Maten)," said Western Christian Coach Travis Kooima. "Hopefully we can figure out a way to make him hurry his throws and maybe throw an interception. They have some tall receivers outside, but the guys who have hurt a lot of teams are on the inside. It's one of those things where you pick your poison."

Jordan Dykstra, a 6-foot-9 South Dakota State University basketball recruit, has eight touchdown receptions and 6-foot-8 Marcus Heemstra four. The duo led Rock Valley to the Class 1A boys state basketball title as juniors last season.

Senior Nate Van Ginkel is the leading receiver with 27 catches and five scores while Nic Bakker and Josh Mouw have each hauled in two touchdown passes. Mouw, a senior, is the team's leading rusher with 592 yards and eight touchdowns.

Van Ginkel and Keaten Grevengoed lead the Nighthawks with 92 and 87 tackles, respectively.

Western Christian has its own offensive dynamo in Theo Bartman, a 185-pound senior who's rambled for 1,760 yards and 30 touchdowns. Junior Ben Van't Hul has 522 yards and four touchdowns while junior quarterback Tyler Wolterstorff has passed for 1,464 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bryce Groeneweg, a senior, has 33 receptions for 714 yards and eight scores.

Jacob Granstra, another junior, is the leading tackler with 88 stops.

"Theo is a tremendous athlete, but a lot of his success can be attributed to the offensive line," said Kooima, a Rock Valley High School graduate who played for Brandt. "We have a great group of kids who have bought into the system, so it's been a great four years here for me."

Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley rolled to a 40-6 win over Sheldon in the opening round of the playoffs while Western Christian beat Eagle Grove 34-20.

The Nighthawks led 24-14 at halftime of the first meeting, but Bartman's 20-yard touchdown run -- his third of the game -- pulled Western within three points. The Wolfpack got the ball back and were driving, but turned it over on downs. Vander Maten completed the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Bakker.

The winner of tonight's game plays either eighth-ranked IKM-Manning (10-1) or Carroll Kuemper (9-2) in a semifinal Nov. 16 at the UNI-Dome.

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