The Boyden Hull Rock Valley Nighthawks find themselves back at the UNI Dome for the 3A semifinals. This year they are the top seed and have drawn #4 seed Solon.
Seedings for this year semis in Class 3A were done strictly by RPI where the Nighthawks led the state. Boyden Hull Rock Valley advanced with a 50-14 win over Sergeant Bluff Luton in Rock Valley. Solon advanced with a 23-19 upset of West Delaware on the road. The final four in Class 3A are all unbeaten teams at 11-0.
Nighthawks Head Coach Corey Brandt feels earning a trip to the dome has been a week to week process.
Preparing for Solon begins with Spartan defense.
While turnover margin is the top priority after that it comes down to execution.
For Solon the trip to the semis was something the coaching staff saw as a possibility in the off season.
That’s Spartan Head Coach Lucas Stanton. The coach says there are a number of things that stand out when you game plan for the Nighthawks.
Stanton says deep in the playoffs; wins are determined by the little things.
Senior Tanner Te Slaa has passed for 1928 yards on 66.9 percent passing. He’s completed 101 of 151 attempts for 28 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. His leading receiver is senior Caleb Kats with 35 receptions for 622 yards and 9 touchdowns. His longest came from 66 yards out. Senior Landon Van Kekerix is the leading rusher with 593 yards and 16 touchdowns with his longest a 67 yard score. Van Kekerix averages 10.8 yards per carry.
On defense Van Kekerix leads the team with 58 tackles with 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. As a team the Nighthawks have recovered 17 fumbles and intercepted 14 passes.
Solon is quarterbacked by junior Blake Timmons who’s passed for 1442 yards on the season with 19 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Timmons is a 48 percent passer who has completed 73 of 150 attempts. The leading rusher is junior Sean Stahle whos rushed to 1127 yards on 167 carries averaging 6.7 per carry. He’s scored 17 touchdowns with a long of 70 yards. The Spartans have 7 receivers with over 100 yards led by senior Jake Quillin with 323 yards on 16 receptions good for 7 touchdowns. His longest has been a 73 yard score.
On defense sophomore Brett White leads the team in tackles with 87 including 4.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss. As a team Solon has picked off 18 passes. In the return game they have scored on a trio of punt returns with Stahle returning two of them including one for 84 yards.
Kick off is scheduled for 4:00 pm Saturday. Jon and Justin Hellinga continue our season long coverage of the Nighthawks with pregame at 3:30. Streamed from the website at www.kiwaradio.com,
