Leaving Britt around 6:00 am this morning did not affect the West Hancock Eagles as they cruised past Madrid Thursday morning in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class A State Semifinals, 39-14.
FULL INTERVIEW – Mark Sanger, Head Coach
West Hancock opened the scoring in the second quarter after neither team could find the endzone in the first. The Eagles drove the field in 11 plays, and Mitchell Smith capped the 77-yard drive with an 8-yard plunge up the middle.
After getting the ball back near mid-field, West Hancock marched 52 yards on ten plays in four minutes and eighteen seconds, capped by a driving catch from Kellen Smith from his cousin Mitchell Smith for a six-yard touchdown score.
West Hancock did have an opportunity to add on before halftime, but their fourth and goal try got stopped, and Madrid took over and ran the first half out with West Hancock leading 16-0.
FULL INTERVIEW – Mitchell Smith
At the start of the second half, Jaxen Peterson ran back the second-half kickoff for a second straight game, this time from 85 yards out, and 13 seconds into the second half, West Hancock led 24-0.
After another defensive stop on an offense that was 11-0 and scored 51 touchdowns this season, West Hancock drove 72 yards on 11 more plays, and Kale Zuehl ran a 1-yard touchdown to cap a drive that lasted four minutes and twenty-four seconds.
FULL INTERVIEW – Kale Zuehl
The Tiger finally broke through and rattled a shot off the West Hancock armor with a 69-yard drive in the third quarter that took three minutes, fifty-eight seconds, and nine plays to score 32-8.
West Hancock scored once in the fourth quarter to snuff out any Tiger comeback plans when Zuehl returned to the endzone with another 1-yard score after a 66-yard drive for the Eagles.
FULL INTERVIEW – Creighton Kelly
Madrid added the game’s final score with two minutes and fifty seconds left in the game, and West Hancock was able to run the game out to reach its fourth title game in five years.
STATS:
Passing
Mitchell Smith
3-6, 48 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Kale Zuehl 23-rushes for 138 yards and 2 TDs
M Smith 13-rushes for 59 yards and 1 TD
Kellen Smith 8-rushes 72 yards
Jaxen Peterson 3-rushes 3 yards
Receiving
K Smith 2 for 38 yards
Peterson 1 for 10 yards
Defense
Tackles
Creighton Kelly 5.5
Brady Bixel 5
Peterson 4.5
David Smith 4.5
TEAM STATS
West Hancock 56 plays for 309 yards
Madrid 48 plays for 236 yards
Turnovers
West Hancock 1-interception for 22 yards
Time of Possession WH 24:07 M 23:53
2018 – semifinal loss to Hudson
2019 – State Title
2020 – Quarterfinal loss to Grundy Center
2021 – State Title
2022 – Title game loss to Grundy Center
2023 – Title game
West Hancock will play the winner of #1 Woodbury Central and unranked East Buchanan on Thursday, November 16 at 1:00 pm on KIOW 107.3 FM and 103.1 FM.
