Schools
PHOTOS: Cedar Falls Football Team Looks Back at "One of the Most Enjoyable Seasons"
The Cedar Falls Tigers ended their season with 35-7 loss to Bettendorf in their semifinal game.
The Tigers football squad lost to Bettendorf in the semi-final round of the state high school football playoffs last Friday, but co-head coach Pat Mitchell said he was proud of his team.
"It was one of the most enjoyable seasons I've ever had," he said. "They were good players; they worked hard. I'm sorry it's over."
He said many strong players will return next year, and those that are graduating were talented and will be missed.
Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Things didn’t quite go our way, but we didn’t have any regrets,” senior linebacker Parker Smith said.
Here's a breakdown of the final game:
Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When it rains, it pours. Friday night was no different for the Tigers who lost their semifinal game to Bettendorf 35-7.
Things turned ugly early for the Tigers when junior offensive lineman Austin Mennen dislocated his elbow on the opening kickoff. The following series, senior tight end Bryce Wolf broke his ankle after a catch.
Early in the first quarter Cedar Falls drove the length of the field and set Jacob Fagersten for a field goal, but Fagersten missed wide left. With less than a minute left Bettendorf punched the ball in to take a 14-0 lead. The ensuing kickoff landed in the hands of track star James Harrington, who has committed to Alabama to run track next spring. Harrington brought the ball to the Tiger 20 yard line before fumbling the ball away to Bettendorf.
With seven seconds left on the clock Bettendorf recorded their third touchdown of the night sending a deflated Tiger team to the locker room facing their biggest deficit of the season.
On the Tigers’ second half opening drive All-State running back Barkley Hill left the game with a knee injury. Cedar Falls ate up most of the third quarter driving the field. Junior Ike Boettger connected with Harrington near the end of the third quarter to put the Tigers on the board.
“I would change absolutely nothing about this season, except the outcome of this game,” Mennen said.
The Tigers are returning a significant number of starters next year including sophomore Ross Pierschbacher who will be a third year starter
“We’re not going to take a day off this off-season, next season starts tomorrow,” Mennen said.
Any message for the team or the coaches? Tell us (and them) in the comments.