High School Football Playoffs: West Des Moines Valley, Dowling Catholic Schedules, Records and Outlook

Defending Class 4A football champion West Des Moines Valley is at home and Dowling Catholic hosts Council Bluffs in the first round of high school football playoffs Wednesday.

Valley takes on Fort Dodge, which won a playoff berth after beating Sioux City North Friday, “something that looked hazy after a pair of rough performances with Johnston and Ankeny,” the Des Moines Register reported.

Last week’s drubbing of Sioux City East was Valley’s best performance of the season and the Tigers are looking to give Coach Gary Swenson his 300th career win – a feat that would put him in elite company with only 10 other coaches in Iowa high school football history.

The Register said the Tigers’ performance put to rest “any lingering doubts” that the team could be a state crown contender. To beat the Tigers, the Dodgers will need to depend on a passing attack that has improved as the season has progressed, according to the newspaper.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Valley Stadium.

Valley is 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the CIML. Fort Dodge is 3-6 overall and 2-3 in its conference.

In their road game, No. 5 Dowling takes on Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln.

The Maroons won the Division 3 title last week after trampling Marshalltown, 46-9, and go into the playoffs with a 7-2 record. Twelve of Dowling’s points came from field goals kicked by Nick McLellan, earning him a place in the record books, the Register reported.

Dowling has won its last four games.

The Lynx, 3-6 for the season, lost their last two outings, giving up 129 points to Waukee and Southeast Polk.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Williams Stadium at East High School in Des Moines.