Nevada caps magical run with 3A Iowa state football title vs Heelan
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CEDAR FALLS — Great Defense, a big edge in field position and timely plays on offense enabled Nevada to make history on Nov. 21.
The No. 7 Cubs knocked off No. 4 Bishop Heelan, 27-6, in the Class 3A Iowa high school football state championship game at the UNI-Dome. It capped a magical postseason run by the Cubs, who claimed the first football state title in program history.
“Since seventh grade, going to the Dome, that’s the goal,” said Nevada quarterback Drake Hinson. “It’s just an insane feeling. Doing this with my boys, it’s crazy. We’re doing it for everybody. It’s all for them.”
Nevada peaked at the perfect time. After winning at Carroll, 21-14, in the Round of 16, the Cubs knocked off No. 1 Clear Lake, 24-14, on the road in the quarterfinals and kept getting better from there. They trounced No. 2 Solon, 29-10, in the semifinals and then dominated Bishop Heelan in the championship game.
Bishop Heelan star running back and linebacker Kasen Thomas, an Iowa recruit, hurt his leg during the semifinals and was limited to playing only defense against Nevada.
The Cubs took advantage by pressuring Bishop Heelan all game long.
The Cub secondary limited Crusader quarterback Noah Conley to just 18 of 37 passing for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Nevada was also dominant up front, holding Bishop Heelan to minus-6 yards rushing and finishing the game with five sacks and eight tackles for loss
“They were tackling really well, and we weren’t blocking that good; it really comes down to that,” said Bishop Heelan coach Jon LaFleur. “We didn’t have Kasen, and that’s difficult because he’s kind of been our bell-cow running the ball. But they’re a really good football team. They played defense the right way and they earned everything they got today.”
Bishop Heelan only had 65 yards at the half as Nevada built a 13-0 lead at the break. The Crusaders found some success through the air in the third quarter, getting on the board when Conley found Caden Lester on an 11-yard touchdown pass during a 4th-and-8 play with 5:08 left in the third quarter.
But Nevada countered with a 59-yard scoring drive capped by a 6-yard Austin Waldera touchdown run, and Bishop Heelan had no answers for the Cub defense over the final quarter. Nevada forced a punt and then Kole Beving came up with an interception on the next Crusader drive to put the final nail in Bishop Heelan’s coffin.
Nevada defensive end John Nelson had two sacks, and Cedar Smith, Jaden Grimm and Justin Happe each had one. Grimm was playing in his first game since suffering an injury in the middle of the season.
On offense, Nevada relied heavily on the legs of Waldera. He carried the ball 34 times for 173 yards and one touchdown behind an offensive line that has really come together during the postseason.
“Smash-mouth football,” Waldera said. “The Nevada way.”
Hinson added 59 yards and a touchdown rushing, and he also threw for 74 yards.
Gavin Egeland threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Brown to put Nevada up 20-6 in the fourth quarter. He had what was nearly the catch of the playoffs when he went over Bishop Heelan defensive back Anthony White for an apparent 41-yard touchdown reception at the end of the second quarter, but it was wiped off the board by a Nevada illegal formation penalty.
Egeland may have had his touchdown catch erased, but he had another brilliant outing kicking the ball. He made both of his field goal attempts against, both coming in the first half, to put him at 5-for-5 at the UNI-Dome.
After not being able to kick at the beginning of the season due to a quad strain, Egeland finished a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals during the season with a long of 45 yards.
“Back and healthy and kicking bombs,” Egeland said. “It’s that repetition. (I’m) a soccer player at heart, so it’s just kicking a ball through two yellow sticks.”
Brown had two catches for 43 yards and Egeland had one grab for 33 yards.
Bishop Heelan finished its season at 10-3.
Lester had nine catches for 93 yards, Jonathon Hope three catches for 62 yards and Grant Whitcomb posted four for 60. Hope also had an interception on defense.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Nevada tops Bishop Heelan to win 3A Iowa state football title
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