Van Meter falls to West Lyon in the semifinals of the Iowa Class 2A high school playoffs

CEDAR FALLS – Van Meter football’s championship history is undeniable.

The reigning Class 2A state champions had won three straight titles, including 1A crowns in 2021 and 2022. In all, the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the Iowa high school playoffs on Saturday after losing in five straight title matches had been fought.

But West Lyon, which entered Saturday’s match with an undefeated record, was intent on derailing the Bulldogs’ quest for more hardware and carving their own path to a state title.

Ultimately, the Wildcats had the final say.

Van Meter couldn’t overcome a strong defensive effort and offensive dominance from West Lyon, falling 49-24 at the UNI-Dome, one step away from making its sixth straight title game appearance.

“We’ve been here and at the end of the day you get humiliated,” Van Meter quarterback Jay Haley said. “That’s just the way football is. You come up against a stronger team than you and that is certainly West Lyon. Today they played… very well and came out on top.”

After their defense forced a three-and-out to block West Lyon’s opening possession, the Bulldogs got things going from their own 46. On third-and-8, Haley delivered a 42-yard moonshot to wideout Caleb Moore, who got the ball at the West Lyon 10. But the Bulldogs were limited to a field goal after gaining three yards on three rushing attempts in the red zone.

On Van Meter’s next two drives, Haley completed two deep passes for touchdowns: a 50-yarder to Caleb Moore and a 77-yarder to Cole Moore. With a West Lyon touchdown drive mixed in, the Bulldogs had a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter.

However, that offensive success fizzled at the hands of a West Lyon defense that limited Van Meter to six offensive snaps and nine yards through three drives in the second quarter. The Bulldogs allowed fourteen unanswered points in that period, with West Lyon hitting on all cylinders, converting fourth down and converting short plays into extra yardage.

The Bulldogs fell behind 21-17 at halftime.

“In the end, the field position turned around and they took advantage of every opportunity they got with short fields and everything. That was really a huge advantage for them, especially in the second quarter and even into the third quarter,” said Van Meter coach Eric Trudo. . “That made it difficult for us to open things up offensively.”

The Bulldogs struggled to find their footing on the ground while the Wildcats continued to lean on their defense, which yielded three interceptions and numerous stops in the second half.

Van Meter’s opening drive of the second half was thwarted thanks to a West Lyon choice. That turnover turned into a three-play, 32-yard scoring drive for the Wildcats.

Late in the third frame, the Bulldogs threw another interception, but the defense forced a three-and-out on West Lyon’s ensuing drive. Trailing by 18 minutes with 11:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, Van Meter’s attack continued all the way to the one-yard line – thanks to a perfectly executed punt from West Lyon. But Caleb Moore was open and took the ball 99 yards to the end zone to cut Van Meter’s deficit to 35-24.

But it was too late.

West Lyon scored the final 14 points to end Van Meter’s bid for a fourth straight state crown. Haley completed 12 of 25 passes for 375 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Caleb Moore led the Bulldogs with five catches for 224 yards receiving and two scores. The Bulldogs were limited to 50 yards rushing as a team.

“It’s tough when you can’t get your running game going and we’ve kind of leaned on that all season,” Trudo said. “They did a great job.”

Van Meter ends the season with a 10-2 record.

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected], and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Van Meter falls to West Lyon in Iowa high school football semifinals