The #2 Audubon Wheelers (10-0) host the #3 Remsen St. Mary’s Hawks (9-0) in the Quarterfinals of the 8-Man Football Playoffs on Friday night at Chiz Jones Field and it should be a terrific contest.

Audubon fought back from two scores down in the opening round to knock off Newell-Fonda 45-33. Remsen St. Mary’s cruised to a 58-13 win over Boyer Valley in round one. The Hawks fought their way through a very tough District 1 this season with wins over Newell-Fonda, Harris-Lake Park, and Graettinger Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire. Hawks Head Coach Ryan Hajek hopes the grind of the regular season has prepared his team for this moment.

The Hawks are a similar team in style to the Wheelers, they like to run the ball first but can put it in the air efficiently as well. Star running back Canaan Cox has piled up 1,549 yards on the ground and 31 touchdowns. He is averaging 10.8 yards per carry and also has 3 receiving scores to his name. Cox moved into the district this year from North Carolina where he led the state’s independent class and was third overall in the state with 2,343 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns. Quarterback Derrick Shorg is another weapon, piling up 1,256 yards through the air with 17 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions.  His favorite target is Carter Kuchel who has pulled in 33 receptions for 773 yards and 11 touchdowns. As the numbers show balance and depth have been a key for the Hawks all season.

Audubon has also used great balance to get them to an undefeated mark. Quarterback Tyler Reibhoff has 884 yards passing with 15 touchdowns to go along with 1,114 rushing yards and 27 scores. Nolan Smith has rushed for 872 yards and 23 scores. Josh Lange has a combined 10 touchdowns rushing and receiving. Different players have stepped up for Audubon in key moments and Co-Head Coach Sean Birks likes how unified the team is right now.

The win last week for the Wheelers was a big stress reliever after having been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs the previous three years. Coach Birks thinks that win can help his team relax and just play their game this week.

We’ll have coverage of the Wheelers and Hawks on Friday night on KJAN. Chris Parks and Mike Smith will have the call from Chiz Jones field with a 6:00pm pre-game and 7:00pm kickoff. Tune in on AM1220, FM101.1, online at kjan.com, or on the KJAN mobile app. After the game we’ll have post-game coverage followed by the Iowa High School Scoreboard Show from 10:00pm-11:30pm.