The 8-Player football semifinals will kick off with a Nishna Valley flair on Wednesday morning at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The CAM Cougars (11-0) will square off against the Audubon Wheelers (10-1) in the first semifinal game of the season at the dome. It’s a rematch of a regular season tilt that CAM came out on top of 58-42 back on September 24th. That win allowed the Cougars to come away with the District 10 championship. This time a trip to the state championship is on the line. CAM Head Coach Barry Bower said it will be a lot of fun to have another big game against the Wheelers.

Audubon Head Coach Sean Birks said they expect another hard fought game. He said both teams have a ton of respect for each other and it will make for a great atmosphere.

Both teams like to rely on the ground game. CAM senior Lane Spieker is in the midst of the greatest single season rushing output in Iowa 8-Player football history with 2,951 yards and counting. Spieker also, during the quarterfinal win over Newell-Fonda, passed the all-time mark for touchdowns (rush, receive, and return) in a season at any level with 65. That’s not to mention his 11 passing touchdowns on the season. Audubon Head Coach Sean Birks said they will obviously need to slow Spieker down a bit.

The Wheelers have been solid in the run game too with senior Gavin Smith leading the charge with 2,074 yards rushing with 43 touchdowns. The quarterback has also added 995 yards and 13 scores through the air. Coach Bower thinks both teams have improved greatly and the Cougars will need to play their assignments well.

The Wheelers are back to the dome for the second time in three years. In 2019 the Wheelers made it all the way to the title game and finished as runners-up to Don Bosco. CAM is playing in the dome for the first time in school history. After coming up short in the quarterfinals the past two years, the Cougars were able to get over the hump this season.

We’ll have all the action on KJAN with pregame at 9:00 a.m. and kickoff at 10:00 a.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Chris Parks and Mike Smith will have the call on AM 1220, FM 101.1, and audio online at KJAN.com