One step from Dome, Iowa tempers excitement for semifinal game – American Press

Whether or not it’s No. 1 Iowa or No. 4 North DeSoto, somebody is making historical past tonight at Jesse E. Cady Memorial Stadium at Iowa Excessive Faculty.

Each groups are taking part in within the semifinals for the primary time.

Iowa (11-1) hosts North DeSoto (11-1) at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets are on a nine-game win streak.

Forty-eight minutes of play separate the Yellow Jackets and a visit to the Division II non-select state championship sport subsequent week on the Superdome in New Orleans. However head coach Tommy Johns stated his Iowa staff hasn’t had any hassle staying centered.

“I do know the group is happy,” Johns stated. “It’s nice for everyone concerned.

“Now we have form of corralled our youngsters. We aren’t getting ready any otherwise than now we have been. They don’t get too excessive or too low. They’re a fairly even-keeled bunch that you just don’t sometimes see today. I believe most good groups which have put themselves in these positions are like that. They deal with their feelings nicely and perceive that everybody goes to maintain telling them it’s an enormous sport. I inform our guys you possibly can’t deal with it any otherwise. You continue to have to organize such as you usually do.”

Iowa broke by means of the quarterfinals final week with what Johns described as probably the most full sport the Yellow Jackets performed all season, beating Leesville 31-14.

“You may inform earlier than the sport began they’d a chip on their shoulder,” Johns stated. “There wasn’t a complete lot of speaking occurring. The bus experience was quiet. They bought over there and had been able to roll. Final week was additionally our most full week of observe we had all yr. With Thanksgiving break, we had all people in attendance.”

Iowa’s method to the sport is two-pronged: no turnovers and never permitting the Griffins’ explosive offense (45.2 ppg) to tear off huge performs. North DeSoto has pressured 40 turnovers in 12 video games with six fumbles returned for touchdowns.

“The 2 primary issues that now we have pressured is, No. 1, now we have to guard the ball, interval,” Johns stated. “Video games like this, or any video games for that matter, you possibly can’t flip the ball over.

“Defensively, the most important factor for us is don’t surrender explosive performs, don’t give the deep photographs or stuff like that or a budget ones. You must make them earn it, and attempt to get some well timed turnovers. That’s clearly going that will help you.”

Griffin head coach Dennis Dunn, a member of the 200-win membership, is aware of his staff has to comprise Iowa operating again Ronald Younger (1,820 yards, 21 TDs).

“You must cease their energy run sport,” Dunn stated of the Yellow Jackets. “They’ve lots of people on the level of assault and a whole lot of our bodies on the level of assault. When you don’t match the our bodies, they will current some issues for you.

“In fact, (Younger) is the man that has been the game-changer for all of them yr. He isn’t their solely weapon. (Luke Guillory), their tight finish, and (Jonathan Walker) are superb gamers. They do a very nice job with what they’ve offensively. They handle the sport, get first downs, then (Younger) will break one.”