NV earns final playoff bid over I-35 again

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For the second year in a row, the Interstate 35 football team was denied a postseason berth by the Nodaway Valley Wolverines on the final night of the regular season.

The Roadrunners lost at home to the Wolverines last season and dropped a 27-0 decision in Greenfield last Friday night.

Nodaway Valley advanced to this week’s Substate round against Prairie Valley (9-0) with the Class 1A District 6 win. The Wolverines finished the regular season 5-4 overall and 4-3 in District play, while I-35 was 4-5 overall and 3-4 in league action.

The first three postseason qualifiers in the District were set heading into last week’s action, so the game at Nodaway Valley was the only one in the District that had a do-or-die scenario.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, which included a 60-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the period, and tacked on another touchdown in the second for a commanding 20-0 halftime lead. The Wolverines put the finishing touches on the shutout victory with a touchdown in the fourth.

I-35 finished fifth in the eight-team District with the loss. The top four District finishers move on to the playoffs.

The Roadrunners were held to 152 total yards of offense by a tough Wolverine defense. Ethan Calvert had 108 yards rushing, while Clay Simmons added 18 yards on the ground. Zach Moore finished the night 6-for-13 passing for 20 yards and two interceptions.

Andrew Morris led the I-35 defense with 11 tackles, while Rob Godfrey, Mark Jackson and Calvert added nine stops each. Kyle Freeman had a big game on defense, with three interceptions, while Calvert recovered a Wolverine fumble.

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