West Hancock advances to title game for fourth season, looking for third title

The West Hancock Eagles wouldn’t be denied a fourth straight trip to the finals in Cedar Falls on Thursday morning. After losing the toss and getting the football, West Hancock started by driving 65 yards on just four plays, and the offense never looked back. The opening drive did have some adversity. West Hancock fumbled and nearly lost it for the first time this season. Fortunately, Carson Bruns was in the right place at the right time, recovered, and West Hancock scored on the next play when Brady Bixel ran 41 yards for his 35th of the season. The 35 touchdowns tied West Hancock’s school record for touchdowns in a season, a record he would later break that record in the second quarter.

Gustavo Gomez, who fumbled on that opening drive, scored West Hancock’s next touchdown. After the Eagles stopped Madrid on fourth and sixth, Gomez used just one play and ran 73 yards, making one man miss on his way.

Just under halfway through the opening quarter, West Hancock sustained a drive for the first time, running ten plays and driving 55 yards. Teague Smith scored from 18 yards out, and West Hancock went up 22-0 after Madrid jumped across the line. West Hancock opted for the two-point try and got it.

Madrid answered with an impressive drive, going 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring their first score of the day, but West Hancock would immediately answer back, scoring again in just 57 seconds, giving West Hancock a 29-7 lead.

Madrid moved the ball back across midfield, looking for another answer to keep the game close in the first half, but Zephyr Jamtgaard, playing centerfield, grabbed West Hancock’s second INT of the day when Tigers QB Preston Wicker threw it up for grabs. Following the interception, Brady Bixel made history. The West Hancock senior ran 79 yards on the first play following the turnover for his 36th touchdown of the season and setting a new highwater mark.

At halftime, West Hancock had 352 yards of total offense and touchdown runs of 41, 73, 18, 39, and 79. Leading Madrid 36-7.

Madrid tried getting back in the game early in the second half, scoring on its opening possession 59 yards on six plays. Then, it got an onside kick and scored again, driving just 49 yards. Just like that, the Tigers had it back to 36-21.

West Hancock, though, punched right back, scoring on a ten-play, 56-yard drive, capped off by Gomez, who ran a nine-yard touchdown, pushing the Eagles’ lead back to 43-21.

We wanted to the fourth quarter at that score.

Madrid started the fourth quarter as they did the second half; they scored and grabbed another onside kick, scoring a second time to pull within one score, 43-35, with just over eight minutes to play. The third attempt at the onside was unsuccessful, and West Hancock got the ball back, trying to run away the clock.

The Eagles did just that, marching ten plays 51 yards and scoring Brady Bixels’ 37th touchdown of the season. The Eagles put the game away, forcing Madrid to score twice with 3:02 on the clock. They officially wrapped it up with another Zephyr Jamtgaard pick, and two plays later – the Eagles are back into the title game for a fourth consecutive year.

West Hancock will get the winner of Tri-Center and Saint Ansgar for the state title next Thursday at 1:00 PM in Cedar Falls.

West Hancock has won four state titles as a school, five with Britt in 1973. Three of those titles have come since 2019, but West Hancock has never won back-to-back titles. This senior class won the title as freshman in 2021, lost as sophomores in 2022, won again last year as juniors, and will look to be the first to win back-to-back in 2024.

FINAL STATS:

 T