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High School Football

Cougars fall short vs. Eagles

MANSON — Zach Noffsinger stood near midfield at Manson Northwest Webster’s Keith Hart Athletic Complex on Friday night. He had the gaze of a coach searching for something. “I’ve got to admit: I’m a little bit at a loss for words,” the Cougars' leader said after his Class 1A, District 2 champions dropped a 14-12 heartbreaker to Lawton-Bronson in an opening-round playoff clash. “I’m so proud of where our guys got to after starting 0-2,” he reflected with tears in his eyes. “This group came together, bought in, and fought together to get us a district championship ...

Algona stuns No. 4 Heelan

ALGONA — The Algona football team capped and wild day with an upset of No. 4 Bishop Heelan here Friday on Senior Night, 21-13. The school district received a threat early that closed the buildings for the entire day. After a sweep found no credible evidence, it was decided that the game would go on as scheduled. Nathan Manske ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third score and 122 more yards in the air to lead the way for the Bulldogs. Evan Allie caught the touchdown, finishing with 58 yards, as Tate Garman caught three passes for 59. Algona had lost four straight coming ...

Dodgers look to lock up spot

SIOUX CITY — There are no foregone conclusions in football. The message Fort Dodge football coach Nik Moser is sending to his players this week is simple: take nothing for granted, and assume even less. “You only get nine guaranteed opportunities a year to do this,” Moser said. “The last thing you want to do is go through the motions and look back feeling like you didn’t give your all in your last regular-season game. “We’ve got too much ahead of us to take a step back now.” With a state playoff berth for a second straight year already in tow, eighth-ranked (Class 4A) ...

Gaels test eight-man playoff water

For the first time since 2020, Dodger Stadium will host a state playoff game, as St. Edmond welcomes in No. 9 Fremont-Mills for eight-player action. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Gaels (5-3 overall) earned the district runner-up spot thanks to a thrilling 24-20 victory over Kingsley-Pierson on the road last week. “I feel like that was a culmination of everything we have been preaching since I got here eight years ago,” SEHS head coach Matt Dillon said. “We showed toughness, guts and grit. The guys really played incredible and it was great to see all of that come to fruition ...

No. 10 Cougars at home

MANSON — It took two weeks for the Manson Northwest Webster football team to get going, but they found exactly what they needed. The missing piece or formula isn’t completely defined, but a few tweaks and adjustments for the 10th-ranked Cougars (6-2 overall) earned them their second straight district championship and a spot in the playoffs. MNW will host Lawton-Bronson (4-4), a fourth-place finisher in Class 1A, District 1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Manson. After two straight losses to Southeast Valley (2A) and MVAOCOU, the Cougars started finding a rhythm in a Week 3 shutout ...

Garrigan eyes another dome trip

ALGONA — Playing in late October has become the norm for top-ranked Bishop Garrigan. Another staple for the Golden Bears (8-0 overall) is playing in the UNI-Dome, something they’ve done for the past two seasons. The Golden Bears reached the semifinals last season, and were the state champions in 2024. With 23 straight regular season wins, Bishop Garrigan has outscored their opponents 469-52, including three shutouts. The Golden Bears will host Kingsley-Pierson (6-3) in Algona on Friday in the opening round of the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Bishop Garrigan is averaging ...