Julie Vinsand/Gowrie News: Southeast Valley’s Colton Brant runs the ball earlier this season. The Jaguars will face No. 1 OABCIG in the Class 2A semifinals on Friday.

GOWRIE — The Southeast Valley football team wants to forget about how last season ended, but the sixth-ranked Jaguars do find themselves in an eerily familiar position on Friday night.

Southeast Valley (9-1 overall) will meet top-ranked OABCIG (9-1) for the second time this season in a Class 2A quarterfinal matchup.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Last year the Jaguars were in the same spot, knocking off No. 1 South Central Calhoun early in the season but falling to the Titans in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Mike Swieter knows that a new season brings a different mentality.

“We’re not focusing on (2020) — we are happy to be in the spot that we are in today,” Swieter said. “We’ve been talking since August of what our goals are. We wanted an undefeated non-district schedule and to earn back-to-back district championships and then get farther than we did last year.

“We also talked about playing for a state championship. (OABCIG has) one loss in three years and their last two losses are to us. They are one of the hottest programs in the state.”

In the during the regular season, third-rated Jaguars and No. 1 Falcons were tied 22-22 at halftime. It was all Southeast Valley in the second half, though, as the Jaguars outscored OABCIG 22-0 for a 44-22 victory.

“We’re not going to do anything different than we have the past 10 weeks,” Swieter said. “We have a Friday night football game and we want to play in the Dome. There are eight teams playing for a spot. We’ve been in the big game.

“This is our sixth home playoff game in two years and we’ve been in every scenario. We are prepared…we just have to go out and play Jaguar football.”

The Jaguar defense stepped up and held down the passing attack of junior quarterback Beckett DeJean. The Falcon junior threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

Southeast Valley gave the Falcons a steady dose of one of the state’s best rushing attacks. Senior Lathe Muench carried the ball 37 times for 168 yards and two TDs.

Quarterback Kolson Kruse threw for 75 yards and two touchdowns and had a rushing touchdown. Eli Johnson and Colton Brant each scored as well.

The Jaguars ran 55 times for 260 yards.

“We have to win the turnover battle and control the clock,” Swieter said. “In the first meeting, we started the third quarter with 16 plays and 13 play drives.

“We ate away the entire third quarter. They are a strong offensive team that will throw the ball on third and long or fourth and long. They feel they can get 10 yards on any play.

As the season has progressed, the two squads are in the top three in offense. OABCIG is second with 4,265 offensive yards and the Jaguars (4,082) are third.

DeJean leads 2A in touchdown passes (27) and total touchdowns (36) as well as passing yards (2,708). Kruse is fourth in TD passes (21), tied for third in total touchdowns (33) and fifth in passing yards (1,855).

DeJean (3,127) and Kruse (2,982) are second and third in offensive yards, respectively. Kruse is currently third on the school’s all-time passing TD list (32) — one behind Hunter Kruse (33). Nolan Brand (40) is the school’s leader.

Muench, the school’s career leader in rushing touchdowns (44) and offensive TDs as well points leader (308) is third in 2A with 20 rushing scores.

Senior Tre Fisher and junior Eli Johnson, along with senior Colton Brant, have been the main targets for Kruse. Fisher has caught 29 balls for 708 yards and Johnson has 26 catches for 626 yards. They have scored eight touchdowns each.

Brant has 21 catches for 368 and five scores.

Junior Justin Loseke and future Iowa Hawkeye Aaron Graves lead the defense.

Loseke has 64 tackles and Graves, the school’s all-time sack leader (32.5) and tackle leader (206) has 48.

“Our group of seniors are ready,” Swieter said. “They have played in three state quarterfinals and have won three district championships. They have lost only two games in the last two years.”

CLASS 5A

POD #1

Southeast Polk 57, Johnston 7

Dowling Catholic, W.D.M. 38, Linn-Mar, Marion 13

POD #2

Cedar Rapids, Kennedy 23, Dubuque, Senior 9

Iowa City, City High 47, Urbandale 21

POD #3

Valley, West Des Moines 35, Ankeny Centennial 21

Pleasant Valley 42, Cedar Falls 14

POD #4

Prairie, Cedar Rapids 24, Bettendorf 6

Ankeny 42, Waukee Northwest 3

Quarterfinals

POD #1

Dowling Catholic, W.D.M. (7-3) at Southeast Polk (9-1)

POD #2

Iowa City, City High (9-1) at Cedar Rapids, Kennedy (10-0)

POD #3

Pleasant Valley (8-2) at Valley, West Des Moines (8-2)

POD #4

Ankeny (8-2) at Prairie, Cedar Rapids (8-2)

CLASS 4A

POD #1

Decorah 14, North Scott, Eldridge 10

Winterset 24, Clear Creek-Amana 17

POD #2

Xavier, Cedar Rapids 45, Burlington 8

Webster City 57, Norwalk 20

POD #3

Waverly-Shell Rock 42, Cedar Rapids, Washington 14

Bondurant-Farrar 36, Fort Dodge 9

POD #4

Indianola 41, Carlisle 0

Lewis Central 46, Spencer 16

Quarterfinals

POD #1

Decorah (7-3) at Winterset (8-2)

POD #2

Webster City (8-2) at Xavier, Cedar Rapids (9-1)

POD #3

Bondurant-Farrar (9-1) at Waverly-Shell Rock (9-1)

POD #4

Lewis Central (8-2) at Indianola (9-1)

CLASS 3A

POD #1

Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 49, Sioux Center 7

Sergeant Bluff-Luton 44, Algona 14

POD #2

Humboldt 47, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 6

Independence 26, Benton Community 6

POD #3

Harlan Community 45, Ballard 0

Nevada 34, ADM, Adel 26

POD #4

West Delaware 48, Grinnell 0

Solon 24, Assumption, Davenport 17

Quarterfinals

POD #1

Sergeant Bluff-Luton (8-2) at Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (10-0)

POD #2

Independence (9-1) at Humboldt (10-0)

POD #3

Nevada (9-1) at Harlan Community (10-0)

POD #4

Solon (10-0) at West Delaware (9-1)

CLASS 2A

POD #1

West Lyon, Inwood 35, Spirit Lake 7

Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 42, Clear Lake 7

POD #2

Southeast Valley 50, Iowa Falls-Alden 13

OABCIG 34, Greene County 14

POD #3

Williamsburg 35, PCM 0

West Marshall, State Center 26, Mid-Prairie, Wellman 14

POD #4

Waukon 40, Camanche 0

North Fayette Valley 27, Monticello 14

Quarterfinals

POD #1

Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (7-3) at West Lyon, Inwood (8-2)

POD #2

OABCIG (9-1) at Southeast Valley (9-1)

POD #3

Williamsburg (7-3) at West Marshall, State Center (9-1)

POD #4

North Fayette Valley (9-1) at Waukon (9-1)

CLASS 1A

POD #1

Underwood 35, Western Christian, Hull 0

West Sioux, Hawarden 45, Ridge View 20

POD #2

ACGC 34, South Central Calhoun 14

Van Meter 42, Woodward-Granger 0

POD #3

Dike-New Hartford 35, Pella Christian 14

Sigourney/Keota 18, Columbus Catholic, Waterloo 7

POD #4

Beckman Catholic, Dyersville 24, West Branch 7

MFL MarMac 21, Regina, Iowa City 7

Quarterfinals

POD #1

West Sioux, Hawarden (9-1) at Underwood (10-0)

POD #2

ACGC (9-1) at Van Meter (10-0)

POD #3

Sigourney/Keota (10-0) at Dike-New Hartford (10-0)

POD #4

MFL MarMac (8-2) at Beckman Catholic, Dyersville (10-0)

CLASS A

POD #1

West Hancock, Britt 31, South O’Brien, Paullina 7

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 26, North Butler, Greene 7

POD #2

Woodbury Central, Moville 35, Southwest Valley 0

Logan-Magnolia 34, Mount Ayr 7

POD #3

Grundy Center 6, Earlham 0

North Tama, Traer 12, Lynnville-Sully 8

POD #4

Wapsie Valley, Fairbank 7, North Linn, Troy Mills 6

East Buchanan, Winthrop 12, Lisbon 8

Quarterfinals

POD #1

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (8-2) at West Hancock, Britt (10-0)

POD #2

Logan-Magnolia (9-1) at Woodbury Central, Moville (9-1)

POD #3

North Tama, Traer (7-2) at Grundy Center (8-1)

POD #4

Wapsie Valley, Fairbank (7-2) at East Buchanan, Winthrop (8-1)

EIGHT-PLAYER

POD #1

St. Mary’s, Remsen 46,Kingsley-Pierson 6

Don Bosco, Gilbertville 54, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire 20

POD #2

Easton Valley 60, English Valleys, North English 7

Kee, Lansing 42, Turkey Valley, Jackson Junction 40

POD #3

WACO, Wayland 50, Martensdale-St. Marys 8

Audubon 62, Montezuma 14

POD #4

CAM, Anita 46, Fremont-Mills, Tabor 20

Newell-Fonda 39, Lenox 14

Quarterfinals

POD #1

St. Mary’s, Remsen (10-0) at Don Bosco, Gilbertville (8-2)

POD #2

Kee, Lansing (9-1) at Easton Valley (10-0)

POD #3

Audubon (9-1) at WACO, Wayland (10-0)

POD #4

Newell-Fonda (8-1) at CAM, Anita (9-0)