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NEWELL -- An impressive opening three quarters was more than enough for the Newell-Fonda football squad here on Thursday, as the Mustangs clinched a return trip to the state semifinals at the UNI-Dome with a 46-36 victory over Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
Head coach Brian Wilken's squad built a 33-8 lead heading into the final period, then held off the Rebels the rest of the way. Newell-Fonda (10-1 overall) is seeking its first eight-player state title since 2014.
"For three and a half quarters, we played very well," veteran Mustang head coach Brian Wilken said. "I think we got a little passive to a certain extent late, and (G-R) made some plays on us. We weren't nearly as aggressive as we were earlier in the ballgame, and things got a little interesting.
"It was a great win, though. I'm extremely happy for our players and their families, as well as our staff and their families and the entire Newell-Fonda community. Our kids have worked extremely hard to get to this point, and fought through a lot of injuries and adversity along the way."
Ryan Greenfield and Mason Dicks took turns hitting paydirt for the Mustangs. Greenfield scored four times on short jaunts, while Dicks added three TD runs from 6, 2 and 25 yards out.
Greenfield finished the contest with 150 yards rushing on 25 carries. Dicks added 56 yards on the ground, with Wyatt Kreft racking up 70 yards on 14 totes.
"The goal and hope was to establish the run and control the clock," Wilken said. "We wanted to keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible and frustrate them. Again, until late, we did a pretty good job of executing our gameplan.
"Defensively, we didn't give up any points until late in the first half. For the most part, we were solid on defense against a very good football team."
Max Carlson and Greenfield intercepted passes for the Mustangs. Carlson and Trenton Struss were the squad's leading tacklers.
"We've had nine different lineups over the course of an 11-game season, so things haven't come easy," Wilken said. "We've stayed the course and came together instead of making excuses. That's a tribute to our kids. They haven't flinched through the adversity."
Newell-Fonda will now face Wayland-WACO (12-0) at 1 p.m. on Wednesday in an eight-player semifinal. Lenox (11-0) and Remsen St. Mary's (11-0) square off at 4 p.m. in the other semifinal at Cedar Falls.