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Wilton football team making first-ever appearance in state semifinals

Wilton will kick off against the undefeated Grundy Center on Friday at 10 a.m.

WILTON, Iowa — Wilton's varsity football team is making school history. The team is set to play its first-ever state semifinal game this Friday.

Wilton finally got past one of their biggest hurdles playing against Iowa City Regina last week, winning 21-14. The team now heads to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls to face off against the undefeated Grundy Center in the Class 1A semifinals. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. 

While the task in front of them may be a tough one, the Beavers are ready for another breakthrough game and won't be awestruck by playing on the turf in the UNI-Dome. 

"Our kids have been going to the Dome as spectators for the last four or five years," Coach Ryan Hetzler said. "Something we do as a team, if we don't make it, we go up and watch just to kind of give them that extra incentive. So it's just fun to actually be the ones playing the game on Friday."

North Scott is the other local team making an appearance at this year's semifinals. It's their third time advancing to the semis in the last five years. They won the state championship in 2020. Their matchup against North Polk is set for Thursday at 7 p.m.

Iowa's state semifinals last from Nov. 13 through Nov. 16. Eight-man teams faced off on Wednesday, however, no local teams advanced to those matchups. Here's a look at the rest of the schedule. All games are played at the UNI-Dome.

Thursday, Nov. 14

Class A

  • Madrid vs. West Hancock at 10 a.m. 
  • Tri-Center vs. Saint Ansgar at 1 p.m.

Class 4A

  • Lewis Central vs. Pella at 4 p.m.
  • North Scott vs. North Polk at 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 15

Class 1A

  • Wilton vs. Grundy Center at 10 a.m.
  • Hinton vs. Dike-New Hartford at 1 p.m.

Class 5A

  • Valley vs. Dowling Catholic at 4 p.m.
  • Southeast Polk vs. Iowa City Liberty at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 16

Class 2A

  • Spirit Lake vs. PCM at 10 a.m.
  • Van Meter vs. West Lyon at 1 p.m.

Class 3A

  • Wahlert Catholic Dubuque vs. Sergeant Bluff-Luton at 4 p.m. 
  • Mount Vernon vs. Humboldt at 7 p.m.

You can catch the state championship games, scheduled for Nov. 21 and Nov. 22, on our subchannel, WQAD MyTv8-3

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