Coming off the program’s first playoff win in 10 years, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL football team will travel to #4 (2A) Osage for a Class 2A second round playoff game Friday, which’ll air on 99 The Wave. It’ll be a rematch of Week 1, where the Green Devils won 22-8.
The Bulldogs (5-4) have become dynamic offensively, as was displayed in last week’s 57-36 win over Woodward-Granger. With five touchdown passes by sophomore Blaek Burmester, they struck quickly with many short drives to put the game out of reach. Head Coach Cole Miller says they’ve adjusted to their strengths that they’ve built throughout the season.
“The best football teams are to be able to adjust and adapt,” Miller says. “And that’s what we had to do as a coaching staff and as players. So one game at a time, you find one thing here that works, one thing there that works, and keep building on that. You start to build some momentum and continue to just lean into your strengths and then practices every week we’re working on getting better at the things that we weren’t so great at. So our kids have come a long way in their skill and their discipline and their things like that. Nine weeks of practice has been a big part of it too. The kids are just getting better than they were the first week. So, you know, that’s a testament to their work ethic and all the time that they put in that, it’s paying off and we’re finally seeing some of those results.”
Osage (9-0) defeated Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 22-14, where they surged late after a defensive shootout through the first three quarters. Senior quarterback Quinn Street leads Class 2A with 35 touchdowns, including 21 rushing. He’s also second in 2A in total yards, earning spots on several 2A Player of the Year watchlists. Miller says Street is a large part of the Osage scouting report, but far from their only weapon.
“Street’s a very dynamic player. He can hurt you with his arm or with his legs, running around and making plays. They have a lot of designed runs for him. And rightfully so, he’s a great player. But then they have a bunch of athletes to surround him with. And he puts the ball in their hands, they make plays too. And on the defensive side of things, they have a really good defensive line, linebackers that like to get after it. So they’re very well. It’ll be a good challenge. I know our kids are looking forward to it.”
Pregame coverage will start at 6:15 p.m., followed by the kickoff at 7:00. The winner will advance to next week’s quarterfinal against either Waukon or #5 (2A) Alburnett.
Cole Miller interview:
