(Area) Adair-Casey, Atlantic, Guthrie Center, and Harlan are the schools in KSOM/KS95’s immediate coverage area that have won state championship. Today we break down the high school football record book to tally the titles, runners-up, and playoff appearances. Football is one of three sports that has an Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame so we’ll list those players and coaches as well.
Atlantic’s 2002 state championship came with head coach Gaylord Schelling at the helm. The Trojans beat Chariton, Pella, LeMars, and Mount Vernon in the playoffs. They outscored the four opponents by a combined 123-21 with shutouts in the first round and the finals. The quarterfinal win against Pella was by far the most dramatic. A late touchdown drive followed by a successful two-point conversion made it a 15-14 final score. Atlantic’s 23 first downs against Mount Vernon is tied for the most ever in a Class 3A championship game. Bob Younger coached a pair of runner-up teams for Atlantic in 1974 and 1980. Younger oversaw seven of the program’s ten playoff appearances.
Adair-Casey’s duo of state triumphs came at the outset of 8-player football as Ron Peck’s teams beat Elk Horn-Kimballton 25-24 in 2000 and Aurelia 54-30 in 2001. It was part of a stretch that saw four finals appearances in five years. In ’03 they lost 28-20 to Sentral, Fenton and in ’04 they were topped by St. Mary’s, Remsen 56-8.
Guthrie Center hoisted the big trophy in 1996. Coach Brent Meier’s squad won in convincing fashion with a 34 point win in the finals and all of their playoff W’s by at least two touchdowns. Their path went through Adair-Casey (35-8), Woodbine (26-7), Van Meter (28-12), and West Bend-Mallard (42-8).
Jim Wharton Led Avo-Ha to the 1974 title. The Vikings beat L-D-F, LeGrand 21-6 in the finals.
Harlan’s 20 title game appearances are the most of any Iowa program. Coach Curt Bladt has the most state championships (11) and playoff appearances (36) of any coach in Iowa history. Harlan’s 92 playoff wins are by far the most in state history, noone else has more than 80.
The playoff system began in 1972 with four classes and four teams per class. Beginning in 1975 they expanded to eight teams per class. A fifth class (Class A) was added in 1981. Another expansion of qualifiers came in 1984 when they went from eight teams to 16 per class. (Class 4A stayed with 8 qualifiers until 1986). From 2008 through 2015 there were 32 playoff qualifiers in each class. The number of qualifiers returned to 16 in 2016.
Previous posts in the “History Books” series include: Baseball, Softball, Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country.
State Championship Football Teams
Adair-Casey: 2 (2000 and 2001)
Atlantic: 1 (2002)
Avo-Ha: 1 (1974)
Guthrie Center: 1 (1996)
Harlan: 12 (72, 82, 83, 84, 93, 95, 97, 98, 03, 04, 05, 09)
State Runner-up Teams
Adair-Casey: 2 (2003 and 2004)
AHST: 1 (1991)
AHSTW: 1 (2018)
Atlantic: 2 (1974 and 1980)
Audubon: 2 (1977 and 2019)
Elk Horn Kimballton: 1 (2000)
Exira-EHK: 1 (2013)
Greenfield: 1 (1981)
Harlan: 8 (81, 85, 86, 88, 89, 92, 00, 01)
Playoff Qualifiers
Adair-Casey: 15 (95, 96, 97, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13
Playoff Record: 24-13
AHST: 10 (91, 92, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13)
Playoff Record: 14-10
AHSTW: 5 (14, 15, 16, 17, 18,)
Playoff Record: 4-5
Anita: 1 (1985)
Playoff Record: 1-1
Atlantic: 10 (73, 74, 76, 80, 81, 84, 85, 2002, 08, 11)
Playoff Record: 8-10
Audubon: 10 (77, 89, 98, 99, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19)
Playoff Record: 11-10
Avo-Ha: 4 (74, 76, 85, 87)
Playoff Record: 5-3
CAM: 8 (95, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19)
Playoff Record: 6-8
Cumberland-Massena: 5 (84, 85, 87, 88, 91)
Playoff Record: 0-5
Elk Horn-Kimballton: 3 (86, 88, 00)
Playoff Record: 4-3
Exira: 1 (1994)
Exira-EHK: 8 (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18)
Playoff Record: 11-8
Greenfield: 3 (77, 78, 81)
Playoff Record: 4-3
Greenfield/Bridgewater-Fontanelle: 1 (1992)
Playoff Record: 0-1
Griswold: 7 (83, 88, 89, 08, 09, 12, 14)
Playoff Record: 5-7
Guthrie Center: 12 (72, 76, 86, 88, 96, 97, 00, 04, 05, 10, 13, 14)
Playoff Record: 8-11
Harlan: 38 (72, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19)
Playoff Record: 93-26
Nodaway Valley: 5 (02, 08, 09, 10, 13)
Playoff Record: 0-5
Oakland: 1 (1992)
Playoff Record: 0-1
Riverside: 5 (94, 95, 01, 10, 13)
Playoff Record: 2-5
Walnut: 6 (83, 93, 94, 04, 05, 07)
Playoff Record: 3-6
Hall of Famers
*Graduation year, induction year
Atlantic (2)
Don Andersen 1959, 1988
Ed Podolak 1965, 2004
Audubon (1)
Eugene Campbell 1973, 2005
Guthrie Center (1)
Merv Krakau 1969, 2003
Harlan (5)
Michael Burger 1994, 2010
Todd Bladt 1999, 2013 (Harlan’s current head coach)
Billy Cundiff 1998, 2017
Todd Koos 1984, 2006
Perry Sibenaller 1984, 2011
