(Earlham) Nodaway Valley made no qualms about it going into Friday’s matchup with Earlham. A rematch with the Cardinals after a 21-14 loss in the regular season was something Duane Matthess and the Wolverines yearned for.
They got the opponent they wanted and made the most of their shot at redemption. Nodaway Valley won 26-0 for a 2nd straight shutout win in the playoffs.
Tony Ayase posted two rushing touchdowns in the 2nd quarter to put the visitors up 14-0 at the break. In the 2nd half Caelen DeVault had a two yard scoring run and Adam Ayase punched one in from 10 yards.
Nodaway Valley outgained Earlham 204-76 in total yardage, holding their opponents to just 1.8 yards per play. 200 of Nodaway Valley 204 yards came on the ground, a vast change from their regular season style. Tony Ayase had 19 attempts for 78 yards, Caelen DeVault 11 carries for 69 yards, and Adam Ayase 11 carries for 63 yards.
The defensive effort was spearheaded by Tony Ayase’s 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Cachlea Kennedy had 2 tackles for loss among his 6 stops. Boston DeVault snared an interception. Nodaway Valley held Earlham to just 1/9 on third down conversions.
The Wolverines will take a 4-5 record into the third round of the playoffs. Matchups will be announced on Saturday. A team that had never had a playoff win prior to this year has now outscored their two postseason opponents 46-0 thus far.
