Prairie View senior Grant Steenburgen makes a 12-yard carry that puts the Buffalos in the red zone, setting up another touchdown against the Iola Mustangs on Friday, Nov. 1. The Buffalos beat the Iola 49-14. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)
By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com
The fourth-seeded Prairie View Buffalos will host the fifth-seed Columbus Titans on Friday, Nov. 8, in the east regional showdown between two Class 3A teams with 7-2 records.
The winner of the game will move on to play the winner of Friday’s game between the top-seeded Wellsville Eagles (9-0) and eighth-seed Holton Wildcats (5-4) in the sectional game on Nov. 15.
Both Prairie View and Columbus advanced to the regional by playing teams they defeated on both Oct. 25 and again on Nov. 1.
Sophomore Carter Browning (33) wraps up the Iola quarterback as Hunter McCool (23) comes in to assist on the tackle.
The Buffalos won the second game against the Iola Mustangs 49-14 on Friday, Nov. 1, to advance in the playoffs. Prairie View knocked off the Mustangs the week before with a score of 49-30 to claim the district championship title.
The difference between the two scores: The Buffalo bench stepped up its defense and offense to keep the Mustangs from chipping away at the lead the starters built through the first three quarters.
The Titans beat Parsons in back-to-back games, blanking the Vikings 21-0 in the Nov. 1 game. Columbus is 5-0 at home and 2-2 away, losing to St. Mary’s-Colgan and Frontenac.
Sophomore Reid Pugh wraps up the Iola ball carrier as Carlos Cervanres (54) comes in to assist.
The Buffalos amassed 475 yards rushing compared to 186 total yards – 101 on the ground, 85 in the air – for the Mustangs. The Buffalos once again relied exclusively on their ground game.
The Buffalos’ effective multiple-prong attack relied on junior Parker Schwarz’s power and speed on the outside and junior Josh Goodwin’s power up the middle. Quarterback Attebery is proving he consistently can find openings and turn on the speed as well.
In Friday’s game, senior Grant Steenburgen, who usually gets more credit for his ability to stop the other team’s plays, stepped up as another option, gaining 12 yards on a carry that set the Buffalos up for another touchdown.
Wyatt Attebery drags an Iola defender across the goal line to score another Prairie View touchdown on Friday, Nov. 1,
Senior Benton Stainbrook continues to prove his rock-steady ability as a place-kicker, essentially assuring the Buffalos of an extra point after each touchdown.
The Buffalos pulled down two interceptions, including on the fourth quarter as Iola was looking to score in the red zone.The Buffalos turned over the ball once on a fumble.
The Buffalos were 7-for-8 on third-down conversions, while the Mustangs were 1-for-6.
If they win on Friday, the Buffalos likely will be on the road for the first time since Oct. 11. If Wellsville wins, it will set up a rematch of the top two teams in the Pioneer League on the Eagles’ turf.
Prairie View team members reach in to touch the district championship plaque that was awarded after the team's Oct. 25 game against Iola. The Buffalos were 4-0 in district play.
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