By james art 
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Roland-Story football players Colin Willis and Luke Thoreson discuss bright future at QB for Norse after 2A playoff loss to Crestwood.
It’s the first full week of playoff action in the Iowa high school football season, and our top IHSAA playoff predictions for the Round of 16 Ames Regional Playoffs are up.
The Ames area will have three teams competing this Friday in the round of 16.
Class 4A No. 4 Gilbert (8-1), the 4A District 4 champion, will host Waverly-Shell-Rock (6-3); 3A No. 10 Nevada (7-2), 3A District 6 champions, host Bishop Heelan; and Ballard (5-4) travels to Council Bluffs to face 4A No. 3 Lewis Central (8-1).
Here are the Ames Tribune’s picks for every Round of 16 playoff game featuring a region team.
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Iowa High School Football Playoff Predictions Round of 16
Waverly-Shell Rock at Class 4A No. 4 Gilbert
Waverly-Shell Rock (6-3); Gilbert (8-1): Gilbert peaks at the perfect time.
The Tigers just upset 4A No. 3 Pella in a 14-7 defensive battle in Pella last Friday to win the 4A District 4 championship, and the previous week they topped No. 9 Newton at home by a score of 30-7.
Gilbert hopes to carry that momentum into the postseason this Friday when it hosts Waverly-Shell Rock. But it won’t be easy against a tough Waverly-Shell Rock team that has won three straight.
Waverly-Shell Rock is coming off wins over Mason City (40-15) and Waterloo East (42-18) at home and a 28-6 road win at Marion last Friday. The Go-hawks have a 1,000-yard rusher in Ethan Bibler (1,305 yards and 17 touchdowns) and two experienced quarterbacks in senior Wesley Hubbard (647 yards and seven touchdowns passing with just one interception) and junior Caleb Schipper (461 yards and two touchdowns passage).
WSR has three receivers with over 200 yards, led by junior Brady Bodensteiner with 11 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns.
The Go-Hawks are very opportunistic on defense, with eight different players returning a punt and another eight with an interception, for a total of 10 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries on the season. WSR also has 14 sacks as a team on defense.
Iowa State verbal commitment Will Hawthorne gives Gilbert perhaps the best player in all of 4A. Hawthorne leads 4A in rushing with 1,860 yards and 24 touchdowns and also has 35 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two defensive sacks.
Gilbert quarterback Ethan Rush has 318 yards and eight touchdowns rushing and 133 yards and two scores through the air, with just one interception. Wyatt Pinks added 366 yards and three touchdowns and Gabe Fears 291 yards and three scores on the ground for Gilbert on offense.
Linebacker Blake Bell has 46 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one sack; defensive end Tyshon Gillen 17 tackles and 6.5 sacks and defensive back Bowen Cruz 34 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks for the Tigers.
Owen Mattson has made 3 of 5 field goals and 40 of 42 extra points for Gilbert.
Expect this to be a very competitive battle over four quarters. Ultimately, a veteran offensive line, a confident defense, Mattson and home field make the difference. Gilbert 24, Waverly-Shell Rock 17
Bishop Hillan in Nevada
Bishop Heelan (6-3); Nevada (7-2): It’s a case of two teams with game-breaking running backs going in opposite directions over the last two weeks.
Bishop Heelan features big-play back Kasen Thomas, who has 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns rushing for an average of 9.6 yards per carry. The Crusader defense features an excellent secondary with 11 interceptions, and Thomas is a terror in the backfield with 14.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
But hard times have fallen on Bishop Hillan in recent weeks. The Crusaders suffered a 42-23 loss to No. 2 Sergeant Bluff-Luton and a 49-21 setback to MOC-Floyd Valley in their final two regular-season games, both at home.
Nevada, on the other hand, bounced back from a 24-21 loss at Harlan on Oct. 11 to beat Creston (49-28) and Atlantic (42-7) in their last two games, both coming at Cub Stadium in Nevada.
Nevada running back Anthony Eaton has 1,551 yards and 23 touchdowns after surpassing 300 yards against Creston and surpassing 200 yards against Atlantic. The Cub offensive line, anchored by all-state player Garrett Stringer, is one of the best in 3A.
Nevada quarterback Connor King has 1,199 yards and 12 touchdowns passing with seven interceptions. Gavin Egeland had 26 receptions for 434 yards and six touchdowns and Lucas Browne had 22 grabs for 397 yards and six scores for the Cubs.
Linebacker Jackson Burlage has 62.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks, Jayden Grimm 49.5 stops, Isaac Williams 44.5 tackles and two interceptions, Brown four interceptions, Braden Lewis three picks and Cedar Smith 4.5 sacks. As a team, Nevada has 17 sacks, 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
Look for Nevada’s offensive line to win the line of scrimmage on offense and the Cubs’ defensive front seven to slow down Thomas enough to get the Cubs to the quarterfinals. Nevada 31, Bishop Hillan 24
Ballard at 4A No. 3 Lewis Central
Ballard (5-4); Louis Central (8-1): Ballard will have its hands full playing the defending 4A state champions on the road this Friday.
Lewis Central’s only loss was a 21-7 setback to Norwalk two weeks ago in Council Bluffs. The Titans dominated Dallas Center-Grimes 49-8 last Friday and have a win over 4A No. 6 Adele-Desoto-Minburn on the season.
Titans do most of their damage when attacking in the air.
Quarterback Brady Hetzel has 2,031 yards and 20 touchdown passes with five interceptions. Leonardo Tatum (23 catches for 563 yards and nine touchdowns) and Peyton Phippen (36 catches for 512 yards and four touchdowns) are the Titans’ top receiving threats, and Louis Central has four players with between 280 and 360 yards.
Defensively, Lewis Central features a dynamic defensive front that has produced 24 sacks. Joseph Monge leads the way with seven sacks.
The Titans are also fantastic at forcing turnovers. They have forced 24 on the season, with Tatum and Parker Stessman breaking up four passes each and TJ Nettles and Paxton Blanchard each recovering two fumbles.
Ballard features the state’s most productive defensive player in senior linebacker Jackson Wacha. Wacha leads the state in tackles (114.5), tackles for loss (28.5) and sacks (14.5).
As a team, Ballard’s defense recorded 28 sacks and forced 21 fumbles. Tucker Witztum has three interceptions and one fumble recovery and Caden Anderson has 5.5 sacks for the Bombers.
Offensively, Mason Gatchell has 1,031 yards and six touchdowns, Witztum 479 yards and five touchdowns and Rhett Hedrick 300 yards and five scores on the ground, and Jude Gibson leads eight different Bombers with over 100 receiving yards with 19 catches for 245 yards and two the result.
Ballard played a tough schedule that included a 16-14 win over then-No. 9 Indianola and losses to ADM and no. 1 North Polk. That experience, combined with his outstanding defense, will give the Bombers a chance on Friday.
But in the end, Lewis Central has too much firepower. Lewis Central 27, Ballard 13
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
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