Unbeaten Hawks face 10-0 Vikings with shot at UNI-Dome on the line

On paper, Class A No. 5 Lynnville-Sully and fourth-ranked AHSTW look like twins.

The Hawks are Vikings are separated by just six total rushing yards and five touchdowns this fall.

But Lynnville-Sully head football coach Mike Parkinson said the two programs conduct their offenses in very different ways.

“It looks different on the field,” Parkinson said. “You can watch AHSTW’s offense on TV these days. Our offense is not seen much on TV anymore.”

The Vikings (10-0) spread it out and run their offense out of shotgun, according to Parkinson. The offense runs through senior quarterback Kyle Sternberg and sophomore tailback Luke Sternberg.

AHSTW ranks seventh in Class A with 2,607 rushing yards and the Sternberg brothers have combined for 2,190 of that. Luke Sternberg’s 1,711 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns both rank fifth in Class A and his 11.6 yards per carry is sixth.

Kyle Sternberg has thrown for 1,684 yards, which ranks sixth in the class. He has 24 TDs passes and zero interceptions and his 160.6 quarterback rating is second in Class A. He’s also rushed for 479 yards and three scores.

Seniors Brayden Lund and Cole Scheffler have combined for 63 catches, more than 1,000 receiving yards and 12 receiving TDs.

“They have a ton of athletes, play physical and they don’t back down,” Parkinson said. “It should be a fun game, and it could come down to the small things. We have to be solid in special teams. Games like this are usually won in that area.”

Luke Sternberg has been fantastic this season as AHSTW’s lead back. But Lynnville-Sully junior Corder Noun Harder has been equally as good in the backfield and better on special teams.

Noun Harder ranks sixth in Class A with 1,649 rushing yards, tied for third with 26 rushing TDs and second with a 13.3 yards per carry average.

He also is fourth in Class A with 33 total TDs, has a class-high two punt return touchdowns and leads the class with a 21.1 yards per punt return average. Noun Harder also has a kickoff return TD, averages 44 yards on his three kickoff returns and scored on both of his interceptions.

The Vikings will rely on Aidan Martin and Nick Denning to slow down Noun Harder and the Hawks’ explosive offense. Martin leads Class A with 108.5 tackles and Denning ranks third with 100.5 tackles. Denning also is tied for third with five picks.

“Those two are on the ball the entire time,” Parkinson said about Martin and Denning. “You see those guys around the ball on every play. We need to find ways to attack their defense. That’s the fun part though.”

Lynnville-Sully (10-0) ranks second in Class A with 69 total TDs. The Vikings are tied for third with 64.

AHSTW ranks fifth in all-purpose yards with 5,031 and the Hawks are eighth with 4,385.

L-S ranks sixth in the class with 2,613 rushing yards and fourth with an 8.8 yards per carry average. AHSTW is seventh with 2,607 rushing yards and third with a 9.8 yards per carry average.

The defensive side of the ball is where the Hawks have the advantages. Both teams rank tied for third in Class A with 14 interceptions, but L-S is first with 23 sacks and 88 tackles for loss and tied for sixth with 14 fumble recoveries.

The Hawks also lead the class with 358 punt return yards and four punt return TDs.

The Hawks and Vikings are two of the five remaining 10-0 teams in Class A. They both played Mount Ayr and Earlham this season. L-S defeated Earlham (49-16) and Mount Ayr (62-33) in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Vikings downed the Cardinals 50-28 and cruised past the Raiders 41-13.

“It’s a huge game because it will take everything we’ve got,” Parkinson said. “The quality of play between both teams will be good. We think we can do what we do. We’re excited for this game.”

The Hawks have only won 10 games twice in school history. The first time was when they won the state title in 1986.

Lynnville-Sully will be at home for a third consecutive playoff game and it’s because of the reverse alphabet.

That means the Vikings will travel east and spend more than two hours on a bus.

“Sometimes playing on the road is a good thing,” Parkinson said. “It will be about mental preparation though. I also think playing on our field one last time means something.”

Lannon Montgomery has thrown for 767 yards, 13 TDs and three picks for the Hawks. His 151.4 quarterback rating ranks third in Class A and his 20.7 yards per completion is tops in the class.

Conner Maston is Montgomery’s favorite target. Maston has 19 catches for 477 yards. His nine TDs rank sixth in the class and his 25.1 yards per catch is first.

Kyle Squires and C.J. Nikkel have both topped 400 rushing yards and combined for 13 rushing TDs.

Squires leads the Hawk defense with 70 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Lane Fisk is next with 68.5 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Mathias Torres has contributed 48.5 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, Dawson James leads the Hawks with 13 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries and Jager Huyser has a team-best four sacks.

Keegan DeWitt ranks tied for 10th in Class A with four interceptions and Maston has snagged three picks and recovered two fumbles.

“Our guys have been dreaming about this night for a long time,” Parkinson said. “This group was always talking about winning this game. There’s a great buzz around this game. It should be a great environment.”