PARKERSBURG, Ia. — The Eagle Grove Eagles football team returns to the field on Friday Night, as they hit the road east to take on the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons in the first round of the Class 1A Playoffs at Ed Thomas Field. Eagle Grove enters at 4-4, while Aplington-Parkersburg enters at 8-0 and ranked #2 in Class 1A. Friday’s meeting is the 8th all-time meeting between the two programs, as A-P leads the series 7-0 dating back to 1996, with the Falcons winning the most recent meeting in 2022 by a score of 56-8.
2026 has been a return to glory for an Aplington-Parkersburg program that’s one of the most storied in the history of Iowa. The Falcons are 8-0 with victories over Grundy Center, Dike-New Hartford, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Union Community, Sumner-Fredericksburg, Jesup, Hudson and Columbus Catholic. A balanced offensive attack is led by junior quarterback Harrison Schultz, who’s throw for over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns, as his favorite target has been junior receiver Tate Pfantz, who’s caught 36 passes for 928 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Falcons have been just as effective on the ground, as junior Mason Pruisner has rushed for 1,163 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season, with Devan Eberhart and Karder Wayne provide spell minutes as well. The offensive line is a veteran group, led by seniors Cooper Mulder, Maison Copp and Parker Mulder.
Defensively, the second and third levels have been the strength of this A-P team, as Parker Mulder leads the Falcons with 42.5 tackles, 19 TFL and 2 sacks, as Noah Junker has added 30.5 tackles and 5.5 TFL, with Devan Eberhart adding 27 tackles and 3.5 TFL. The secondary has made many a big play, with senior Luke Jacobson leading the unit with 25 tackles and a team-high 4 interceptions. Wes Shirk has added 3 interceptions, as Tate Pfantz and Noah Junker each have 2 picks, with Pfantz running both of his back for touchdowns. The defensive line is undersized, but strong, as Maison Copp has 28 tackles, 14 TFL and 1.5 sacks, while Owen Pruisner has 20 tackles, 10 TFL and 4.5 sacks.
Eagle Grove will look to shorten the game against the explosive Falcons, as it will be imperative to establish some type of movement on the offensive line against an uber-aggressive Falcons defense. The Eagle Grove defense will need to be equally aggressive in order to make QB Harrison Schultz uncomfortable.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from Ed Thomas Field.