CEDAR FALLS, Ia. — The Roland-Story Norsemen football team returns to the grid iron on Saturday afternoon, as they make the drive to the Cedar Valley to take on the Central Lyon/George-Little Rock Lions in the semifinals of the Class 2A Playoffs at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. Roland-Story enters Saturday with a record of 9-2 and ranked #9, while Central Lyon/George-Little Rock enters at 11-0 and ranked #1. Saturday’s meeting is 3rd all-time meeting between the two programs, with CL/G-LR leading the all-time series 2-0, winning the last meeting in 2023 by a score of 49-0 in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Central Lyon/George-Little Rock enters as the lone undefeated team in Class 2A at 11-0, and rolling their way to the semifinals, beating Southeast Valley 38-14 in the first round, routing Clarinda 49-0 in the 2nd round, and holding off OABCIG in the quarterfinals 45-26. The Lions have been led by a balanced offense, which had been engineered by senior quarterback Jayden Daale, however, Daale announced on social media on Sunday that his season had been ended due to an undisclosed injury. Junior Gavin Van Wyhe appears as next man up at quarterback, as the junior has not thrown a pass, but has run for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. The bellcow in the ground game has been senior tailback Michelet Sedam, who’s rushed for 1,055 yards and 20 touchdowns on 163 carries. Van Wyhe will have some playmakers at his disposal in the passing game, as senior Egan Pedersen has caught 44 balls for 477 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Jephte Raymon has caught 19 passes for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns. The identity of the offense comes from a tough and physical offensive line, led by seniors Fred Huisman and Elijah Kruse, as well as junior Caelen Harman.
Defensively, it starts with an athletic and physical defensive line, led by seniors Jephte Raymond and Logan Koob. Raymond leads the unit with 39.5 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 9.5 sacks, as Koob has added 28.5 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 5 sacks. Caelen Harman and Fred Huisman have been stalwarts on the interior, as Harman has 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks, while Husiman has 23 tackles, 6 TFL and 3.5 sacks. The linebacking core has plenty of experience, led by senior Tynan Schipper, who has a team0high 71 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. Wyatt Minter follows with 48 tackles, 6 TFL and 2.5 sacks, while Ryder Laleman has 37 tackles, 4.5 TFL and a sack. The defensive backfield has been prolific as well, totaling 12 interceptions, as senior safety Brady Kirch leads the group with 4 interceptions, along with 33.5 tackles and 1.5 TFL. Seniors Mason Herbert and Cash Sandbulte each have two interceptions as well, with Herbet adding 3 tackles, and Sandbulte totaling 26 tackles.
LISTEN: Central Lyon/George-Little Rock coach Curtis Eben previews Roland-Story
Roland-Story looks to continue one of the more impressive postseasons in the state of Iowa in 2026, after their 28-14 win at Van Meter. The Norsemen have not trailed at all in their 3 postseason games, but their physicality will be tested by the Lions, and it could be a big day in the passing game on the fast UNI Dome turf. The Norsemen defense will look to not let backup quarterback Gavin Van Wyhe get comfortable and provide pressure on him.
LISTEN: Roland-Story coach Matt Finn previews Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
Kickoff is slated for 1 PM on Saturday afternoon from the UNI Dome, and can be heard on 95.7 KQWC, online at kqradio.com and on the KQWC App.