The Iowa High School Athletic Association this morning announced pairings for the first round of the 2022 playoffs. West Branch will be taking on the South Hardin Tigers, playing Friday, October 21st at the Little Rose Bowl in West Branch.

South Hardin enters the playoffs as a fourth place finisher in District 3, finishing behind Aplington-Parkersburg (1st), Dike-New Hartford, and Denver. The Tigers finished their regular season with a 3-5 record overall, 2-3 in the district.

The Bears and Tigers last played in the 2003 playoffs when South Hardin went by Eldora-New Providence, with the Tigers coming out 41-7 at the UNI Dome.

It is an honor to be in [the playoffs]. Thirty years of playoffs is pretty awesome. Every year is special as the other. We have a special team. We know that South Harden's going to be a tough opponent. We need a crowd to be there and look forward to people showing up on Friday night. – Coach Pedersen

The Tigers are lead by their senior quarterback, Josh Vander Wilt (#7). Vander Wilt threw for over 1,300 yards during the regular season with 12 TDs to 9 INTs, completing 58.5% of his passes. Vander Wilt's top receiving target has been senior Ryan Walters (#24), who caught 55 passes for 716 yards (13 yards/catch) and 8 touchdowns. On the ground, senior Kayne Harrell (#14) leads the team in yards with 562, adding 5 touchdowns.

The Bears enter the playoffs after finishing the regular season 8-0 and a District 5 championship. In week 8, quarterback Tye Hughes and running back Andy Henson both eclipsed 1,000 yards at their respective positions (passing, rushing). Henson leads all of Class 1A in total touchdowns (26) and rushing touchdowns (24), and is fourth in rushing yards (1079). Hughes is third in Class 1A with a quarterback rating of 153.3.

West Branch and South Hardin will kickoff at 7:00pm Friday at the Little Rose Bowl in West Branch. Ticket information will be made available within the next few days.