Respect—that's
what this game was all about. Both teams entered the 4A championship game
in a similar fashions
with convincing 1st Round victories over tough conference opponents.
However, in the Semifinals, both teams met top-ranked opponents and were
"supposed" to lose (but didn't):
while Bettendorf defeated a #1-ranked and undefeated Cedar Rapids Washington
squad (that had grossly underestimated them), Mason City knocked off an
unbeaten, #2-ranked WDM Dowling team in overtime. Thus, the title game
banter billed the contest as "UnderDAWGS vs. Underdog" and speculated that
the match-up could be simplified as "Bettendorf's passing game vs. Mason City's
running game." However, this street-brawl was much, much more:
for the Mohawks, it was about silencing the critics who didn't believe they
belonged in the game and for the Bulldogs, it was about proving to themselves
that as a team, they could win the first state championship in school history.
