CEDAR FALLS — Van Meter is on to the Iowa high school football state championship game, despite playing with one arm tied behind its back.
Or rather, with the dominant hand of running back turned wide receiver and linebacker Tate Doggett in a cast.
The senior standout missed half of the regular season with a broken arm, returned to the field two weeks ago and proved to be the difference-maker in the Bulldogs’ 14-6 win over Osage on Nov. 15 in the Class 2A semifinals.
He finished with one reception for eight yards on offense and a team-high 12 tackles and one interception on defense.
“It was really unfortunate to lose him for part of the season, especially part of his senior season,” head coach Eric Trudo said after the Bulldogs’ victory. “But he’s brought a lot of energy, especially on the defensive side of the ball, for us.
“He realizes he’s just one of 11 out there, and if he doesn’t do his job, then something could break down. So he just wants to go out there and play ball. He’s just getting an opportunity to make up for lost time.”
Doggett certainly made the most of his moment on Saturday. And he wasn’t alone in his effort, as defense took the lead for both Osage and Van Meter.
The start of the game was slow going, as both defenses took control. Osage and Van Meter combined for 206 total yards of offense in the first half, and eight of 10 drives between the first and second quarters ended with a punt.
In the second quarter, Osage put a stop to the back-and-forth battle. The Green Devils were forced to punt, once again, but Van Meter dropped the ball and Osage’s Griffin Uhlenhopp slid in and scooped it up. He recovered it at the Bulldogs’ 36-yard line.
Three plays later, Osage picked up the first points of the game on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Street to Uhlenhopp. The extra point failed, but Osage’s 6-0 lead held until halftime.
“We needed to finish drives,” Trudo said. “We had put together some drives, but we didn’t finish them with points. The first half boiled down to a lot of defense, and then two plays that (Osage) took advantage of with the punt return we fumbled and then we broke down in pass coverage. A team like this, if you break down just once, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
The Bulldogs’ defense made a statement to start the second half. Osage gained six yards on the first play of the drive, but consecutive tackles for losses of three and six yards followed. The ensuing punt gave Van Meter’s offense the ball at Osage’s 45-yard line.
Van Meter marched downfield on the next nine plays, highlighted by a one-handed catch by Doggett – sporting a club cast on his right hand – that put the Bulldogs on the two-yard line and a short rushing touchdown from Christian Williams on the following snap.
Henry Lounsbury’s extra point eased through the uprights, and Van Meter turned that massive defensive stop into their first points of the game and a 7-6 lead.
The momentum continued to swing in Van Meter’s favor on the Green Devils’ next possession. Osage advanced to its own 42-yard line, but Adam Glade sacked Street for a loss of 19 yards, and an intentional grounding penalty set the Green Devils back another five to the 18-yard line.
Before they could snap the ball, Osage was called for a false start and moved back to its own 13-yard line. The Green Devils couldn’t convert on 3rd-and-33, and Van Meter entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead and the ball on Osage’s 48-yard line.
That drive stalled at the 34-yard line, and the Bulldogs punted again.
Osage started its march downfield, but that drive didn’t make it to the 50-yard line. Doggett intercepted Street around the 35-yard line, dodged four tackles and dragged another defender for about five yards to give Van Meter’s offense the ball five yards from the end zone.
And – like with the Bulldogs’ first score – Williams capped the drive with a short rushing touchdown, this time from one yard out.
The Green Devils had some chances on their next possession, especially after getting 15 free yards on a pass interference call against Van Meter. But Street fumbled and then recovered, but for a loss of 10 yards, and he threw two incompletions on the next two plays.
Doggett nearly came away with another pick on Osage’s fourth-down attempt, but the Bulldogs got the ball back anyway, four yards shy of the 50-yard line.
The Bulldogs didn’t pick up any points on their next possession. Van Meter did, however, forcing Osage to exhaust its timeouts, and the Green Devils got the ball back with less than a minute remaining.
And even though Andon Watson couldn’t come down with an interception on Osage’s pass attempt on 3rd-and-23 to officially secure the win, the Green Devils couldn’t get past Van Meter’s defense – as had been the case for most of Saturday’s matchup.
The Bulldogs advance to the Class 2A state championship game to be played on Friday, Nov. 21.
“Whoever we play … they’re going to be a really good team, no matter who it is,” Trudo said. “We’re just going to come and show up next Friday, and we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Van Meter holds off Osage, advances to Iowa high school football state championship game
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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