MANNING, Iowa — IKM-Manning wanted revenge against Carroll Kuemper for its lone loss. The Wolves got it in their quarterfinal playoff game Friday night.

The Wolves, ranked eighth in Class 2-A, used a punishing running game that accounted for 223 yards to take down the ninth-ranked Knights 28-14 and avenge a 35-28 overtime loss on Sept. 19.

“The kids really wanted to play Kuemper in a rematch,” IKM-Manning co-head coach Floyd Forman said. “They got their wish, and they responded like we’d hope they would.”

The Wolves (11-1) will be making their second trip to the UNI-Dome for the state semifinals. They will play undefeated Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (12-0) on Monday at 1:30 p.m. B-H/RV defeated Hull Western Christian 41-6 in its quarterfinal.

In the other semifinal, Solon (12-0) will play West Union North Fayette (12-0) at 10:30 a.m. Monday. The final is Nov. 21 at 1:05 p.m.

“It’s a great experience, and I think this time will be different because we are going in with experience,” IKM-Manning quarterback Bryce Irlbeck said. “Kuemper runs the same offense as (B-H/RV), so that was important as well.”

The game’s key drives may have been the ones that Carroll Kuemper (9-3) could not complete during the second half. The Knights started their first drive of the half at their 9-yard line and marched to the Wolves’ 14 but were stopped on downs. On their next possession, the Knights got the ball at the IKM-Manning 48-yard line but were forced to punt.

“Our defense played a whole lot better than the first time we played them,” Forman said. “(Co-head coach Tom) Casey did a great job of getting our kids ready to play in three short days.”

Kuemper coach Justin Penner said lack of production on first down throughout the game hurt his team.

“We were starting out second-and-15 every time, and that hurt us,” Penner said. “An overall lack of execution on first down forced us to dig ourselves out of it.”

The Wolves put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 33-yard touchdown pass on third-and-7 from Irlbeck to Tyler Muhlbauer.

“That pass was a clincher for us,” Forman said. “That was a great scramble and eased my fears a little bit.”

Each team scored on its opening possession. IKM-Manning’s Jerad Croghan capped a 90-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown run. The Knights came back with a quick 34-yard touchdown strike from Brandon Boldt to Cody Williams.

The Wolves took a halftime lead, as they did during the regular-season matchup, with two second-quarter touchdowns by Jarad Gaskill.

The first one capped a drive that was jump-started by a 37-yard pass from Irlbeck to Rick Blake. The second touchdown was buoyed by a short Kuemper punt that gave IKM-Manning the ball at its 43.

Carroll Kuemper...........7 0 0 7—14

AT IKM-Manning...................7 13 0 8—28

IKM: Jerad Croghan 4 run (Jay Petersen kick)

CK: Cody Williams 34 pass from Brandon Boldt (David Hicks kick)

IKM: Jarad Gaskill 1 run (Petersen kick)

IKM: Gaskill 1 run (kick blocked)

IKM: Tyler Muhlbauer 33 pass from Bryce Irlbeck (Rick Blake pass from Irlbeck)

CK: Tyler Heuton 13 pass from Boldt (Hicks kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: CK, Williams 5-28, Boldt 20-24, Tyler Naberhaus 5-19, Ethan Schoeppner 3-6; IKM, Croghan 16-77, Gaskill 15-58, Irlbeck 9-52, Matt Vogel 8-28

Passing: CK, Boldt 14-26-0, 178; IKM, Irlbeck 5-7-0, 117

Receiving: CK, Williams 3-46, Andrew Schleisman 3-46, Schoeppner 3-19 Dillon Rupiper 2-46, Heuton 1-13, Naberhaus 1-6 IKM, Rick Blake 2-47, Muhlbauer 1-33, Croghan 1-20, Gaskill 1-18