The second round of the IHSAA Class 4A playoffs featured a Battle of the Boot rematch between the Iowa City West Trojans and Iowa City High, and the sequel ended in a fashion similar to the original.

No, the Trojans didn’t have a 99-yard kickoff return to start off the game, but they did earn a blowout win by a score of 35-7 to end the Iowa City High Little Hawks’ season. The teams’ first meeting of the year ended 56-20 in favor of the Trojans.

Like the first matchup, the Trojans had a great start to game, though this time it came from the first drive on offense. Starting from their own 49-yard line, the Trojans used a variety of plays until senior quarterback Marcus Morgan dove into the end zone from two yards out with just over half of the first quarter completed.

“We were dialed in right from the jump,” Morgan said. “Guys were ready to go. We knew they were going to go out and do something funky and the guys handled that really well.”

On their first drive, the Little Hawks had some success. Senior quarterback Raph Hamilton rushed for 10 yards on the Little Hawks’ first offensive play. However, the drive fizzled out and the ball was turned over on downs at the Trojans’ 45-yard line.

Morgan responded right away, and nine plays later found senior receiver Grahm Goering from six yards out on the right side of the end zone with seconds to go in the first quarter.

It looked like the Little Hawks were going to get into the game, as they were driving deep into Trojan territory. But a botched snap that Hamilton couldn’t handle was recovered by Iowa City West at their own 19-yard line with 6:34 remaining in the half.

Roughly four minutes later, junior running back Taylon Mann punched it in from one yard out.

The Little Hawks were looking for anything to climb back into the game, but a double reverse couldn’t get it done on a fourth down and the Trojans took over at the Little Hawks’ 24-yard line with under two minutes to play in the first half. Senior running back Trey King then ran in for a four-yard TD before the half expired.

“We work really hard in practice every day,” King said. “[Head coach Garrett] Hartwig and [assistant coach Andrew] Durham, they put it on us to work hard every day and knowing coming into the City game that they’re going to just run off of their defense whatever type of team it is that we’re going to execute whatever it comes down to.”

Like the weather conditions, the second half was a cold scoring half, and little was accomplished in terms of the result of the game. After a long third quarter, senior receiver Damarion Williams found the end zone from 14 yards out on a reverse with under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Junior running back Joey Bouska scored the lone Little Hawk TD of the night. With under four minutes to go, he ran it in from 11 yards out.

The IHSAA will announce the 5-0 Trojans’ next opponent on Saturday when third and quarterfinal round pods are designated. Third-round games begin Oct. 30.

“The opponent’s going to be good,” Hartwig said. “You lose, you go home.”