When it wasn’t coming as easy in the run game on Friday against Montezuma, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior got into open spaces as a receiver.

He was a key part of an aerial assault by the Rebels resulting in a 64-18 romp over the Braves in a first-round postseason game at Gladbrook.

G-R (8-1) advances to the Round of 16 and will learn their next opponent at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

Vaverka caught five passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns on receptions of 25, 63 and five yards. He was one of two Rebels with 100-plus receiving yards as Drew Eilers grabbed six passes for 100 yards and three more scores.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Gladbrook-Reinbeck wide receiver Hudson Clark, right, makes a leaping catch in front of Montezuma’s David Rose on his way to a touchdown during Friday’s state football playoff game in Gladbrook.

Isaac Clark completed 16-of-25 passes for 275 yards and six touchdowns and added a score on his feet to go with 11 carries for 67 yards.

“I think we could have run the ball a little more, because we have a much more balanced offense this year than maybe last year,” G-R head coach John Olson said. “But Vaverka is a pretty special player and if we can’t hand off because other teams are stopping it, we’ve got to get him the ball in space and we did that a couple of times, a quick dump pass and he takes it to the house.”

Vaverka also had a hand in one of two crucial turnovers forced by the Rebels on Friday, hauling in a fumble recovery when a high snap went over Montezuma quarterback Brady Boulton, with Eilers batting it away from pursuing Braves to give Vaverka time to scoop it.

“I saw Drew giving it his all right at the ball and I thought he might knock it out at a different angle,” Vaverka said. “I thought they might still get it but I still hustled down there with everything I got and I figured if I could hit a guy maybe they’d lose the ball and that’s exactly what happened. So you gotta give it to Drew there.

The other major swing was a Trevyon Herron interception return for touchdown, which came at the perfect time before the end of a first half where Montezuma was looking to score on three-consecutive drives before half.

Instead of potentially being a one-score game, Herron’s pick-six made it a three-possession affair, 36-12, at the half.

“They had some momentum going there,” Olson said. “It wasn’t quite a flashback to Clarksville but looking back it was kinda like that Clarksville game, where we didn’t score and they did, and if they had scored there they would get the ball back in the second half. But we had the right coverage called in there and Trey’s just an outstanding player for a young guy. Fast, tough, and smart, he really gets it and really works hard at it.”

As it turned out, the Braves scored on their first second-half possession, but G-R immediately answered with Vaverka’s 63-yard touchdown reception and his fumble recovery was immediately followed on the next play by Eilers snatching a 20-yard score from Clark.

“[Boulton] is really quick, so you can’t just leave him to defend pass,” Vaverka said. “You have to hope he makes a mistake, and that fumble plus the interception really helped us.”

Eilers entered as quarterback when Clark left with a muscle cramp late in the fourth quarter and lofted a five-yard score to Vaverka. Hudson Clark added five catches for 47 yards and a score.

“The line gave Isaac a lot of time tonight and they worked hard,” Eilers said. “Isaac was throwing the ball really well and our receivers got up pretty good.”

As a junior, Eilers hopes that some upsets around the state allow the second-seeded Rebels to host one more game.

But if it’s not in the cards, it was a hell of a way to send them out.

“It’s awesome to win in the playoffs,” Vaverka added. “But last year this [winning the first round] was our goal. There’s a bigger goal now.”

——

State Football Playoffs

First Round

8-MAN

Audubon 30, Boyer Valley 6

Bedford 65, Fremont-Mills 14

Bishop Garrigan 63, Janesville 6

CAM, Anita 75, Southeast Warren 12

Central City 52, Kee, Lansing 28

Clarksville 68, Turkey Valley 26

Exira-EHK 30, Glidden-Ralston 16

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 64, Montezuma 18

Iowa Valley 78, BGM, Brooklyn 77

Lenox 60, Woodbine 28

Moravia 45, Lone Tree 33

Remsen-St. Mary’s 52, Harris-Lake Park 23

WACO, Wayland 55, Baxter 20

West Bend-Mallard 64, Riceville 26

Winfield-Mount Union 64, Belle Plaine 8

CLASS 1A

AHSTW 21, Hinton 0

Waterloo Columbus 47, Pocahontas 6

Dike-New Hartford 51, Manson-NW Web. 6

Emmetsburg 20, Ridge View 8

Grundy Center 50, Cascade 14

Iowa City Regina 48, Eddyville-Blakesburg 20 MFL MarMac 55, Hudson 3

OABCIG 49, Shenandoah 14

Pella Christian 43, Ogden 0

Sigourney-Keota 52, West Central Valley 7

South Hamilton 24, Denver 8

Sumner-Fredericksburg 31, S. Hardin 26

Treynor 31, West Sioux 13

Underwood 44, East Sac County 6

West Branch 35, Pleasantville 20

Wilton 49, Woodward-Granger 21

CLASS 2A

Camanche 42, Burlington-Notre Dame 14

Carroll Kuemper 47, Cherokee 18

Central Lyon 42, Okoboji 7

Clarinda 56, Des Moines Christian 28

Jesup 20, Crestwood 14

Mediapolis 28, Anamosa 21

Mid-Prairie 49, Northeast 18

Monticello 42, North Fayette Valley 13

New Hampton 41, West Marshall 21

PCM, Monroe 42, Interstate 35 0

Roland-Story 42, Clarke, Osceola 7

Spirit Lake 49, Southeast Valley 0

Union Community 21, Waukon 7

Van Meter 56, Albia 7

West Lyon 16, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 0

Western Christian 26, Estherville-LC 14

CLASS A

AC/GC 34, Mount Ayr 18

Akron-Westfield 35, Tri-Center 0

Central Decatur 14, Earlham 13

Lake Mills 21, Nashua-Plainfield 14

Lisbon 14, North Linn 6

Logan-Magnolia 26, S. Ctrl. Calhoun 20, OT

Lynnville-Sully 28, Pekin 6

Madrid 45, IKM-Manning 7

Maquoketa Valley 57, Columbus Jct. 21

MMCRU, Marcus 50, Kingsley-Pierson 14

St. Ansgar 23, Sibley-Ocheyedan 6

Starmont 17, North Butler 0

Wapsie Valley 43, Danville 6

West Hancock 38, Le Mars Gehlen 22

Woodbury Central 51, North Union 13