This Friday, the Little Hawks are hosting the undefeated Bettendorf Bulldogs at Bates Field with heavy playoff implications on the line. This is one of the top matchups of the week, as the Little Hawks are ranked #9 and Bettendorf is ranked #1 and remain undefeated. Last season, these teams played each other twice and they split games, Little Hawks winning the first, and Bettendorf winning the second, which was in the first round of the playoffs. There’s a lot of thoughts of revenge going into this game.
But these two teams’ bitterness and fight isn’t something new. In fact, the rivalry between these two teams roots from years ago. Back in the 80s and 90s, on the eastside of Iowa, City High and Bettendorf were two of the most dominant teams in 4A football. Bettendorf was the dominant team of the 1980s, winning 5 state titles from ‘81-’92. The Little Hawks put together a dynasty of their own, winning 3 state championships in 4 years, from ‘93-’96. Bettendorf’s last state title was in 2007, while the Little Hawks was in 2009. Since 1986, Bettendorf has made the playoffs 38 times, while City has made it 30 times. In that time span, Bettendorf has made 11 state championships winning 7 of them, as the Little Hawks have made 7 winning 4.
When these two teams would meet up back in the day, there wouldn’t be an empty seat. The Des Moines Register even ranked one of their battles one of the greatest high school games of all time. On November 9th, 1992, the Bettendorf Bulldogs would play the City High Little Hawks at a packed out Bates Field in one of the most entertaining playoff matchups in Iowa high school history. City High’s Tim Dwight and Bettendorf’s Tavian Banks put on a show that night. Dwight went for 183 total yards and scored all 4 touchdowns for the Little Hawks. Bettendorf’s Tavian Banks ran for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. Unfortunately for the Little Hawks, the Bulldogs would triumph 31-28 on their trip to a state title. It’s estimated that about 10,000 fans attended Bates Field for this historic game.
This wouldn’t be the only huge playoff matchup these teams had in the 1990’s. The following year in 1993, the Little Hawks would get revenge in Bettendorf this time, achieving a 27-17 victory against the Bulldogs in the State Quarter Finals in Tim Dwight’s senior year, as this would boost the Little Hawks all the way to their first state title. This game would be one of the largest outdoor crowds in the state of Iowa ever, with a roughly estimated 12,000 to 14,000 fans there in attendance. In 1994, they played again in the Semi-Finals at Bates Field for a third straight amped-up playoff match. City High would crush them 35-13 to go on their way for back to back state titles.
In the 2000s, the teams would continue this heated rivalry. The Little Hawks crushed the Bulldogs 41-7 in the semi-finals for a ticket to the state championship. They played again in the 2004 semi-final game that included NFL linebacker on Bettendorf’s side, linebacker Pat Angerer, where the Bulldogs won that time. A thrilling 2005 playoff game that City High won with a long touchdown pass from Gilmore to Evans to win 17-13 to advance in the first round. They would play again in 06 and 07 with a young future NFL player for the Little Hawks A.J. Derby, where in 07 the Bulldogs would get a last second winning touchdown on their undefeated run to a state championship. In 2010, the Little Hawks defeated Bettendorf in the semi-finals on their way to their second straight state championship game.
“Intense, physical football games… When you have those highly skilled players playing in them throughout the years, they are highly entertaining games to watch.” Current teacher Joe Wilcox said. “Every time these two teams have played, they have very intense and physical games. This game has drawn huge crowds, a lot of attention across east side Iowa.”
City High and Bettendorf have played 14 playoff games against each other. Throughout this historic game series, there have been lots of big games with tons on the line, huge crowds with record breaking attendance, legendary players such as Tavian Banks, Tim Dwight, Pat Angerer, AJ Derby, James Ferentz, Gilmore Evans, and more. Hall of Fame coaches ranging from Larry Brown, Dan Sabers, Merv Habenicht, Randy Scott. And now we go to today with coaches Mitch Moore and Aaron Wiley squaring off for their 3rd matchup to wrap up the 2024 regular season.
