West Branch to play Maquoketa Valley this Friday in Delhi

The Bears have filled the suddenly open spot in their schedule.

By Matt Chinander  |   September 21, 2020, 10:30 p.m.

West Branch High School Activities Director Jake Stenberg announced today that the football team will be playing against Maquoketa Valley this Friday night. The game against the Wildcats will be at Maquoketa Valley High School in Delhi, Iowa and will kick off at 7pm. The JV squad will also play Maquoketa Valley, but that game will be at the Little Rose Bowl Monday, September 28 at 6pm.

The Bears were originally scheduled to play Northeast, Goose Lake at the Little Rose Bowl. However, the Rebels football team is quarantining for two weeks due to COVID-19 concerns are were unable to play.

Since learning of the team's open game late last week, Stenberg has been working hard at finding a team to play, and a team to play at the Little Rose Bowl so that the originally-scheduled Senior Night and Homecoming festivities could go on as planned. However, the team will happily instead be helping the Wildcats with a ceremony of their own, a ceremony that is bigger than the game of football.

This past summer, Maquoketa Valley had two students of their 2020 graduating class tragically pass away. The school council and homecoming committee decided that instead of the traditional crowning of King and Queen this year, they would be giving the crowns to the parents of the students who passed. That coronation ceremony will take place at this Friday's game.

Since the Bears no longer have any remaining regular season home games, Homecoming and Senior Night festivities have been rescheduled.

The West Branch High School Homecoming coronation ceremony will now take place Monday, September 28th, at half time of the JV's game against Maquoketa Valley.

Senior Night festivities, to honor the senior football players and managers, cheer squad, and marching band members will now take place on Thursday, October 15 at the Little Rose Bowl. This is the day prior to the Bears' first round playoff game. More details about the Senior Night festivities will be announced at a later date.

The Bears last played Maquoketa Valley in the 2017 regular season where they defeated the Wildcats 38-21. Check out a recap of that game and highlights from it below.