CLARK — Past playoff history didn't matter as much as the present did for Clark-Willow Lake's football team on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The third-seeded Cyclones punched their ticket to the state Class 11B playoff semifinals for the first time in 23 years with a convincing 30-12 quarterfinal win over perennial power Winner.

Winner (6-4), the 11th seed, had played in nine of the past 16 state Class 11B championship games with seven titles and two runner-up finishes.

Technically, it's the first semifinal berth for the Clark-Willow Lake co-op that formed around 2010. It's the first semifinal trip for Clark or Willow Lake since Clark won the state Class 11B title in 2002. Clark and Willow Lake (Class 9B runner-up in 1984) each played for a state championship once.

"Yeah, it's been a long tim

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