Two area boys’ soccer teams will be trying to punch their ticket to a substate final tonight and move one step closer to advancing to the Class 1A state tournament. In the 1A Substate 5 semifinals, the Columbus Wildcats will look to continue their strong play of late when they face Mediapolis. Columbus has won five of its last six matches and allowed their opponents to score only three goals in that time.

18 goals scored by junior Fernando Erazo has also been a big key to the Wildcats recovering from a slow start, as they come in with a record of 8-8. The only loss Columbus has suffered in the last three weeks was to the 15th-ranked Mediapolis Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Tournament, and both of the Wildcats’ losses to Mepo were just 1-0 games. Round three kicks off this evening at 5:30 from West Liberty.

Sigourney-Keota takes on West Branch in the 1A Substate 6 semis. SK bounced back from a three-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over their last two games. Senior Ty Shafranek leads the way with 12 goals scored, including a hat trick in the first-round victory over Centerville. Sigourney-Keota lost their matchup with West Branch earlier this season and looks for redemption tonight starting at 5:30 in Iowa City.