DIKE -- Last May 25, an EF5 tornado cut a swath between parts of Parkersburg and New Hartford. The communities are still rallying.

Yet, that storm didn't dent the steely resolve of these Northeast Iowans. Last night provided evidence of that.

Friday night means football for anyone attached to the Falcons or Wolverines.

So, despite lives that, in so many ways, were fractured last May, several storm victims continued the march back toward normalcy Friday.

For more than two hours, Aplington-Parkersburg and Dike-New Hartford -- who helped each other recover so often this offseason -- were rivals again. It felt right, the way fall Fridays are supposed to feel.

"It just felt good to get back to doing something normal -- and something our town bases its pride on," said Aplington-Parkersburg quarterback Alec Thompson, whose Falcons won an entertaining, 36-27 contest.

"Unbelievable," Falcons coach Ed Thomas said before boarding a jubilant team bus. "It's the first time since May 25 that it was just football.

"It felt good for our coaches, players and fans."

The teenagers who battled between the white lines seemed remarkably composed Friday. Aplington-Parkersburg's star senior halfback, Riley Ubben, racked up a game-high 172 yards on the ground, running with relentless tenacity.

And Dike-New Hartford's standout senior rusher, Mike Perez, ran for 114 yards, including an electric, 68-yard scoring run.

Perez's New Hartford home was a casualty of the storm last spring. That made it a bit hard to get in the right mindset for Friday.

"It was tough," Perez said. "I had a tornado hit my house, and then a flood later on."

Aplington-Parkersburg, which returned 16 letterwinners for Class 1A, District 3 battle this season, appeared to take control of Friday's contest early.

The aerial combo of Thompson-to-Christian Price staked the Falcons to a 22-0 lead barely 10 minutes in. Price reeled in two first-half scoring passes, including a 41-yard, over-the-shoulder beauty on the game's opening drive.

David Weber helped Dike-New Hartford briefly wrestle away momentum soon after when he weaved his way to paydirt on a 48-yard punt return. That helped the hosts inch within 22-14.

The Wolverines, who moved to Class 2A, District 3 this season, never relented.

Things really got wild late in the third quarter. Somehow, some way, the hosts' Jordan Myers reeled in a 72-yard Hail Mary pass in traffic. When he touched down in the end zone, the Wolverines had clawed to within 36-27 with nearly 15 minutes remaining.

But the Falcons overcame Friday's brief bit of misfortune and persevered. They've had plenty of practice at that the last few months.

"We tried to focus on football -- and I think my kids did that -- but we just ran into a buzzsaw," explained Dike-New Hartford coach Don Betts, whose home received serious flooding in May.

"We had some adversity hit us," Thomas told his huddled team after the final horn. "But then we responded."

Next week, the Falcons host West Marshall at Ed Thomas Field. National television cameras will turn their attention to the Falcons, whose home field on Johnson Street in Parkersburg was forever scarred last spring.

"We've gotta take this now and move forward," Thomas noted. "We're really excited about coming home next week and playing in Parkersburg, I'm telling you.

"It's gonna be a special, special night."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

Aplington-P'burg 22 8 6 0 " 36

Dike-NH 0 14 13 0 " 27

A-P " Christan Price 41 pass from Alec Thompson (kick failed)

A-P " Price 30 pass from Thompson (Thompson run)

A-P " Alex Hornbuckle 5 run (Riley Ubben run)

D-NH " Jordan Myers 22 fumble recovery (James Young kick)

D-NH " David Weber 48 punt return (Young kick)

A-P " Riley Ubben 3 run (Price pass from Thompson)

A-P " Colin Tenney 4 run (run failed)

D-NH " Mike Perez 68 run (Young kick)

D-NH " Jordan Myers 72 pass (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

A-P D-NH

First downs 25 6

Rushes-yards 54-300 15-126

Passing yards 116 98

Comp-Att-Int 4-9-1 5-13-1

Punts-avg 3-37 4-30.5

Return yards 8-78 4-92

Fumbles-lost 3-1 4-2

Penalties-yards 7-40 8-55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

APLINGTON-PARKERSBURG " Riley Ubben 18-172, Alex Hornbuckle 19-80, Colin Tenney 10-41, Alec Thompson 7-7.

DIKE-NEW HARTFORD " Mike Perez 11-114, David Weber 2-10, Joe Weber 1-16, Matt Dove 1-minus 11.

Passing

APLINGTON-PARKERSBURG " Thompson 4-9-1, 116 yards.

DIKE-NEW HARTFORD " Dove 5-12-1, 98 yards; Perez 0-0.

Receiving

APLINGTON-PARKERSBURG " Christian Price 3-94, Hornbuckle 1-22.

DIKE-NEW HARTFORD " Jasen Griener 1-11, Perez 1-minus 1, Weber 2-16, Jordan Myers 1-72.