(Photo – Patrick Coons Photography)
We are nearing the halfway point of summer break where that itch to be on or near the gridiron begins to permeate throughout people’s bodies. We’ve still got a little over 2 months before Week 1, but it’s close enough that we can take a look at who’s going to be in contention in 2025.
Class 5A
- West Des Moines, Valley
- Iowa City Liberty
- Waukee
- Waukee Northwest
- Southeast Polk
- Ankeny
- Dowling Catholic
- Cedar Falls
- Sioux City East
- Dubuque Hempstead
On paper, this looks like the most wide-open Class 5A has been in a very long time. Valley takes the #1 spot behind the prolific connection of Drake DeGroote and 4-star recruit Jayden McGregory. Iowa City Liberty comes in at #2, bringing back one of the state’s top quarterbacks in Reece Rettig, as the battle of Waukee this fall could have championship ramifications, as Waukee High and Northwest bring back high amounts of production each.
Southeast Polk and Dowling lose a lot of production, but their abilities to reload earn them #5 and #7 here. Ankeny comes in at #6 with a high-number of defensive playmakers returning, same goes for Cedar Falls at #8. Sioux City East brings back a very underrated signal-caller in Cal Jepsen, who has some returning targets. Dubuque Hempstead brings back nearly every key producer from a team that barely missed the postseason in 2024.
Class 4A
- Cedar Rapids Xavier
- Fort Dodge
- Sergeant Bluff-Luton
- Newton
- LeMars
- Lewis Central
- Clear Creek-Amana
- ADM, Adel
- Western Dubuque
- Decorah
When’s the last time you saw towns like Fort Dodge, Newton and LeMars in a top 5 of a football rankings? Well, mark it down as right now. Cedar Rapids Xavier is at the top, bringing back a high-volume of production on both sides of the ball, but 4A’s most explosive team might be Fort Dodge at #2 headlined by Iowa-commit Noah Daniel. Sergeant Bluff-Luton bumps up a class after a semifinal appearance in 3A, but returns a high-percentage of production. Newton is led by quarterback Caden Klein who also returns a couple of top receivers and Nick Milburn at linebacker. LeMars also brings back an experienced signal-caller in Jami Sitzmann, his top 2 receivers and good amount of defensive production.
Lewis Central loses some of it’s top playmakers, but the Titans have a history of reloading. Clear Creek-Amana returns quarterback Conlan Poynton and their top 2 backs, as ADM returns their dual-threat quarterback Hudson Shull, but will need some supporting cast members to emerge. Western Dubuque will be breaking in a new quarterback, but have a talented backfield and receiving core, as Decorah could repeat last year’s success if they can get their quarterback position correct.
Class 3A
- Bishop Heelan, Sioux City
- Mount Vernon
- Algona
- Clear Lake
- Humboldt
- Harlan Community
- Solon
- MOC-Floyd Valley
- Nevada
- Independence
3A appears to be a top-heavy class on paper, as my preseason #1 Bishop Heelan has a one-man, two-way wrecking crew in Iowa-commit Kasen Thomas. Thomas does also have a solid-returning supporting cast as well. Mount Vernon brings back quarterback Kellen Haverback and top receiver Jase Jaspers, while Algona brings back speedsters William Weichert and Evan Allie, as Nathan Manske could be another in a long-line of successful Manske QB’s for the Bulldogs. Clear Lake brings back quarterback Jaxson McIntire, and bring in South Hamilton transfer Kolby Hodnefield to play receiver to add on to a talented supporting cast. Humboldt is in a search for a new quarterback, but have some established playmakers in Chase Flaherty, Cash McIntire, Valley Davis and Broedy Hendricks.
Harlan brings back quarterback Gabe Arkfeld, as the Cyclones should be the favorite in District 6, as Solon loses a good chunk of production, but are a program that seemingly reloads every year. MOC-Floyd Valley has a good supporting cast and defense, but quarterback is a question mark going into fall camp. Same goes for Nevada and Independence headed into 2025.
Class 2A
- Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
- Kuemper Catholic, Carroll
- OABCIG
- Osage
- Van Meter
- Mid-Prairie, Wellman
- Roland-Story
- Dike-New Hartford
- Alburnett
- Centerville
Despite some shuffling, Northwest Iowa still looks like the dominant region in Class 2A with a veteran Central Lyon/George-Little Rock team at #1. However, don’t sleep on Kuemper Catholic at #2 as they return quarterback Brock Badding and running back Jarin Hoffman, as OABCIG has a DeJean on their roster, don’t think I need to add on to that. Osage brings back a ton of production, including quarterback Quinn Street, while Van Meter loses almost all it’s production, but Van Meter has earned the benefit of the doubt in receiving a #5 ranking.
Mid-Prairie, Wellman could make a lot of noise in a weaker-than-normal district with senior running back Hudson Ehrenfelt. Roland-Story loses their quarterback and offensive line, but have supremely-talented backfield and receiving core that can help out a new quarterback immensely. Dike-New Hartford graduates almost all their playmakers off a runner-up team in 1A, but a historically reloading program with a shallow district can have them playing well. Alburnett competed well as a young 1A team in 2024, as Centerville is a sleeper with many of their skill guys playing well as freshmen.
Class 1A
- Grundy Center
- West Lyon, Inwood
- Iowa City Regina
- Pleasantville
- Tri-Center, Neola
- South Hardin
- Underwood
- Treynor
- Hinton
- Ridge View
An early look at Class 1A, there is a clear top 4 teams in the class with defending state champions Grundy Center at the top of the heap, as the Spartans return quarterback Judd Jirvosky. Defending Class 2A champions West Lyon drops down and return some key contributors from their 2024 team, including leading rusher Evan Hildring. Iowa City Regina has a star-studded roster headlined by quarterback Kyle Tracy, running back Savion Miller and receiver Tate Wallace, similar to Pleasantville, who is led by multi-sport star Braylon Bingham at quarterback. Defending Class A state champions Tri-Center bumps up and should be a player in 1A, led by junior quarterback AJ Harder and two 1,000-yard receivers in Cael Witt and Zach Nelson.
South Hardin should be a top-tier team in 1A once again, returning quarterback Peyton Welch and 1,000-yard receiver Sam Benson, while Underwood is led by multi-sport start Garrett Luett at quarterback. Treynor graduates their quarterback, but returns 1,100-yard rusher Jett Sornson and leading receiver Jude Mieska. Hinton returns a strong defense off a semifinal team in 2024, while Ridge View’s do-everything quarterback and defensive back Raif Jensen has the Raptors set up to make a run at a district title in 2025.
Class A
- Maquoketa Valley
- MMCRU
- Saint Ansgar
- West Hancock
- Riverside, Oakland
- Madrid
- AC/GC
- Woodbury Central
- Mount Ayr
- Nashua-Plainfield
A number of teams that return high volumes of production make up the Class A Top 10, as Maquoketa Valley claims the top spot returning quarterback Brady Wall, 1,500-yard rusher Rogan Heidt and top receivers Eli Dougherty, Anderson Holtz and Dylan Knipper. MMCRU returns their quarterback in Eli Harpenau and leading rusher Bryson Mulder, as Saint Ansgar returns some key pieces including 1,200-yard rusher Korben Michels. West Hancock’s tradition helps their spot in this list, but they aren’t empty-handed, returning some good potential in the backfield with Teague Smith, Jacoby Subject and Gustavo Gomez, as Riverside rounds out the top 5 by bringing back near 2,000-yard rusher Jaxon Gordon and quarterback Landyn Schoenrock.
Madrid comes in at #6 after back-to-back semifinal appearances, the top priority will be replacing all-state quarterback Preston Wicker, but whoever steps in will have a plethora of talent with Easton Halverson, Emerson Bridgewater and Jevyn Severson. AC/GC enters at #7, needing to replace quarterback Jathan South and fullback Mike Fuller, but do return running backs Joe Crawford and Brexton Schneider. Woodbury Central returns a now-experienced signal-caller in Jackson Verschoor, as well as a couple of his top targets in Jayden Lloyd and Carsen Coulter, while Mount Ayr returns a plethora of skill guys, including QB Jackson Ruggles, RB Dyson Thompson and top receiver Tate Duggan. Nashua-Plainfield also returns high production on both sides and should benefit from being in the northeastern part of the state.
Class 8-Player
- Woodbine
- Bishop Garrigan
- Montezuma
- Iowa Valley, Marengo
- Fremont-Mills
- Clarksville
- Gladbrook-Reinbeck
- Wayne, Corydon
- Ar-We-Va
- Easton Valley
A bit of a different top of the heap than we’ve seen in recent years in 8-player, Woodbine takes the top spot as they’re led by Division I recruits in receiver Landon Blum and quarterback Brody Pryor. Bishop Garrigan looks to continue their dominance in northern Iowa, led by returning quarterback Tate Foertsch and running back Ethan Marso, while Montezuma returns dual-threat QB Brady Boulton, running back Broox Stockman and top pass rusher Braxton Plants. Iowa Valley is tapped with a tough schedule, but do-everything quarterback Nolan Kreigel might have a claim as one of the best players in the class, as Fremont-Mills returns a ton of production on both sides of the football from a 7-2 club last year.
Clarksville and their rush-heavy attack brings back most of its production, led by a 1,700-yard rusher in quarterback Nathan Moon, as Gladbrook-Reinbeck graduates Drew Eilers, but still returns a talented supporting cast led by Treyvon Herron and Hudson Clark to help cushion a new QB. Wayne drops down from Class A after winning season, and returns dual-threat QB Karter Murphy, running back Fischer Buckingham and big offensive and defensive line, as Ar-We-Va returns an 1,100-yard rusher in Wyatt Ragaller and a good amount of their defensive production, including leading tackler Devon Ehlers. Easton Valley returns a prolific passing connection between QB Keagan Lee and WR Callan Messerich, as well as most of their top defensive players.