Iowa
Iowa High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – Oct. 14
The top teams in Iowa high school football have solidified their positions after another round of games in October. However, while there’s not much movement in the Iowa On3 Massey Ratings top 25 list as of Oct. 14, one team cracked the list.
Meanwhile, only seven of the 25 ranked teams remain undefeated as the season approaches its home stretch. These teams might be far from the top 100 in the nation, but the competition is shaping up for an exciting finish.
The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.
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The Tigers from West Des Moines earned their first shutout victory of the 2024 Iowa high school football season. In addition to blanking the Waterloo West Wahawks, Valley tied their season-high of 49 points. The Tigers were so dominant that Kellen Hove, Drake DeGroote, and Beau Lombardi registered touchdown passes.
After seven games, Valley has the state’s top-ranked offense and fifth on defense. While they look unstoppable as of late, the Tigers will face a formidable challenge in tenth-ranked Ankeny in their next game.
After completing a 49-28 masterclass over Urbandale, the Maroons are on a four-game winning streak. While the J-Hawks made the final margin more respectable, it should be noted that Dowling Catholic was already up 35-7 at halftime.
However, while the Maroons’ defense is ranked fourth within the state, surrendering 63 points in their last two games is quite a concern. Giving that many points might lead to an unfavorable outcome in their next match against fourth-ranked Southeast Polk.
The Dragons have not let up in their last four games. In addition to outscoring their opponents 135-21, they’ve shut out fourth-ranked Southeast Polk (34-0) and scored a season-high 56 points against the Lincoln Lynx. Johnston had a defensive touchdown versus Lincoln, courtesy of Bryan Beachem’s 30-yard interception return.
Johnson has defied the odds in their recent games. They’ve won against Ankeny, Waukee, and Southeast Polk, even if Massey Ratings predicted against them. After surviving that gauntlet, the Dragons should have an easier time against Urbandale and Sioux City East in their next two games.
After a shocking shutout loss to Johnston, the Rams bounced back by surviving 12th-ranked Waukee’s challenge. That victory brings their record above .500 and should give them momentum as they finish their season.
Despite losing three games, Southeast Polk has the top-ranked defense in Iowa high school football. The Rams need that unit to be excellent when they face second-ranked Dowling Catholic in their next match.
The Bulldogs have improved to 7-0 after a shutout victory over Davenport Central. It’s the first time Bettendorf blanked an opponent this season and the third time they’ve limited an opponent to less than ten points.
Bettendorf has a shot at winning all its regular-season matches. However, Prairie or Iowa City might pull off a shocker that can hand the Bulldogs their first loss this year. They are not a lock to win both games, as Massey Ratings gave them win probabilities of 66 percent and 55 percent, respectively.
The Spartans are living up to their school’s name. They have pleasantly established a six-game winning streak. They could have been undefeated if they hadn’t come up short by a point against Bettendorf.
However, they have the second-best offense in Iowa high school football, averaging 40.28 points per game. That offensive power will be helpful against Iowa City West and Linn-Mar in their next two games.
After dropping back-to-back games against Southeast Polk and Dowling Catholic, the Jaguars returned to their winning ways in a 45-3 demolition of Roosevelt. It’s the lowest output they’ve given to an opponent this season.
Ankeny Centennial can complete a solid finish to their season, granted they maintain the performance level displayed against the Roughriders. It’s easier said than done, though, because they will battle with 18th-ranked Waukee Northwest for a shot at a 6-2 record.
The Titans maintained their undefeated record after edging the Winterset 28-24. Brady Hetzel led the way on offense by completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Leo Tatum and Parker Stessman combined for 12 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns.
The 28 points against Winterset is their second-lowest total throughout the 2024 Iowa high school football season. However, they should have no problems putting up the points at home against Norwalk in their next game.
The Lightning have found a way to win their last four games. They’ve won against Cedar Falls, Prairie, Cedar Rapids, and Ankeny by one possession. The Liberty defense showed up when it mattered most against the Hawks, with Sutton Koller leading with ten tackles.
Owen Drapeaux had five tackles and a fumble recovery, while Logan Laubenthal had an interception. While the Lightning will go on the road for the next two games, they should have no problems defeating Waterloo West and Jefferson.
The Hawks remain in the top ten despite their season going topsy-turvy. They suffered their fourth loss in seven games against Liberty, ending their two-game winning streak. Despite losing to the Lightning, Ankeny is still the state’s second-best defensive team.
Unfortunately, the Hawks’ schedule doesn’t get easier. They have a game against top-ranked Valley this week and Cedar Rapids Washington next week.
11. North Polk
12. Waukee
13. West Lyon
14. Linn-Mar
15. Pella
16. Decorah
17. Cedar Falls
18. Waukee Northwest
19. ADM
20. Wahlert Catholic
21. Iowa City High
22. Williamsburg
23. Grundy Center
24. Xavier
25. Humboldt
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Repeat offenders convicted of multiple serious crimes would receive a mandatory 20-year prison sentence under a bill passed by House lawmakers.
House lawmakers debated for more than an hour about high costs, lack of prison space and the bill’s impact on Black Iowans before voting 68-23 to pass House File 2542, sending it to the Iowa Senate.
Seven Democrats, including Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, joined Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.
“It will put public safety first,” said the bill’s floor manager, Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. “It will ensure that the debt to victims and society is paid. It will prioritize victims and public safety over criminals. It will establish real and effective deterrence that is nonexistent in our current system. It will reduce chaos and violence in our society.”
Here’s what to know about the bill.
What would the House Republican three strikes bill do?
Iowans who accumulate three strikes would face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence, with no parole, under the bill.
That would replace Iowa’s current law that says habitual offenders must serve a minimum three-year prison sentence before they are eligible for parole.
All felonies, as well as aggravated misdemeanors involving sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault and organized retail theft would be considered level-one offenses that are worth one full strike.
Other aggravated misdemeanors, as well as serious misdemeanors involving assault, domestic abuse and criminal mischief would be considered level-two offenses worth half a strike each.
Lawmakers amended the bill to remove theft, harassment and possession of a controlled substance from the crimes that would count toward a person’s strikes.
And the amendment specifies that the bill would only apply to convictions that occur beginning July 1, 2026.
If someone is arrested and convicted of multiple offenses, only the most serious charge would count towards the defendant’s strikes.
Convictions would not count toward someone’s total if more than 20 years passes between a prior conviction and their current conviction.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to say that only a violent crime would qualify as someone’s third strike, but Republicans rejected the amendment.
“The bill still scores murder, felony embezzlement and felony theft the same, even though they are very different crimes,” Wilburn said. “One point is one point and three gets you 20 years with no ability for parole or judicial discretion.”
Holt said the legislation leaves room for judicial and prosecutorial discretion.
“There are deferred sentences, there are plea bargains,” he said. “There is plenty of opportunity for grace and judicial discretion in the legislation that we are proposing.”
Bill could cost millions, require Iowa to build a new prison, agency says
A fiscal analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said it could cost Iowa nearly $165 million more per year by 2031 based on the cost of housing inmates for longer prison stays.
- FY 2027: $33 million
- FY 2028: $66 million
- FY 2029: $99 million
- FY 2030: $132 million
- FY 2031: $164.9 million
The agency said if the bill had been in effect between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025, there would have been 5,373 people who qualified for the 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.
“An increase in the prison population due to increased (length of stay) will require the DOC to build additional prison(s),” the agency states. “The size, security and other features that a future prison may require cannot be determined, but costs would be significant.”
The analysis noted that South Dakota appropriated $650 million last fall to build a 1,500-bed prison.
As of March 1, the Iowa Department of Corrections’ website describes the state’s prison system as being overcrowded by 25%, with 8,705 inmates compared to a capacity of 6,990.
The Office of the State Public Defender could see a projected cost increase of $1.6 million due to an increased number of trials resulting from the legislation.
But the agency’s estimates come with a caveat — the Department of Corrections did not respond to its requests for data.
“The LSA has not received a response to multiple requests for information from the DOC,” the note states. “Without additional information, the LSA cannot estimate the total fiscal impact of the bill.”
Holt called the fiscal note “an embarrassment to the Department of Corrections” and “an agenda masquerading as math.”
“It is clear, in my judgment, that because they did not like the legislation they went all out and extreme to create a fiscal note that cannot be taken seriously in its assumptions,” he said. “It assumes that nothing will change, that there will be no deterrent factor and that the numbers will continue as usual.”
Black Iowans would be disproportionately impacted by the law
The Legislative Services Agency analysis says the bill “may disproportionately impact Black individuals if trends remain constant.”
Of the 29,438 people convicted in fiscal year 2025 of felonies and aggravated misdemeanors that constitute a level one offense under the bill, the agency said about 70% were White, 22% were Black and 9% were other races.
Iowa’s overall population is 83% White, 4% Black and 13% other races, the agency said.
It’s not clear how the bill’s impact would change to account for the House amendment removing some crimes from counting towards the three strikes.
“Expanding three-strike laws will intensify disparities — and that’s what this statement shows — by mandating longer sentences, limiting judicial discretion,” Wilburn said. “We already have a habitual offender statute. We already have one in place. We have a 10-year low in recidivism in our correctional system.”
Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, said California’s three strikes law, passed in the 1990s, worsened racial disparities, and “Iowa is about to repeat the same mistake.”
“I urge every member here, do not pass legislation that our own minority impact statement tells us will deepen inequality in our state,” Ramirez said.
Holt said minority communities in Iowa are impacted by crime and that the legislation “will make citizens of all colors safer.”
And he said the minority impact statement “tells only one side of the story, doesn’t it? It tells the criminal’s story. What about the victim’s story?”
“What about the mother who will continue to tuck her kids in at night and read them Bible stories because she never became the next victim of a violent career criminal?” he said. “Where is that data point in the minority impact statement?”
House lawmakers also approved separate legislation that would increase Iowa’s statewide bond schedule, Senate File 2399.
That bill passed on a vote of 74-19.
Iowans could see more information on judges’ rulings
Iowans would have access to more information about judges’ rulings ahead of the state’s judicial retention elections under a separate measure, House File 2719, which passed on a 73-19 vote.
The Iowa secretary of state’s office would be required to publish information including:
- The percentage of cases in which the judge set a bond amount lower than the state’s bond schedule
- The frequency that the judge releases someone on their own recognizance for a violent offense compared to a nonviolent offense
- The frequency that the judge’s final sentence is lower than statutory recommendations or a prosecutor’s recommendations
- The number of times the judge issues a deferred judgement, deferred sentence or suspended sentence
- The number of times the judge’s rulings are reversed on appeal due to abuse of discretion or error of law
- The average time it takes the judge to rule on a motion or case
- The number of cases the judge has resolved compared to the number of cases on the judge’s docket
The data would have to be displayed with a five-year trend line beginning five years after the bill takes effect.
The Secretary of State’s Office would also be required to maintain a searchable database of all judicial opinions and orders for the judge’s current term and the preceding six years. The decisions would be redacted when appropriate.
And judges would have the opportunity to write a 2,000-word personal statement on their judicial philosophy or data trends present in their rulings.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Luke Truesdell’s attorney has filed as of Sunday to appeal his sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Truesdell was sentenced last week to three consecutive life sentences plus 50 years for the deaths of four people killed in rural Linn County.
A jury convicted Luke Truesdell, 36, in November on the first-degree murder of Brent Brown, 34; his girlfriend, Keonna Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids; and Amanda Parker, 33, of Vinton. They also found him guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Romondus Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids.
His attorneys previously argued multiple reasons for a retrial that could potentially be brought up again.
They said that one juror was overheard talking about news on the case.
They also said the prosecutors inflamed the jury, rather than focusing on the facts.
His lawyers said there is no direct evidence that Truesdell committed the murders.
Truesdell’s defense also pointed to Truesdell’s father, Larry Tuesdell, who was found covered in blood at the scene but never fully investigated. Authorities have not been able to locate Larry.
The state disagreed, citing overwhelming evidence including DNA on the murder weapon, eyewitness testimony and video of Truesdell entering the garage where the four people were found dead.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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