Iowa
12 Iowa high school football games to watch in Week 9
As you prepare to head out the door this week to catch some Iowa high school football action, keep an eye on these 12 games – many of which include opening round playoff games in 8-Man, Class 1A, 2A and 3A. After reading about these great matchups, click on the links for more details on each game and to vote for the teams you believe will win in our Pick’Em Challenge.
All of these games are scheduled to be played Friday, Oct. 25:
Can Pella secure another unbeaten season and district title, or will Will Hawthorne and Gilbert pull the upset? The Tigers will need Hawthorne, an Iowa State commit, to be at his best – and he has been all year, running for over 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Dutch counter with Collin Kerndt, Emmanuel Diers and Tyson Barnes.
Bettendorf has the chance to enter the playoffs perfect after surviving a scare last week in overtime. Iowa City High is also comfortably in the postseason but could really make a statement with a win over the Bulldogs. Expect to see plenty of Bobby Bacon for the Little Hawks against an active Bettendorf defense.
These two might be the biggest surprises of the 5A season, as both are sitting at 6-2 overall. Sioux City East has won three straight while Johnston owns wins over Southeast Polk and Ankeny since late last month. The Dragons lead the all-time series 7-1 including a 48-13 victory last season.
This could be the game of the week, as ADM looks to knock North Polk from the ranks of the unbeatens. Last year, the Comets won, 28-17, after the Tigers won both meetings in 2022 including a 68-42 playoff triumph. It will also be a battle of dual-threat QBS as ADM is led by Hudson Shull while North Polk counters with Nathan Feldmann.
Depending how things shake out, this could be a play-in game. Last week, Iowa City West was 14th in the RPI while Cedar Rapids Prairie was 16th. Prairie nearly upset Bettendorf while West knocked off Pleasant Valley.
Another 4A game that could cause plenty of confusion in the district race with an upset. Fort Dodge has shown plenty despite the loss of all-stater Dreshaun Ross, but the Dodgers will need to be on their game against a rock-solid Spencer squad led by seniors Miles Robbins, Cael Bruning, Ryan Matthiesen and Jack Berends.
Will Pleasant Valley be able to rebound following a loss to Iowa City West? Or will Linn-Mar send them to the back of the pack with a second straight defeat? The Spartans have won six of eight since 2010 in the series including six in a row.
A No. 2 vs. No. 3 playoff matchup in 1A, Sumner-Fredericksburg will lean on Tatum Nuss and Noah Henderson. Nuss and Henderson both have over 500 yards rushing while Nuss has 804 in the air with 18 total TDs. Dyersville Beckman’s Isaac Burlage is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing.
One of the top Class A playoff matchups will see district runner-up Riverside welcome in perennial state qualifier Lynnville-Sully. The Hawks went 5-3 this year after winning 27 games the three previous years combined. Riverside’s six wins are the most since going 8-2 in 2020.
Two district runner-ups square off for the first time ever. St. Edmond relied on its defense to best Glidden-Ralston last week while Janesville has scored over 60 six times.
Bedford is one of the top rushing attacks in the state, recording almost 2,000 yards with 48 TDs on the ground. Belle Plaine shocked Iowa Valley last week as Ty Alcott had 212 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Meet Mr. Matthew Klostermann of Central City, as the senior has 1,846 yards rushing with 32 TDs while recording 57.5 tackles and five sacks. He also has thrown a TD and caught one while adding both a kickoff and punt return for a score.
Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.
Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.
“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.
“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”
Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Five people were shot and injured at an Iowa City pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus overnight, police said Sunday. Students from the university were among the injured, according to school officials.
The Iowa City Police Department responded to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m. early Sunday, the department said in a news release. Arriving officers heard gunfire.
Multiple victims were hospitalized, police said. Police confirmed to CBS News that one person was in critical condition, while the other four victims are stable.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson said in a statement that three students were among those shot. None of the victims has been publicly identified.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they are seeking information about five “persons of interest associated with this shooting.” The university also shared the request for information.
The pedestrian mall was closed for several hours and reopened Sunday afternoon.
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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