Iowa
25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
Trevin Jirak on Valley basketball’s win over Waukee Northwest
Trevin Jirak breaks down Valley’s win over Waukee Northwest in the Iowa high school basketball state championship. The Tigers claimed their third-straight title.
The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.
The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.
The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.
25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
- What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
- With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
- Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
- Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
- Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
- Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
- Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
- Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
- Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
- Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
- Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
- Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
- Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
- Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
- Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
- Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
- Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
- Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
- Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
- Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
- Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
- What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
- It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
- West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
- Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
Iowa
Iowa State basketball Players Era Festival tourney schedule, bracket
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Players Era Festival
Iowa State basketball TJ Otzelberger discusses what it means for the Cyclones to compete in the loaded Players Era Festival.
Iowa State basketball will compete in the loaded Players Era Festival this week in Las Vegas.
The Nov. 24-27 tournament calls itself “The biggest college basketball event outside of March.”
Iowa State begins play Monday, Nov. 24 against St. John’s in a 3:30 p.m. CT contest.
The Cyclones then will play Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. CT.
Eugene Rapay’s Cyclone men’s basketball preview
T.J. Otzelberger’s team will play a third game either Wednesday, Nov. 26 or Thursday, Nov. 27. Opponent and time are contingent upon the results of Iowa State’s first two games.
Here’s a closer look at the tournament:
Players Era Festival men’s basketball schedule
All times CT
Monday, Nov. 24
- Tennessee vs. Rutgers, Noon, TNT
- Baylor vs. Creighton, 1 p.m., truTV
- Kansas vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m., TNT
- St. John’s vs. Iowa State, 3:30 p.m., truTV
- Houston vs. Syracuse, 5 p.m., TNT
- Oregon vs. Auburn, 7 p.m., truTV
- Alabama vs. Gonzaga, 8:30 p.m., TNT
- Michigan vs. San Diego State, 9:30 p.m., truTV
- Maryland vs. UNLV, 11 p.m., TNT
Tuesday, Nov. 25
- Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, Noon, TNT
- Iowa State vs. Creighton, 1:00 p.m., truTV
- Kansas vs. Syracuse, 2:30 p.m., TNT
- St. John’s vs. Baylor, 3:30 p.m., truTV
- Houston vs. Tennessee, 5 p.m., TNT
- Michigan vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m., TNT
- Gonzaga vs. Maryland, 8:30 p.m., truTV
- Oregon vs. San Diego State, 10 p.m., TNT
- Alabama vs. UNLV, 11 p.m., truTV
Wednesday, Nov. 26
- Third-place game, 6 p.m., TNT
- Championship game, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday Nov. 26 and Thursday Nov. 27
- Other consolation games will be played Nov. 26-27. Matchups TBD by first two days of competition.
Watch Iowa State basketball on Sling
Players Era Festival tiebreakers
Tiebreakers will be determined by point differential, points scored and points allowed.
Where will Players Era Festival games be played?
Players Era Festival men’s basketball contests will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
Players Era Festival TV and streaming information
- Players Era Festival games will be televised on TNT and truTV.
- Players Era Festival games will be streamed on HBO Max.
Iowa
Iowa DOT offers ‘Alive at 25′ program for young drivers facing suspensions
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is working to help drivers facing suspension with a new behavioral education course called “Alive at 25” for drivers on intermediate-level licenses.
“Our goal is to focus on the negative behavior or poor behavior that we’re seeing behind the wheel,” said Vania Boyd, Iowa DOT driver education manager.
Young drivers who have received a second violation have the one-time opportunity to take the course instead of receiving a suspension.
“It’s not a retake of driver’s ed. It focuses on distracted driving, road rage, talks about peer pressure, talks about distractions behind the wheel, and helps guide students on ways to avoid those behaviors,” said Boyd.
The DOT partnered with the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council, which hosts the four-hour virtual course.
Boyd said from 2024 to 2025, more than 5,500 students on the intermediate level would have been eligible to take the program.
“We saw a lot of connection to speed, students not wearing the seatbelt, a lot of behavioral decisions behind the wheel that we want to correct,” Boyd said.
Lisa Elskamp lost her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy’s best friend, Chloe, to an accident involving speed in 2022.
“At one point, us being able to see on Chloe’s Life 360 that he was hit a max speed of 146 miles an hour,” she said.
After the crash, the families started Forever 17, a nonprofit aimed at speeding safety advocacy and working to change laws to make things more safe.
Elskamp said courses like these are a step in the right direction.
“Speed was never really talked about. Had I known now what I know then, I would have absolutely had my kids take this course just to learn the outcome of your actions,” she said. “This isn’t just about those teen drivers alone. It’s about the effect of what their driving can also do to everybody around them.”
The course is optional and costs $65 to take.
Boyd said they hope to educate new drivers so they can be as confident as possible when behind the wheel.
“It’s okay that they made a mistake, but it’s even more important to learn from it and to make smarter choices for the future because it’s not just that individual student on the road. There are hundreds of Iowans on the road every day and everybody wants to get home safe,” Boyd said.
The course can also be taken even if the driver doesn’t have a violation on their license. And while it’s geared towards younger drivers, anyone facing a suspension with an intermediate-level license can take the course.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa High School Football UNI-Dome MVPs
Now that the final Iowa high school football state champion has been crowned, it is time to look back on the incredible two-week journey of action we saw from inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The climate-controlled venue was home to all of the semifinal and final action in all seven classifications of Iowa high school football.
And there were plenty of incredible performances and players who took part in the games.
We have narrowed down the list to one MVP in each class for their efforts from the Iowa high school football state semifinals and championship games. And now the job is up to you to determine who was the MVP of the Iowa high school football state championships.
Cast your vote for your favorite from the nominees below. Voting will run through Friday, November 28 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Complete recaps from all seven Iowa high school football state championship games can be found on High School on SI.
Ian Middleton was a man against boys in two games from the UNI-Dome, leading the Maroons to their first 5A state football championship and 11th overall in program history. In the finals against Iowa City Liberty, Middleton rushed 34 times for 206 yards, scoring two touchdowns.
In a 14-10 victory over rival Valley in the semifinals, Middleton rushed 29 times for 125 yards. He also caught two passes in the two games.
Carter Hoffmann had the first three touchdowns of the 4A final vs. Pella, finishing the night with 207 yards and three scores on 34 carries as the Saints finished off a perfect season with the state title.
In a thrilling 31-24 victory in the semifinals over Newton, Hoffmann rushed 20 times for 130 yards. He also had two catches in the two games.
And who says that the running back position is dead? Not in Iowa high school football, as our third MVP from the UNI-Dome is another running back in Austin Waldera. In a convincing win over Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Waldera rushed 34 times for 173 yards and a touchdown, averaging 46.5 yards while pinning both of his punts inside the 20. He also led the Cubs with seven tackles, adding two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
Waldera also went off in the semis, rushing 36 times for 233 yards and one touchdown while adding 20 yards receiving on a pair of catches. Again, both of his punts were pinned inside the 20, averaging 55.5 per with a 70-yarder. On defense, he again led Nevada, recording 11 tackles, three for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry.
Behind Brock Badding, the Knights secured gold, as the signal-caller was 17-for-30 passing for 153 yards with a touchdown in the finals over Van Meter. He also ran for a score and averaged 41.5 yards on four punts, putting two down inside the 20.
In the semifinals, Badding blew up, completing 27 of 38 for 405 yards and six touchdowns, hitting three receivers for two TDs each while four had at least five catches.
The Wildcats leaned heavily on Evan Hilding, and he delivered, rushing 26 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns to lead them to a second consecutive state title. He also had three catches for 21 yards and recorded six tackles with one for loss in the finals.
Hildring piled up 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 18 carries in the semifinals, making seven tackles with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
The Royals had several worthy contenders, but it was Eli Harpenau who took home the hardware. In the finals, he was a precise 14 of 21 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown, adding 44 yards rushing and a second score.
Harpenau had a big semifinal performance, going 9 of 17 for 212 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a team-high 53 yards.
There was not much that the Golden Bear senior didn’t do in earning his second state title in three years, as Tate Foertsch scored the game-winning two-point conversion in the finals to cap an incredible rally. He was 9 of 13 passing for 131 yards, rushing 36 times for 157 yards and three scores. On defense, Foertsch had four tackles and a pass breakup.
In the semifinals, Foertsch was 4-for-5 for 80 yards, with three of those completions going for touchdowns. He ran 15 times for 73 yards and had three more scores, recording 5.5 tackles with an interception on defense.
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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