Iowa
Iowa High School State Duals: Pairings, breakdowns and predictions
The Iowa High School Athletic Association State Duals tournament will be held Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Here is a breakdown with schedule and predictions of all three classes
STATE QUARTERFINALS
CLASS 3A
No. 1 Southeast Polk vs. No. 8 Waverly-Shell Rock, 9 a.m.
No. 4 Fort Dodge vs. No. 5 Ankeny Centennial, 9 a.m.
No. 2 Indianola vs. No. 7 Dubuque Hempstead, 10:45 a.m.
No. 3 Bettendorf vs. No. 6 Waukee Northwest, 10:45 a.m.
Outlook: Southeast Polk is a heavy favorite. The Rams have been in the state finals 10 out of the last 11 seasons, winning five titles. They are looking for their first crown since 2020. Bettendorf and Indianola could be a close battle in the semifinal. The loser in that semifinal will have another tough challenge for third against solid Fort Dodge of Ankeny Centennial teams.
Predictions: 1. Southeast Polk, 2. Bettendorf, 3. Indianola
CLASS 2A
No. 1 Osage vs. No. 8 Humboldt, 9 a.m.
No. 4 West Delaware vs. No. 5 Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 9 a.m.
No. 2 Mount Vernon vs. No. 7 Algona, 10:45 a.m.
No. 3 Creston vs. No. 6 Independence, 10:45 a.m.
WEST DELAWARE
Coach: Jeff Voss (29th year)
Record: 18-2
State duals appearances: 14th overall, seventh straight
Road to Coralville: The fourth-ranked Hawks defeated No. 23 Decorah, 43-24.
MOUNT VERNON
Coach: Vance Light (30th year)
Record: 26-1
State duals appearances: Seventh overall, second straight
Road to Coralville: The second-ranked Mustangs beat of No. 14 Solon, 46-15.
INDEPENDENCE
Coach: Michael Doyle (25th year)
Record: 22-5
State duals appearances: 13th overall, fourth in last six seasons
Road to Coralville: The sixth-ranked Mustangs dropped No. 12 North Polk, 46-25.
Outlook: The Class 2A field is wide open. Six teams have a legit shot of reaching the finals. Defending state champion Osage remains the favorite. Mount Vernon was fourth last season and is a strong contender to win a title. West Delaware has reached the last five finals, winning four straight titles from 2019-22. Don’t overlook Creston.
Predictions: 1. Mount Vernon, 2. Osage, 3. West Delaware
CLASS 1A
No. 1 Alburnett vs. No. 8 Wapsie Valley, 9 a.m.
No. 4 Lake Mills vs. No. 5 Nashua-Plainfield, 9 a.m.
No. 2 Wilton vs. No. 7 Hinton, 10:45 a.m.
No. 3 Don Bosco vs. No. 6 Jesup, 10:45 a.m.
ALBURNETT
Coach: Clayton Rush (9th year)
Record: 30-4
State duals appearances: Eighth overall, second straight
Road to Coralville: Top-ranked Pirates won 11 weights in a 60-14 win over No. 17 Earlham.
JESUP
Coach: Matt Gross (5th year)
Record: 20-2
State duals appearances: First in school history
Road to Coralville: The seventh-ranked J-Hawks beat No. 10 Lisbon, 38-24.
Outlook: Any of the top three seeds are capable of winning. Alburnett has a dual win over Don Bosco and beat Wilton in a tournament format. The Pirates have a shot to win its first title since 2016. The Dons are much stronger than that mid-December meeting with the Pirates. They will likely have to get through a salty Wilton squad in the semifinals. Wrestle this tournament three times and the order could change each time.
Predictions: 1. Don Bosco, 2. Alburnett, 3. Wilton
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
When it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes 2026 football season, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium.
No one knows at this stage where the Buckeyes will be come Oct. 3, but Iowa has a chance to make an early impression against a team that is no stranger to winning the big one.
Iowa’s B1G schedule couldn’t get off to a worse start as they head to Michigan and then welcome the Buckeyes to Kinnick.
Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, their first three games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa are enough to get them prepared. If not, things could get ugly.
ESPN Believes Ohio State is Iowa’s Biggest Opponent in 2026
The Michigan game will certainly be a test, but hosting the Buckeyes is a different animal. That gives the Hawkeyes an advantage like no other, and if there was ever a time to give OSU a run for their money, it’s in Iowa City on Oct. 3.
“The Hawkeyes haven’t faced Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium since 2017, when Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns as they stunned the Buckeyes 55-24. An early October win over Ohio State could propel Iowa into the Big Ten title and playoff conversations,” Jake Trotter wrote.
To put things into perspective, Indiana and Oregon were the other two teams that had the Buckeyes listed as their defining game in the 2026 season. Shockingly, Iowa was actually selected against a team, that being Minnesota. Seeing as that’s for the Floyd of Rosedale, it makes complete sense.
Iowa Can’t Let Regular Season Opportunities Go To Waste
Last year was seemingly the Hawkeyes’ first time to actually make the College Football Playoffs. They came up short as their losses to No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon and No. 17 USC all added up. Sure, those were by a combined 15 points, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s bad enough that a three-loss team made the playoffs.
Iowa ended with a bang as they took down No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27. Now, all eyes are on either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown. One of those men will have a chance to make their first B1G start at the Big House in Michigan.
It doesn’t get any tougher than that, as Iowa is immediately putting their new QB into deep water. They’ll have three games prior to that to get up to speed, but other than that, it’s go time as OSU awaits after their trip to Michigan.
Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!
MANCHESTER, Iowa — The state of Iowa lost a titan of the prep coaching world this week. Former Kee High School baseball coach Gene Schultz died on Monday at the age of 80.
Schultz spent 45 seasons as the baseball coach at Kee, helping turn the program into an Iowa dynasty. He won 9 State championships (not counting 2 fall titles, which the IHSAA doesn’t recognize in the record books), and took the Hawks to 19 State tournaments, which is also the most in Iowa history.
His 1,754 wins are not only the most in Iowa history, but the most of any high school baseball coach in the country.
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