Iowa

Top Iowa high school football games in Iowa City area in Week 8, and our predictions

Published

5 months ago

October 14, 2025

Top Iowa high school football games in Iowa City area in Week 8, and our predictions

Week 8 of the Iowa high school football season will be another opportunity for all six Iowa City-area teams to boost their resumes as they inch closer to the end of the regular season.

The rivalry game between Iowa City Liberty and Iowa City High will headline the action on Friday, Oct. 17. Iowa City Regina will play in its last regular season game of the year.

Here are our predictions for each local football matchup in Week 8.

Iowa high school football predictions Week 8

Iowa City Liberty at Iowa City High

Iowa City Liberty (6-1), Iowa City High (1-6): The Little Hawks earned their first win of the season in a 59-14 road win over Des Moines East in Week 7. That momentum may be short-lived when they take on a Liberty team that has won three games in a row, with its most recent victory being a 28-14 road win over Pleasant Valley.

Liberty junior Brody Beaver has made up for lost time on the ground as of late. The running back, who missed time this season with a hamstring strain, rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in Week 7. He has added an element to Liberty’s offense that has opened the pass game for quarterback Reece Rettig. Let’s not forget a Liberty defense that has created opportunities for that offensive success.

It seemed that the Little Hawks laid out their frustration against the Scarlets in Week 7 with elite performances across the board. Sophomore quarterback Chris Kabaiza threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns, while Chayse Newton nabbed 14 passes for 145 yards and two scores. Dominic Roe led the team with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. The City High defense had its best performance this season, holding Des Moines East to 14 points.

Don’t expect the Little Hawks to have that same productivity against the Lightning. Liberty has too much talent to fall behind by double digits and its resume speaks for itself. Iowa City Liberty 50, Iowa City High 16

Louisa-Muscatine at Iowa City Regina

Louisa-Muscatine (0-7), Iowa City Regina (7-0): This game is a mismatch of epic proportions. The 7-0 Regals will face a Louisa-Muscatine team that earned its last win in September of 2020.

Regina quarterback Kyle Tracy put up video game numbers in a 49-8 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont last week. He went 7-for-7 passing for 372 yards and six touchdowns in two quarters played. Don’t be shocked if Tracy surpasses that total in what should be an easy blowout win for the Regals in their regular season finale. Iowa City Regina 55, Louisa-Muscatine 6

Solon at Mount Pleasant

Solon (7-0), Mount Pleasant (6-1): After a dominant 42-0 win over Washington, the Spartans shift their attention to a Mount Pleasant team that has won three games in a row entering Week 8.

The Panthers are coming off a 35-34 win over Keokuk, a team that the Spartans shut out, 77-0, in Week 5. Sure, Mount Pleasant has dropped one game this season but they haven’t had the same strength of schedule as the No. 1 team in Class 3A.

The Spartans have been in a single one-score game this season, with six of their wins coming by double digits. Their dominance will continue on the road against the Panthers. Solon 45, Mount Pleasant 12

Iowa City West at Prairie

Iowa City West (6-1), Prairie (4-3): With blowout victories over Muscatine and Davenport Central, wins have been easy to come by for the Trojans as of late. Prairie is a gritty football team with talent that can strike at a moment’s notice. The Trojans will have to keep their heads on a swivel in Week 8.

The Hawks’ run game is led by Dawson Kahl, a former City High running back that has rushed for 642 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 carries this season. Senior David Fason is an Iowa football commit who leads the team in tackles (46.5), tackles for loss (25.5), sacks (8), receptions (25) and receiving yards (409).

The Trojans have their own Division I talent with Julian Manson, Colin Whitters and Ethan Headings with a number of other elite playmakers who can step up when their number is called. Iowa City West will do enough to win in a tight game. Iowa City West 38, Prairie 35

Clear Creek Amana at Pella

Clear Creek Amana (3-4), Pella (6-1): CCA dropped a 31-19 home game to No. 2 Newton in Week 7 without standout quarterback Conlan Poynton and will face Pella, the No. 3 team in Class 4A this week. Sophomore Texton Bollers got his first full start at quarterback against the Cardinals. He completed 14-of-26 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

Pella is coming off a 35-0 win over Oskaloosa in Week 7. The Dutch’s defense has compiled nine interceptions, the fifth most in 4A. Offensively, they are ranked fourth in passing completions (102) and passing attempts (163).

Pella has won the last three meetings between the two teams by double digits entering their 2025 showdown. This season’s Clippers squad is a gritty bunch, but they’ll have their hands full against a Dutch team that operates at an elite level. Pella 32, Clear Creek Amana 21

Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

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Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction, 3 things to watch

Published

1 hour ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction, 3 things to watch

It’s the last dance at Hilton Coliseum for Cyclone lifer Tamin Lipsey and other Iowa State basketball seniors.

The Cyclones will wrap up the regular season with one final home game on March 7 against visiting Arizona State. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on FS1.

Iowa State (24-6, 11-6 Big 12 Conference) is looking to shake off a two-game losing skid after suffering back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Arizona.

Meanwhile, Arizona State (16-14, 7-10) is coming to Ames fresh off of consecutive wins over Utah and Kansas. The Sun Devils upset the Jayhawks 70-60 on March 3.

Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game:

Arizona State enters Hilton Coliseum with momentum

The Sun Devils are coming off of back-to-back wins, including an upset of Kansas in their last outing at home on March 3.

The Sun Devils built a 40-20 halftime lead and hung on for the win.

Arizona State also had a 72-67 win over Texas Tech on Feb. 17. It was the game in which J.T. Toppin went down with a season-ending ACL injury in the final six minutes of the contest.

Pepperdine transfer Moe Odum is shining in his first season at the power-conference level. He had 23 points in both games against Kansas and Texas Tech. In the recent win over Kansas, he had a game-high 23 points and shot 5-of-10 from long range, with four boards, six assists and two steals.

The senior guard is averaging 17.3 points, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game for the Sun Devils.

The frontcourt is anchored by 7-foot-1 center Massamba Diop. Diop is one of the top shot-blockers and rim-protectors in the conference, averaging 2.2 blocks per game, second to Kansas’ Flory Bidunga. The freshman center has had three or more blocks in nine Big 12 games this season.

Senior guard Anthony Johnson has developed into a reliable sixth man for the Sun Devils. It’s his first season of Division I basketball after playing the last few years at NAIA-level University of the Cumberlands. Johnson is a two-way contributor off the bench. He is averaging 13.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Primarily a slashing threat, Johnson has shown he can knock down 3s when left open.

Iowa State basketball guard Tamin Lipsey on increased urgency

Iowa State basketball guard Tamin Lipsey on team-wide increased urgency.

Arizona State’s towering size

The Sun Devils have plenty of length and size throughout their roster.

According to KenPom, Arizona State has the ninth-tallest roster in Division I basketball in terms of average height across the team.

The Sun Devils’ starting five features three players who are 6-foot-11 or taller.

Aside from the 7-foot-1 Diop, they have a pair of 6-foot-11 forwards in the lineup, sophomore Santiago Trouet and junior Andrija Grbovic.

Although the Sun Devils’ big men might not be as talented as Arizona’s, it will be interesting to see if Arizona State tries to emulate or utilize a similar gameplan defensively as Arizona. The Sun Devils are a good shot-blocking team and they’ll look to use their size up front to make life in the paint difficult for Iowa State.

Despite Arizona State’s size, the Sun Devils are not an exceptional rebounding team, so this can be an opportunity for Iowa State bigs to set the tone on the boards.

Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on emotions of senior night

Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the emotions of senior night from a coach’s perspective.

Iowa State will salute its seniors

The Cyclones are set to honor five seniors on Saturday afternoon: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Eric Mulder and Dominick Nelson.

Lipsey, a hometown hero and Ames product, will be playing in his final game at Hilton Coliseum. A senior who has been at Iowa State since the first day of his collegiate career, Lipsey is a rarity in this era of the revamped transfer portal and NIL. He is one of only five seniors in the Big 12 to stay all four, or five (if they redshirted), years at the same school.

Jefferson also will get recognition. In just two years at Iowa State, he quickly blossomed into one of the Cyclones’ top players and fan-favorites after transferring in from Saint Mary’s.

Nate Heise, a sixth-year senior, was already honored in last season’s senior-night ceremonies, but he will be recognized once again on Saturday. Heise chose to return this season for another year due to a season of eligibility stemming from a medical redshirt from a hand injury in the 2022-23 season at Northern Iowa.

Nelson and Mulder, both graduate transfers, will cap senior-day ceremonies.

Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction

The quest for perfection at home is no longer possible, but expect Iowa State to be able to give Tamin Lipsey and the other seniors the perfect sendoff in the final game at Hilton Coliseum. Although the Sun Devils recently enjoyed a big win, they’ve struggled on the road this year, with a 2-8 record. One last dose of Hilton Magic as Iowa State gets back on the winning side after a two-game losing skid. Prediction: Iowa State 80, Arizona State 64

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

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No. 3 Michigan holds off a late run by Iowa, beats the Hawkeyes 71-68

Published

13 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

No. 3 Michigan holds off a late run by Iowa, beats the Hawkeyes 71-68

IOWA CITY, Iowa — IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points apiece, and Aday Mara had two tiebreaking shots in the final 1:22 as No. 3 Michigan defeated Iowa 71-68 on Thursday night.

The Wolverines (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) were held 18 points below their season scoring average, but managed to hold off the Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9) in the closing seconds.

Iowa went on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 64 with 1:56 to play before Mara banked in a shot before the shot clock expired, putting Michigan in front again. After Iowa’s Cam Manyawu scored inside to tie the game at 66, Mara, who finished with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, scored off a lob with 43 seconds left to put the Wolverines ahead to stay.

Iowa had chances to tie the game on back-to-back possessions, but missed three shots on one of the possessions and lost the ball on another after a turnover by Tavion Banks with seven seconds left.

The Hawkeyes had a final chance to tie the game after Lendeborg made two free throws with four seconds remaining, but Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer try was long.

Elliot Cadeau added 11 points for the Wolverines, the Big Ten regular-season champions.

Stirtz led Iowa with 21 points. Manyawu had 14.

Michigan had a 38-25 rebounding edge on the Hawkeyes.

The game was tied at 30 at halftime. Michigan shot 50% from the field, but committed 12 turnovers that Iowa turned into 16 points.

The Hawkeyes were 11 of 31 from the field, with Stirtz especially struggling to make shots. Stirtz, Iowa’s leading scorer this season, made just one of his first nine shots, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a 27-second span to give Iowa a 30-28 lead.

Up next

Michigan: Hosts No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday.

Iowa: At No. 9 Nebraska on Sunday.

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Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship

Wrestling-Women

March 5, 2026

Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship

March 5, 2026

Kylie Welker chats with NCAA Digital’s Sophie Starkey about the success of Iowa women’s wrestling and the possibility of winning the inaugural NCAA sanctioned championship.

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