By james art As you prepare to head out the door this week to watch 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 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, October 25:
Can Pella secure another undefeated season and a district title, or will Will Hawthorne and Gilbert deliver the upset? The Tigers will need Hawthorne, an Iowa commit, to be at his best — and he was all year, rushing for over 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Dutch counter with Collin Kerndt, Emmanuel Diers and Tyson Barnes.
Bettendorf has the chance to make 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 a lot of Bobby Bacon for the Little Hawks against an active Bettendorf defense.
These two might be the biggest surprises of the 5A season as they are both 6-2 overall. Sioux City East has won three in a row, while Johnston owns wins over Southeast Polk and Ankeny dating back to late last month. The Dragons lead the all-time series 7-1, including a 48-13 win last season.
This could be the game of the week as ADM looks to knock North Polk off the undefeated ranks. The Comets won 28-17 last year after the Tigers won both meetings in 2022, including a 68-42 playoff triumph. It will also be a dual-threat QBS battle as ADM is led by Hudson Shull while North Polk is up against Nathan Feldmann.
Depending on how things play out, this could be a walk-in game. Iowa City West was 14th in the RPI last week, while Cedar Rapids Prairie was 16th. Prairie nearly upset Bettendorf while West knocked off Pleasant Valley.
Another 4A game that could cause a lot of confusion in the district contest with an upset. Fort Dodge showed plenty despite the loss of Dreshaun Ross, but the Dodgers will have to play against a solid Spencer team led by seniors Miles Robbins, Cael Bruning, Ryan Matthiesen and Jack Berends.
Will Pleasant Valley be able to bounce back from a loss to Iowa City West? Or will Linn-Mar send them to the bottom of the group with a second straight defeat? The Spartans have won six of eight since 2010 in the series, including six in a row.
A #2 vs. #3 playoff matchup in 1A, Sumner-Fredericksburg will rely on Tatum Nuss and Noah Henderson. Nuss and Henderson both have over 500 yards, while Nuss has 804 through the air with 18 total TDs. Dyersville Beckman’s Isaac Burlage is closing in on 1,000 yards.
One of the top Class A playoff matchups will see district runner-up Riverside welcome perennial state qualifier Linville-Sully. The Hawks went 5-3 this year after winning 27 games in the three previous years combined. Riverside’s six wins are its most since 8-2 in 2020.
Two district runners-up compete for the first time. St. Edmond relied on its defense to top Glidden-Ralston last week as Janesville scored over 60 goals six times.
Bedford is one of the best rushing attacks in the state, recording almost 2,000 yards with 48 TDs on the ground. Belle Plaine shocked Iowa Valley last week when Ty Alcott had 212 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Meet Central City’s Matthew Klosterman as the senior has 1,846 yards rushing with 32 TDs while recording 57.5 tackles and five sacks. He has also thrown a TD and caught one, adding both a kickoff and a punt return for a score.