SBLive Iowa high school football preseason Top 25 rankings
With a returning quarterback who has committed to Iowa State, the easy pick to lead the SBLive Iowa preseason Top 25 is Southeast Polk, which has claimed the past two Class 5A state championships and appears to have the requisite talent to chase another one. But there appear to be several programs capable of unseating the Rams.
A look at the preseason top 25:
1. Southeast Polk
The two-time defending champs are seeking their fourth straight trip to the large-school finals. They welcome back QB Connor Moberly (1,954 passing yards, 14 TDs), an Iowa State commitment, along with WR Carson Robbins (743 receiving yards, 6 TDs). RB CJ Phillip has transferred back from Dowling and could be a factor.
2. West Des Moines Valley
Riding high after an improbable run to the 5A finals last year, the Tigers appear to be well-equipped for another strong year. Junior RB Darius Mason led the team with 716 rushing yards last year, and athletic WR Zay Robinson (409 receiving yards) figures to be even more of a big-play guy.
3. Lewis Central
QB Braylon Kammrad and RB Jonathan Humpal are gone, but don’t feel too badly for the Titans. They have back two-way standout Curtis Witte (998 receiving yards, 8 INTs), a Wayne State (Neb.) commit, and 6-foot-7 big-play threat Lual Maker at WR. OL-DL Garret Rutledge and TE-LB Owen Thomas are Division I prospects. Junior Brady Hetzel is the heir apparent at QB.
4. West Des Moines Dowling
Don’t forget the Maroons have won seven of the last 10 large-school state championships, so you know they’re motivated to reclaim their spot on top of the mountain. Dante Cataldo is poised to take over the QB position from Jaxon Smolik, who’s at Penn State. RBs CJ Phillip (823 rushing yards, 13 TDs) and Ra’Shawd Davis (787 rushing yards, 14 TDs) were a potent 1-2 punch last year and are back.
5. ADM
Good luck slowing the Tigers’ offense this year, with QB Aiden Flora (1,773 passing yards, 19 TDs; 1,662 rushing yards, 17 TDs) and RB Brevin Doll (1,475 rushing yards, 27 TDs), an Iowa recruit, both back. ADM is moving up a class to 4A this season, but it appears it has the goods to be a major factor.
6. Johnston
Speaking of prolific quarterbacks, junior QB Will Nuss fits the bill. As a sophomore, he threw for 2,259 yards and 23 scores, lifting the Dragons to the 5A semifinals, where they lost to eventual champ Southeast Polk. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Minnesota commit Jacob Simpson (559 receiving yards, 6 TDs) is back at tight end to give Nuss a great red-zone target.
7. Cedar Rapids Xavier
The Saints ran the table last year, outscoring Lewis Central 45-38 in a thrilling 4A final. QB Ronan Thomas (1,598 passing yards, 21 TDs) will lead an inexperienced Xavier squad in the early going. But the next wave of Saints’ standouts is ready to be unleashed, and you can be assured that they will be in the 4A hunt again.
8. Pleasant Valley
Such is the peril of playoff football. An unbeaten regular season by the Spartans was largely forgotten by many after a 15-10 first-round playoff loss to West Des Moines Valley. Expect Pleasant Valley to regroup and be in attack mode again, led by RB Tyge Lyon (668 rushing yards), receiver Coy Kipper (310 receiving yards) and leading returning tackler Tate Lyon (57.5 stops).
9. Mount Vernon
The Mustangs won the respect of many around the state, pushing Harlan to the wire in the 3A final last year without injured QB Joey Rhomberg (2,543 passing yards, 25 TDs). Leading receiver Evan Brase (640 yards, 6 TDs) and tackler Jackson Jaspers (110.5 stops, 14.0 for losses) are also back as they aim to take the final step this season.
10. North Scott
The Lancers reached elite territory last season, beating Western Dubuque and Waverly-Shell Rock to reach the 4A semifinals in the UNI-Dome before falling to Xavier. Kyler Gerardy makes North Scott go. Last year, he threw for 1,645 yards and 15 scores and ran for 1,217 more and 19 touchdowns.
11. Ankeny
Graduation hit the Hawks hard, but their program is such that seniors starting on the varsity for the first time expect to win and play deep into November. An opening-night matchup with Ankeny Centennial will reveal plenty, but it may take some time before the Hawks hit their stride.
12. Williamsburg
The Raiders finished second in 2A last season but move up a class for at least the next two years, led by Iowa recruit Derek Weisskopf (628 receiving yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs), a two-way star. Junior LB Rayce Heitman (88.0 tackles) was a dominant defender last season.
13. Western Dubuque
Brett Harris has committed to Ole Miss in baseball and threw for 1,257 yards and 10 scores as a rare freshman starter at quarterback. The Bobcats also bring back RB Grant Glausser (1,564 yards, 19 TDs) as they aim to improve on last year’s first-round advancement in the playoffs, a 38-15 loss to North Scott.
14. Harlan Community
The Cyclones graduated Teagon Kasperbauer, who went 36-2 in three years as a starting QB, including three title-game appearances and the school’s 13th and 14th state titles. There were be plenty of new faces in the lineup, but they’ve all seen the correct way things are done. WR Cade Sears (973 receiving yards, 15 TDs), a South Dakota State recruit, will be a handful for anyone to contain.
15. Webster City
The Lynx drop a class to 3A and will be a force to be reckoned with. One of the reasons is RB-LB Jaxon Cherry, who rushed for 1,804 yards and 31 scores last year, while making a team-high 61 tackles. Webster City lost 24-14 in the 4A first round last year to a talented Iowa City Liberty squad.
16. Ankeny Centennial
The Jaguars were a couple whiskers away from something special last year. In a 5-5 season, they had four losses of seven points or fewer: Indianola (26-20), Ankeny (17-10), Waukee Northwest (20-14) and Cedar Falls (14-10). You can bet they’re working hard to be on the right side of those handful of game-changing plays that often sealed their fate.
17. Van Meter
Another prominent school changing classes is Van Meter. The Bulldogs won back-to-back 1A crowns in 2021 and 2022 but are moving up to 2A. An opening-night, non-district game with 2A Underwood could be a highly compelling affair. RB Ben Gordon (213 carries, 1,734 yards, 28 TDs in 2022) figures to be the workhorse again.
18. Iowa City Liberty
The Lightning also are moving up a class, from 4A to 5A. They appear to be well-equipped for that challenge, led by QB Graham Beckman, who lit it up for 2,580 passing yards last season and 31 touchdowns with only four interceptions. They’ll open with neighborhood foes Iowa City West and Iowa City High.
19. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
The Lions didn’t have a game closer than 21 points until the 2A state final, where they earned a 10-6 win over Williamsburg. Two-way star Zach Lutmer is now at Iowa, but the cupboard isn’t bare. Reece Vander Zee, a 6-foot-5 Iowa commit who had 768 receiving yards and 10 scores last year, will command much of the attention.
20. Cedar Rapids Kennedy
A returning starting QB always makes a coach sleep a little easier, and the Cougars have a good one in Vincenzo Gianforte, who threw for 1,362 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore. The question will be whether they can put enough quality pieces around him. A 9-0 first-round loss to Waukee Northwest last year likely still stings.
21. Solon
The Spartans dropped a 38-25 non-district decision to Williamsburg, which was a 2A school last year. Now they’re both in District 5 of 3A, which undoubtedly has fans of both schools licking their chops. RB-LB Brett White, a Baylor baseball recruit, is a terrific all-around athlete for Solon.
22. Grundy Center
The Spartans claimed the Class A state championship last year in convincing fashion, beating West Hancock 27-0 after falling three straight years in the finals – two to West Hancock. Grundy Center moves up a class into 1A and must be considered one of the favorites - if not the favorite - as it welcomes back an abundance of talent.
23. Bondurant-Farrar
The Bluejays went 8-1 last season before running into a powerful Indianola club in the first round of the 4A playoffs, falling 35-13. They return RB Titus Cram, who ran for 1,279 yards last year and has several Power Five offers, along with WR Reed Pfaltzgraff, who caught 48 passes for 692 yards and nine touchdowns.
24. Spirit Lake
The Indians turned in an unbeaten regular season in Class 2A last season before being stymied by OABCIG 19-0 in the first round. They bring back junior QB Caden Lundt (1,192 passing yards, 12 TDs) and junior RB Bode Higgins (966 rushing yards, 16 TDs), along with some top defenders.
25. Underwood
The Eagles return one of the top receiving stables in the state with Mason Boothby (936 receiving yards, 23.4 yards per catch, 11 TDs), Josh Ravlin (535 yards), TE Jack Vanfossan (439 yards) and Easton Robertson (367 yards). They graduated QB Alex Ravlin (2,679 passing yards, 32 TDs) but will unveil capable sophomore Garrett Luett, who committed to Iowa for baseball before his freshman season.
