Xavier’s Cash Parks, Prairie’s David Fason headline The Gazette’s all-area football team

It’s one of those cliches — and there are several of them — that you hear regularly if you visit Saints Field often enough.

You get what you earn.

At their home on 42nd Street NE, on the road, in the UNI-Dome ... the Xavier Saints couldn’t have earned more this fall.

A season-long No. 1 ranking, a 13-0 record and a Class 4A state championship. That will do.

And now, led by offensive player of the year Cash Parks, the Saints landed six players on The Gazette’s 40-man all-area football team.

Parks epitomized efficiency in his second season as Xavier’s varsity quarterback. The junior completed 72 percent of his passes for 2,220 yards. He threw for 28 touchdowns and surrendered only two interceptions.

He also ran for 383 yards (5.2 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.

Parks is joined on The Gazette’s all-area roster by teammates Carter Hoffmann, Ryan Kelly and Andrew Pladsen on the offensive side of the ball, plus defenders Beau Morio and Michael Bean.

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Cedar Rapids Prairie’s David Fason is the defensive player of the year.

A 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior, Fason was a regular presence in opposing backfields. Thirty-four of his 71.5 tackles were for loss, including 10 sacks, forced five fumbles and intercepted a pass.

Fason also accounted for 719 offensive yards and nine touchdowns.

Iowa City Liberty’s Reece Rettig is The Gazette’s overall player of the year, and is one of five Liberty players named to the all-area squad. Liberty (11-2) was the Class 5A state runner-up.

Xavier’s Duane Schulte is the area coach of the year; he coached the Saints to their fifth state championship.

In addition to Xavier’s six and Liberty’s five, schools with multiple all-area selections were Iowa City West (four), Iowa City Regina (four), Solon (three), Alburnett (two) and Mount Vernon (two).

The 2025 Gazette all-area football team

OFFENSE

QB Eli Kampman, 6-2, 187, sr., Solon

QB Cash Parks, 6-2, 205, jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

QB Reece Rettig, 5-10, 165, sr., Iowa City Liberty

QB Kyle Tracy, 5-11, 180, sr., Iowa City Regina

RB Laken Caves, 5-11, 180, jr., Alburnett

RB Carter Hoffmann, 6-1, 180, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

RB Campbell Janis, 5-9, 175, sr., Iowa City West

WR Ethan Headings, 6-2, 205, sr., Iowa City West

WR Brody Otting, 6-2, 190, sr., Cascade

WR Maddox Kelley, 5-10, 180, sr., Solon

WR Ryan Kelly, 5-9, 155, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

OL Layne Kleppe, 6-3, 275, sr., North Fayette Valley

OL Andrew Pladsen, 6-3, 250, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

OL Porter Shetler, 5-11, 220, jr., Iowa City Regina

OL Colin Whitters, 6-4, 310, sr., Iowa City West

OL Owen Menke, 6-3, 235, sr., Sigourney-Keota

UT Beau Burns, 5-11, 175, sr., BGM

UT Nolan Kriegel, 6-3, 180, jr., Iowa Valley

UT Christopher Meyer, 5-9, 175, sr., Independence

K Collin Weis, 6-3, 180, sr., Iowa City Liberty

DEFENSE

DL David Fason, 6-2, 250, sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie

DL Lucas Feuerbach, 6-2, 260, sr., Solon

DL Eaghan Fleshman, 6-1, 230, soph., Alburnett

DL Jack Gericke, 6-1, 195, jr., North Linn

LB Landon Bell, 6-0, 190, sr., Iowa City Liberty

LB Dylan Knipper, 5-11, 190, sr., Maquoketa Valley

LB Trevor Kuennen, 6-2, 193, sr., Decorah

LB Julian Manson, 6-3, 225, sr., Iowa City West

LB Beau Morio, 6-2, 205, jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

LB Tate Wallace, 6-3, 235, jr., Iowa City Regina

DB Michael Bean, 5-9, 170, sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

DB Drew Greve, 6-0, 165, sr., Iowa City Regina

DB Logan Laubenthal, 5-10, 160, sr., Iowa City Liberty

DB Carson Nolan, 6-0, 185, jr., Benton Community

DB Michael Ryan, 5-9, 175, sr., Mount Vernon

UT Jaxon Anderson, 6-2, 190, sr., Mount Vernon

UT Jack Georgen, 6-0, 192, sr., West Delaware

UT Kaden Kos, 6-0, 200, sr., Mid-Prairie

UT Kyle Youngbear, 5-11, 215, jr., South Tama

P Jordan Schroeder, 6-1, 170, sr., Iowa City Liberty

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Reece Rettig, sr., Iowa City Liberty

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Cash Parks, jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

David Fason, sr., Cedar Rapids Prairie

COACH OF THE YEAR

Duane Schulte, Cedar Rapids Xavier

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com