Iowa high school football 2022 preview: Rankings, top returning players and what to expect

As we embark on another Iowa high school football season, here is what you can expect from The Gazette’s coverage in 2022. Keep reading to find all of our preseason stories.

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Class 5A preview

Last year: Southeast Polk won its first state title in the state’s first year of 5A football, beating Ankeny 24-7 in the final. Also at the Dome: West Des Moines Valley and Iowa City High.

Returning first-team all-staters: Southeast Polk RB Abu Sama, Southeast Polk OL Kadyn Proctor, Iowa City High LB Ben Kueter, Pleasant Valley LB Rusty VanWetzinga, Urbandale DU Cole Garwood.

Preseason rankings: Ankeny is the top-ranked team, with half of the six first-place votes. No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling, No. 3 Pleasant Valley and No. 4 Southeast Polk got the other first-place votes. Four of the top five teams are from central Iowa. No. 6 Iowa City High is the highest-ranked Gazette area team. Here is the complete Top 10.

Feature from Jeff Johnson: Football coaches gotta coach football, and Mark Bliss is a football coach.

The Cedar Rapids Prairie head man remains the Cedar Rapids Prairie head man after contemplating retirement after last season. The 58-year-old Oklahoma native has been in it over 30 years, has put in enough time in education as a teacher for full benefits and everything.

He’s got a ranch back home he could live the easy life on, grandchildren in the Kansas City area he could dote on, but go back to that first sentence here.

“It is year to year,” Bliss said. “My biggest thing is that I have invested in this profession so much that it does wear and tear on you sometimes. But the thing is as long as you still have that energy, as long as the kids are excited to see me day to day, my staff doesn’t mind putting up with me, and I feel motivated every day, I’ll keep going.”

Read the story: Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Mark Bliss is a football coach at heart, so he continues coaching football

Class 4A preview

Last year: Lewis Central claimed its first state title with a classic triple-overtime win over Cedar Rapids Xavier, 32-24. Also at the Dome: Waverly-Shell Rock and Winterset.

Returning first-team all-staters: Lewis Central QB Braylon Kammrad, Lewis Central RB Jon Humpal, Indianola WR Drew Kingery, Winterset OL Beau Knobloch, Waverly-Shell Rock DL Jake Walker, North Scott DL AJ Petersen, Cedar Rapids Xavier LB Thomas Sundell, Waverly-Shell Rock LB Asa Newsom, Cedar Rapids Xavier DB Aidan McDermott, Lewis Central KR Lucci Fidone, Waverly-Shell Rock DU McCrae Hagarty.

Preseason rankings: Lewis Central is a unanimous pick at No. 1. Cedar Rapids Xavier rounds out the top five. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: Waverly-Shell Rock, North Scott and Cedar Rapids Xavier are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from K.J. Pilcher: Chase Mahoney’s football motor has always revved high.

He even had a hard time controlling his intensity and enthusiasm when he first started playing organized football games.

“I would say I’ve had that ever since I was a young kid,” Mahoney said. “Even when I played flag football, I was one of the more aggressive kids on our team. I would tackle kids when we were playing flag football.”

The tenacious approach has served him well as Cedar Rapids Washington’s weak-side linebacker and one of the team’s defensive leaders. Mahoney returns as the Warriors’ top tackler and reigning Class 4A District 4 Defensive Player of the Year.

Read the story: For Chase Mahoney and Cedar Rapids Washington football, it’s full speed ahead

Class 3A preview

Last year: Harlan earned its 13th state championship with a 42-28 win over Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Also at the Dome: Solon and Humboldt.

Returning first-team all-staters: Harlan QB Teagon Kasperbauer, Humboldt WR Will Orness, Independence OL Korver Hupke, West Delaware OL Luke Reth, Harlan OL Gunnar Schmitz, Harlan DB Aidan Hall.

Preseason rankings: Harlan remains No. 1, with all six first-place votes. No. 3 Solon is the highest-ranked Gazette area team, sliding in behind No. 2 Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: Independence, Mount Vernon and Solon are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from Jeff Johnson: You don’t necessarily want to be the guy who replaces a legend, as goes the cliche. You’d rather be the guy who replaces the guy who replaces a legend.

But in Blake Timmons’ case, he didn’t really have a choice in this matter.

He was up next in line at quarterback for the Solon football program when all-stater Cam Miller graduated a couple of years ago. Timmons was tabbed as Miller’s successor despite being just a sophomore. Miller is the school’s career yardage leader, guiding North Dakota State to an FCS title last season as its QB. Back to the cliches here, but you talk about big shoes to fill.

“I talked to Cam a lot about that, actually,” Timmons said last week after practice. “Ever since I was in seventh grade, I was working out with Cam and throwing with him because I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I kind of took everything I could from him.”

Read the story: Blake Timmons has carved out a very nice career of his own as Solon quarterback

Class 2A preview

Last year: Southeast Valley beat West Lyon 30-13 to win its first state title. Also at the Dome: Waukon and Williamsburg.

Returning first-team all-staters: Ida Grove OABCIG RB Griffin Diersen, West Marshall OL Sam Schaper, Monticello K Christian Castillo, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock OU Zach Lutmer, Williamsburg DL Owen Douglas, West Marshall DL Austin Pfantz, Forest City DB Kellen Moore, Greene County KR Richard Daugherty, West Marshall DU Peyton Hart.

Preseason rankings: Ida Grove OABCIG got five of the six first-place votes and is ranked No. 1. No. 2 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock got the other top vote. At No. 3, Williamsburg is the highest-ranked Gazette area team. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: North Fayette Valley, Monticello and Williamsburg are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from Jeff Linder: He bulked up this summer, not by lifting weights, but by digging graves. He is the fastest guy on the team, and he plays nose guard.

Meet Owen Douglas, one interesting dude on the Williamsburg High School football team and a returning first-team all-state pick.

“The fastest lineman you’ll ever see,” teammate Gable Dayton said.

Speed is the Raiders’ forte (“We’re more athletic than we are big,” Dayton said). Now, the question is whether they can get off to a faster start this season.

Read the story: Another early gauntlet awaits Williamsburg, and this time, the Raiders say, they’re ready

Class 1A preview

Last year: Van Meter got past West Sioux, 17-14, in the championship game. Also at the Dome: Dyersville Beckman and Dike-New Hartford.

Returning first-team all-staters: Waterloo Columbus WR Caleb Holthaus, West Sioux WR Brady Lynott, East Buchanan OL Cody Fox, Grundy Center K Colin Gordon, West Sioux OU Dylan Wiggins, Dike-New Hartford DL Will Textor, Waterloo Columbus LB Carson Hartz, Dike-New Hartford LB Nick Reinicke, Van Meter LB Ben Gilliland, Dyersville Beckman DB Cayden Gassmann.

Preseason rankings: West Sioux is the unanimous No. 1, with defending champion Van Meter at No. 4. Dike-New Hartford and Dyersville Beckman are tied for the No. 2 spot. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: Dyersville Beckman, Iowa City Regina and Pella Christian are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from K.J. Pilcher: Dyersville Beckman football coach Mark Atwater realized when the program reached a turning point.

The Blazers were preparing for a Week 3 game against rival Cascade in 2020. Atwater was in his third season at the helm for Beckman and decided to turn up the intensity that week of practice.

Players responded and parlayed that effort into a wild, late-game victory. The work resulted in success and became the weekly norm, reaching the state quarterfinals that season.

“They just hadn’t reaped the rewards of that hard work and mental preparedness,” Atwater said. “Ever since that point two years ago, these kids have been aware that this is what it takes to win football games and beat good teams.”

Read the story: Dyersville Beckman looks to continue football success

Class A preview

Last year: West Hancock beat Grundy Center 19-14 for its second state championship in the last three years. Also at the Dome: East Buchanan and Woodbury Central.

Returning first-team all-staters: Hartley HMS OL Lance Berends, Westwood LB Jackson Dewald, Woodbury Central LB Max McGill, Hartley HMS DB Kooper Ebel, Le Mars Gehlen KR Keaton Bonderson.

Preseason rankings: West Hancock got three first-place votes and is No. 1. No. 2 Hartley HMS, No. 3 Woodbury Central and No. 6 Lynnville-Sully also got first-place votes. North Linn is No. 4. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: North Linn, Alburnett, Wapsie Valley and Lynnville-Sully are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from Mike Condon: To maintain the athletic excellence North Linn athletics has shown over the past several years, replacements for talented performers had to be found.

For the 2022 Lynx football team, that is a must.

Coach Jared Collum's team is coming off a stellar 9-1 campaign that ended with a heartbreaking, 7-6, loss to Wapsie Valley in the second round of the Class A playoffs.

“Our kids love to compete and it goes through every sport,” Collum said. “We lost a fantastic senior class, but we have a nice size junior class ready to step up as seniors.”

Read the story: North Linn has the pieces to build off successful football season

8-Player preview

Last year: Anita CAM won the state title with a 42-40 victory over Easton Valley. Also at the Dome: Audubon and Remsen St. Mary’s.

Returning first-team all-staters: WACO RB Simeon Reichenbach, Easton Valley WR Carson Fuegen, Easton Valley DL Hayden Felkey.

Preseason rankings: With five first-place votes, Remsen St. Mary’s is the No. 1 team. Easton Valley got the other top vote and is No. 2. The only ranked Gazette area team is No. 8 Turkey Valley. Here is the complete Top 10.

District picks: Easton Valley, WACO, Turkey Valley and Baxter are among the Eastern Iowa favorites.

Feature from Ryan Pleggenkuhle: Iowa’s 8-player high school football class is going to have a fired-up group from Jackson Junction to reckon with in 2022.

Following an undefeated regular season and a 40-point first round playoff win, Turkey Valley’s 2021 season ended in a second round, 2-point loss to Lansing Kee.

It’s a loss this year’s Trojans are using as motivation.

“Losing to Kee High in the second round after an undefeated regular season and a blowout first-round game hurt big-time,” said senior quarterback Noah Hanson. “I don’t think anyone forgot that pain and I definitely think this team has a whole new mentality this year.”

Read the story: Locked-in Turkey Valley football team has ‘something to prove’ in 2022