Iowa high school football's Class 4A is as wide-open as any classification for the 2025 season. Last year, North Polk captured its first state championship, besting Pella in the finals.
This season sees several worthy contenders to hold the preseason No. 1 billing including Lewis Central, Clear Creek-Amana and Cedar Rapids Xavier.
MORE: Iowa high school football preseason Class 5A Top 10
Here is a look at The Sporting News Preseason Class 4A Top 10 in Iowa high school football for the 2025 season:
THE SPORTING NEWS PRESEASON CLASS 4A TOP 10
No. 10 Decorah
An injury forced Tanner Caddell to step in at QB, but he gained valuable experience heading into this year. Trevor Kuennen, who rushed for 888 yards, is back, as Caddell had almost 400 yards on the ground last year. Noah Milburn, Peyton Webb and Will Larson are all back to help ease the transition under center.
No. 9 Le Mars
Jami Sitzmann will look to lead the Bulldogs once again, as Le Mars won six games a year ago. Sitzmann threw for 1,331 yards and ran for 306 as leading targets Andrew Grant and Tycen Augustine are both returning. The defense will have Tegan Bogh, Hudson Kass and Degi Kabongo back in the fold.
No. 8 Waverly-Shell Rock
New head coach Cal Twait was a multi-year standout at the University of Northern Iowa along the offensive line and is the son of former Iowa Central head coach Kevin Twait. His grandfather, Duane Twait, led Emmetsburg to numerous state titles. The Go-Hawks will lead on the likes of Caleb Schipper, rising sophomore Jayden Stephens, Brady Bodensteiner and Ian Sedgwick.
No. 7 ADM
Dual-threat quarterback Hudson Shull had a breakout junior season, passing for over 1,300 yards while rushing for almost 1,200. He had 18 rushing scores and threw for 13 more, but his leading receivers have all moved on. Leyton Gerleman, Travis Jacoby and Devin Gelhaar are some of the leading defensive players back.
No. 6 Pella
The Dutch reached the finals last year but will need to replace starting quarterback Colin Kerndt, who was also the second-leading rusher. Emmanuel Diers is back after rushing for a team-high 1,112 yards while catching 45 passes for 502. Harrison Mullens, a recent South Dakota State commit, also returns after averaging almost 20 yards per catch with eight TDs.
No. 5 Fort Dodge
Oklahoma State University wrestling commit Dreshaun Ross is expected to return to the gridiron after missing last fall following surgery. Ross was an all-stater as a sophomore, dominating on defense while also rushing for 729 yards and eight scores. Tru McBride threw for over 1,500 yards and ran for more than 100 as a 10th-grader, while University of Iowa PWO Noah Daniel looks to duplicate his strong career so far.
No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Last year, the Warriors lost to the eventual 3A state champs by one point in the semifinals. Now, they look to contend in 4A with skill players Isaiah Jervik, Ryan Husen and Gavin Warren all returning. Husen rushed for almost nine yards per carry while Jervik had 770 yards rushing and over 500 passing with 17 combined scores.
No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier
Cash Parks grew into the role of QB1 as a sophomore last season, throwing for over 1,100 yards while rushing for five TDs. Carter Hoffmann, though, is who the offense runs through, as he had almost 1,300 yards and 11 scores. Hoffmann also caught 23 passes with Ryan Kelly back as the top receiver.
No. 2 Clear Creek-Amana
It’s been a strong stretch for the Clippers and Conlan Poynton will look to keep that going. As a junior, he threw for over 1,200 yards and ran for 901 with 16 rushing TDs. Ethan Vice, Noah Collis, Nick Daniel and Tay Seals all return with big-play potential. The defense will be anchored by Dylan Schrock and Aidan Schrock.
No. 1 Lewis Central
The Titans will have a new quarterback, but key pieces Jacob Jefferis, Braydan Doss, Peyton Phippen and Leonardo Tatum all return. Tatum averaged over 27 yards per catch with 11 receiving touchdowns while Phippen had almost 700 yards receiving and Doss rushed for 480 yards as a freshman.
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