Picking Thursday’s Class 1A and 4A State Championship Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Picking who wins and why ahead of the state championship games in Cedar Falls on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, Class 1A and 4A kickoff in the afternoon and evening. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/picking-thursdays-8-man-and-class-a-state-championship-games/">Picking Thursday's 8-Man and Class A State Championship Games</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class 1A</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4:00–#1 West Lyon (12-0) vs. #3 Regina (12-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top team in Class 1A from start to finish after winning the 2A title last season and moving down a class, West Lyon is a lot like its fellow northwest Iowa school, MMCRU. They've got farm kids galore that have strength of moving hay bales and wrestling pigs. [player_tooltip player_id='1221929' first='Evan' last='Hildring'] is an explosive back, and the defense swarms to the ball and forces turnoers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regina is <em>loaded </em>with dudes. Starting with Power 4 prospects, [player_tooltip player_id='466364' first='Tate' last='Wallace'] could play for a major college football program on either side of the ball, but will be best served as a linebacker or EDGE. [player_tooltip player_id='1197445' first='Savion' last='Miller'] is one of, if not the, best running backs in the state with his ability to run between the tackles and bounce it to the outside, showing off elite balance and quickness in and out of cuts. Their quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='1657101' first='Kyle' last='Tracy'] is as poised as they come, making plays with his arm and his feet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Pick</strong>: Regina</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Why:</strong> The Regals could compete with teams at the 2A, 3A, 4A and possibly 5A level. The depth goes far beyond their two-way star, running back and quarterback, too. [player_tooltip player_id='2044013' first='Will' last='Litton'] has potential to go D1 at TE or DE, [player_tooltip player_id='1871912' first='Edwin' last='Gangba'] made a plethora of tackles last week and sophomore running back [player_tooltip player_id='1605331' first='Gabriel' last='Hegelheimer'] has just begun to scratch the surface of how good he can be. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class 4A</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7:00–#1 Xavier (12-0) vs. #4 Pella (11-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tested for the first time all season last week, Xavier rose to the occasion and mounted a second-half come back against one of the more talented teams in Class 4A, Newton. [player_tooltip player_id='1827747' first='Cash' last='Parks'] leads the charge, [player_tooltip player_id='1238169' first='Carter' last='Hoffmann'] is one of the hardest-hitting running backs in the state and the Saints are solid at all three levels of the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pella is as formidable as they come, though. With [player_tooltip player_id='1240470' first='Emmanuel' last='Diers'] in the backfield, the Dutch have the ability to break off a big run or a score at any time. [player_tooltip player_id='897440' first='Harrison' last='Mullens'] and Logan VanDenBroek only compliment the offensive attack through the air. Kyler Van Maanen and [player_tooltip player_id='1581293' first='Nate' last='Warner'] are one of the best linebacker duos in the state, racking up tackle after tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Pick</strong>: Xavier</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Why:</strong> This is one of the toughest games to pick ahead of this weekend. Pella has dudes all over the field. Diers may be the top available prospect in the Class of 2026, Mullens can beat just about any DB in one-on-one coverage and Van Maanen is a monster in the middle of the Dutch D. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>But</em>, Xavier has been on the path to the state championship since the beginning of the season. Parks, like Tracy, is a near-perfect leader for his team that can make a variety of throws and can be trusted to make the right read. Hoffmann is a handful to deal with, even when facing top LBs, and Duane Schulte has constructed one of the top defenses in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->