All-State Teams: Iowa Class A Defense

With the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/prep-redzone-iowa-2025-mr-football-elite-all-state/">Elite All-State Team</a> taken care of, we'll spend the month of December handing out Class All-State awards. Now, we move to the defensive side of the ball in Class A.   In writing these articles, we want to cast a wider net, expanding on the names that have already been established as the best of the best across classes, so we won't repeat names that were already listed on the Elite Team.   DEFENSIVE LINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1923993' first='Wyatt' last='Stalzer'], SR, West Marshall   Tops in Class A and third in all classes with 31.5 tackles-for-loss, Stalzer was all over Class A offenses this season. He outpaced second place in Class A by nearly ten TFLs and averaged 3.5 TFLs a game. Earning spot on the list of Most-Feared Pass-Rushers in 2025 in early October and maintaining those numbers through the end of the season for West Marshall. He finished the season with 67.5 tackles and seven sacks. [player_tooltip player_id='2060049' first='Chase' last='Haugen'], SR, Saint Ansgar   Third among defensive linemen in TFLs and fifth in sacks, Haugen was a key piece on the defensive front for Saint Ansgar on its run to the state championship game. He finished the year with 38 tackles, just under half of which came from TFLs as he totaled 17.5, adding seven sacks as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1238618' first='Landen' last='Cooling'], SR, BGM   The star on the other side of the ball for BGM, [player_tooltip player_id='1221942' first='Beau' last='Burns'] couldn't have all the fun for the Bears. Cooling finished the season with 37 tackles, over half of them coming from TFLs with 19. The 6-foot-2, 205 pound DE added 3.5 sacks and recovered four fumbles.   [player_tooltip player_id='2079929' first='Drake' last='Hodgson'], JR, Gehlen Catholic   Hodgson was one of the stars of the season for Gehlen Catholic, who reached the playoffs despite a 3-5 record and proceeded to upset one of the top teams in Class A, West Hancock in the first round of the playoffs. In that came, the junior DL posted 8.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks, helping him to his total of 45.5 tackles, 16 TFLs and second-most sacks in 5A with 9.5.   LINEBACKER   Carter Wright, SR, Woodbury Central   The leader in Class A in sacks and the lone prospect to reach double digits in the statistic, Wright finished the season with 12.5 sacks, getting after the quarterback like none other in Class A and averaging just over a sack per game. He finished the season with 18 total TFLs, as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1905875' first='Joe' last='Clevenger'], SR, Saint Ansgar   A tackling machine for the Saints, Clevenger was the only defensive player in Class A to finish with triple-digit sacks in 2025. With two of the top ten tacklers in Class A, Clevenger was joined by All-State running back, [player_tooltip player_id='1615327' first='Korben' last='Michels'], who finished with 70.5 tackles this season. With some of the most prolific tacklers in the state, Saint Ansgar rode their performances to an appearance in the state championship.   [player_tooltip player_id='1268222' first='Dawson' last='James'], SR, Lynnville-Sully   Number two in Class A in TFLs with 22.5, James was just the second prospect in Class A to have over 20 TFLs, joining Stalzer. He also finished second in Class A in tackles with 95, finishing with the most solo tackles in the class -- 77.   DEFENSIVE BACK   [player_tooltip player_id='2048867' first='Michael' last='Schmillen'], SR, MMCRU   The first player on Prep Redzone to be named All-State on offense and defense, Schmillen had an incredible senior campaign for MMCRU on the way to the Class A state championship. Making incredible catches on both sides of the ball as the Class's top receiver, Schmillen took those ball skills over to his play at defensive back, finishing the season with the most interceptions in all 11-man classes, nine. He took one of those picks pack for a touchdown.   [player_tooltip player_id='2079933' first='Braden' last='Wheatley'], JR, North Linn   One of just two players in Class A to finish the season with two pick-sixes, [player_tooltip player_id='2079933' first='Braden' last='Wheatley'] grabbed three picks this season, returning two of them all the way back for scores. Add in 24 tackles and two TFLs, and Wheatley was a key part of the North Linn defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='2079939' first='Tristen' last='Wingate'], SO, Sibley-Ocheyedan   It's not often a sophomore finds his way onto the All-State teams for us at Prep Redzone, but here we are. Wingate finished tied for second in Class A with six interceptions and a whopping ten pass-breakups. All over the field for Sibley Ocheyedan, a player with those types of numbers as a sophomore will be one we watch going into next season.   Cole Jeppesen, SR, Riverside   Finishing the season with six interceptions, Jeppesen didn't have quite the star power that [player_tooltip player_id='1242828' first='Jaxon' last='Gordon'] did, but the 5-foot-9 and 140-pound DB sure helped the Riverside offense get the ball back. A <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/five-more-two-way-wonders-iowa-standouts-on-offense-and-defense/">two-way star</a> thanks to his contributions as a receiver, Jeppesen provided some help for Gordon and the offense by taking the ball away defensively.

With the Elite All-State Team taken care of, we'll spend the month of December handing out Class All-State awards. Now, we move to the defensive side of the ball in Class A.