Iowa 2A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Centerville

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An early look at some of the top teams in each class, now to Class 2A. We'll profile several programs that look to return the talent necessary to compete for a state championship in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/iowa-2a-way-too-early-title-contenders-alburnett/">Iowa 2A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Alburnett</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/iowa-2a-way-too-early-title-contenders-wilton/">Iowa 2A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Wilton</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/iowa-2a-way-too-early-title-contenders-pcm/">Iowa 2A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: PCM</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offense:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by one of the top young quarterback prospects in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1671366' first='Mack' last='Murdock'], Centerville could have a shot at Cedar Falls the next two seasons. A 6-foot-2 and 205-pound gunslinger that throws a pretty deep ball and can throw a dart over the middle, Murkdock is a prospect to keep an eye on for Division I coaches in the Midwest. This last season, he completed 131-of-198 passes (66.2%) for 2,250 yards, 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And he'll return one of his leading receivers. [player_tooltip player_id='1601592' first='Abram' last='Decena'], who caught 44 passes for 771 yards and 11 touchdowns as a fellow sophomore will be back. Pairing the 5-foot-9 and 180-pound receiver with Murdock over the ensuing two seasons could be dangerous. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They'll have a complimentary running game next season, too. With junior tail back [player_tooltip player_id='1650430' first='Makoa' last='Kaleponi'] returning, who took 125 carries for 785 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, the Big Reds have a chance to put together one of the more balanced offenses in 2A next fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defense:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of the ball, Centerville brings back its second-leading tackler in 5-foot-6 and 165-pound Curtis Mathes, who racked up 53.5 tackles and six tackles-for-loss. Outplaying his size, Mathes is reminiscent of Saint Ansgar two-way star, [player_tooltip player_id='1615327' first='Korben' last='Michels'], who led the Saints all the way to the Class A title game while standing at just 5-foot-4 and dominating as a runner and a tackler. If Mathes can ramp up the tackling numbers like Michels did his senior campaign, the Big Reds will be in a good spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the back end, Decena and Murdock will be vital as defensive backs, as they combined for 63 tackles last season. Murdock finished with more interceptions as a DB than as a QB, too, as he nabbed six picks last season for the team lead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->