IA 2026 Kickoff Recap from Thursday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Football is officially back, and starting off the 2026 season for high school football, 2 games were held on Thursday night to open this season. After 9 months of inactivity, the long-anticipated wait for these impressive athletes to get back onto the field is officially over, and now, these athletes who have had plenty of opportunities for growth and development, having shined in numerous camps and practices over this offseason, are now put their training to the test finally to prove their status as top-ranked prospects in the state, and for 4 teams, Thursday night was an opportunity to represent that growth as they kicked off their seasons to set the course for the rest of this state. We recap the matches that went down from last night to open the 2026 high school football season in Iowa!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Dubuque Hempstead vs. <strong>Cedar Rapid Kennedy: 49-13</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars have generally dominated this rivalry, having won each of their last 5 matchups against Hempstead, and Thursday night proved little difference to how they played over this span, though it didn't start that way. The Mustangs were able to keep it close in the first half, and led 13-7 entering the half. However, the Mustangs imploded in the second half, thanks in part to the Cougars' defense forcing 5 turnovers in the second half alone, including 3 strip-sack fumble recoveries. In addition, the Cougars dominated the run, rushing for 247 total yards on just 23 carries while the Mustangs were completely walled off to a net total of -21 total rushing yards on Thursday night. The dominant win at home marks a promising start for the Cougars as they look to rebound following back-to-back 3-6 seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Performer: RB [player_tooltip player_id='1394059' first='Damarian' last='Orr'] (SR)</strong> - After a promising junior campaign, Orr started his senior season off with an explosive bang, rushing for 171 yards on just 15 carries (11.4 YPC) and 2 TDs, providing the Cougars with their first points of the season with a 55 yard breakaway on the first possession of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Des Moines East</strong> vs. Des Moines North: <strong>49-12</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another blowout to kick off the season, the Scarlets' one win last season came against the Polars, and they have already matched their total win record from last season with a blowout performance in the season opener. A surprise onside kick to start things off gave a spark for the Polar Bears, allowing them to jump out to a 6-0 lead mid-way through the 1st quarter. After that though, the Scarlets were in complete control, outperforming the Polar Bears at practically every facet of the game, through brute force and some razzle-dazzle, the Scarlets proceeded to score 42 unanswered points through the end of the first half. The Scarlets' win may be taken with a grain of salt, as they have won 16 of their last 18 matches against the Polar Bears, but they played with an unprecedented level of skill and confidence that may carry through the 2026 season and set up the Scarlets for a huge rebound season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Performer: QB Marquise Pierce (JR)</strong> - Taking over the starting reigns under Center this season for the Scarlets, Pierce immediately flashed as an outstanding playmaker who could give the East Side a jolt of energy for their offense going forward, throwing for 4 TDs and rushing for 2 more as he looked impressively comfortable commanding the offense in his first varsity start. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->