Class 2A Recap from Week 1 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the conclusion of the first official week of high school football in Iowa, some questions leading up to this season start to be answered, and some new questions arise with rising stocks and underperformances from what we had expected, and if anything comes from what we saw in week 1, it's that 2026 should shake up the standings in the conference rankings once again at a drastic pace. Today, we take a look at the results and top performers from week 1 in Class 2A Iowa to kick off the 2026 high school football season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Top Games:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Spirit Lake</strong> vs. Algona: <strong>9-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>This has been a generally close rivalry over the last few years, though having won their last 2 matchups in a row, and going against a Spirit Lake team that went 3-6 last season, Algona entered with expectations to extend their winning streak. The Bulldogs controlled most of the game, leading 7-3 late in the 4th quarter. However, Spirit Lake persevered, with a late score on 4th and 2 off a perfectly designed play-action rollout scramble by the QB, followed by several key defensive stands to help seal the win on the road. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: Ben Watson (JR) </strong>- The defense dominated in the 4th quarter in shutting down the Bulldogs' offense, and Watson played a pivotal role at the DT position, forcing several pressures and getting to the QB on 2 occasions as he helped shut down any comeback effort.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">West Branch vs. <strong>West Liberty: 26-21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>West Branch has generally dominated this rivalry, winning 9 of their last 10 matchups against the Comets entering this game. However, the Comets were able to square up well against the Bears' defense, outpacing the Bears in total yardage 319-302. Trailing 21-14 in the 4th quarter, the Comets scored 12 unanswered, including the game winning TD on a 22 yard pass with 22 seconds to go, allowing the Comets to escape with a huge upset at home.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: [player_tooltip player_id='1656914' first='Devin' last='Mericle'] (JR) - </strong>The 6'5" QB started off his junior season strong, playing with clarity and precision for the most part as he helped guide the comeback, finishing 9 of 15 passing for 114 yards, including the go-ahead TD in the final 30 seconds of the game. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>South Tama County</strong> vs. Vinton-Shellsburg: <strong>21-17</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Both teams entering this game took steps forward in 2025 following winless campaigns in 2024. The Trojans put themselves immediately in the right trajectory to kick off this season to take another step toward contention in the 2A conference. While certainly erratic, the Trojans were able to balance out a strong run-game with several explosive plays over the air, allowing them to connect on huge completions that greatly helped the course toward victory, earning their 3rd straight win in a row against the Vikings.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: Michael Henry (SR)</strong> - Henry provided the game-changing plays over the air that helped set the outcome of the game, catching 3 of the 6 total completions from Friday night, racking up 101 yards and 2 TDs while also ranking 3rd on defense with 5 total tackles. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Independence vs. <strong>North Fayette Valley: 43-34</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>One of the biggest upsets of the week, a 2A over 3A victory, with the TigerHawks snapping a 5 game losing streak against the Mustangs over the last 11 years. The game was a shootout, with each team marching back and forth down the field, but in the end, the Mustangs had no answer for the TigerHawks' run game, which racked up a total of 258 yards on the ground and 5 TDs, staying a step ahead of Independence, and sealing a huge win to start off a new year as they look to rebound following a 3-6 campaign in 2025. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: Cain Rodgers (JR) - </strong>One of the smallest players on the field for the TigerHawks, Rodgers proved capable of breaking a big play any time the ball was in his hands on Friday night. Rodgers burst out for 114 rushing yards and 3 TDs on just 8 carries (14.3 YPC) and returned 2 kickoffs for a total of 109 yards. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Central Lyon/George-Little Rock</strong> vs. MOC-Floyd Valley:<strong> 16-6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Perhaps a sign of getting back to old ways, the Lions have set a course for a revival in 2026 by shutting down the 3A Dutchmen, a team that they have had historical success against, but coming off a 2-6 season last year, the Lions were certainly undermined entering this game. Despite some promising talent, the Dutchmen were limited to just 187 yards of total offense, with the defense covering up the inconsistencies on the Lions' offense throughout the night to hold off the Dutchmen almost entirely. The Lions have won 6 of their last 7 matchups against the Dutchmen now as they look to build off this greatly in 2026. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: [player_tooltip player_id='1581283' first='Jayden' last='Daale'] (SR) - </strong>Daale's performance wasn't pretty, as he threw 2 INTs, but he was able to command the offense well enough to generate leverage early on that they wouldn't lose for the remainder of the game. Daale finished 9 of 17 for 102 passing yards while adding 53 rushing yards on 11 carries and a 25 yard TD run in the 2nd quarter. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notable Results from Week 1:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Creston vs. <strong>Clarinda: 59-45</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MFL MarMac vs. <strong>Crestwood: 50-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Center Point-Urbana vs. <strong>Alburnett: 47-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kuemper Catholic</strong> vs. Cherokee Washington: <strong>42-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Burlington Notre Dame</strong> vs. Danville: <strong>47-25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn vs. <strong>Okoboji: 43-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dike-New Hartford</strong> vs. Jesup: <strong>42-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pella Christian vs. <strong>Roland-Story: 42-21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Centerville </strong>vs. Knoxville: <strong>40-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Lee</strong> vs. Van Buren County: <strong>38-12</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge View vs. <strong>OABCIG: 35-6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Hampton</strong> vs. Union Community: <strong>35-12</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid-Prairie</strong> vs. Washington: <strong>35-21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley</strong> vs. Sibley-Ocheyedan: <strong>34-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camanche vs. <strong>Tipton: 31-14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maquoketa vs. <strong>Anamosa: 31-21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Osage </strong>vs. Hampton-Dumont-CAL: <strong>22-14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manson-NW Webster vs. <strong>Southeast Valley: 20-6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albia</strong> vs. Chariton: <strong>14-3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Top 10 Standouts from Week 1:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1198827' first='Raif' last='Jensen'] (SR) - OABCIG: 21/23, 220 yards, 3 TDs, 8 carries, 67 rushing yards (8.4 YPC), 1 rushing TD, 7 total tackles (6 solo)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB Kellan Porter (SO) - West Burlington Notre Dame: 16/21, 296 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 5 carries, 16 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 2 tackles</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='2072490' first='Colin' last='Willis'] (JR) - Roland-Story: 20/31, 280 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB Peyton Pokorny (SR) - Dike-New Hartford: 8/10, 118 yards, 4 TDs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1901425' first='Laken' last='Caves'] (SR) - Alburnett: 12 carries, 289 rushing yards (24.1 YPC), 4 rushing TDs, 2 receptions, 15 yards, 5.5 total tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1696458' first='Baylor' last='Hash'] (JR) - Clarinda: 31 carries, 206 rushing yards (6.6 YPC), 4 rushing TDs, 6.5 total tackles (5 solo), 0.5 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 defensive TD</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='2101155' first='Austyn' last='Kleppe'] (JR) - New Hampton: 25 carries, 233 rushing yards (9.3 YPC), 2 rushing TDs, 9 total tackles (5 solo), 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1706496' first='Gavin' last='Muller'] (SR) - Osage: 26 carries, 190 rushing yards (7.3 YPC), 3 rushing TDs, 13 total tackles (11 solo), 5 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 INT, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB Wyatt Box (JR) - Mediapolis: 17 total tackles (14 solo), 4 TFLs, 1 sack</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB/RB Ty Pickerell (SR) - Albia: 7 total tackles (6 solo), 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 9 carries, 21 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 1 reception, 3 yards</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->