IA Class 5A Recap From Week 5 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On behalf of the Prep Redzone and Prep Network community, our hearts and prayers go out to Trenton Snodgrass of Indianola, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. He will be sorely missed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We take a look at the final 18 matchups from the top games of the week at Class 5A Iowa, with the games taking place between Thursday and Friday night. At the highest level of competition in the state, 20 of the 36 teams in the conference currently sit with records above .500, with only 2 teams remaining undefeated so far. Every game will matter going forward, and one small misstep may ruin the season for teams that are currently battling for a fringe spot. We take a look at the top results and standouts from Class 5A Iowa to round out our recap of week 5 of the 2026 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>Indianola</strong> vs. Valley: <strong>34-29</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Indianola was decidedly the underdog on Friday night, on the road against Valley, on homecoming night, and having not won in their previous 8 matchups in a row, but Indianola was able to change the narrative that night. The Indians exploded out of the gate to a 31-13 lead at halftime, including 21 points in the 1st quarter alone. Indianola simply ran over the Tigers' defense accumulating a combined 441 yards of offense as Valley struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. In the second half, Indianola simmered down, while the Tigers connected on some haymakers over the air, allowing them to climb their way back up, cutting the deficit to 7 late in the 4th quarter before getting the ball back with 5 and a half minutes remaining to try to tie it. Unfortunately, a fumble off a botched snap all but ended their drive, and Indianola was able to hold on to the ball for the remainder of the game to secure their first ever win over Valley. </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='2372589' first='Nolan' last='Freeman'] (SO) - </strong>Since stepping up to the plate under Center this season, Freeman has really stood his ground, and he enjoyed arguably his best performance so far to spoil Valley's homecoming. Freeman finished 12 of 16 for 301 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT while adding 87 rushing yards on 14 carries (6.2 YPC) and a rushing TD. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Ankeny</strong> vs. Sioux City East: <strong>35-25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>One of the most anticipated matchups of the week between two undefeated teams in the 5A conference, in which the Black Raiders seemed compelled to take the next step in ensuring their status at the top of the food chain in the conference. But first, they would have to overcome Ankeny, whom they have failed to beat in their previous 5 matchups. Unfortunately, the Hawks were able to build a slight lead entering the 2nd half, and were able to utilize that margin to their advantage, holding off the Black Raiders as they became a one-note team with the lack of running game, and in turn, resulted in 3 costly interceptions that would ultimately turn into another score for Ankeny in the 4th quarter to put the game away. The Black Raiders went scoreless in the 4th, and Ankeny kept their undefeated record, not just for this season, but in their recent historical success over Sioux City East. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Top Performer: Mason Machan (SR) - </strong>Machan enjoyed a near-perfect performance on Friday night, tearing apart the Black Raiders' secondary with precision and patience. Machan finished 18 of 21 for 195 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT while rushing for 58 yards on 12 carries (4.8 YPC). </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Des Moines Roosevelt</strong> vs. Ames: <strong>16-8</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>After winning a close battle last season, the Roughriders were determined to snap a 2-game losing streak leading up to this matchup to defeat Ames once again. The game was a low scoring battle, with both defenses keeping the other contained and out of scoring range for most of the game. After leading 8-0 through most of the game, Ames finally got on the board with a rushing TD and a 2PT conversion with 4 minutes remaining. Ames struggled all night offensively, generating just 100 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Roughriders were able to control the clock on the ground, with all 375 yards from scrimmage for the Roughriders coming on the ground, and in the end, they wound down the clock and punched it in with 6 seconds left. The win marks the Roughriders' second consecutive win over Ames, while surpassing their win total from each of their last 2 seasons with their 3rd win of the year so far. </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='2341594' first='Jayden' last='Shields'] (JR) - </strong>Shields was able to garner the most traction on the ground as the lead bell-cow of a deep backfield. Shields ran for 142 yards on 27 carries (5.3 YPC), and in the end, scored the winning TD from 1 yard out and the ensuing 2PT conversion in the closing seconds of the game. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notable Results from Week 5:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cedar Rapids Jefferson vs. <strong>Prairie: 70-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marshalltown vs. <strong>Cedar Rapids Kennedy: 57-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davenport Central vs. <strong>Linn-Mar: 57-27</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dowling Catholic</strong> vs. Waterloo West: <strong>55-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pleasant Valley</strong> vs. Muscatine: <strong>52-14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa City West vs. <strong>Iowa City Liberty: 51-17</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waukee Northwest</strong> vs. Des Moines East: <strong>49-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dubuque Senior vs. <strong>Bettendorf: 48-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Council Bluffs Lincoln vs. <strong>Johnston: 42-7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cedar Falls</strong> vs. Dubuque Hempstead vs. <strong>35-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southeast Polk </strong>vs. Ottumwa: <strong>35-13</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Urbandale</strong> vs. Ankeny Centennial: <strong>35-23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dallas Center-Grimes vs. <strong>Waukee: 31-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iowa City High </strong>vs. Norwalk: <strong>28-10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Des Moines Lincoln</strong> vs. Sioux City North: <strong>27-17</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Top 10 Standouts from Week 5:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='980028' first='Cannon' last='Davis'] (SR) - Bettendorf: 20/30, 321 yards, 5 TDs, 2 carries, 18 rushing yards</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='2085086' first='Emerson' last='Berner'] (SR) - Iowa City Liberty: 19/24, 326 yards, 4 TDs, 1 carry, 14 rushing yards</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='2372589' first='Nolan' last='Freeman'] (SO) - Indianola: 12/16, 301 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 14 carries, 87 rushing yards (6.2 YPC), 1 rushing TD</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1630523' first='Baylor' last='Petrie'] (JR) - Cedar Falls: 16/20, 261 yards, 3 TDs, 2 carries, 21 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB Dayvon Wesley (SR) - Des Moines Lincoln: 34 carries, 230 rushing yards (6.8 YPC), 4 rushing TDs, 5.5 tackles (4 solo), 2.5 TFLs, 41 return yards</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR TK Morrison (SR) - Davenport Central: 8 receptions, 251 yards (31.4 YPC), 3 receiving TDs, 159 kick return yards, 31.8 yards per return</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL [player_tooltip player_id='1631113' first='Peyton' last='Pontnack'] (JR) - Cedar Falls: 6 tackles (All solo), 5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 1 FF, 1 fumble recovery</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='2050280' first='Alex' last='Strunk'] (SR) - Iowa City Liberty: 15 tackles (10 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1031692' first='Jayden' last='Stumpff'] (JR) - Prairie: 5.5 tackles (3 solo), 3.5 TFLs, 3 sacks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1361347' first='Adrian' last='Clerry'] (SR) - Iowa City Liberty: 3 tackles (All solo), 2 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD, 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 receiving TD</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->