Iowa high school football: Top stars, best performances from the state championship games

Some of the top performers from the state championship football games

Here are some stars from the Iowa high school football playoff championship games.

If you know of a top performance we should include, please email nate@scorebooklive.com. 

Devon Akers, Ankeny 

Akers, a senior, had nine catches for 118 yards in the Hawks’ 49-21 loss to Southeast Polk in the Class 5A championship game. Ankeny’s Evan Irlmeier returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown.

Luke Anderson, Ankeny

The junior passed for 302 yards and a touchdown for the Hawks in a 49-21 loss to Southeast Polk in the Class 5A championship. Anderson completed 21 of 30 throws.

Austin Baumhover, Van Meter

Baumhover completed 8 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, helping the Bulldogs capture their third straight state title with a 24-21 win over Central Lyon/George-Little Rock in the Class 2A finale. Van Meter had won each of the last two Class 1A crowns before moving up to 2A this season.

Zack Butler, Woodbury Central

The senior rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats in their 30-28 loss to West Hancock in the Class A championship game. Butler carried 27 times and also had 5.5 tackles.

Graham Eben, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock

The senior, who will play at the University of Iowa, had 138 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 24-21 loss to Van Meter in the 2A championship game. The loss snapped a 25-game winning streak for Central Lyon/George-Little Rock, last year’s 2A champs.

Tate Foertsch, Algona Garrigan

The sophomore quarterback passed for 109 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards and another score as the Golden Bears outscored Bedford 39-30 in the 8-player championship game. Foertsch completed 7 of 10 passes and carried 11 times for the Bears, who won their first state title since 1985. Foertsch finished his sophomore season with 21 touchdown passes.

Grant Glausser, Western Dubuque

Glausser set a 4A state championship game record with 263 rushing yards in Western Dubuque’s 40-21 loss to Lewis Central in the championship game. Glausser broke the previous mark set by Tavian Banks of Bettendorf in 1992.

Van Meter's Ben Gordon (Photo by Nick Petaros)

Ben Gordon, Van Meter

The senior rushed for a team-high 107 yards on 27 carries in the Bulldogs’ 24-21 victory over Central Lyon/George-Little Rock in the 2A championship game. Gordon is a member of the 14-player senior class that contributed to three straight Van Meter state titles.

Colin Gordon, Grundy Center

The senior accounted for four touchdowns and also recovered a fumble as Grundy Center shut out MFL MarMac 42-0 in the Class 1A championship game. Gordon passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns and added a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Spartans, who repeated as state champions after winning Class A last season.

Brady Hetzel, Council Bluffs Lewis Central

Hetzel completed 19 of 24 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Titans to their third state title in three seasons, 40-21 over Western Dubuque in Class 4A. Hetzel’s four touchdown passes tied a 4A state title game record.

Drew Kluender, Woodbury Central

The outstanding senior quarterback, who will play at Division II Southwest Minnesota State, was 26 of 42 for 274 passing yards and a touchdown, but the Wildcats fell to West Hancock, 30-28, in the Class A championship game. Kluender passed for over 6,000 yards in his high school career.

Justin Knaack, Grundy Center

Knaack had a team-high 64 rushing yards and caught four passes for 39 yards in Grundy Center’s 42-0 win over MFL MarMac in the Class 1A championship game.

Southeast Polk receiver Carson Robbins (left) and quarterback Connor Moberly count up to 3 following Friday's championship three-peat. (Photo by Nick Petaros)

Connor Moberly, Southeast Polk

The senior Iowa State University recruit completed 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams won their third straight state title with a 49-21 win over Ankeny in Class 5A. One of the TD passes went to Carson Robbins, who had five catches for 111 yards.

Conner Nally, Bedford

Nally ran for two touchdowns and completed 8 of 12 passes for 92 yards and a score in the Bulldogs’ 39-30 loss to Algona Garrigan in the 8-player title game. Silas Walston led Bedford with 105 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Quinn Olson, Sioux City Bishop Heelan

The senior rushed for a team-high 78 yards and passed for 49 in the Crusaders’ 20-0 loss to Williamsburg in the Class 3A championship game. Heelan went from winning three games in the previous three seasons to finishing 11-2 and state runners-up.

C.J. Phillip, Southeast Polk

Phillip rushed for 149 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Rams past Ankeny 49-21 in the Class 5A championship game. Southeast Polk became the eighth school to win three straight state titles.

Caden Roethler, Algona Garrigan

The senior capped his high school career with a 109-yard rushing performance, scoring his 22nd rushing touchdown of the season. Garrigan, which finished 3-5 last season, beat its fourth straight previously unbeaten playoff opponent, downing Bedford 39-30 in the 8-player championship.

Mitchell Smith, West Hancock

The senior threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Brady Bixel with 37 seconds left, giving West Hancock a 30-28 victory over Woodbury Central in the Class A championship game. Smith rushed for 103 yards and a score, added the game-winning TD pass and his interception set up the championship-clenching drive.

Curtis Witte, Lewis Central

Witte hauled in eight receptions for 157 yards and three touchdowns as the Titans beat Western Dubuque 40-21 in the Class 4A championship game. Lewis Central racked up 487 total yards, breaking the previous 4A title game record held by West Des Moines Dowling.

Reece Vander Zee, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock

The senior and future Iowa Hawkeye had 116 passing yards (two touchdowns) and 97 rushing yards for the Lions in a 24-21 loss to Van Meter in the 2A championship game.

Williamsburg senior Derek Weisskopf hoists the Class 3A state championship trophy in front of Raiders fans. (Photo by Nick Petaros)

Williamsburg senior Derek Weisskopf hoists the Class 3A championship trophy in front of the Raiders’ fans.

Derek Weisskopf, Williamsburg 

The senior University of Iowa recruit had 150 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders captured the school’s first state title with a 20-0 shutout of Sioux City Bishop Heelan in the 3A championship game. Weisskopf was 10-for-18 and also recorded six tackles and a pass breakup.

Braylon Wettjen, Williamsburg

The senior had six receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns, helping Williamsburg blank Sioux City Bishop Heelan 20-0 in the 3A title game. Wettjen also intercepted three passes and broke up another.