For Third Straight Year, Former Iowa High School Football Standout Decides Cy-Hawk Game

Bettendorf’s Caden Buhr scores the game-winner to lead Iowa past Iowa State, 16-13.

Iowa Hawkeye kicker Caden Buhr (92) high-fives Iowa Hawkeyes punter Tanner Philpott (35) after making a field goal attempt during the Cy-Hawk football game against Iowa State Sept. 12, 2026 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Former Iowa high school football standouts have now decided the annual Cy-Hawk Game with their leg for three straight seasons.

Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy won it in 2024 and again in 2025 for the Cyclones, with Iowa’s Caden Buhr returning the favor this year in a thrilling 16-13 victory for the Hawkeyes.

THE FIELD GOAL IS GOOD 🙌

Caden Buhr gives @HawkeyeFootball the Cy-Hawk rivalry win.

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/iS7PoNIwRH

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2026

Buhr, in his second season with Iowa after a standout career at Bettendorf High School, kicked through a 42-yard field goal with just 15 seconds left. Earlier in the game, Buhr was successful from 45 yards out and 32.

Former Bettendorf Standout Tied Cy-Hawk Game, Won It For Hawkeyes

Both kicks for Buhr tied the game, as he made it 10-10 just before halftime and knotted the score up at 13-13 with just over six to play in the game.

A two-time all-stater for Bettendorf, Buhr broke the school record with a 57-yard field goal as a senior. He had set the record the previous year from 52 yards out.

Buhr made six field goals as a senior, seven as a junior and four as a sophomore for the Bulldogs. He also played defensive back and punted.

Last year, Buhr took a redshirt at Iowa, becoming the kicker this season. He made two field goals and two extra points in a 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois to open the year.

Kyle Konrardy Was Strong For Iowa State In Heartbreaking Defeat

Konrardy, a Dubuque Senior High School graduate, scored the first points of the battle between in-state rivals when he made a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter. He was successful from 51 yards out in the third to put Iowa State up, 13-10.

In 2024, Konrardy made a 54-yard field goal to defeat the Hawkeyes inside Kinnick Stadium, 20-19. The following season, he knocked through another 54-yarder with just under two minutes to play, as the Cyclones won, 16-13, in Ames from Jack Trice Stadium.

Cam Buffington, Aiden Flora WIth Big Games For Iowa, Iowa State

Several other former Iowa high school football standouts played big roles in the win for Iowa including Cam Buffington, who had 15 tackles. Buffington was a star at Winfield-Mt Union.

Central Lyon/George-Little Rock standout Zach Lutmer recorded three tackles and three pass breakups.

On offense, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock grad Reece Vander Zee, Kuemper Catholic grad DJ Vonnahme and Clear Lake grad Thomas Meyer each had catches. Vander Zee finished with three for 32 yards, Vonnahme had two for 25 and Meyer one for five.

Aiden Flora, who led ADM to success, had 19 carries for 89 yards to lead the Iowa State offense. He also caught a pass for three yards. Kingsley-Pierson grad Beau Goodwin had five tackles on defense for the Cyclones.