Iowa High School Football: Predicting The Eight-Player District Races

Our final Iowa high school football district preview for 2026 brings us to the eight-player division, where you will find teams routinely scoring in the 70s each week.

Defenses are pushed to their limits on the shorter field, as Bishop Garrigan and legendary head coach Marty Wadle enter the year as the defending state champions.

Here is a preview for each of the 10 eight-player districts in Iowa high school football.

Iowa High School Football Class Eight-Player District Predictions

District 1

Teams: GTRA, Harris-Lake Park, Kingsley-Pierson, Newell-Fonda, St. Edmond, Remsen St. Mary’s.

Favorite: It was an eventful year for Remsen St. Mary’s in 2025, but not for good reason. The Hawks, who won it all in 2024, were forced to forfeit games after losing several players. However, they will return numerous key ones this season, including quarterback Dalton Klein and top receiver Beau Johnson.

Dark horse: Newell-Fonda showed improvements last year, and the Mustangs have Gunnar Baron, Jackson Bellcock and Andrew Greenfield back. Baron threw the ball, ran it and caught it as a sophomore, as Bellock had almost 500 yards rushing.

Predicted playoff teams: GTRA, Newell-Fonda, St. Edmond, Remsen St. Mary’s.

District 2

Teams: Bishop Garrigan, North Iowa, North Union, Northwood-Kensett, Riceville, West Bend-Mallard.

Favorite: Many of the key pieces who led Bishop Garrigan to two state titles in three years have graduated, but the Golden Bears will be tough once more. Head coach Marty Wadle has adapted to the eight-player game, as Michael Joyce, CJ McGregor, Carter Cink and Jerad Graves look to lead the way.

Dark horse: Like Bishop Garrigan, North Union has adjusted quite nicely to eight-player. This season, the Warriors will feature quarterback Greyson Colegrove, as he had almost 800 yards passing and nearly 500 rushing with 23 combined touchdowns. Cooper Hoye posted almost 19 yards per catch with seven TDs last year.

Predicted playoff teams: Bishop Garrigan, North Union, Riceville, Northwood-Kensett.

District 3

Teams: Cedar Ridge Christian, Don Bosco, Dunkerton, Janesville, Tripoli, Turkey Valley, West Central Maynard.

Favorite: Don Bosco averaged nearly 50 points per game last fall, as the Dons will have a plethora of new players in key positions. Brady Brasch is expected to take over at quarterback, while Zander Youngblut looks like the next lead running back.

Dark horse: Kaden Schmidt and Treyton Franzen will look to lead Turkey Valley back to the postseason. Schmidt rushed for 604 yards and eight TDs, with Franzen adding 408 and seven more. Schmidt is also a leader on defense alongside Franzen and Jordan Kriener.

Predicted playoff teams: Cedar Ridge Christian, Don Bosco, Janesville, Turkey Valley.

District 4

Teams: Calamus-Wheatland, Central City, Central Elkader, Easton Valley, Edgewood-Colesburg, Lansing Kee, Springville.

Favorite: Jax Steger led an offense that put up over 50 points per game for Edgewood-Colesburg, as he threw for 1,858 with 29 touchdowns as a sophomore. Steger is also the leading returning rusher after racking up 1,245 yards and 21 touchdowns. Jaden Miller looks to become his top receiver.

Dark horse: Quarterback Griffen Hammersland, leading rusher Owen Hammersland and dual-threat Mason Loan are all set to return for Central Elkader, as they earned their first .500 season since 2016 by going 4-4.

Predicted playoff teams: Central Elkader, Easton Valley, Edgewood-Colesburg, Springville, Kee.

District 5

Teams: Belle Plaine, English Valleys, Victor-HLV, Iowa Valley, Wayland WACO, Winfield-Mount Union.

Favorite: The Iowa Valley offense was one of the best in the state, averaging 60 points per game. They return star quarterback Nolan Kriegel, as he ran for 1,944 yards and posted video game touchdown numbers with 43. He also threw for 788 yards and 13 TDs with just one interception. Dane Smith, Chance Hoyt and Layne Peska all join him.

Dark horse: Braydon Anderson will look to build off a 1,000-yard season as a sophomore for English Valleys, as they will be breaking in a new quarterback. Top receiver Everett Bender also returns after hauling in eight TDs while the defense features Roejert Patterson, Colton Mikesell, Owen Mather and Jack Osborn.

Predicted playoff teams: Belle Plaine, English Valleys, Iowa Valley, Wayland WACO.

District 6

Teams: Clarksville, Collins-Maxwell, Colo-Nesco, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Garwin GMG, Meskwaki Settlement School, North Tama.

Favorite: Gladbrook-Reinbeck has three straight years with 10-plus wins and 15 consecutive winning seasons, including perfection in 2016. Bennett Sieh will likely take on the role of QB1, with dual-threat Treyvon Herron helping him. Herron ran for nearly 1,300 yards and scored 26 rushing TDs with five more receiving scores.

Dark horse: More video game numbers came courtesy of Nathan Moon at Clarksville, as he ran for 2,268 yards with 41 touchdowns, throwing for almost 300 yards and five more scores. Boden Miller and Harley Barnett give him excellent skill players to work with.

Predicted playoff teams: Clarksville, Collins-Maxwell, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Colo-Nesco, North Tama.

District 7

Teams: Baxter, Melcher-Dallas, Montezuma, Moravia, Southeast Warren, Twin Cedars, Wayne.

Favorite: Southeast Warren will be a completely new offense in 2026, as Jamison Ewing departs after rushing for over 2,300 yards. Someone will need to replace all of that production, and it will likely be a handful of players, including Tucker Dierking, Sawyer Allen, Waylon Logue, Chase Morrison and Jaydon Dippold.

Dark horse: Moravia is coming off a state baseball tournament appearance, as they return quarterback Kale Moore and leading rusher Blake Ewing. Moore had over 1,200 yards passing and 16 touchdowns while Ewing scored nine rushing scores. Chase Hanes is the top returning receiver while Ewing had 81 tackles with 12 for loss.

Predicted playoff teams: Baxter, Montezuma, Southeast Warren, Wayne.

District 8

Teams: Bedford, East Union, Lamoni, Lenox, Mormon Trail, Murray, Seymour.

Favorite: Bedford went 8-2 a year ago, scoring 59 points per game while allowing under 13. Quentin Dalton will be a senior quarterback, as he threw for 665 yards and 12 TDs while rushing for 1,081 and 24 scores. John Deemer joins him in the backfield.

Dark horse: Brogan Petersen shined for Lenox, completing 21 of 37 for 336 yards and eight TDs as a sophomore. Classmate Wylie Brokaw was second on the team with 563 yards rushing and 10 scores while Jack Reed is back to lead the receivers.

Predicted playoff teams: Bedford, East Union, Lamoni, Lenox.

District 9

Teams: Audubon, Ar-We-Va, Anita-CAM, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Glidden-Ralston, Griswold.

Favorite: Potentially the top team in eight-player, Audubon and its high-octane offense look to roll in 2026. Aiden Kjergaard had 815 yards passing and 12 touchdowns, rushing for 1,547 and 35 more scores. Mason Kasperbauer had almost 900 yards rushing and Paxton Beane 505, with the two scoring 25 touchdowns on the ground.

Dark horse: Things are looking up for Glidden-Ralston, as Brody Hunt is back after hitting the field as a sophomore at quarterback, with Colton Rohrbeck and a handful of others joining him.

Predicted playoff teams: Audubon, Ar-We-Va, Anita-CAM, Glidden-Ralston.

District 10

Teams: Boyer Valley, East Mills, Fremont-Mills, Sidney, Stanton/Essex, Woodbine.

Favorite: The state runners-up, Woodbine, will be a team to watch thanks to top prospect Landon Blum. The Penn State commit had 60 receptions for 1,049 yards and 24 TDs. He is flanked by Micah Moores, who ran for 16 TDs, as Cal Pryor replaces Brodyn Pryor at quarterback.

Dark horse: Sawyer Forney moved on, but Fremont-Mills has Paxton Campbell and Nash Moreland to lead the offense, along with Wyatt Madiison. Campbell anchored the defense with 88 tackles, including 13 for loss.

Predicted playoff teams: Boyer Valley, East Mills, Fremont-Mills, Woodbine.

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