Quarterfinals Set For Iowa High School Football Playoffs

Action begins Thursday with eight-player, rest hit fields Friday

Iowa City Liberty’s Reece Rettig (17) scores a touchdown trailed by Iowa City High’s Blaine Heick (11) during a high school football game Oct. 17, 2025 in North Liberty, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The quarterfinal round of the Iowa high school football playoffs are set, as the action takes to the field around the state on Thursday.

Up first will be the four matchups in the eight-player division, as winners advance to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa for the Iowa high school football state semifinals.

On Friday, the other six classifications compete across the state, with four games in each of Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A and A. Just like in eight-player, those winners advance to the semifinals.

The 5A quarterfinals include four-time defending state champion Southeast Polk, as the Rams take on Iowa City Liberty. The two schools met last year in the semifinals, with the Rams scoring a thrilling win on their way to the title.

Defending 4A champion North Polk is also still alive, as the Comets head to Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Wahlert Catholic, the reigning 3A kings, will be at West Delaware while two defending champs remain alive in 1A in Grundy Center and West Lyon.

Grundy Center, who won it all in 1A a year ago, hosts Beckman Catholic while West Lyon, the 2A champs last fall, welcome in Underwood. 

Here are the quarterfinal round matchups in Iowa high school football. 

Iowa High School Football Quarterfinal Round Games

(Games to be played on Friday, November 7)

Class 5A

• Iowa City West (8-2) vs. Dowling Catholic (9-1) at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines
• Sioux City East (9-1) at Waukee Northwest (8-1)
• West Des Moines Valley (8-2) at Johnston (8-2)
• Southeast Polk (6-4) at Iowa City Liberty (8-1)

Class 4A

• ADM (9-1) at Cedar Rapids Xavier (10-0)
• Newton (9-1) at Gilbert (10-0)
• North Polk (8-2) at Sergeant Bluff-Luton (9-1)
• Decorah (8-2) at Pella (9-1)

Class 3A

• Nevada (8-2) at Clear Lake (10-0)
• Winterset (7-3) at Solon (10-0)
• Wahlert Catholic (8-2) at West Delaware (9-1)
• Sioux Center (9-1) at Sioux City Bishop Heelan (8-2)

Class 2A

• Cherokee (8-2) at Kuemper Catholic (10-0)
• Wilton (8-2) at PCM (9-1)
• Van Meter (8-2) at Mid-Prairie (9-1)
• Alburnett (8-2) at Osage (10-0)

Class 1A

• Underwood (8-2) at West Lyon (10-0)
• Beckman Catholic (9-1) at Grundy Center (10-0)
• Pleasantville (9-1) at Iowa City Regina (10-0)
• Treynor (9-1) at South Hardin (9-1)

Class A

• Woodbury Central (10-0) at MMCRU (10-0)
• North Linn (9-1) at Saint Ansgar (10-0)
• West Sioux (9-1) at ACGC (10-0)
• Lynnville-Sully (9-1) at Wapsie Valley (10-0)

(Games to be played on Thursday, November 6)

Eight-Player

• Don Bosco (7-2) at Bishop Garrigan (10-0)
• Fremont-Mills (8-2) at Woodbine (9-0)
• Edgewood-Colesburg (10-0) at Gladbrook-Reinbeck (10-0)
• Audubon (10-0) at Iowa Valley (10-0)

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