Reigning Iowa High School Football Champion Leaning On Experience, Past Success

The 2025 Iowa high school football season was a special one for Kuemper Catholic, as the Knights went undefeated and claimed the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 2A state championship in the process.

Now, the Knights have the task of defending that championship as they prepare for the 2026 campaign.

Kuemper Catholic opens this upcoming fall with a road trip to Cherokee Washington, followed by home dates with Algona and Shenandoah. From there, they get OABCIG, Southeast Valley, Spirit Lake, Estherville-Lincoln Central and Okoboji to conclude things.

Last year, the closest regular season game for the Knights was a 44-28 victory in Week 1 vs. Cherokee Washington. Once they reached the postseason, OABCIG played them to within 11, as they won the championship with a 28-7 victory over Van Meter.

High School On SI Iowa pegged Kuemper Catholic in the Top 10 in the preseason rankings.

Knights Will Be Starting A New Quarterback In 2026

Brock Badding has graduated, taking his experience and production with him. Badding completed over 68 percent of his passes in 2025, throwing for 3,079 yards and 37 touchdowns, with four more scores on the ground.

Taylen Alford is the likely heir apparent, as he was 5-for-11 for 72 yards with 206 yards rushing and a touchdown on 48 carries as a sophomore. His running ability could give Kuemper Catholic a new-look offense, pairing him with star running back Jarin Hoffman.

As a junior, Hoffman rushed for 1,671 yards and scored 23 touchdowns, averaging over six yards per rush. He also caught 20 passes for another 162 yards and three trips to the end zone.

Alford will have a plethora of players to throw the ball to, as Griffin Glynn is back after catching 56 passes for 1,013 yards with 11 touchdowns. Ryan Lucas had 37 receptions for 338 yards and three scores while Theodore Perkins added five for 67.

Kuemper Catholic Defense Looking To Reload After Pitching Two Shutouts

Leading tackler Brayton Alford has graduated, but Lucas Diehl is back after recording 76 total tackles. Diehl had 19 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback sacks on the season, committing to North Dakota State this offseason.

Glynn, Austin Henrichs, Perkins, Dylan Schon, Easton Gifford, Timothy Meyers, Kaden Coppock, Alford, Gavin Kanne, Case Kock and Connor Kanaely were all part of a unit that produced 93 tackles for loss with 55 quarterback sacks a season ago.

Glynn picked off five passes, as the Knights had 25 interceptions with two returned for scores. They also had nine fumble recoveries and scored four touchdowns in the return game, with Glynn accounting for two and Gifford one.

2026 Kuemper Catholic High School Football Schedule

Aug. 28 - at Cherokee Washington

Sept. 4 - vs. Algona

Sept. 11 - vs. Shenandoah

Sept. 18 - at OABCIG

Sept. 25 - vs. Southeast Valley

Oct. 2 - at Spirit Lake

Oct. 9 - vs. Estherville-Lincoln Central

Oct. 16 - at Okoboji

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