High School

Iowa high school football: Southeast Polk schedule set for defending state champs

Southeast Polk will open 2025 football season with Ankeny Centennial

Dana Becker

Southeast Polk is the defending four-time Class 5A state football champions.
Southeast Polk is the defending four-time Class 5A state football champions. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The pursuit of a fifth consecutive Class 5A state football championship will begin at home for Southeast Polk this coming fall. The Iowa High School Athletic Association released schedules for all teams for both 2025 and 2026 on Monday.

The only team to win gold in 5A since the classification was created, the Rams will host Ankeny Centennial on Aug. 29 followed by another home game with Iowa City Liberty the following Friday night.

Back-to-back road games see Southeast Polk head to Norwalk and Dowling before returning home to face Ottumwa. They close the year at Iowa City High, vs. Waukee Northwest and Johnston, and at Des Moines East.

The Rams would not be denied last year despite entering the postseason with a 5-4 record. They posted a three-point win over Pleasant Valley before eliminating Iowa City West.

In the semifinals, they downed Iowa City Liberty, 38-35, and topped long-time rival Valley by the same score for the championship.

Dowling reached the semifinals last year, Ankeny Centennial and Johnston made it to the quarterfinals and Iowa City High qualified. Norwalk made the 4A state field.

Several key players are set to graduate from last year including Holden Hansen, who earned MVP of the finals. Returning rusher Drew Thompson will be back along with Stanley Cooper, Teague Cantrall, Joey Lauters, Brayden Lewis, Lafoy Hall, Jack Hope and Joel Thompson.

2025 SOUTHEAST POLK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 29 Ankeny Centennial 

Sept. 5 Iowa City Liberty

Sept. 12  at Norwalk

Sept. 19 at Dowling

Sept. 26 Ottumwa

Oct. 3 at Iowa City High

Oct. 10 Waukee Northwest

Oct. 17 Johnston

Oct. 24 at Des Moines East

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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