Week 4: Top Games in Iowa High School Football this Week

Four matchups pit ranked teams against one another

Dowling Catholic’s Ian Middleton (5) takes the ball forward down the field against DCG on Sept. 12, 2025, at Dallas Center-Grimes High School. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four Iowa high school football games set for Week 4 this Friday night will see ranked Top 25 High School on SI clubs battle it out against one another.

One of those featured attractions is set in Class 5A as four-time defending state champion and No. 3 Southeast Polk and sixth-ranked Dowling Catholic square off in West Des Moines.

Another 5A battle will highlight No. 1 Iowa City Liberty and eighth-ranked Johnston battling, as the other two games include ninth-ranked Carroll Kuemper hosting No. 25 OABCIG and No. 14 North Polk squaring off with 11th-rated Pella.

Here is a closer look at those four games, with the entire schedule available on Bound:

No. 3 Southeast Polk at No. 6 Dowling Catholic

Two of the very best large-school football programs over the past two decades collide inside Valley Stadium this week. Both are 2-1 on the year, as Dowling Catholic leads the series since 2008, 7-6.

That includes a 35-34 victory last October, snapping a two-game win streak by Southeast Polk in the series. This encounter will feature several new key players including Ram running back Stanley Cooper and Maroon wide receiver Jeffrey Roberts.

Cooper, a junior, has come on, rushing for 449 yards and three TDs. Roberts, meanwhile, is an Iowa State commit with 15 receptions covering 271 yards and three touchdowns. 

No. 1 Iowa City Liberty at No. 8 Johnston

Last week, Iowa City Liberty was able to control Linn-Mar in its first game as the top team in the state. That came on the heels of wins over Southeast Polk and Cedar Falls. Now, they get another stiff test in Johnston, who rebounded from a loss to Dowling Catholic by dominating Ames.

The Lightning are led by senior quarterback Reece Rettig, who has 677 yards passing and another 155 rushing. He has completed 73 of 99 with eight TDs, as Leo Rozz is his top target, catching 19 passes for 226 yards and a pair of scores.

On the other side are the Dragons, who are breaking in a new QB in Trevin Helming, as he has 475 yards and five TDs. Tino Daye Jr. has been unguardable, catching 13 balls for 226 with four TDs.

No. 25 OABCIG at No. 9 Carroll Kuemper

Coming off a stunning loss to Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, the road gets even tougher for Jaxx DeJean and OABCIG in Carroll Kuemper, one of the highest-scoring offenses in the state. The Falcons do have the edge of winning the last two meetings, but those came in 2019 and 2018.

DeJean has 10 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown from new QB Raif Jensen, who has over 600 yards from scrimmage, including five rushing scores. The Knights feature Brock Badding, Jarin Hoffman and Brayton Alford on offense.

Badding has 765 yards passing with 11 TDs, Hoffman has rushed for 405 with five scores and Alford has 18 receptions for 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns

No. 14 North Polk at No. 11 Pella

The last time North Polk and Pella squared off was on November 21, 2024 with the Class 4A state championship on the line. The Comets won, 24-14, for their first-ever state title. 

Many believed the Dutch would be back contending, but North Polk is as well. They have knocked off ADM, Newton and Lewis Central by a combined seven points this year behind senior James Armstrong, who has 684 yards passing with four TDs.

Pella, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back 10-3 victories over North Scott and Waverly-Shell Rock on the road. Emmanuel Diers has rushed for 324 yards while Harrison Mullens has 10 catches for 153 yards with a pair of TDs.