For most of Iowa high school football teams, the district race will determine just how successful your season was.
Outside of Class 5A, the district standings will decide playoff qualifiers, as 5A uses an RPI system to narrow down the field to 16.
MORE: Preseason Iowa high school football class rankings
For the rest, how you finish will either keep you alive for a state championship or send you home for the season to begin preparation for 2026.
The Sporting News takes you through the district races in Iowa high school football for 2025:
IOWA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DISTRICT PREVIEWS
Class 5A
District champions:
- Waukee Northwest
- Dowling Catholic
- Ankeny
- Valley
- Bettendorf
- Iowa City Liberty
District of Death:
- District 6 includes preseason favorite Iowa City Liberty along with perennial playoff qualifiers Pleasant Valley, Iowa City West and Linn-Mar. Muscatine and Davenport Central look to play spoilers.
Class 4A
District champions:
- Fort Dodge
- Waverly-Shell Rock
- Western Dubuque
- Clear Creek-Amana
- North Polk
- Lewis Central
District of Death:
- With ADM and Lewis Central together in District 6, the rest of the league is going to be fighting for survival. That includes Boone, Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson, Denison-Schleswig and Glenwood.
Class 3A
District champions:
- Algona
- Clear Lake
- Mount Vernon
- Solon
- Willimasburg
- Harlan
District of Death:
- North Central Conference rivals Algona, Humboldt and Webster City are together once again, as Sioux City Bishop Heelan, MOC-Floyd Valley and Sioux Center join them in District 1.
Class 2A
District champions:
- Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
- OABCIG
- Osage
- Dike-New Hartford
- Anamosa
- Mid-Prairie
- PCM
- Van Meter
District of Death:
- The path to winning District 8 is going to be a tough one, as Van Meter, Grand View Christian and Woodward-Granger all present unique challenges. Both Grand View Christian with Judah Lock and Woodward-Granger with Talan Fuson have high-level quarterbacks, as Chariton, Clarinda and Clarke round things out.
Class 1A
District champions:
- Ridge View
- Emmetsburg
- Grundy Center
- Sumner-Fredericksburg
- Lisbon
- Iowa City Regina
- Pleasantville
- Tri-Center
District of Death:
- How will Tri-Center react to moving up to 1A after winning it all last year in A? They return quarterback AJ Harder and top receivers Zach Nelson and Cael Witt, as the first order of business to repeating will be taking care of Missouri Valley, Red Oak, Shenandoah, Treynor and Underwood.
Class A
District champions:
- Le Mars Gehlen
- West Hancock
- Saint Ansgar
- Maquoketa Valley
- Pekin
- Madrid
- Riverside Oakland
- Woodbury Central
District of Death:
- District 6 will be a fun one ot follow, as BGM makes the move up from 8-player with star quarterback Beau Burns. Can they compete in the 11-player game and contend with the likes of Madrid, Lynnville-Sully, Earlham, Martensdale-St. Marys, Colfax-Mingo and North Mahaska?
8-Player
District champions:
- Remsen St. Mary’s
- Bishop Garrigan
- Don Bosco
- Easton Valley
- Iowa Valley
- Clarksville
- Montezuma
- Bedford
- Audubon
- Woodbine
District of Death:
- Defending state champion Remsen St. Mary’s needs to reload after losing a talented senior class, but the Hawks have been incredible the past three years. Can they keep it going, or will someone like senior-heavy St. Edmond knock them off? GTRA is a returning playoff qualifier while Kingsley-Pierson moves back to 8-player after two years in 11-player. Harris-Lake Park, Newell-Fonda and Siouxland Christian are also in District 1.
MORE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NEWS:
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- Nebraska program to just play junior varsity football in 2025
- Wildfires in Canada causing problems for Minnesota high school athletics