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The fourth week of the Iowa high school football season was just as fun as the first three weeks.
We had reporters all over the state on Friday to bring you the best action from the best games everywhere in Iowa. But we couldn’t staff every game, unfortunately.
Fortunately, we have this live blog to bring you some action from the games you couldn’t attend in person.
more:Ames earned its first win of the season with a dominating game on the road against Des Moines Roosevelt
Here’s a look at all the great moments and big moments during Friday night’s games.
10:20 Solon gets a big win in the competition over Mount Vernon
10:10 Watch our story from Ankeny’s win over Johnston
Our pregame reporter Alyssa Hertl was in attendance and spoke with the players and coaches after the game. Find out what we learned from the big match.
more:Ankeny 16, Johnston 10: Hawks football comes out on top in the defensive matchup
10:05 No. 2 Xavier comes down
Bella makes a huge upset in Chapter 4A
10:00 Bella is trying to cause a real upset
The Dutch have a 10-point lead over Class 4A No. 2 Xavier. Less than six minutes to play in that contest.
9:55 Final results start to appear
We can’t include every final score from the entire state in this live blog. But we have a separate file containing the latest results from the officially concluded games.
Click here to check it out.
more:Iowa high school football scores Week 4, September 14-15 of the 2023 season
9:50 Waukee rolls over the valley
The No. 9 Warriors cruised to a 37-15 win over Valley, although the game was much closer than the score indicated. A big late TD followed by a pick 6 gave Waukee all the cushion it needed.
However, the Tigers were outplayed on the night and moved to 0-4 on the season. Waukee improves to 3-1 and has a date with Johnston (2-2) next week.
9:45 Cedar Falls takes it to Iowa City Liberty
The Tigers led 21-7 heading into the final 12 minutes of play.
9:40 Iowa City High gets a competitive win over Iowa City West
9:35 Southeast Polk holds on to Ankeny Centennial lead
The Jags gave Southeast Polk their toughest test of the season, but they were able to hang on for a 24-21 win to move to 4-0. The percentage drops to 2-2.
9:30 Ankeny takes down Johnston
The Hawks picked up their second win of the season, a 16-10 win over No. 7 Johnston. Dragons are down to 2-2 per year.
9:28 Well, that’s an impressive run from Ames
9:23 Centennial pulls within three from Southeast Polk
With time running down, the Jags found the end zone with a big pass to cut Southeast Polk’s lead to just three points.
The Rams led 24-21 with less than three minutes left in the game.
9:21 Iowa City West is just one score away from a tie
Despite being outscored by the Trojans in almost every statistical category, they had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth round. Iowa City High led 16-8 with under nine minutes to play, but the Trojans had the ball.
9:20 Dowling defeats Northwestern Waukee
The No. 2 Maroons remain perfect this season with a 31-17 win over No. 6 Waukee Northwest.
9:17 The valley isn’t over yet
The Tigers got right back into the game after Damon Head’s touchdown from about 5 yards out. Valley went for two and converted.
Waukee led 24-15 with less than seven minutes left in the game.
9:15 AM over Norwalk
ADM puts on a show in its first game since Brevin Doll’s season-ending injury.
9:10 Southeast Polk extends its lead
The Rams now hold a 10-point lead, 24-14, over Ankeny Centennial. This is the first game in 2023 in which the top-ranked team looks at all uncomfortable.
There’s still less than eight minutes to play in this match, so it’s not over yet
9:05 Waukee may have just finished the game
The Warriors score again after Niall Eadie broke a couple of tackles and found dirt. Waukee led 24-7 in the fourth quarter over Valley.
The Tigers may drop to 0-4 here. Just under 10 minutes to play the game.
9:00 Another annoying brew in Chapter 4A!
8:55 Iowa City High’s defense thrives against Iowa City West
8:51 Southeast Polk regains the lead
After falling behind for the first time all night, the top-ranked Rams got the lead from right back Ankeny Centennial.
It rose from September 14-17 late in the third quarter.
8:50 Ty Cozad of Muscatine breaks school speed record
The rusher now has more than 2,760 total yards on the ground in his career.
8:45 Johnston hits right back
The dragon isn’t finished yet. After Ankeny kicked a field goal, Johnston got on the board with an 87-yard score from D’Angelo Barco.
The Hawks still led 9-7 late in the third period.
8:41 Ankeny Centennial leads Southeast Polk
The top-ranked team in the state lost for the first time tonight, and possibly all season.
Lead 14-10 midway through the third quarter.
8:40 Big brew in class 4A
8:35 Iowa City Liberty arrives in Cedar Falls
8:30 There may be some delays in the northwest part of the state
8:27 Rashod Davis scores a lot of touchdowns
He caught his second touchdown of the night for Dowling, his 12th of the season. This came from just two yards out. Dowling led 28-10 over Waukee Northwest early in the third quarter.
8:30 Solon has trouble on his mind
8:22 Ballard arrives at Dallas Center Grimes
8:17 Iowa City High dominates the stats, but the scoreboard is tight
8:15 It’s a battle in eastern Iowa
8:10 Jake Van Etten is good at soccer
8:03 Ankeny leads Johnston in a tight game in the first half
8:02 It’s Jamison Bowe’s show at Drake
Ames’ rushing team had two scores on the night and the Little Cyclones had a 13-0 lead over Des Moines Roosevelt at the end of the first quarter.
8:00 Grant Gammill of Waukey Maker
Gammell takes a screen pass and makes about 500 people in the Valley defense miss taking it 65 yards to the red zone. That set up a 32-yard field goal from Drew Hurlburt.
Waukee led 17-7 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
7:55 Vale joins the board
The Tigers were down by just 7 points on a 72-yard drive. Waukee still led 14-7 late in the first half.
7:50 City High strikes again
7:46 Waukee leads by two over Valley
Grant Gammell turns it in from a few yards out and the Warriors take a 14-0 lead over Valley. The Tigers will start this season 0-4 if the score doesn’t change.
There’s still time, though. Just halfway through the second quarter.
7:45 Ankeny Centennial is not afraid of Southeast Polk
The Jags fell just three points to the top-ranked team in the state. It was a big 31-yard score to get on the board. It’s 7-10, Rams early in the second quarter.
7:40 Ankeny leads Johnston
7:37 Dowling is on cruise control now
After a fumble recovery early in the game, the Maroons had a short field against Waukee Northwest and capitalized. Ra’Shawd Davis lofted the ball over the pylon for his 11th total of the season.
The Maroons led 21-7 early in the second half.
7:35 Southeast Polk after 1 o’clock
The top-ranked Rams led 10-0 over Ankeny Centennial after the first frame.
7:33 Dowling reclaims lead over Waukee Northwest
Dowling takes a 14-7 lead over the Wolves after Dante Cataldo did his best Tim Tebow impression and found his tight end, Will to Think, on a fake QB draw that turned into a lackluster route to the right pylon.
It’s early in the second quarter at Valley Stadium.
7:35 City High takes early lead over West
7:31 Van Meter takes care of business
7:30 Ankeny and Johnston are tied up
Neither team could find the board in the first quarter. The Dragons and Falcons are tied at 0, but Ankeny is the one driving.
7:24 Waukee Northwest connects it to Dowling
The No. 6 Wolves wasted no time in setting up the score with Dowling. Quarterback Sam Johnson found Maverick Inman down the left sideline from about 35 yards out. It’s Inman’s second score of the season.
That game ended at seven late in the first quarter.
7:20 Pick-six is always fun
Thomas Jefferson took a 14-0 lead over Lincoln after Alex Alvardo took an errant pass to the house early in the opening frame.
7:18 Southeast Polk is on the board
The top-ranked Rams look to remain undefeated against fourth-seeded Ankeny Centennial. They got off to a good start with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Honestly, if you’re a Jags, you take it for granted how strong Southeast Polk’s offense will be in 2023.
7:15 Dowling strikes first over the northwest Waukee area
Quarterback Dante Cataldo rushes 16 yards into the end zone for the first score of the night. The No. 2 Maroons lead the No. 6 Waukee Northwest Wolves 7-0 late in the first quarter.
7:10 City High was held scoreless in the opening round
7:08 Columbus’s record has been broken
Kaden Amigon became the most prolific rusher in Wildcats history
7:01 So, we got points
As far as we can tell, this is the first score of the night in all of Iowa.
7:00 Weather could impact Dowling and Northwestern’s Waukee game
There’s some rain in West Des Moines right now before kickoff between the Maroons and Waukee Northwest. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect the game too much.
6:40 Top 5 tilt deck
The top-ranked Southeast Polk Rams (3-0) welcome No. 4 Ankeny Centennial (2-1) in what should be an exciting Metro East matchup.
6:20 New paint for Iowa City High School
The Little Hawks face off against rival West High. Not only is it a cup game, City High painted the midfield and end zones red, white and blue in honor of Heroes Night, and in honor of first responders.
What to know heading into Week 4 of the Iowa high school football season
Recruiting/High School Sports Reporter Alyssa Hertl (@Alyssa Hertel) will be in the metro to check out No. 7 Johnston (2-1) as the Dragons look to make it back-to-back wins when they hit the road to face Ankeny (1-2). High school sports reporter Eli McCown (@EliMckown23) is in Des Moines to watch Roosevelt (2-1) welcome to Ames (0-3).
Joe Randleman (@JoeRandleman) just north of the metro in Huxley to watch the Ballard Bombers (1-2) take on Dallas Center-Grimes (1-2). We also have Kenna Roering in Iowa City to bring you analysis from the tilt of the Iowa City High (1-2)/Iowa City West (2-1) rivalry.
On top of the reporters on the go tonight, we’ll also have staff photographers capturing the best photos from the event across the state.
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