When to view This week at the UNI-Dome, in the Iowa high school football state semifinals, Iowa commits.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the Iowa high school football state semifinals will begin. The 2024 class of Iowa football will be well-represented.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the Iowa high school football state semifinals will begin.
Over the next few days, a number of future Hawkeyes will be competing to secure a spot in the state championships, making Iowa football’s 2024 class well-represented.
On Wednesday, Winfield-Mount Union and Bishop Garrigan will play in the state semifinals. The Wolves have a perfect 11-0 record going into this game, while Garrigan has a 10-1 record.
Cam Buffington, a four-star linebacker out of Iowa, has been a man on a mission for Winfield-Mount Union this fall. In addition to catching 20 passes for 564 yards and 11 touchdowns, Buffington has 105 carries for 1,326 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has 94 total tackles on defense, including 71 solo, 18 for a loss, and 4 sacks.
On Wednesday, Winfield-Mount Union and Garrigan will take the field at 10 AM central time.
The other eight-man semifinal pits Bedford against Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
Group A
On Thursday, Nov. 9, the Class A semifinals will take place.
Madrid and West Hancock will play in the first game at 10:00 AM CT.
At 1:00 PM CT, Woodbury Central and East Buchanan will play in the next semifinal.
Cody Fox, an Iowa four-star offensive line commit, is the star of East Buchanan. Fox, who plays both offensive and defensive line for the Buccaneers, is the first commit in Iowa’s 2024 class. He is expected to play on Iowa City’s interior offensive line.
As of now, East Buchana has a 9-2 record.
1A Class
Classes 1A will begin on Friday, November 10.
Trent Cakerice, a defensive lineman from Grundy Central and a preferred walk-on addition for the Hawkeyes, is the only Iowa commit currently playing.
Cakerice has seven sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, and 47 tackles for the season.
At 10:00 AM, Cakerice and Grundy Center will play Waterloo Columbus Catholic.
The other semifinal in Class 1A is between MFL Marmac and Underwood.
Group 2A
Things will get underway on Saturday, Nov. 11, with Class 2A.
Van Meter and Monticello square off first at 10:00 AM CT.
Preston Ries, a three-star linebacker commit to Iowa who plays quarterback and linebacker for the Panthers, is a feature player at Monticello.
This fall, Ries broke the record for most career rushing yards for a high school in Iowa. He has completed 128 of 198 passes for 2,295 yards, 23 touchdowns, and seven picks. In addition, he has 31 touchdowns on 225 carries for 1,834 yards. He has five sacks and 92 tackles on defense, including 27.5 tackles for a loss.
The other Class 2A matchup is Spirit Lake vs. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock at 1 PM CT. CL/G-LR is headlined by Iowa three-star wide receiver commit Reece Vander Zee and two-star athlete commit Graham Eben, who is a preferred walk-on for Iowa. Vander Zee will play wide receiver in Iowa City, but has played quarterback this fall for the Lions. Vander Zee has completed 75-of-102 passes this fall for 1,088 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions this fall. He also has 143 carries for 1,499 yards, and 21 touchdowns. Both of his two receptions have been touchdowns
On defense, he has 36 total tackles on the year. Eben has been very productive at running back this fall for the Lions. He has 149 carries for 1,226 carries and 29 touchdowns with 44 tackles on defense. Class 3A Class 3A will follow Class 2A and the first 3A matchup will be between Sioux City Bishop Heelan and Creston at 4 PM CT on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The next 3A game, which takes place at 7 PM CT, will feature a rematch between two teams from eastern Iowa: Williamsburg and Solon. Williamsburg will be looking for revenge after the Spartans defeated them earlier in the season in Solon. Leading the way for Williamsburg is four-star linebacker commit Derek Weisskopf, who plays wide receiver and safety for the Raiders and has also occasionally filled in at quarterback.
Wednesday marks National Signing Day and the first day of college basketball’s early signing period which will run through next Wednesday. While the basketball version of National Signing Day is much tamer than it is on the football side, the opportunity for prospects to put pen to paper and officially sign with the schools they have previously committed to verbally is a big deal. As the signing period opens, Jon Scheyer and Duke hold a commitment from the nation’s top-ranked player Cooper Flagg and a commanding lead at the top of the industry generated Composite team rankings.
It’s unlikely that Duke will be caught. But with some big-name players expected to announce their decisions before the end of the signing period, there is going to be some shuffling across the board. With that in mind, here’s a look at the top 15 classes to start the early signing period:
Despite some hand-wringing during the process, Scheyer and the Blue Devils emerged victorious for the services of the nation’s best player, Cooper Flagg. The versatility, skill and energy he’ll bring to the front court can’t be overvalued. There’s plenty of skill around him, as well. Evans and Knueppel are five-star shooters who can stretch the floor and Harris is another big wing who can really soften defenses with his shooting. As awesome as Flagg could be in Durham, maybe the biggest need was a five. That’s where the most recent addition to the class, Ngongba, comes in. His skill as a passer, rim protection and rebounding will be quite valuable.
They may not be done either. Duke remains very much in the thick of it for undecided five-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe. While the face at the head of the program has changed, the recruiting results are still elite.
The class: Annor Boateng, Peyton Marshall, Marcus Allen, T.O. Barrett and Trent Burns. Bossi’s take: It hasn’t taken very long for Dennis Gates to establish a new culture at Missouri and recruits are responding to it. Gates is young, his program plays a fun style of ball and he and his staff have proven that they can really relate to today’s high school stars. After helping develop the inherited Kobe Brown into a first-round draft pick last season, the Tigers staff is really looking forward to seeing what they can do with the jewel of the class, Boateng. He’s tough, athletic and versatile.
Marshall is going to need to continue to reshape his body, but he’s a huge post presence with soft hands and touch in the paint. Allen is an athletic forward who creates mismatch problems as a combo forward while T.O. Barrett has some feel for making plays for others. He also looks like he’s going to be a threat as a jump shooter with good size at the point of attack. A skilled seven-footer, Burns is going to need some time to adjust to the physicality of the SEC, but a guy with his size and shooting ability is always an intriguing add.
The class: Flory Bidunga, Labaron Philon and Rakease Passmore. Bossi’s take: Bill Self and the Jayhawks emerged victorious in one of the most intensely fought recruiting battles when they landed Bidunga. A pogo stick around the rim, he soars for lobs, runs the floor really hard and is a real rim protector. He’s an easy fit for what Self likes to d
Formerly committed to Auburn, Philon was somebody they targeted in the fall and moved quickly to land. His ability to play on or off the ball fits the prototype of guards who have done well in Lawrence. One of the best wing athletes in the country, Passmore is an extremely explosive dude who loves to attack the rim. If he can become a consistent jump shooter, he could prove to be a steal. Kansas would still love to add at least one more big man to this class but may have to end up dipping into the transfer portal for hi
The class: Drake Powell, Ian Jackson and James Brown. Bossi’s take: Hubert Davis and the North Carolina staff got their work done early in the class of 2024, wrapping up their three-man group nearly nine months ago. Since then, it’s just been a matter of getting to signing day and keeping the strong trio intact.
An explosive wing who grew up pretty much down the road from the Smith Center, Powell has soared up the rankings since committing the Heels and is now a top-five player and potential one-and-done prospect. He’s still adding to his overall skill, but his upside is tremendous. One of the most explosive scorers in the class, Jackson is another five-star and a guy capable of creating for himself. Brown gives the Heels a solid post player who will be able to add depth to the front court early in his career while developing into a bigger contributor later on his career. This isn’t the biggest class, but Powell and Jackson look to be instant difference makers
The class: Carter Bryant, Jamari Phillips and Emmanuel Stephen. Bossi’s take: For years, Arizona has built a powerhouse in the desert Southwest that featured one big time player from the state of California after another. Their 2024 class shows that Tommy Lloyd is tapping into that long established pipeline. He landed a pair of top-25 prospects to make sure that the talent keeps flowing out of Cali and into Tucson.
Bryant is a big and athletic combo-forward who has all of the tools in the world to be a big-time player. He just needs to unlock his inner beast. While he’s finishing his high school career in the Phoenix area, Phillips is another Cali product and is a high-scoring guard who can really create and hit shots off of the dribble. In Stephen, Arizona has landed a four-star big man who they can develop over the long haul. He’s not overly skilled, but he’s huge, plays with a motor, can block shots and cleans the glass. The Wildcats are among the finalists for undecided five-star point guard Zoom Diallo and they will make a leap in the rankings if they can nab him.
