Cedar Rapids Xavier enters 2026 with the kind of target that only comes after a perfect run. The Saints went unbeaten in 2025 and capped it with a 31-6 win over Pella to capture the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 4A state championship, and now they’re trying to stay on top.
High School On SI Iowa has already put Xavier second in its early Top 25, trailing only Class 5A defending state champion Dowling Catholic.
Cash Parks is the headline piece again. In the title game, he went 11 of 16 for 143 yards and a touchdown, and his full season was even more impressive: 2,220 passing yards, 28 touchdown throws and just two interceptions on 172 attempts. He also added 383 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.
The Saints do have real production to replace. All-state running back Carter Hoffmann is gone after piling up 1,300 yards and 19 touchdowns, and Xavier also has to move forward without leading receivers Ryan Kelly, AJ Evans and Sam Leuck.
That said, there are still options ready to step into bigger roles. Dawson Doyle is back in the backfield, and Dustin Cook looks positioned for a larger share after averaging 24 yards per catch and scoring four touchdowns last season. Ty Weiss is another returner who made his chances count, finishing with six catches, two of them for touchdowns.
Xavier’s 2025 run was controlled almost from start to finish. Only two teams managed to stay within one score: Western Dubuque in a 21-13 win in Week 2, and Newton in the semifinals, when the Saints rallied for a 31-24 victory. Their other closest tests were a 21-point win over Waverly-Shell Rock and the championship game against Pella.
The road ahead looks familiar because the schedule is built on the same two-year rotation. North Scott opens the slate, followed by back-to-back road trips to Western Dubuque and Clear Creek-Amana. Williamsburg comes to Saints Field for Homecoming on Friday, September 18, and Cedar Rapids Washington visits before Xavier heads to Waverly-Shell Rock to start October.
The regular season finishes with home games against Waterloo East and Mason City, plus a trip to Decorah in between.
Defensively, Beau Morio returns as the centerpiece after posting 103 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three sacks as a junior. He’s joined by Sam Schimberg, Max Dougherty, Carson Mahoney, Austin Dostal, Rex Komenda, Anthony Trotta, Jackson Owens, Jonathan Odubasa, Zack Borcherding, Deronte Strong and Nolan Wilgenbusch.
That group helped Xavier force 23 turnovers last season, including 16 interceptions. Mahoney had three of them, and Strong returned one for a touchdown.
Weiss also gave the Saints value in the kicking game. He averaged 36 yards per kickoff return and 17 yards per punt return, scored a return touchdown, and was perfect on special teams kicks, making all eight extra points and both field goal attempts.
In Other News...
Two Iowa Freshmen Suddenly Have A Real Chance To Matter
Iowas roster turnover has opened a door for two freshmen who arrived with more than just long-term potential. Jaidyn Coon and Ethan Harris were both brought in as four-star recruits, and the Hawkeyes are looking at their size, athleticism and versatility as possible answers while they sort through the departures of Bennett Stirtz, Alvaro Folgueiras and Tavion Banks.
Coon already looks like the kind of wing-forward piece Iowa can plug into a lot of different spots, which matters for a team trying to replace Folgueiras all-around value. Harris brings a different kind of intrigue at 6-foot-9, with enough ball-handling and mobility to give Iowa a mismatch option it will not want to waste, and the early competition for minutes should tell plenty about how quickly both freshmen can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Hawthorne Feels Vital To Iowas Rebuilt Defensive Line
With Iowas defensive line going through significant turnover, Bryce Hawthorne has quickly become one of the more important returning pieces for Phil Parkers group. The South Dakota State transfer brought a steady presence last season and showed enough athleticism to make himself part of the conversation for a bigger role, finishing with 15 tackles, three for loss and an interception while giving the Hawkeyes a glimpse of the stability theyll need up front.
Parker has already pointed to Hawthorne as a player Iowa can lean on, which says plenty about where the line stands heading into the next phase of the rebuild. There is still room for him to sharpen his work against the run and create more disruption through the middle, but the bigger question for Iowa is how much more he can give as a leader while the rest of the rotation takes shape around him. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Latest National Praise Comes With One Huge Offensive Twist
Athlon Sports latest preseason All-America teams gave Iowa another round of national recognition, and the attention landed where the Hawkeyes have long built their identity: in the trenches and on defense. Kade Pieper was placed on the first-team offense, Trevor Lauck earned second-team offense honors, and Zach Lutmer made the fourth-team defense, a mix that says plenty about the programs continuing ability to develop linemen and back-end defenders who draw notice well beyond Iowa City.
The bigger storyline, though, is what Piepers selection says about the offense heading into 2026. He is shifting from right guard to center after starting every game there last season, while Lauck returns after anchoring left tackle and Lutmer is back after a productive year in the secondary. With the opener set for Sept. 5 against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa will soon find out whether that preseason praise translates into the kind of offensive stability it has been searching for. [Read more 🡒]