High school football schedules released for 2025, 2026

For the first time since 2019, the Newton football team will not play Marshalltown this upcoming season.

High school football schedules for 2025 and 2026 were released by the Iowa High School Athletic Association on Monday and non-district opponents for the next two seasons were revealed.

And the Cardinals will play the Class 4A defending state champion and the defending state runner-up in 2025. Carlisle and Bondurant-Farrar are back on the schedule, too, after playing Newton in district action the past two seasons.

“We were pretty sure we’d get Carlisle and Bondurant-Farrar since we both had each other No. 1 and No. 2 in our request order,” Newton head football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “I love it. We feel pretty good about the matchups we got.”

PCM, which finished 11-1 last year and reached the 2A semifinals, has two familiar non-district foes on its schedule the next two seasons.

Class 1A Sigourney/Keota and 3A Nevada are back, but the Mustangs also will play Williamsburg in Week 3.

There will be nine new opponents on Colfax-Mingo’s schedule in 2025. The two non-district foes — Clarke and Central Decatur — finished a combined 2-14 last season.

Lynnville-Sully head football coach Mike Parkinson was expecting to see Pleasantville back on the non-district slate but was surprised to see Cardinal of Eldon as the second opponent,

“Our schedule looks really competitive,” Parkinson said. “And we weren’t planning on seeing Cardinal on the schedule.”

Baxter faced Iowa Star Conference rivals Collins-Maxwell and Colo-NESCO in district games the past two seasons but both return to the schedule this rotation as the Bolts’ two non-district foes.

Newton’s 2025 season begins with a home game against Carlisle (2-7 in 2024) on Aug. 29.

The Cardinals’ first-ever meeting against 4A defending state champion North Polk (13-0) comes in Week 2 on Sept. 5 in Alleman.

They play at Bondurant-Farrar (2-7) on Sept. 12 before hosting Indianola (5-4) on Sept. 19.

Newton’s 4A District 4 slate begins with a home date against Oskaloosa (2-7) on Sept. 26. The Cardinals go to Pella (11-2) on Oct. 3, play at Clear Creek-Amana (6-4) on Oct. 10 and host Grinnell (6-3 in 3A) and Marion (2-7) in the final two weeks of the season on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24.

Newton, which finished 6-4 in 2024, faces Indianola for the first time since 2017. The Cardinals went 2-0 against the Indians in 2016 and 2017.

Oskaloosa is back on the schedule for the first time since 2021, the Cardinals last played CCA in 2022 and faced Grinnell last in 2020.

“Not many teams really wanted to list us, but we feel good about our team this upcoming season so we want to play good, hard-nosed programs early and see what we need to get better at,” Swedenhjelm said. “Indianola is a conference school who we’ve played in other sports so we liked getting them back on the schedule. North Polk will be new, but we want to try to beat the best.”

PCM opens its 2025 season at home against Sigourney/Keota (7-2 in 1A) on Aug. 29 and then goes to Nevada (8-3 in 3A) on Sept. 5.

The Mustangs host Williamsburg (7-3 in 3A) on Sept. 12 before beginning 2A District 7 play on the road against Pella Christian (3-6 in 1A) and South Tama County (0-9 in 3A) on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26.

The Mustangs host Albia (4-5) on Oct. 3, go to Davis County (3-5) on Oct. 10 and host Centerville (4-5) on Oct. 17.

PCM defeated Sigourney/Keota in each of the past two seasons and Nevada split its two contests with the Mustangs.

The Cubs have six straight seasons of six or more wins, while Williamsburg has posted 13 straight seasons of seven or more victories.

The Raiders and Mustangs will meet tor the first time since 2021. Williamsburg is 3-1 against PCM since 2014 and all four meetings came in the playoffs.

“I think it’s a very competitive schedule, and I’m happy about that,” PCM head football coach Greg Bonnett said. “The one team of the non-district matchups which is somewhat of a surprise is Williamsburg. I know we put them down, but they did not put us down. The other ones were both on each other’s list so I was not surprised.”

Colfax-Mingo (1-7 last season) opens its 2025 season at Clarke on Aug. 29. Its Class A District 6 schedule begins at home against BGM on Sept. 5 and then the Tigerhawks go to North Mahaska for a district game against the Warhawks on Sept. 12.

Colfax-Mingo’s second non-district game is at home against Central Decatur (2-6) on Sept. 19. The Tigerhawks finish their season at Earlham (6-3) on Sept. 26, at home against Martensdale-St. Marys (0-8) and Lynnville-Sully (5-4) on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10 and at Madrid (9-3) on Oct. 17.

Colfax-Mingo is 4-2 against Clarke since 2010. The Indians have won two straight though and the two teams will play for the first time since 2021.

The Tigerhawks are 4-0 against Central Decatur. They are playing each other for the first time since 2021, too.

“I like our schedule the next two seasons,” Colfax-Mingo head football coach Drake Buscherfield said. “Lots of familiar faces from the SICL and traditionally good programs mixed throughout.

“It will be fun seeing new competition, too. Clarke and Central Decatur were our matched top choices so there wasn’t a surprise there. We should have some good, competitive matchups.”

Lynnville-Sully and Pleasantville (6-3 in 1A) have played every year since 2018. The Hawks and Trojans will open 2025 against each other on Aug. 29 in Sully.

The Hawks’ second district game will be played at Cardinal (0-8 in 1A) on Sept. 5. They have played twice since 2016 with the Hawks winning 74-0 and 53-0.

Lynnville-Sully’s 1A District 6 schedule kicks off at Martensdale-St. Marys (0-8) on Sept. 12. The Hawks host BGM (4-5 in 8-man) on Sept. 19, play at North Mahaska (4-4) on Sept. 26, host Madrid (9-3) on Oct. 3, face Colfax-Mingo on Oct. 10 in Colfax and play Earlham (6-3-) on Oct. 17 in Sully.

Baxter (3-5) opens its 2025 season at home against rival Collins-Maxwell (5-4) on Aug. 29.

The Bolts’ 8-man District 7 slate begins with back-to-back road games against Southeast Warren (6-3) and Melcher-Dallas (2-8) on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12. They also host Twin Cedars (0-9) on Sept. 19, face Wayne (5-4 in Class A) in Corydon on Sept. 26 and host Moravia (3-6) on Oct. 3.

Baxter’s final non-district game is Oct. 10 against Colo-NESCO (5-4) in Colo. It finalizes the regular season at home against Montezuma (10-2) on Oct. 17.

The Bolts’ schedule features five new teams, but Baxter has faced Collins-Maxwell and Colo-NESCO every year since 2018.

The Bolts have won four straight against the Spartans and are 5-2 since 2018. Colo-NESCO has won two in a row over Baxter, but the Bolts are 5-2 against the Royals since 2018.

“Collins-Maxwell and Colo-NESCO are our non-district games, and we both had each other written down so we anticipated seeing them on the schedule,” Baxter head football coach Zach Hasselbrink said. “We have played them for many years and with proximity it makes sense.

“I like starting out with a non-district game. The rivalry game with Collins-Maxwell in Week 1 will be fun for the boys. We also love being able to play Week 1 at home, but we have a tough schedule with some great teams in the district and two quality non-district opponents.”

The football schedules in 2026 for all five area programs are in the same order as 2025 but in opposite locations.

Those game dates are Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Sept. 11, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9. and Oct. 16 for all five squads as well as Oct. 23 for Newton.