After going 6-5 in 2024, the Iowa City West football team won eight games for the first time since 2018 last fall, finishing the year 8-3 with a run to the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football quarterfinals.The Trojans would come up short against eventual state champion Dowling Catholic, but the success they had showed that the program is ready to remain among the best of the best in the state’s largest classification.It will starts with quarterback Reece Wheeler for Iowa City West in 2026. Wheeler took over for Jack Wallace last year, throwing for almost 2,300 yards with 22 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes.Unfortunately for Wheeler and the Trojans, they will need to replace a 1,000-yard rusher, a 1,000-yard receiver and a standout in Julian Manson on offense. Campbell Janis rushed for 1,338 yards and scored 15 touchdowns while Ethan Headings had 56 receptions for 1,202 yards and 13 scores.Janis, Headings and Manson, who caught 31 passes for 560 yards and six scores, have all graduated. Wheeler is the leading returning rusher with 213 yards and four TDs, but Mikey Moody and La’Marrie Carter both ran for over 100 yards last year.Cade Towler is the leading returning receiver after catching 11 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Neil James had six receptions and Moody caught a TD pass.The offensive line also graduated Colin Whitters, as Jordi Zioka and James Barnett are back. Zioka had 15 pancake blocks and Barnett a dozen last year as underclassmen.High School On SI Iowa has Iowa City West ranked seventh in the early preseason Top 25 state rankings.New Faces Set To Pace Iowa City West DefenseLike the offense, the Trojans will need to find replacements for Manson, Headings and Janis on defense. Most Class 5A teams try to limit the number of two-way players, but those three were all exceptional athletes and stood out on both sides of the ball.Graham Towler, Cade Towler, Kingstone Ross, Jack McLaskey, Moses Dewaard, Cooper Prochaska, Khylin Brink, Jack Caylor and Ashten Holmes all had over 10 tackles last year. Several of them made impacts with multiple tackles for loss.One name to keep an eye on is Abdul Hodge, Jr. That name likely rings a bell for Hawkeye football fans, as his father, Abdul Hodge, was a standout linebacker for Kirk Ferentz and Iowa. As a junior, Hodge had 40 tackles, picked off a pass and had six passes defended.Jadon Vanderpuye is likely to take over as the kicker after going 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts as a sophomore.Battle For The Boot Kicks Off Season For Iowa City WestOne of the longest-running rivalries in Iowa high school football will take place in Week 1 once again, as Iowa City West and Iowa City High meet. The annual “Battle for the Boot” went to the Trojans last year, 30-0.Games with Dubuque Hempstead, Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf will follow and lead up to another intra-city matchup with Iowa City Liberty. Last year, the Lightning scored a 44-31 victory on Homecoming for Iowa City West.The Trojans face Muscatine, Davenport Central, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Linn-Mar to conclude the regular season.2026 Iowa City West High School Football ScheduleAug. 28 - vs. Iowa City HighSept. 4 - at Dubuque HempsteadSept. 11 - vs. Pleasant ValleySept. 18 - vs. BettendorfSept. 25 - at Iowa City LibertyOct. 2 - at MuscatineOct. 9 - vs. Davenport CentralOct. 16 - vs. Cedar Rapids PrairieOct. 23 - at Linn-MarAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow