Iowa Sports Dynasties

The "Blue Blood" Programs Across All Sports

Every sport has programs that consistently win — decade after decade. Understanding these dynasties helps families recognize excellence and set appropriate expectations.

Quick Reference: The Dynasties

Football

Class	Dynasty	Titles	Era	Notable
5A	Southeast Polk	3+ recent	2020s	Suburban growth fueling dominance
4A/5A	Dowling Catholic	7 consecutive	2013-2019	"Gold Standard" — ended by Southeast Polk
3A	Harlan Community	14	All-time	Most titles in Iowa history
2A	Van Meter	Multiple recent	2020s	Suffocating defense
8-Player	Don Bosco	Numerous	Ongoing	Also wrestling dynasty
8-Player	Bishop Garrigan	Recent	2020s	Also basketball power

Volleyball

Class	Dynasty	Notable
2A	Western Christian (Hull)	24+ consecutive state tournament appearances — if Iowa has a "Duke," this is it
2A/3A	Dike-New Hartford	Primary rival to Western Christian; recent undefeated champion
3A/4A	Dubuque Wahlert	20+ all-time titles; eastern Iowa power
5A	Ankeny / Ankeny Centennial	Split created two metro powers
5A	Waukee Northwest	Immediate contender upon opening

Wrestling

Division	Dynasty	Class	Notable
Boys	Southeast Polk	3A	Multiple traditional AND dual titles; massive youth system
Boys	Don Bosco	1A	Scores nearly DOUBLE second place; wrestling factory
Boys	Lisbon	1A	Small-school tradition
Boys	Waverly-Shell Rock	3A	Historic rival to Southeast Polk
Girls	Osage	All	Inaugural sanctioned title; wrestling town identity
Girls	Southeast Polk	All	221.5 points at 2024 state (obliterated field)
Girls	Waverly-Shell Rock	All	Pre-sanctioning champions; top-3 annually
Girls	Decorah	All	Emerging northeast Iowa power

Basketball (Girls)

Class	Dynasty	Era	Notable
1A	Bishop Garrigan	2022-2023	Audi Crooks era; 101-8 record; all-time tournament scoring record
1A	Newell-Fonda	2019-2021	3 titles; legendary full-court press
5A	Ankeny	2002-2005	Scott DeJong's 4-peat
5A	Ankeny Centennial	Recent	DeJong continued success after school split
5A	Dowling Catholic	Ongoing	Perennial contender
5A	Valley	Ongoing	Consistent metro power

Basketball (Boys)

Class	Dynasty	Notable
4A	Ames	Harrison Barnes, Fred Hoiberg alma mater; 2009-2010 teams legendary
2A/3A	Western Christian (Hull)	Numerous titles; fundamental excellence
4A	Valley	2023 champion; athletic guard-heavy rosters
4A	Waukee	Pre-split power; now split with Northwest

Baseball

Class	Dynasty	Notable
1A	St. Mary's, Remsen	THE baseball town; defeats schools 10x their size
4A	Johnston	D1 pitchers and hitters; suburban resources
2A	Beckman Catholic (Dyersville)	Near "Field of Dreams"; perennial contender
4A	Pleasant Valley	Quad Cities power

Softball

Class	Dynasty	Notable
5A/4A	Fort Dodge	Home-field advantage at state tournament
4A	Dallas Center-Grimes	Pitching factory; consistent power
3A/4A	Winterset	Legendary program; numerous D1 pitchers
1A	Twin Cedars	Recent champion; small-school excellence

Soccer

Division	Dynasty	Notable
Boys	Iowa City West	9 titles under coach Willie Filip; record consecutive wins
Boys	Cedar Rapids Xavier	Consistent 2A/3A power
Girls	Ankeny / Ankeny Centennial	Metro dominance
Girls	Davenport Assumption	10+ titles across divisions

Track & Field

Division	Dynasty	Notable
Girls	Iowa City High	Factory for girls' track talent
Boys/Girls	Waukee Northwest	Sprint relay dominance since opening
Boys/Girls	Cedar Falls	Distance and mid-distance excellence
Boys (small)	Lisbon	Small-school dynasty

Swimming

Division	Dynasty	Notable
Girls	Ames	9 titles (2010-2020); D1 swimmer pipeline
Girls	Dowling Catholic	Perennial contender
Girls	Waukee	Consistently top-3
Boys	Bettendorf	Historic giant
Boys	Ames	Trades decades of dominance with Bettendorf

Cross Country

Dynasty	Notable
Iowa City High	9+ team titles; consistent excellence
Dowling Catholic	Boys' 4A dominance
Pleasant Valley	Rising girls' power

The All-Sports Award Winners

Des Moines Register All-Sports Award

This prestigious honor tracks success across ALL sports throughout the year:

Category	Recent Winners	Notable
Large School	Waukee Northwest, Southeast Polk	Suburban powerhouses
Medium School	Western Christian	Volleyball + basketball excellence
Small School	Don Bosco	Football + wrestling combination

Geographic Clusters

Des Moines Metro

Southeast Polk: Wrestling, Football
Dowling Catholic: Football, Swimming, Cross Country
Valley: Basketball, Football
Waukee/Northwest: All-sports contenders
Ankeny/Centennial: Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer

Eastern Iowa

Iowa City West: Soccer
Iowa City High: Track, Cross Country
Dubuque Wahlert: Volleyball
Bettendorf: Swimming

Northeast Iowa

Cedar Falls: Track, Swimming
Waverly-Shell Rock: Wrestling
Dike-New Hartford: Volleyball

Northwest Iowa

Western Christian (Hull): Volleyball, Basketball
Bishop Garrigan (Algona): Basketball, 8-Player Football
St. Mary's (Remsen): Baseball

Central Iowa

Ames: Swimming, Basketball legacy
Gilbert: Golf

Western Iowa

Harlan Community: Football (14 titles)
Lewis Central: Football contender

Small-School Powers

Don Bosco (Gilbertville): Football, Wrestling
Osage: Wrestling
Lisbon: Track, Wrestling
Newell-Fonda: Basketball

What Creates a Dynasty?

Factor	Examples
Community Identity	Harlan football, Osage wrestling — the town IS the sport
Generational Commitment	Western Christian volleyball — players' mothers were champions
Coaching Continuity	Iowa City West soccer (Willie Filip), Newell-Fonda basketball (Dick Jungers)
Facility Investment	Southeast Polk's wrestling room, Dowling's weight facilities
Youth Pipeline	Sebolt Academy → high school powers; Iowa Sticks → baseball powers
Suburban Growth	Southeast Polk, Waukee Northwest — enrollment explosion
Private School Resources	Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Wahlert — consistent funding

What This Means for ISP Families

Realistic Expectations

If your student attends a school that competes against these programs:

Dynasty opponents are the measuring stick — losing to them isn't failure
State tournament appearance may be the realistic goal — not always the title
Development matters more than wins — D1 coaches recruit talent, not just champions

Finding the Right Fit

If Your Student Is...	Consider...
Elite D1 prospect	Schools/clubs that face dynasty competition regularly
Solid varsity player	Programs with strong development, reasonable playing time
Multi-sport athlete	Schools that don't force single-sport specialization
Development-focused	Youth academies that feed into multiple high schools

HF 189 Opportunity

ISP students can choose to compete FOR these dynasty programs via HF 189:

Live in the district
Meet eligibility requirements
Join the team

If you live in Hull, you can play for Western Christian's volleyball program while studying with ISP. If you live in Southeast Polk's district, you can wrestle for the dynasty while maintaining flexible academics.