The Iowa high school boys soccer season is over, and four state champions were crowned. Waukee Northwest won in Class 4A, Des Moines Hoover in 3A, Gilbert in 2A and Iowa City Regina in 1A.
For Northwest and Hoover, it marked their programs’ first state titles in boys soccer.
Those teams and others benefitted from the individual talents of some of the state’s top players. Laird Holden from Regina led the state in total points, and Tyler Jerkins from Gilbert boasted one of the best save percentages among goalies who logged more than 800 minutes.
The Des Moines Register staff compiled the 2026 All-Iowa boys soccer team, comprised of 11 Elite Team athletes – the best of the best across all four classes – as well as 11 players on the first team for each class and 15 honorable mentions.
Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name. All statistics come from GoBound, as of June 16.
Elite Team
Eman Alicic, So., Waukee Northwest
The Wolves took home the Class 4A state title, and it was a sophomore leading the way in scoring. Alicic recorded 21 goals and 14 assists (56 points), including a goal and an assist in the title game.
Tate Duax, Sr., Ankeny Centennial
The Jaguars went undefeated through the regular season and finished as the runner-up in Class 4A, and Duax led the way on offense. In his final season of high school soccer, Centennial’s standout scorer totaled 28 goals and 21 assists (77 points) and 64 shots on goal.
Logan Harswick, Sr., Gilbert
There are plenty of standout scorers on this championship-winning squad, but Harswick leads the way on defense. Gilbert’s goalies faced just 63 shots on goal all season, a testament to the line of defense in front of them. Offensively, Harswick tallied three goals and six assists.
Laird Holden, Sr., Regina
In his final season of high school soccer, Holden led the Regals to the Class 1A state championship. He recorded a hat trick in the title game, pushing Regina to a 3-2 win over St. Albert. He finished the season as the state’s leader in total points, with 43 goals and 23 assists for 110 points.
Kyle Irwin, Sr., St. Albert
One of the leading scorers in the state this season, Irwin propelled St. Albert to a runner-up finish in the Class 1A bracket. He scored 29 goals and tacked on 25 assists for 83 total points in his senior year.
Tyler Jerkins, Sr., Gilbert
The Tigers have claimed back-to-back Class 2A state championships, and Jerkins is a large part of that success. This season, he posted a 94.0 save percentage with 47 saves and just three goals allowed. In his junior and senior years, Jerkins allowed just five goals to get past him.
Colin Mandernach, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes
From offense to defense to goaltending, this Mustangs squad was packed with talent – taking Dallas Center-Grimes to a runner-up finish in Class 3A. Mandernach finished as the team’s leading scorer, recording 29 goals and 11 assists for 69 points.
Isack Ramadhani, Sr., Des Moines Hoover
The Huskies took down Dallas Center-Grimes for the Class 3A state championship, marking the first time any Des Moines Public Schools program had won a boys soccer state title. Ramadhani stood out as Hoover’s leading scorer, with 25 goals and 27 assists for 77 total points.
Ben Ridlen, Sr., Ankeny Centennial
A team doesn’t finish the regular season with an undefeated record without a solid defense, and Ridlen stood out from that group. He limited the chances opponents had at Centennial’s goal – with the Jaguars’ keepers facing just 41 shots on goal – and Ridlen added three goals and four assists while starting every game.
Cole Skinner, Sr., Southeast Polk
The Rams made it to the state tournament for the first time in program history, and Skinner was the leading scorer among a large group of seniors who helped Southeast Polk to its best season ever. He tallied 57 total points, with 24 goals and nine assists.
Aaden Troja, Jr., Urbandale
After making the move up to Class 4A, the J-Hawks didn’t miss a beat and made it back to the state tournament. Once again, Troja stood out as the leading man on defense, allowing just 62 shots on goal to get through this season. He added two goals and one assist offensively, as well.
Class 4A First Team
Class 3A First Team
Class 2A First Team
Class 1A First Team
Honorable Mention
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the members of the 2026 All-Iowa boys soccer teams
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
