At Sports Guys Iowa (SGI) we were excited to have our preview of the Dowling Catholic Maroons be one of the first 5A team previews that we will publish this year.
Coach Tom Wilson is entering his 34th year of coaching and closing in on 300 wins (only 14 Iowa High School Coaches have reached that milestone). Coach Wilson led very successful English Valley, Wilton, and Dike New Hartford programs before taking the head coaching job at Dowling Catholic in 2005. At Dowling, he won his first state title in 2010, and then ran off seven straight state titles between 2013 and 2019.
That seven straight titles statistic was so hard to believe, that I counted them three times just to triple-check the accuracy.
The Maroons are a threat every year to make the playoffs and then make a deep run to Cedar Falls and back with the big trophy in hand. In 2024, Dowling lost in Cedar Falls in a close semi-final game to archrival West Des Moines Valley. Those two teams that play home games on the same field – Valley Field – seem to be on a collision course every year to meet sometime in the playoffs.
As a new Des Moines resident, I can’t get over the fact that you have two powerhouse teams in the state playing their home games on the same field. To use a phrase – that is Wild… I think Iowa has to be the only state in the country where two of the state powerhouses in the top class play alternating weeks on the same field. For one team when they play each other, they have to use the visitors’ locker room at their home field. That shared experience has to make the rivalry even more intense.
The Valley – Dowling rivalry game this year has been scheduled for Week One which is an awesome way to kick the year off in 2025.
For our preview – We asked Coach Wilson a series of questions for his preview, and we greatly appreciate his answers and details on the Maroons below.
Q1. What excites you the most about this fall football season?
“Our kids have worked hard. They have put in a lot of effort into the off-season. We face one of the toughest schedules in Iowa which is always a great challenge. Some of these kids have worked and waited for their time to shine. For some, that time is now.”
Q2. Can you give us some background on returning players and (new) players that you are excited about for the 2025 Season?
“We have a good mix of returning players with some new faces. Our offensive line was young a year ago. We return four of those guys, including Carter Barrett, Brady Hagan, and Josh Miller that have attracted college attention.
Kade Krause started every game for us at Offensive Guard as a sophomore last year. We have a Quarterback in Joey Nahas (53/78 Passing, 666 yards, 8TDs, 2 INTs) that has experience, as well we have Sam Drexler returning, who will have a much bigger role than last year (36 Catches for 399 Yards, 3TDs- 17 Kick and Punt Returns for 282 yards)
Ian Middleton (216 Yards, 4.3 YPC, 5 TDs) has been on our varsity roster since he was a freshman and he is now a senior. In the past, he has played Fullback, Tailback and Defensive End. His primary focus will be at Tailback this year for us.
We also feel good about some of the kids that will be looking to fill bigger roles this year on offense. Jimmy Nahas, Kyle Schumacher, and Preston Hofbauer all will see bigger roles. Offensive Lineman Evan Mitchell and Max Thomas are definitely in the mix, as are Jack Trump and Sebastian Hilligas. Others have the opportunity to get in the mix as we really start to get into things.
Jeffrey Roberts (read our story on his transfer from Ames) (38 Catches, 989 yards, 12 TDs) will have a big role in our offense as a Wide Receiver. He is a very talented player.
Evan Schmulbach played a lot of fullback for us in 2024. He has a chance to do the same in 2025, and maybe have an expanded role. We are excited about two sophomore Tight Ends in Leyton Oldfield and Sam Spracklin. Henry Smid a sophomore has the inside track to be the Number 2 Tailback.
On defense, our main returners are Ryan Bobo (32 tackles, 6.5 Sacks, 10 Tackles for Loss) Joel Sankoh (57.5 Tackles) and Jackson Miller (43 Tackles, 1 INT). We will have some new faces on the defensive side, but we expect them to play well. Leo Pagano got some time for us a year ago at Inside Linebacker and will have a bigger role this year. Transfer Carlos Blount Jr. from Centennial (40 Tackles, 3 TFLs) has the ability to make a big impact for us at Linebacker. We have some things to sort out on the Defensive Line. I mentioned Bobo as an impact player and also said that Middleton will play more on offense. That leaves guys like Edgar Perez, Anthony Bonanno, Jack McLaughlin and Myls Elcock to become factors. We may also work Brady Hagan on the defensive side. His wrestling background could serve him well on the Defensive line. Jackson Miller is the only returner in the secondary. Dual Sport Basketball player Maddox Coppola has a chance to help us there. Kyle Schumacher, Preston Hofbauer, Patrick Sullivan and Jeremiah Roberson (Centennial Transfer) are looking to earn playing time at Cornerback.
Ryan Kuhn has some experience as a kicker. I would say that Drexler and Roberts will likely be our two main return guys.”
Q3. The Conference and District will once again be rugged, What do you think about this fall’s schedule?
“The district is a good one, as I know that Waukee will have an excellent team and Waterloo West will be in the mix. As I have mentioned, our schedule is tough. We open with Valley then have Johnston. That is followed by 5A newcomer Dallas Center Grimes, Southeast Polk (defending 5A State Champ) and Ankeny Centennial. We also have Cedar Rapids Kennedy who we have played the past couple seasons and respect a great deal, and Marshalltown. That is a very good schedule.”
Q4. What are your goals for the Dowling Football team this year?
“We just want to maximize us. What can that be? I am not sure yet. We feel good about what we can become, but against this competition, you don’t know whether it is going to be good enough.
We like our guys, and like our team, but there is much work to be done. To make a run, you usually have to get a little bit lucky health-wise.”
Sports Guys Iowa Commentary
Dowling Catholic preseason certainly looks like a 2025 playoff team with the potential to make a long playoff run. A trip to Cedar Falls is again a real possibility for the semi-finals and more.
Adding Jeffrey Roberts (Power 4 Commit for Iowa State) a big-time playmaker who can stretch the field is huge. Also having an experienced Quarterback with Joey Nahas is always a big plus. The talented Sam Drexler, with an experienced running back in Ian Middleton, combined with a lot of talent returning up front on the offensive line (4 of 5 Starters returning) bodes well for the offense. Counting Jeffrey Roberts as a starter, I count 7 offensive players who have significant starting experience.
The defensive side of the ball has less returning experience. With only one starter returning in the secondary, and that means that week one against Valley will be a big test for the new starters.
Schedule-wise looking at some of the prediction models (Rivals and others) the Valley and Southeast Polk games are rated as close to toss-ups, and there are other difficult games on the schedule – Johnston, Ankeny Centennial, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, etc. The variability of predictive outcome models at the high school level is very high, so I would recommend you take those models as being “directional”.
The Dowling season looks like it could be a special one, but as Coach Wilson says “to make a run, you usually have to get a little bit lucky health-wise.” Dowling like almost every top contender, will need to stay healthy to make the run to Cedar Falls that they seem capable of making in 2025.
With games against West Des Moines Valley and Johnston in the first two weeks, we will learn a lot about Dowling by September 6th this year.
Will the Maroon bus, get loaded up for a trip to the UNI Dome once again in 2025? It is going to be fun to watch and find out.
As always, we appreciate your comments and support.
