Iowa boys state soccer tournament 2024: Predicting champions in all four classes

Thirty-two teams left, eight per class.

It's put up or shut up time for the Iowa high school boys soccer teams left alive in the postseason. Starting on Wednesday the road to crowning four state champions becomes more clear as the state tournament kicks off. It all wraps up at Mediacom Stadium on Saturday.

We've gone through the brackets and chosen the four teams we believe will end the weekend as state champions. These predictions are based on regular season results, head-to-head matchups, star players as well as recent-runs of success.

Of the four choices we made, three would be returning state champions, with one new, yet experienced squad joining the fold.

More: See 2024 Iowa boys soccer state tournament brackets for all 4 classes

Here are our predictions for the Iowa boys high school state soccer tournament:

Class 4A: Johnston (17-2)

This class is by far the most competitive of the four, with the top five teams in seeding all trading blows this season. But the Dragons have a ton of room for optimism entering the tournament.

Johnston has just two losses on the season, coming against Valley and Ankeny Centennial in back-to-back outings on April 19 and 23. That came when the team's leading scorer from last year, Kyron Pope, who helped lead the team to a state title, was out with an injury. In eight games this season, Pope is already up to five goals and five assists. With him in the lineup, the team is undefeated.

If Pope is ready to go, the Dragons are poised to repeat.

No. 5 Valley will be one to watch with Preston Kipnusu, the leading goal scorer in 4A, at the forefront of their hopes. No. 2 Dowling Catholic, No. 4 Iowa City West and No. 3 Waukee Northwest have all had moments of brilliance and could beat anyone on a given day. But the Dragons get the nod due to last year's experience and strong performances when fully healthy.

Runner-up: Dowling Catholic (17-2)

More: West Des Moines Valley soccer's Preston Kipnusu is in a league of his own

Class 3A: Des Moines Hoover (16-2)

The top-ranked team in 3A this season was Lewis Central, who was undefeated until dropping a match in a sub-state semifinal to Sioux City West. Now the class looks open for the taking for any of the eight teams left standing.

The Huskies have been on the doorstep of a state title for some time as a multi-time state tournament qualifier under coach Jonathan Rubino. This might just be their year, entering the tournament with the No. 1 seed. At 16-2, Hoover has a balanced attack with Ben Musengo (15 goals), Javier Flores (14 goals) and Remi Saldi (10 goals) all tallying double-digit goal seasons.

In the team's final four games of the regular season, the Huskies outscored their opponents 19-1. That includes a 5-0 win in the sub-state final against a solid North Polk squad.

The other team to watch in Class 3A is DCG. The Mustangs have Ben Jackson, one of the best players in Iowa. He leads the class with 23 goals this season.

Runner-up: Dallas Center-Grimes (14-4)

Class 2A: Gilbert (17-0)

Gilbert may just be the best team in the state, regardless of class.

The Tigers are one of only two undefeated teams remaining in Iowa and have outscored their opponents 66-10 in 17 games. Averaging just under four goals a game, they have only given up more than one goal once this season. That came in the sub-state semifinal against Chariton, an 8-2 win for the Tigers. Tyler Holtan's 21 goals have been a huge asset for them.

More: Meet Tyler Holtan, the breakout star striker for the Gilbert boys soccer team

Glenwood as the No. 2 seed will have a say in the end result, but Webster City may be the Cinderella to watch. The Lynx have one of the most prolific offenses in the state. Eddy Fuentes and Eduardo Perez have combined for 56 goals and 28 assists this season and could prove to be a problem for any defense they face.

Runner-up: Glenwood (14-4)

Class 1A: Western Christian (12-4)

West Branch is the other undefeated team in the state alongside Gilbert, but it isn't often you see all of the top teams come out with the crown.

Western Christian, the reigning state champions, bring back their top two scorers from last year's title run, as well as JD Petitt, their starting goaltender. The one thing that the Wolfpack does, regardless of sport, is challenge themselves on the schedule, taking on larger Sioux City schools and even out-of-state opponents from Nebraska.

It's that tough schedule and returning experience that has us picking the Wolfpack over No. 1-seed West Branch and No. 2-seed Regina Catholic.

Runner-up: Regina Catholic (15-3)

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa boys soccer state tournament champion predictions