Iowa's best high school boys soccer players: Meet the state's top forwards

Some of Iowa's top boys soccer forwards

By Ryan Timmerman 

With soccer season in full swing, SBLive Iowa is highlighting the top boys soccer players in the state. Today, we take a look at the state's top forwards. These lists are not comprehensive as there are hundreds of standout soccer players statewide. 

Jackson Kirsch, Sr., Marion

Kirsch led the state in goals scored last season with 55, plus he had nine assists as Marion finished 16-2 en route to the Class 2A state quarterfinals. Kirsch garnered first team all-state status 2A and is back looking to lead the Wolves back to state for the third straight season. Kirsch took an astounding 142 shot attempts last season and put slightly under half on goal.

Drew Robinson, Sr., Nevada

Robinson was among the state’s most productive goal producers as a junior as Nevada qualified for the Class 1A state tournament and he was recognized with honorable mention all-state status after going for 36 goals and 9 assists. His goals scored total was top five in the state (all classes) in 2022.

Marcus Blount, Sr., Prince of Peace

Blount was a first team all-stater in Class 1A after going for 32 goals and 19 assists in 2022. More good things are to be expected for his senior season, though Prince of Peace was 10-6 last season and fell to Davenport Assumption in the regional final.

Michael Nelson, Sr., Iowa City West

Nelson was an all-stater in Class 3A last season, but if he is to graduate from IC West as a two-timer, it’ll be in 4A as the state added another level to the boys side. Still, Nelson figures to be one of the best forwards in the state after he turned in 30 goals and 7 assists as a junior.

Rashidi Ishibwami, Sr., Ankeny Centennial

Ishibwami led Centennial in goals (22) and chipped in nine assists for a Jaguars squad that went 16-4 and made it to the Class 3A state semifinals. He was awarded with a spot on the second team all-state squad, his second all-state nod, and will look to get his school back to state for the third straight time.

Andrew Heckenlaible, Jr., Ankeny Centennial

Though Centennial has boasted one of the state’s best back lines in the past, it has an explosive front this season with Ishibwami, Heckenlaible and more leading the charge. Heckenlaible was honorable mention all-state in Class 3A for the 16-4 Jaguars last season and led the team in assists with 21 to go with 14 goals.

Cole Schrage, Sr., Waukee Northwest

Schrage was a Class 3A all-state honorable mention last season as Northwest finished the season below .500 (10-11), but made it to the state championship game, losing to Pleasant Valley, 1-0. The record was deceiving, though, as Northwest would have been 15-3 were it not for having to forfeit its first eight games for reportedly playing an ineligible player. Still, Schrage went for as many goals (20) as games played and added a dozen assists.

Lwings Kabula, Sr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Kabula added an honorable mention award in Class 3A to his resume after being named Athlete of the Year in the Mississippi Valley Conference’s Valley Division last season after he went for 13 goals and four assists. This season, behind Kabula, the Cougars will look to better their 9-9 mark from 2022.

Jeffery Rinker, Sr., Pleasant Valley

Rinker was PV’s leading scorer as the Spartans won their final 10 games of 2022 en route to claiming the Class 3A title. He was a first team All-Mississippi Athletic Conference pick after he went for 17 goals and three assists despite missing one of his team’s 20 games. Over 53 percent of his 53 shots were put on goal.

David Ochoa, Jr., Sioux City East

Ochoa and the Black Raiders won the Missouri River Conference with a 14-4 record last season, and he was honorable mention on the Class 3A all-state team. Though SC East was ousted by Ankeny in the regional final round, Ochoa proved to be equally capable of scoring or distributing as he went for 15 goals and 14 assists in 17 games.

Preston Kipnusu, Jr., West Des Moines Valley

A Class 3A all-state honorable mention as a sophomore, Kipnusu led Valley to a 14-5 record and went for a team-high 17 goals and five assists. Moreover, Kipnusu was able to put half of his 63 shot attempts on goal, and with a lot of its roster back this spring, Valley hopes to make a run at the 4A state tournament behind its junior standout.

John Pranger, Sr., Waterloo Columbus Catholic

Columbus Catholic finished just 10-9 last season and in the bottom half of the North Iowa Cedar League Conference. Still, Pranger was first team all-state in Class 1A after going for 52 total points scored (19 goals, 14 assists). With a majority of its key players back, the Sailors could be one of the most improved teams in the state this season, though the team dropped its 2023 opener to Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 4-1.

Kaden Ogle, Jr., Underwood

A Class 1A all-state first team selection as a sophomore, Ogle was impressive despite the team registering a modest 8-6 record. Ogle had 31 goals to finish near the top scorers of the scoring list in 1A. He also added a handful of assists and put over 60 percent of his 65 shots on goal to keep opposing goaltenders on their toes.

Kaleb White, Sr., North Fayette Valley

North Fayette Valley is 30-7 since the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. White has had a big part of that success. He was a Class 1A all-state honorable mention last season and figures to be a big part of the TigerHawks’ plans this season as he had 29 goals and three assists as a junior and 20 total points (seven goals, six assists) as a sophomore for two state qualifying teams.

Brayden Shepard, Jr., Lewis Central

Shepard was a Class 1A all-state second teamer as a freshman at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln and helped Lewis Central to a 2A state championship in 2022 by contributing 10 goals and 10 assists in just 13 games played to the Titans’ title run. After moving up a class post-transfer, he’ll be looked upon even more this season as the powerhouse that is Lewis Central looks to keep its winning tradition alive even after losing its top two scorers to graduation in Jonah Churchill and Colton Costello.

Juan Mateo, Sr., West Liberty

West Liberty’s expectations aren’t diminished this season despite losing two-time all-stater Jahsiah Galvan to graduation. Galvan was among the state’s best scorers as the Comets have gone to the Class 1A state semifinals in each of the past three seasons. Mateo was a second team all-stater as sophomore and has amassed 47 goals and 25 assists over two seasons on the Comets’ varsity squad entering 2023.

Xander Wellman, Sr., Fort Madison

Wellman already has four goals as the Bloodhounds have two early wins under their belts in 2023 after he was named an honorable mention on the Class 2A all-state team as sophomore. Fort Madison is 30-8 since the start of the 2021 season, even as Wellman was limited to just six games played last season, though he still went for 14 goals and four assists. His sophomore campaign saw him go for 81 total points (29 goals, 23 assists).

Gavin Lewis, Jr., Cedar Rapids Prairie

Lewis was a key player for Prairie in the Hawks’ march to the Class 3A state semifinals last spring, as he tallied 12 goals and 11 assists to finish second on the team in total points with 35, behind the team-best 44 posted by Tyler Fear, who’s now at Mount Mercy.

Uriel Andrade, Fr., West Liberty

Andrade has burst onto the scene for the Comets, who are looking to make it past the state semifinals after making that far the past three seasons. Andrade had five goals in his first varsity game in a 10-0 West Liberty win over Columbus and added three more in another 10-0 victory for the Comets over Mid-Prairie.

Gesser Gutierres, Jr., Greene County

Gutierres registered 19 goals and a pair of assists in just 15 games as a sophomore for the Rams, who fell two games short of qualifying for the Class 1A state tournament. He’s off to one of the most productive starts to the 2023 season as any player in any class, going for eight goals and an assist in his teams’ first two games, both wins by at least four goals.

Roberto Medrano, Sr., Davenport Assumption

Medrano led the Class 1A state champion Knights in scoring with 23 goals in 21 games and added three assists. He also led the team in goals scored as a sophomore in going for 11 in 19 games. He hasn’t slowed down as a senior, as he’s already up to four goals through two games in 2023 as Assumption looks to defend its state title.

Miles Baccam, Jr., Western Christian

Baccam scored in quantity last season (18 goals with 10 assists) and contributed in key moments as the Woldpack ultimately finished as Class 1A runners-up to Davenport Assumption. He had the only goal in Western Christian’s regional final win over Sioux Center as well as a goal in a 1-0 state quarterfinal victory over Burlington Notre Dame to go with two in the 1A semifinal win over West Liberty, with a few of those scores coming on set pieces.

Tyler Nolder, Sr., Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Gladbrook-Reinbeck improved from 4-8 in 2021 to go 15-2 in 2022 and made it to the Class 1A regional final largely thanks to Nolder’s team-best 85 points (22 goals and 41 assists). He’ll be without one of his favorite passing targets, however, as the Rebels lost Ethan Gienger’s 21 goals and 11 assists (both second-most on the team) to graduation.

Sam Burmeister, Sr., Treynor

Burmeister and Treynor have went 31-7 over the past two seasons as he posted 15 goals and 19 assists last season while putting nearly 42 percent of his 72 shots on goal. The year prior, he went for similar numbers with 16 goals and 20 assists, though the Cardinals have been ousted in the Class 1A regional finals in each of those campaigns.

Kamron Kunkle, Jr., West Central Valley

Kunkle burst onto the scene last season for the Wildcats, finishing second on the squad in goals (19) and third in assists (15) as West Central Valley made it to the Class 1A state tournament for the first time since 2014.