Cedar Falls Wins 4A State Championship With Perfect Season

Tigers defeat Johnston 56-48 to cap off 25-0 campaign

Mar. 13, 2026 at 10:19pm

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Cedar Falls High School's boys basketball team capped off a perfect 25-0 season by defeating Johnston 56-48 in the Class 4A state championship game at the Casey's Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Senior Will Gerdes led the way for the Tigers with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while teammates Jayden Kimbrough and Leyton Wolf each added 13 points.

Why it matters

Cedar Falls' undefeated season and state championship victory caps off an impressive campaign for the Tigers, who overcame an early deficit to Johnston to claim the 4A title. The win solidifies the team's status as one of the top high school basketball programs in Iowa.

The details

Cedar Falls trailed early but took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Kimbrough with just over 7 minutes remaining. Gerdes then took over, converting a 3-point play and hitting two free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Johnston had jumped out to a hot start, sinking 10 3-pointers in the first half, but was held to just one more the rest of the way.

  • The Class 4A state championship game was played on Friday, March 13, 2026 at the Casey's Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

The players

Will Gerdes

The captain of the all-tournament team, Gerdes scored 19 points with 7 rebounds for Cedar Falls. He is a future Northern Iowa Panther.

Jayden Kimbrough

A senior teammate of Gerdes, Kimbrough scored 13 points and added 9 rebounds and 4 assists for the Tigers.

Leyton Wolf

Also a senior for Cedar Falls, Wolf scored 13 points to go along with Gerdes and Kimbrough's contributions.

Nicare Cavil

The leading scorer for Johnston, Cavil had a game-high 25 points with 6 3-pointers.

Emri Jones

A Johnston player who added 12 points in the losing effort.

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What’s next

Two more championship games remain on the schedule, with St. Edmond taking on Bellevue Marquette Catholic along with Kuemper Catholic and Unity Christian in 2A to conclude the state tournament.

The takeaway

Cedar Falls' undefeated season and state championship victory in Class 4A is a remarkable achievement, capping off an impressive campaign for the Tigers and solidifying their status as one of Iowa's top high school basketball programs.