PLEASANT HILL, Iowa – In the four-year history of 5A football, there has been just one champion. That, of course, is Southeast Polk. As the Rams begin their quest for a fifth, they’re not focusing on the past.

“Complacency is the enemy,” said Rams Head Coach Brad Zelenovich. “Ego, and all of those things that kind of derail teams. That’s human nature, is to relax and be complacent, so we’re fighting against that everyday. The calendar to switches to 2025, so we’re moving on. We’ve got a new football team, and we’ve got a bunch of guys that we’re counting on to make plays that weren’t out there last fall.”

From Kadyn Proctor, to Xavier Nwankpa, to Abu Sama, the Rams have had several players go on to do great things in power four college football. Coach Zelenovich says it’s always about the next man up.

“Elite organizations have elite, great systems in place to develop players. We’ve got some high level guys at the most premier colleges in the country. Playing at a high level. Potentially, hopefully, things work out, play for a really long time. It takes so many people to do what we’ve done. In terms of the amount of players you develop, it’s not just those elite guys that go on to play college, it’s guys that just want to be really good high school football players.”

The current players understand the history of their program, and try to maintain that standard by being leaders.

THE CURRENT PLAYERS UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF THEIR PROGRAM, AND TRY TO MAINTAIN THAT STANDARD BY BEING LEADERS.

“Just by what I do,” said Drew Thompson, one of the top returning rushers in Class 5A. “Trying to set the standard, not tell people what the standard is. Have people follow what it is.”

While the team knows that a fifth straight title won’t be east, they’re prepared to write their own story. They may have lost another group of great seniors, but a program like this continues to prepare players when their number is called.

“We’re just worried about ourselves,” said Brayden Lewis, a senior defensive back. “What’s in the past is in the past. Those are the old teams. The 2025 team is just focused on getting back this year, and making a good season for ourselves. We lost a lot of seniors, and we’ve had a lot of younger guys, and guys that haven’t necessarily been on the field a lot being able to step up, and embracing that. We’re just ready to go.”