Iowa high school football 2023: Who the ranked teams face in Week 7

There is always someone The Gazette’s preseason Iowa high school football poll doesn’t see coming. Multiple teams, in fact.

This week, a handful of those teams that have climbed into The Gazette’s rankings during the regular season get to test themselves against more-established top-10 teams — with a chance to keep moving up.

For example:

• Class 5A No. 3 Waukee (5-1) hosts top-ranked, undefeated, two-time defending state champion Southeast Polk (6-0).

• No. 4 Gilbert (6-0), the last remaining unbeaten in Class 4A, takes on No. 3 Bondurant-Farrar (5-1), a team that was ranked second in the preseason.

• Class 1A No. 6 Denver (5-1), a week after suffering its first loss to now-No. 3 Sumner-Fredericksburg, travels to fourth-ranked MFL MarMac (5-1) in the unforgiving District 3.

• Unbeaten Wilton (6-0), up to No. 5 in the Class 1A poll, hosts No. 8 West Branch (4-2) a week after the Bears knocked off then-No. 3 Iowa City Regina.

• Class A No. 7 Lake Mills (6-0) meets No. 3 West Hancock (5-1), last year’s state runner-up.

• And the only 7-0 team in the state, Clarksville hosts the preseason and current No. 1 team in The Gazette’s 8-Player rankings, 6-0 Gladbrook-Reinbeck. Clarksville only moved into the rankings two weeks ago.

Here’s who all 72 teams ranked in this week’s Gazette poll face in Week 7.

Class 5A

No. 1 Southeast Polk (6-0) at No. 3 Waukee (5-1)

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (6-0) vs. Urbandale (4-2)

No. 3 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (4-2) vs. Dubuque Hempstead (4-2), Thursday

No. 3 Waukee (5-1) vs. No. 1 Southeast Polk (6-0)

No. 5 Pleasant Valley (5-1) at Muscatine (3-3)

No. 6 Ankeny (4-2) vs. Iowa City Liberty (2-4)

No. 7 Waukee Northwest (4-2) vs. Ottumwa (2-4)

No. 8 Ankeny Centennial (3-3) at Des Moines Roosevelt (3-3)

No. 9 Bettendorf (5-1) vs. Davenport Central (1-5)

No. 10 Cedar Rapids Prairie (3-3) at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (4-2)

Class 4A

No. 1 Adel ADM (5-1) vs. Ballard (3-3)

No. 1 Western Dubuque (5-1) vs. Waterloo East (2-4)

No. 3 Bondurant-Farrar (5-1) vs. No. 4 Gilbert (6-0)

No. 4 Gilbert (6-0) at No. 3 Bondurant-Farrar (5-1)

No. 5 Council Bluffs Lewis Central (4-2) vs. Winterset (2-4)

No. 6 Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-2) vs. Oskaloosa (3-3)

No. 7 North Scott (4-2) vs. Clear Creek Amana (2-4)

No. 8 North Polk (4-2) vs. No. 10 Indianola (4-2)

No. 9 Le Mars (5-1) at Fort Dodge (3-3)

No. 10 Decorah (5-1) vs. Marion (4-2)

No. 10 Indianola (4-2) at No. 8 North Polk (4-2)

Class 3A

No. 1 Williamsburg (6-0) at No. 7 Solon (5-1)

No. 2 Creston (6-0) at Knoxville (2-4)

No. 3 Clear Lake (6-0) vs. Hampton-Dumont-CAL (4-2)

No. 4 Mount Vernon (5-1) at Fort Madison (4-2)

No. 5 Harlan (4-2) at No. 9 Nevada (5-1)

No. 6 Sioux Center (5-1) at MOC-Floyd Valley (4-2)

No. 7 Solon (5-1) vs. No. 1 Williamsburg (6-0)

No. 8 Davenport Assumption (4-2) at Washington (2-4)

No. 9 Nevada (5-1) vs. No. 5 Harlan (4-2)

No. 10 Independence (5-1) vs. Maquoketa (3-3)

No. 10 Sioux City Heelan (5-1) vs. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (1-5)

Class 2A

No. 1 Van Meter (6-0) at Centerville (2-4)

No. 2 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (6-0) at No. 5 Western Christian (5-1)

No. 3 West Lyon (6-0) vs. Sheldon (2-4)

No. 4 Spirit Lake (5-1) vs. Garner GHV (1-5)

No. 5 Monticello (5-1) vs. West Liberty (1-5)

No. 5 Western Christian (5-1) vs. No. 2 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (6-0)

No. 7 Carroll Kuemper (4-2) at Saydel (1-5)

No. 8 Monroe PCM (4-2) vs. West Marshall (2-4)

No. 9 Roland-Story (4-2) at Des Moines Christian (3-3)

No. 10 Clarinda (4-2) at Chariton (3-3)

Class 1A

No. 1 Grundy Center (6-0) vs. Alburnett (2-4)

No. 2 Underwood (5-1) vs. Missouri Valley (1-5)

No. 3 Sumner-Fredericksburg (5-1) vs. Central Springs (1-5)

No. 4 MFL MarMac (5-1) vs. No. 6 Denver (5-1)

No. 5 Wilton (6-0) vs. No. 8 West Branch (4-2)

No. 6 Denver (5-1) at No. 4 MFL MarMac (5-1)

No. 7 Sigourney-Keota (5-1) vs. Colfax-Mingo (1-5)

No. 8 West Branch (4-2) at No. 5 Wilton (6-0)

No. 9 Iowa City Regina (5-1) vs. Dyersville Beckman (1-5)

No. 10 Dike-New Hartford (3-3) at Aplington-Parkersburg (3-3)

Class A

No. 1 Saint Ansgar (6-0) vs. West Fork (1-5)

No. 2 Woodbury Central (6-0) vs. Tri-Center (3-3)

No. 3 West Hancock (5-1) vs. No. 7 Lake Mills (6-0)

No. 4 Madrid (6-0) vs. North Mahaska (2-4)

No. 5 Lisbon (6-0) at Danville (4-2)

No. 6 Guthrie Center ACGC (6-0) at Mount Ayr (3-3)

No. 7 Lake Mills (6-0) at No. 3 West Hancock (5-1)

No. 7 Lynnville-Sully (5-1) at Martensdale-St. Marys (2-4)

No. 9 Wapsie Valley (5-1) vs. Conrad BCLUW (0-6)

No. 10 Starmont (5-1) at Bellevue (3-3)

8-Player

No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-0) vs. No. 9 Clarksville (7-0)

No. 2 Winfield-Mount Union (6-0) vs. Mormon Trail (1-5)

No. 3 Anita CAM (6-0) vs. Fremont-Mills (3-3)

No. 4 Bedford (6-0) at Lamoni (3-3)

No. 5 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0) at Woodbine (4-2)

No. 6 Central City (5-1) at Lone Tree (5-1)

No. 7 Don Bosco (5-1) at Turkey Valley (4-2)

No. 8 Lenox (5-1) at Southeast Warren (4-2)

No. 9 Clarksville (7-0) at No. 1 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-0)

No. 10 WACO (5-1) vs. English Valleys (2-4)

Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com